Calling Bergen County Home Brewers!

[gregkeller]

Was only Jonathan and I, but the three wise monks should be our place from now on. Great beers on tap and both bartenders/owners were home brewers. They have been throwing around the idea of starting a homebrew club themselves, and seemed cool with the idea of bringing in homebrew as long as we shared with them.

 

[blakelyc]

perfect! So that sounds good then... do they have food?

 

[blakelyc]

question.... I seem to recall one of you gents being set up for lagering. Or maybe that was the beer talking? I had a lovely munich helles while on vacation, and a pils that was incredible, and I'm trying to figure out how to do that.

 

[gregkeller]

I think they have a simple bar menu. No idea about the quality of the food.

As for lagering I have a fermentation fridge that can handle the primary fermentation but from there most people keg and lager in the keg. I can't fit a corny in my fermentation chamber but I guess I could put it in my keezer to lager but it would prevent me from using one of my taps for 6 weeks or so.

I'm gonna make a shot at using a Munich helles grain bill with a dusseldorf alt yeast. I've fermented that cold and gotten a nice crisp almost lager character out of it. Was missing that slight sulfur component that lagers tend to have but I want something with a relatively quick turn around.

 

[blakelyc]

I am considering picking up two mini-fridges... One with heat/cool mods for fermentation and one with just cool for lagering. I was going to put it off for another season, but as much as I have been enjoying Munich helles and pils lately I am tempted just to suck it up.

In other news, my automated single-vessel system is taking waaaaaay longer than I thought it would (learning to weld, soldering my own electronics, and educating myself enough to design it all rather than following a plan). I am a total glutton for punishment. Anyways, I decided to do a v1.5 version of my brewery... Traditional two-coolers-and-a-kettle. Went with 10g coolers. My first beer in it will be a cream ale recipe altered from mad fermentationist. From there, maybe a Gose.

It is also easier to truck around for group brews.

The plan remains for the v2.0 super BIAB, but I will probably be brewing in it in August or September. I haven't brewed a thing since November, and I was jonesin' soooooo bad.

 

[gregkeller]

Alright guys. What's next? Wanna meet up sometime in the next few weeks?

Also mark may 4th on the calendars. That's the aha big brew day. I'll offer up my place for a group brew. We can all brew the same thing or make a big batch of wort and all use a different yeast or all do completely different stuff. Doesn't matter to me. I'll also fire up the smoker and have ribs or something to eat.

Lets brainstorm ideas of what to brew.

 

[jtindall743]

I am going to make my first lager here pretty soon. I have a mini fridge with a two stage and small ceramic heater. My kegerator is also large enough to store the beer in a keg for the 3-6 months needed without losing space for beer on tap. That is how i will be attempting my first lager.

 

[greyhoundbrewing]

hey guys
just found this thread. count me in for the meetings. i used to be with barley legal in sj but i immigrated to nnj.
is anyone going to the garden state brew fest on may 11th??

 

[B33R]

I'm hoping I can make it to the next meeting. I'm getting ready to start my keezer build. Still need to pick a few things out and find a place to fill up my C02 bottle.

 

[jtindall743]

Mistucky Creek Homebrew in Warwick, NY. They will exchange your 5# CO2 tank for i think $20.

I have never been to Cask and Kettle, but the guys in the group said its a good homebrew shop. I would think they would have something.

 

[gregkeller]

American compressed gas in bardonia ny. It's just a few miles across the ny border on what is basically the continuation of kinderkamack rd. they charge 12 bucks to trade a 5 lb tank. Best price by far I've found.

See you at the next meeting.

Also anyone up for a group brew day on may 5?

 

[blakelyc]

Heya Gents!

Is anyone familiar with "Bolero Snort" brewery? They're in Ridgefield Park (brewing is done at High Point in Butler). Just read about one of their beers, an American Black Lager, on Serious Eats.

As for may 5, I'm going to have to bow out of a long event.... I've gotten myself involved in a somewhat emergency bathroom renovation. While we'll probably just be wrapping up, I don't want to promise to participate and then have to bail. No matter what, though, I'll be able to swing by for a little while and maybe bring a couple of new brews to taste!

 

[B33R]

Did you plan on having a meeting this month?

Got my keggerator done. Ended up driving to New Brunswick Saturday morning to reliable carbonic. 15 bucks to fill my 10lbs tank. In and out in 5 minutes.

 

[gregkeller]

Is there any interest in doing something this weekend guys? Maybe three wise monks on Saturday afternoon. That place seems like they would be cool with bringing some homebrew in to taste also.

 

[jtindall743]

Im in. I will wait till the following weekend to bring brew to sample, if we are still doing a group brew.

 

[greyhoundbrewing]

I've got a birthday party for my buddy on saturday and I'm on call for the hospital on Sunday. So I guess I'm a mo go this weekend

 

[B33R]

I'm free this Saturday to meet up so I"d be willing to go head over to Three Wise Monks

 

[gregkeller]

I think they open around 4, so maybe 4:30ish at three wise monks. We can discuss a group brew day also.

 

[B33R]

Sounds good.

 

[blakelyc]

Heya gents! I apologize for being a bit incommunicado.... Unfortunately we are having to renovate a bathroom on an emergency basis. Had a water damage problem. Total drag, but I have managed a couple of brew days in the last couple of weeks. I should have a pre-prohibition cream ale and a Gose ready to drink in the next week or so, so hopefully I will be able to make one of these thing soon.

Thanks for carrying the northern jersey brewing banner in my stead!

Cheers,
-Blake

 

[greyhoundbrewing]

how'd this weekend go guys?

 

[gregkeller]

So at our first meeting i'd thrown out the idea of a group brew day on May 4th because it was the AHA big brew day. Now i realized that May 4th is this saturday. Is anyone interested in still doing this? I'll offer up my house as a location, i also was saying i'll throw a few racks of ribs on the smoker.

So let's see if anyone is interested. Even if you don't wanna brew and wanna come over hang out, bring some beers to try whatever. I actually don't have much drinkable beer on hand right now, i've got an unknown quantity of amber ale and some vanilla porter on tap (again, not sure how much). So respond here and we can figure out a time and stuff. I was leaning towards starting my brew day (i'm doing a IIPA) around 1-2 or so, but am flexible.

 

[B33R]

My friend is getting married that day. Not having a wedding but a dinner and he hasn't even got back to me about when yet. I'd like to make it but its my good friend and I need to be there for him. I'm hoping the dinner isn't until 7-8pm. Its an hour away so I'm not sure I'd be able to brew a batch myself but I'd come to meet everyone and hang out. I have one batch bottled that's okay I could bring for tasting.

 

[B33R]

My Friends dinner is at 4pm so I probably won't make it. Sorry.

 

[jtindall743]

I'll come brew beer. I will also bring three beers to taste.

 

[gregkeller]

So since i didn't see any positive responses until tonight, i pushed my brew day back until sunday.

Maybe we can set up a meeting in the next few weeks where a bunch of us can make it. Someone throw out a date and we can go from there. Maybe weekend before memorial day?

 

[blakelyc]

Hi! Today is a beautiful day for a brew day! I am still putting a bathroom back together. Ugh.

I will check my calendar and propose a few dates. Weekend before Memorial Day looks do-able, unless that ends up being the last construction weekend.

Did any of you guys enter the NHC at the ny judging site? Just saw the results were in, including a 2nd or 3rd ip from a fellow in Closter.

 

[kman6234]

Hi! Today is a beautiful day for a brew day! I am still putting a bathroom back together. Ugh.

I will check my calendar and propose a few dates. Weekend before Memorial Day looks do-able, unless that ends up being the last construction weekend.

Did any of you guys enter the NHC at the ny judging site? Just saw the results were in, including a 2nd or 3rd ip from a fellow in Closter.

Hey guys, I'm the guy with the 3rd place (ESB)from Closter. It was the first time I've ever entered a competition so I was pretty excited that I came in 3rd. I've been following this thread for a while and have been trying to make one of the meet ups butive always had a conflict. Hopefully I'll be able to join everyone at the next one.

 

[blakelyc]

Hey, congrats!! I was hoping that would be someone we've seen around here. It is now mandatory that we have a tasting

 

[gregkeller]

Congrats dude. Maybe a few of us can get some beers together for the nj home brew comp in a few months. And I'd love to try some of that esb that is going to the second round.


I had a pretty good brew day. DIPA with 9 oz of high alpha hops in the boil, another 4 ready for dry hop. Should be pretty good. Or at least I hit all my numbers and there were no hiccups. So should be a good beer in a few weeks.

I'm around each weekend except Memorial Day so ill be around.