Recent content by HambonesBrews

http://lukesbrews.blogspot.com/ First brew in a while. IPA on deck for the weekend!

Thanks Darwin. Would love to get close to the NC State hop project there in Raleigh! I will stay patient but hopefully get a little something to hold me over til next year.

Nice thread! I have been keeping up with a blog since I started brewing a year and a half ago. Just added some photos of my homegrown hops that will soon be harvested. http://www.lukesbrews.blogspot.com/2012/09/homegrown-hops-harvest-is-near.html I love seeing traffic on the blog, let's me know...

I planted my first rhizomes in May and have been anticipating the harvest ever since. I have a cascade and centennial plant. From what I have read, the NC harvest period is typically mid August. Well, it's mid September and I just spotted flowers on my cascade plant and have yet to see anything...

Here is a funny story about blow off and how I avoided disaster http://lukesbrews.blogspot.com/2012/01/golf-trip-12.html. The beer in the story was one of my best, tasted by 10+ people on my annual golf trip and enjoyed by all!!

I love beer, brewing beer and writing about beer. Please visit www.lukesbrews.blogspot.com for some homebrew lessons, homegrown hop tales and general beer musings. Glad to be a part of homebrewtalk!

I thought I might be warm on the ferm temp. Is it better to keep it consistent at 72 or cool it down whenever possible to 66 (ice pack, wet towel and fan, etc) causing fluctuation in temp or keep it at the same temp, even if it is a bit on the high side?

Wow. Over my head! I understand RO and water quality but wouldn't know where/why to add chemicals to the brew. Is that based on the water profile? If yes, how do I capture that?

Wow. That is over my head! I work with in filtration sales so I understand RO and water quality, however, wouldn't know when/why to add any chemicals. That based on the water profile? If yes, how do I capture my waters profile, other than a caricature ;)

tried fermcap? does it affect taste?

Given the fact the after taste has lessened with conditioning, doesn't sound like oxidation would be the cause. How do I get a water profile. Brewing a dunkelweizen tomorrow, what is my best choice for water? Distilled, purified, etc?

oxidation, explain? perhaps I should have posted on the beginners thread ;)

To Revvy, for instance...I brewed northern brewers dead ringer kit. Followed instructions to a t (http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/DeadRingerIPA.pdf)! Two weeks in primary, 10 days in secondary and two weeks in bottle. My last bottle was drank after 5 weeks of conditioning...

no, whats that and how do I get it? Use Charlotte city water.

For instance, northernbrewers dead ringer extract kit, followed instructions to a t (http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/DeadRingerIPA.pdf). Primary for two weeks, secondary for ten days and bottle conditioned 2 weeks. Last bottle I drank had conditioned for 5 weeks (yes, me and...