I like this time at night on HBT

[Leadgolem]

I've come to the conclusion after watching some favorite show on hi definition TV. It all looks to clean. Looses realdom, or something. Just all to perfect quality. Give me 1980-2000 movie quality I grew up with black and white- imagination

Hmm, that's why I listen to audio books. More imagination needed, but mine is still better then any computer animation.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Smoking an Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 while drinking homebrew Gose, tending to a smoker containing 13 lbs of pork butt, while listening to tunes at 2:00 AM while the family sleeps. Does it get better than this?

 

[snaps10]

Not really it doesn't.


I'm patching up the wounds of the drunk and stupid.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Not really it doesn't.


I'm patching up the wounds of the drunk and stupid.

Lots of both this time of night, I'm assuming?

 

[snaps10]

Typically, tonight though has been pretty slow. I'm perfectly fine with that too.





Found this behind a cabinet. They're remodel our office. Been more or less playing ladder truck all night.

 

[Dan]

What a beautiful day here in the valley. Yesterday the air quality was lousy, the sky a dull grey with a dirt brown horizon. Today, I don't know where it came from - blue skies, white puffy clouds, almost clean air and the temp was 70-80 degrees. A real treat.

I hit the gym this morning then did laundry then picked up my dog from the people watching him and spent the afternoon at The dog park. My dog, although he considers himself a big dog is actually pretty small. We hung out in the small dog section with the little dogs and grandmas. For real. 😎

 

[TNGabe]

What a beautiful day here in the valley. Yesterday the air quality was lousy, the sky a dull grey with a dirt brown horizon. Today, I don't know where it came from - blue skies, white puffy clouds, almost clean air and the temp was 70-80 degrees. A real treat.

I hit the gym this morning then did laundry then picked up my dog from the people watching him and spent the afternoon at The dog park. My dog, although he considers himself a big dog is actually pretty small. We hung out in the small dog section with the little dogs and grandmas. For real. 😎

My dog is maybe 35 lbs and 5 lbs of that is hair. He's gettin old and I've stopped taking him running, but he does get some woods time every now and again. Last time Reggie went for a walk up at Bay's Mountain Park with us, as we were leaving a woman by the visitor's center had to pick up her vicious toy poodle and the woman, speaking to her dog, said 'No no Joe, that's a big dog.' I think Reg was pretty pleased with himself. Maybe it was anthropomorphism, but I think Reggie was proud.

 

[Dan]

TNGabe, if I could have double liked that last post I would.

Since I'm not currently in a situation to brew and my brain seems to be going through Brewing Amnesia (it's a technical term :fro I've been watching Bobby's, All Grain Primer Series. For me at least, Bobby_M from NJ is a homebrewing teacher and legend among brewers. He unselfishly shares much knowledge with the homebrew community and has now taken his brewing and engineering expertise to market.

I've bought from him. Totally happy with the products he sells. Great price, great quality, great customer service. I don't get paid for promoting this guy.. Just think he has given a whole lot to the community and is worthy of praise and support.

I realize the majority here are all experienced brewers so these videos are probably old news but for some it will be eye opening.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

I think I've settled on my next brew - a dry stout. I can only do partial mashes, but the grain bill for a dry stout is small enough that I can mash all the specialty grains with 2 pounds of 2-row (5 lbs total) and fit it in my big stock pot with the strike water with room to spare. I'll probably do it BIAB, and since I'm mashing at 150F, if I can nail the strike water temp I can throw the whole thing in my oven set to 150F and mash for as long as needed. I'll still have to add in 3 lbs of LME, but this will be the first time I've done more grain than extract.

 

[Leadgolem]

I managed to tweak my back out last night. I'm not sure how, but it really hurts.

I hit up a couple of second hand places that usually have appliances after work today, I didn't see anything for my setup I really liked.

I cut out some cardboard rounds so I can size things properly.

 

[BobbiLynn]

I've never heard of anyone mashing in the oven, hmmm... my pots wouldn't fit.

 

[Dan]

Great story BobbiLynn. I think our parents, just like us now, overcome these little things in the end. When that stops.. we all loose.

 

[brewguyver]

Was talking to my brew partner today talking about all the tech access our kids will have that we never did. Seems like the 50's and 60's were a black hole of assimilation, but with crazy things like tech shop (google it) and access to programming knowledge that didn't exist 10-15 years ago, things are looking pretty good for the next generation. We just need to make sure they don't get a trophy every time they show up to take a crap, etc.

Granted his kid just turned 2, he's got another due in December, I just got married, and we're both in our early 30's, but things are looking up.

Then again, maybe our future kids will reinvent hipsters just to spite us. You never know ...

 

[LabRatBrewer]

TNGabe, if I could have double liked that last post I would.

Since I'm not currently in a situation to brew and my brain seems to be going through Brewing Amnesia (it's a technical term :fro I've been watching Bobby's, All Grain Primer Series. For me at least, Bobby_M from NJ is a homebrewing teacher and legend among brewers. He unselfishly shares much knowledge with the homebrew community and has now taken his brewing and engineering expertise to market.

I've bought from him. Totally happy with the products he sells. Great price, great quality, great customer service. I don't get paid for promoting this guy.. Just think he has given a whole lot to the community and is worthy of praise and support.

I realize the majority here are all experienced brewers so these videos are probably old news but for some it will be eye opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSEA9v7ix8Q&list=PLD29FE33E17F07F8D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZI5i_zNWwo&list=PLD29FE33E17F07F8D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PSvCRtVdZU&list=PLD29FE33E17F07F8D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tvRL9FbwW8&list=PLD29FE33E17F07F8D

I agree, I just wish he looked older. Kidding aside, his products are top notch.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I've come to the conclusion after watching some favorite show on hi definition TV. It all looks to clean. Looses realdom, or something. Just all to perfect quality. Give me 1980-2000 movie quality I grew up with black and white- imagination

True, a Sleestack on high def blows: ...crap can't post pic from touch pad, but I was about to unleash horrible Land of the Lost disapointment on you.

 

[Dan]

can you hear me now? My last reply got lost in the lost interweb galaxy.. Darn, it was a good one too

 

[Dan]

LRB my riddle buddy friend
I suppose those days might of come to an end
Not our friendship no way
Here I go again bad rhyming today

LabRatBrewer!

 

[BobbiLynn]

Great story BobbiLynn. I think our parents, just like us now, overcome these little things in the end. When that stops.. we all loose.

I erased the true story because it seemed too weird to share, but yeah, as parents with teenage daughters, which we both are, the rules change and you have to adapt and overcome.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

LRB my riddle buddy friend
I suppose those days might of come to an end
Not our friendship no way
Here I go again bad rhyming away

LabRat!

Dan, our Riddle Thread shall not end
Its just limited time we've to spend
Nonetheless there's more to be guessed
Chickens, streets, corsets, cross-dressed?
Is this a riddle? No, not this time
Nothing but a simple rhyme

 

[Dan]

LRB, between you and me
The Riddle Thread; kept me alive you see
Back when I was posting there
I drank to much and lost most my hair
For me that was an outlet brother
Not sure I'll post this, maybe ask my mother
No, Mom has no pull on this
She and Dad sleep in heavenly bliss
Whoop, whoop I'm becoming really creepy
Maybe not really, I'm just real sleepy

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

I've never heard of anyone mashing in the oven, hmmm... my pots wouldn't fit.

Yeah, it's one of those quirky advantages of partial mashing small batches. The control isn't that great in that you can mash only in 5 degree increments but I can hold 150 for as long as I like.

 

[Leadgolem]

I've never heard of anyone mashing in the oven, hmmm... my pots wouldn't fit.

Yeah, it's one of those quirky advantages of partial mashing small batches. The control isn't that great in that you can mash only in 5 degree increments but I can hold 150 for as long as I like.

It's talked about a lot in the 1 gallon brewing thread. What's your oven but an insulated box with a heater in it?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

I have enough pot to mash about 7 lbs of grain at 1.25 qts per pound, and it fits in the oven. Generally not enough grain for 5-gallon batches. I've been thinking about a 3-gallon setup, but I already have 5 gallon and 6 gallon fermenter/carboy sets for beer and wine.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

It's talked about a lot in the 1 gallon brewing thread. What's your oven but an insulated box with a heater in it?

Lately I've been BIAB, 5 gallon batches. My nine gallon brew pot fits in the oven with a rack on the lowest level. I just turn the oven on for a few minutes to warm it up first.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Yeah, I have been thinking about a dedicated brew kettle, but I do OK with my current equipment. When I get a bigger house with more space I might consider some upgrades. I can make the table beer and wines that I like to drink and am playing with more complex and interesting recipes. I'm also not really into big beers; I don't stray over 5% ABV very often so I really don't need too much more pot. A 5 gallon kettle would be about perfect.

I discovered last night that my milk stout *MUST* be chilled in the refrigerator for it to pour cleanly. I used US-05 in it and it simply refuses to settle out unless it is cold crashed for several days. This stuff has been in the bottle for almost 4 months now, and it was in the fermenter for 4 weeks. Really nasty looking to pour a nice stout and see that it is full of yeast floaties. It tastes great, but the presentation is very off-putting. I never had that problem with the other ale yeasts. Using Nottingham I can pretty much pour like it is a filtered beer, even if warm the sediment in the bottom doesn't budge at all.

Well, I woke up to a migraine this morning. I went to the store for groceries, came home and crashed and I feel better now, just tired. We had a big front pass through last night - weather changes seem to be a big trigger for me.

I took a nap, then went to make a salad for lunch. I sliced the end of my thumb with the mandolin and burned my other thumb. I think this is a sign that I should take it easy and not attempt anything adventurous today.

 

[Leadgolem]

Yeah, I have been thinking about a dedicated brew kettle, but I do OK with my current equipment. When I get a bigger house with more space I might consider some upgrades. I can make the table beer and wines that I like to drink and am playing with more complex and interesting recipes. I'm also not really into big beers; I don't stray over 5% ABV very often so I really don't need too much more pot. A 5 gallon kettle would be about perfect.

I discovered last night that my milk stout *MUST* be chilled in the refrigerator for it to pour cleanly. I used US-05 in it and it simply refuses to settle out unless it is cold crashed for several days. This stuff has been in the bottle for almost 4 months now, and it was in the fermenter for 4 weeks. Really nasty looking to pour a nice stout and see that it is full of yeast floaties. It tastes great, but the presentation is very off-putting. I never had that problem with the other ale yeasts. Using Nottingham I can pretty much pour like it is a filtered beer, even if warm the sediment in the bottom doesn't budge at all.

Well, I woke up to a migraine this morning. I went to the store for groceries, came home and crashed and I feel better now, just tired. We had a big front pass through last night - weather changes seem to be a big trigger for me.

I took a nap, then went to make a salad for lunch. I sliced the end of my thumb with the mandolin and burned my other thumb. I think this is a sign that I should take it easy and not attempt anything adventurous today.

I'm glad you got rid of the migraine, those suck.

I decided to buy a chest freezer after all. I got a 7 cubic foot one from sams today. The build is going to be so much easier this way. It should fit 3 kegs comfortably, and the 10lb co2 tank. I decided to buy new as I would be constantly wondering if a used freezer would go out on me. I don't want to go to the work of building this thing and have it crap out in a year.

I figure I can do 3 phases to this setup. The first will be just the basic setup with the plastic faucets. That will require opening the lid to dispense. The second will be installing real faucets through the collar, and probably installing longer liquid lines. The ones I've got now are only 5'. The third will involve getting a third regulator, and setting things up to make 2l of soda off of an external line. The last one may not happen at all, it will depend on my usage.

In order to get this setup I still need a temp controller, and to build the collar. That's in addition to the stuff I listed previously. I'll take measurements for the collar later tonight.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Lately I've been BIAB, 5 gallon batches. My nine gallon brew pot fits in the oven with a rack on the lowest level. I just turn the oven on for a few minutes to warm it up first.

My oven has a warm hold setting that lets me dial in 150F. And it is pretty accurate too. It fires up just when you put the pot in, maybe once or twice again over a 1+ hr mash. Nice and stable.

 

[Dan]

I'm glad you got rid of the migraine, those suck.

I decided to buy a chest freezer after all. I got a 7 cubic foot one from sams today. The build is going to be so much easier this way. It should fit 3 kegs comfortably, and the 10lb co2 tank. I decided to buy new as I would be constantly wondering if a used freezer would go out on me. I don't want to go to the work of building this thing and have it crap out in a year.

I figure I can do 3 phases to this setup. The first will be just the basic setup with the plastic faucets. That will require opening the lid to dispense. The second will be installing real faucets through the collar, and probably installing longer liquid lines. The ones I've got now are only 5'. The third will involve getting a third regulator, and setting things up to make 2l of soda off of an external line. The last one may not happen at all, it will depend on my usage.

In order to get this setup I still need a temp controller, and to build the collar. That's in addition to the stuff I listed previously. I'll take measurements for the collar later tonight.

Congrats LG! Good decision to go with a freezer. Fridges are great and no need to mess around with a temp controller but I can see the ergonomic (if thats the right word) advantage to a freezer. Keep us updated with pics of your build.

 

[Leadgolem]

Congrats LG! Good decision to go with a freezer. Fridges are great and no need to mess around with a temp controller but I can see the ergonomic (if thats the right word) advantage to a freezer. Keep us updated with pics of your build.

These are the carboard cutouts I made so I could see how things would fit. Here's how they actually fit.

The freezer is taller then I thought it was. With 3 kegs I don't have to build a collar for the freezer at all. I could fit a fourth keg by building a stand for it, moving the co2 bottle to the compressor hump, and building a collar to make it tall enough. I'm not planning on doing that for a while.

I can get the co2, regulators, manifolds etc.. all inside the freezer without putting anything on the compressor hump. For the time being anyway, I'm going to put bottles on it.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

These are the carboard cutouts I made so I could see how things would fit. Here's how they actually fit.

The freezer is taller then I thought it was. With 3 kegs I don't have to build a collar for the freezer at all. I could fit a fourth keg by building a stand for it, moving the co2 bottle to the compressor hump, and building a collar to make it tall enough. I'm not planning on doing that for a while.

I can get the co2, regulators, manifolds etc.. all inside the freezer without putting anything on the compressor hump. For the time being anyway, I'm going to put bottles on it.

They sell 2.5 and 3 gallon kegs - maybe you could stick one or two of them on the compressor hump? Not sure if that works with your brewing plans, just a thought.

EDIT: I'm seeing 15" being about the typical height of these 2.5 gallon kegs. Do you have that amount of space above the compressor hump?