Recent content by mmiddleton

I've never brewed with someone else participating, and it's never been an issue. In fact, the best batch I've made yet was when I had the house to myself the night before (for prep), and the actual brew day. Other batches have been good, but mistakes happen with distractions...and I can be easy...

Something that just occurred to me that I like about my LHBS' loyalty program is, I don't need to keep a card in my wallet. They use my phone number, so as long as I'm still able to remember that, I'm golden :)

+1 to the specialty grains by-the-oz. My LHBS has a bunch of those larger plastic jugs, and they keep them in those, so they can easily dispense small amounts as needed.

My LHBS is awesome, and there's not really anything more I'd ask of them. They carry a good amount of specialty grains, hop selection is solid, and they sell nearly all the hardware I need. I only order online if there's a really significant price difference, if I only need a couple ounces of...

I think it's just a general lack of maltiness, by comparison.

That's really interesting! I've used Maris Otter a few times in a Mosaic SMaSH recipe, and I've always been very happy with the results. Made the same recipe with Vienna, wasn't as happy with it.

If you mean at home, that's 100% correct. Outside of the home, I've pulled a few, though I'm certainly no expert. To be clear, I'm not against other people kegging. If it works for you, that's awesome! :mug: It's just not my jam. I could see one of those garbage can keg dispensers being...

I'm with you on this, and I think I'd take it a step further. I'm completely uninterested in adding electronics, or even electric heat, to my brew system. A little elbow grease is a good addition to beer, IMO.

I've only made it once, but it's definitely my favourite. I made a clone of Founders Breakfast Stout, with a couple of modifications, and it was delicious. Even better, I racked off a growler of it when bottling, and added tart cherries. Even better!

For the coffee, I used Kicking Horse's Cliffhanger Espresso. Not sure if it's available in the US, but it's one of my favourite coffees.

+1 to Black Prinz. Used it in my Founders Breakfast Stout clone, and ended up skipping the coffee that the original recipe called for in the secondary (still added it to the boil).

Funny, because Newfoundland has the opposite problem. We often get things after the start of the "proper season". I think the Oktoberfest came in November this year... :rolleyes:

I'm not convinced that kegging is better than bottling. Yes, washing and filling bottles is a bigger pain. However, the cost of getting in to kegging in any sort of reasonable way is pretty damn steep. Bottling only requires empties, caps, and some way to close up the caps. Heck, if you use...

I've been using Maris Otter in my SMaSH brews (except the most recent one; tried all Vienna malt, just for a change of scenery), and I think the flavour profile would be an excellent base for a stout.

I added the stabilizer to a batch of wine without checking the alcohol level first. It wasn't NEARLY done fermenting *LOL*