Hazlenut Brown Ale

[Morrey]

I am from Darlington meaning there is not a LHBS very close to me. There is DIY in Elgin (closest) and a shop in Conway which adds a few miles. Point is a hike for me to run out and buy a sachet of yeast, a few campden tablets...etc. I have to have a pretty good inventory on hand and find myself ordering bulk online. Due to this limitation, I have very few folks to chat with and exchange ideas, so this forum is very helpful in that regard.

I enjoy River Ratz beer locally brewed on Shop Road (near the USC stadium) in Columbia. They had a beer on tap called Hazelnut Brown and it was a good brew for sure. On a trip to NC, I stopped at the coolest place called Alternative Beverage on the outskirts of Charlotte. I browsed for supplies, and found an extract kit with grains for a Hazelnut Brown and bought it. I tapped it this week and all I could say is WOW! It had a creamy smooth head, deep flavors but not so heavy it bogged me down. The hazelnut essence came thru nicely w/o overpowering the beer. Even my wife who is a Mich Ultra kind of beer drinker was totally impressed. Her comment was that this beer won't last long!

I am really interested in all-grain, but due to the lack of places to learn such as local brew clubs or LHBS, I have stuck with extract kits. If anyone is close and can show me some basic equipment to get started, I'd certainly be appreciative!

 

[jzimpleman]

I know that this is an old post, but I don't venture into this thread line very often.

I'm in Sumter. I've got the same issue that you do with lack of local options so I have to rely on online supplies. I do have the equipment for all grain and we've (me and some local brewers) have been talking about doing another grain brew. We're also thinking of doing our first 10 gallon brew (maybe an extract due to size) for a bourbon barrel fermentation. We picked up the barrel in Columbia this fall.

Let me know if you wanna venture down the highway 40 minutes or so some Saturday.

 

[Morrey]

I know that this is an old post, but I don't venture into this thread line very often.

I'm in Sumter. I've got the same issue that you do with lack of local options so I have to rely on online supplies. I do have the equipment for all grain and we've (me and some local brewers) have been talking about doing another grain brew. We're also thinking of doing our first 10 gallon brew (maybe an extract due to size) for a bourbon barrel fermentation. We picked up the barrel in Columbia this fall.

Let me know if you wanna venture down the highway 40 minutes or so some Saturday.

I'd love to come over to Sumter and visit and brew with you fellows. The River Ratz ale from this thread was the last extract kit I brewed. I switched to all grain BIAB and haven't looked back since!

I actually started brewing back in the 80's when all I had was a pre-hopped liquid extract. It was boil, add yeast, ferment and bottle. The beers were pretty darn bad BTW. When I re-started brewing about a year ago, I was amazed at how much better the supplies had gotten. Even the extract kits I tried were good ingredients.

All grain is certainly a great approach and I love the simplicity of BIAB. I have a buddy who uses a MLT 3V system, but I see no need to change my approach since my beers are turning out well.

I'd like to see the barrel you bought. Are you going to do a porter or stout to age in it? I have a 20 gallon Blichmann kettle and a BIAB nylon grain bag for it if you'd like to do a 10G batch AG. Two of us could take a wooden handle and lift the bag out while a 3rd member squeezes the bag. I'd be glad to bring it along. Please keep in touch.

 

[krazydave]

Reviving a really old thread here, but I just moved across the country to Summerton and am hitting the same snag of having nothing local for bulk supplies. I do all grain on a 3V single tier system that I designed and built, and would love to meet some local brewers and even have some of you over someday for a brew session or even a beer exchange if you're interested.

I don't suppose either of you have come across anything more local for supplies since you posted this, have you?

 

[jzimpleman]

Reviving a really old thread here, but I just moved across the country to Summerton and am hitting the same snag of having nothing local for bulk supplies. I do all grain on a 3V single tier system that I designed and built, and would love to meet some local brewers and even have some of you over someday for a brew session or even a beer exchange if you're interested.

I don't suppose either of you have come across anything more local for supplies since you posted this, have you?

You are just down the road.

I’ve upgraded to a three vessel keggle setup and have done a few all grain brews. I have bought bulk grain from Beer Engineer Supply in North Charleston. They have pretty much whatever you’ll need at pretty good prices.

Due to time constraints, I haven’t done an all grain for a while, instead doing quick extract brews. I’ve also pretty much out of 2-row and need to get back to Charleston to grab another 50 lb sack.

 

[krazydave]

Thanks for the tip on Beer Engineer Supply, I’ll have to check them out!
I’m planning a triple batch brew day in the next couple of weeks to get the supply chain going again, which will all but deplete my base malt supply. So a bulk purchase is definitely coming.

If you’re ever passing through Summerton, I’m right on the lake. Feel free to hit me up to swing by and sample what’s on tap!

 

[catdaddy66]

Thanks for the tip on Beer Engineer Supply, I’ll have to check them out!
I’m planning a triple batch brew day in the next couple of weeks to get the supply chain going again, which will all but deplete my base malt supply. So a bulk purchase is definitely coming.

If you’re ever passing through Summerton, I’m right on the lake. Feel free to hit me up to swing by and sample what’s on tap!

I grew up on Lake Marion in Santee, but my address was Summerton. Learned to swim and fish at Cooper's Landing!

 

[krazydave]

I grew up on Lake Marion in Santee, but my address was Summerton. Learned to swim and fish at Cooper's Landing!

If you ever feel like coming back to hang out on the lake again, hit me up. I'm working on getting my taps flowing again.

 

[krazydave]

You are just down the road.

I’ve upgraded to a three vessel keggle setup and have done a few all grain brews. I have bought bulk grain from Beer Engineer Supply in North Charleston. They have pretty much whatever you’ll need at pretty good prices.

Due to time constraints, I haven’t done an all grain for a while, instead doing quick extract brews. I’ve also pretty much out of 2-row and need to get back to Charleston to grab another 50 lb sack.

So I went to Beer Engineer Supply. Nice people there, but their bulk prices were a good bit higher than what I'd usually pay. $55 for a 50lb sack of Briess two-row and $75 for a sack of Marris Otter... In CA I was paying around $40 for a 55lb sack or Great Western two-row and $50-60 for sacks of Marris Otter. I brewed three batches this past weekend though, so I still paid it.
I'm open for any other suggestions on a cheaper place, or a brewery somewhere that is friendly with doing bulk purchases for homebrewers.