I like this time at night on HBT

[BobbiLynn]

Nevermind, better not do that, pack of coyotes must have heard the same thing I heard. Wish hubby was well enough to be my hunting partner. I guess let it go and let the coyotes have it. The yelping sounded like fear and pain. A deep, deep, large animal voice. Had to tell my dog that we weren't prepared to fight a pack and he was upset about it, but understood, came back into the safety of the house without complaining much.

Anyway, I turned my compost pile yesterday(friend helped get the front end loader running) and got it watered and cooled off for the spring. A couple pictures, the pile is a beaut, eh? And second pic of of my dog. He's looking over his shoulder, still wondering what happened in the woods and what he missed out on.

 

[ruralbrew]

If you want to do potatoes in a container just get a bunch of old tires. Fill one with dirt and plant your seed potatoes and when the plant is tall enough throw another tire on top and fill it with dirt. Just keep doing that and by fall you will have a tower of potatoes. Once soil temperatures get into the 80's new potatoes stop forming so plant them early and keep them cool. They prefer a little lighter soil so a little sand mixed with the compost might help, and they require a lot of potash. A little sulfur usually is a good thing too.

Your homegrown potatoes taste so much better than store bought, especially those skanky Idaho potatoes.

 

[Varmintman]

Coffee is good. But, now I want to start making chocolate coffee in the mornings.

Where are you getting all the potatoes, v-man, growing them? I started some in a container this year to try it out. Not sure how many gallons, but I had to put the container where I wanted it and then fill it with compost by the wagon load. Actually messed up a little and we had one last frost I wasn't expecting, so some of the potato plants I transferred from the compost pile(where I had thrown out potato skins) to the pot died. I should have just let them grow in the comfy, warm compost a little longer. Now I am thinking, why can't I plant spring crops in the winter and just put them right around the pile. The pile will keep them warm. Cold weather is over here, so I'll have to wait to try that.

I live in Idaho Bobbi. And I am out in the country surrounded by both 2 row barley and spud farmers. I have to pay for the 2 row but spuds are free to me. And funny thing I am not to fond of spuds but if I can brew with them well I just might start liking them

 

[Varmintman]

If you want to do potatoes in a container just get a bunch of old tires. Fill one with dirt and plant your seed potatoes and when the plant is tall enough throw another tire on top and fill it with dirt. Just keep doing that and by fall you will have a tower of potatoes. Once soil temperatures get into the 80's new potatoes stop forming so plant them early and keep them cool. They prefer a little lighter soil so a little sand mixed with the compost might help, and they require a lot of potash. A little sulfur usually is a good thing too.

Your homegrown potatoes taste so much better than store bought, especially those skanky Idaho potatoes.

I have to tell you I laughed pretty good at this

 

[ruralbrew]

I'm headed up to Menards in a bit to pick up some wiring supplies and a few other odds and ends. I have all the components for my electric build and figured I better start putting together the control panels if I'm ever going to start brewing on this system, and with the money I have spent if I don't I will never hear the end of it. Not so much money as some of these guys in the electric forum have spent, it probably won't be pretty but it will work. And as long as it will make beer and be consistent it doesn't have to be shiny.
Last summer I picked up one of those open top plastic freezers you see in grocery stores, they usually have frozen pizza in them. Got it for free off Craigslist and it works. I'm going to wire up a different controller for it and it will be my fermentation chamber. So I will be able to start doing lagers and some of the Belgian styles that require ramping up the temp as the fermentation progresses. Now all I need is a chest freezer for a kegerator and I'll be pretty well set. (famous last words) I've had to pass up some really good deals but I don't need another project sitting around, I have way too many of them now as it is.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

Wow what a day. Got my fermentation chamber aka old fridge moved in and have to wire a temp control up for it now. But the really cool thing is I got a ice maker now in another fridge. First ice maker I have ever owned :rockin:

Life is good now.

Automatic ice makers are now a requirement for me! You'll love it!

Nevermind, better not do that, pack of coyotes must have heard the same thing I heard. Wish hubby was well enough to be my hunting partner. I guess let it go and let the coyotes have it. The yelping sounded like fear and pain. A deep, deep, large animal voice. Had to tell my dog that we weren't prepared to fight a pack and he was upset about it, but understood, came back into the safety of the house without complaining much.

Anyway, I turned my compost pile yesterday(friend helped get the front end loader running) and got it watered and cooled off for the spring. A couple pictures, the pile is a beaut, eh? And second pic of of my dog. He's looking over his shoulder, still wondering what happened in the woods and what he missed out on.

Glad you waited a bit on the food. Good dog for listening to you. And that's quite a compost pile you have there!

 

[ruralbrew]

I just got back from Menards $250 poorer. Good thing I only needed odds and ends. And I still forgot to pick some things up but they are just....odds and ends......

Of course I still need pumps, silicone tubing, quick disconnects and on and on and on. Pretty soon though I will be able to quit spending money on parts and begin spending money on malt and hops and yeast.

 

[opus345]

I just got back from Menards $250 poorer. Good thing I only needed odds and ends. And I still forgot to pick some things up but they are just....odds and ends......

Of course I still need pumps, silicone tubing, quick disconnects and on and on and on. Pretty soon though I will be able to quit spending money on parts and begin spending money on malt and hops and yeast.

Have you bee watching the Cheap Compact Wort Pump thread?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/cheap-compact-wort-pump-375904/

I may take a flyer on the $21.95 ebay one. Maybe the Solar Project one.

 

[snaps10]

I've tested out the $20 black one and I think I'm going to use it for mash tun recirculating only. I'll be purchasing a chugger for everything else. My run from brew stand to conicals is 15' with a 5' rise. That's just too much for the little guys I think. I'll be doing a dedicated hard plumbed recirculating pump in my mash tun.

 

[Leadgolem]

Now that sounds really good, I love sweet potatoes. I have made sweet potato pie that multiple mistook for pumpkin pie so makes sense you can sub it.

Opus, I hate it when that happens, have to go back and try to remember what you said in that final post of the night before stumbling off to bed.

LG, what about concentrated liquid instead of trying to use the grounds? But that would probably mess up your consistency or something. I could go for some chocoffee right now. Been up since about 3:30, then the dilemma, drink a beer and try to get back to sleep, or just go ahead and make coffee and start my day. So I drank a beer and still awake so I guess I'll go to Plan B, the coffee.

I could use a concentrated liquid. That's really a last resort though. In order to get the liquid to mix you actually have to add a fair amount more water they you would think, then leave the chocolate at temperature for a while so the water evaporates out. Otherwise it won't set properly.

That would mean that making this stuff would be much more of a PITA then I would prefer.

The instant espresso powder didn't leave a grainy texture precisely. It did change the fat percentages enough that the finished product doesn't have that smooth mouth feel that makes chocolate so nice. The other problem is the actual flavor profile. The espresso powder tastes like it was very darkly roasted, no lite or mid flavors at all. I'm not really happy with it this way.

The next version will use ground coffee as fine as I can make it in the new coffee grinder. It's pretty close to cocoa powder to my senses. I hope it works well in the chocolate. It's dunkin donuts medium roast. That's what I used in the first chocoffee experiment, so I know it's got a good flavor profile for this project. The texture was just rubbish.

 

[Leadgolem]

My mozzarella was a success today. I made a double batch of fresh mozzarella with the supplies that came with the cheese making kit I bought, plus the citric acid I already had. So I now have two pounds or so of fresh mozzarella in my fridge. I brined them in a saturated salt solution I made from sea salt and a little Himalayan salt. They are tasty.

Take that 15$ a pound fresh mozzarella prices! I laugh at your excessive cost.

 

[Leadgolem]

Hmm, I drank 9 oz of everclear in an hour and a half.... I've got another 3 about ready to go down. Can't really tell if it's day or night anymore. Hopefully night. I will be sleeping soon I'm sure.

 

[Leadgolem]

 

[BobbiLynn]

Well, lived to brew another day. Ended up raining all day, so just a small batch on the stovetop. About 2 gallons. Enough to get the house smelling good.

You probably won't be surprised to know that I talk to my beer. A friend was over working on the electrical in my shed and came walking back to my craft room to ask a question, he caught me talking to my beer. Actually asking it a question about it's flavor. It was a rhetorical question, I didn't expect it to answer me. He thought I was on the phone at first and apologized for interrupting. Then he saw there was no phone, just a bucket of beer.

Anyone feel like getting some music going? I'm in the mood for something mellow. Guess I can go look on youtube, but I always end up lost in some deep, dark corner when I go there.

 

[Leadgolem]

Well, lived to brew another day. Ended up raining all day, so just a small batch on the stovetop. About 2 gallons. Enough to get the house smelling good.

You probably won't be surprised to know that I talk to my beer. A friend was over working on the electrical in my shed and came walking back to my craft room to ask a question, he caught me talking to my beer. Actually asking it a question about it's flavor. It was a rhetorical question, I didn't expect it to answer me. He thought I was on the phone at first and apologized for interrupting. Then he saw there was no phone, just a bucket of beer.

Anyone feel like getting some music going? I'm in the mood for something mellow. Guess I can go look on youtube, but I always end up lost in some deep, dark corner when I go there.

You mean like here?

 

[BobbiLynn]

Hmm, I drank 9 oz of everclear in an hour and a half.... I've got another 3 about ready to go down. Can't really tell if it's day or night anymore. Hopefully night. I will be sleeping soon I'm sure.

LOL, didn't see your posts until just now. Nice!!! I guess mellow music is out then. We need loud party music!!

 

[Leadgolem]

I don't know. This seem good to me tonight. I like lots of kins of music. No, that isn't a typo.

 

[BobbiLynn]

You mean like here?
Bus driver rams

I have been to some much darker places, but, yes, exactly.

 

[Leadgolem]

So. I decided I didn't want to pay the extra 17$ a month +95$ for installation of the equipment I wanted for the extra hdtv I'd like in my bedroom. SO, I bought this stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009E6R89C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C1Z0HA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B4O7NS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I'm going to shoot the HDMI output from my satellite receiver wirelessly to my bedroom tv, and shoot the remote pulses back. Not sure if that's brilliant or insane. It should be fun to play with all the components though.

 

[Leadgolem]

I have been to some much darker places, but, yes, exactly.

So have I, but I prefer not to admit it in company.... Polite or otherwise.

 

[Leadgolem]

Hmm, I think that last song deserves this song.

 

[Leadgolem]

Oh deer.

 

[Leadgolem]

Ok, ounces 13-15 got mixed with 1.5 scoops of raspberry sherbert and tonic water. It's actually a really good mix drink. Hmm.

 

[brewingmeister]

Everclear? the drain is calling...continue the holding pattern of circling...

 

[BobbiLynn]

Oh deer.
Sound of music flash mob.

I once got stuck on youtube all day watching flash mobs. They are friggin' awesome!!!

 

[Leadgolem]

Everclear? the drain is calling...continue the holding pattern of circling...

HA! I'm 1/4 scottish and 310 pounds. I will be truly surprise if I even have a hangover when I wake up.

 

[opus345]

Anyone feel like getting some music going? I'm in the mood for something mellow. Guess I can go look on youtube, but I always end up lost in some deep, dark corner when I go there.

Just brewed second AG BIAB, Ed Worts Porter. Efficiency sucked, but was able to maintain the mash temp (Used a sleeping bag), voile bag worked great, and volume was good. Need to adjust the corona I think. Doing no sparge BIAM, maybe a batch sparge is the ticket. Looking at the cheap pump to use for recirculating the mash. Process is getting better, just need to get a couple more brews going.

Here is mellow for ya.

 

[BobbiLynn]

Just brewed second AG BIAB, Ed Worts Porter. Efficiency sucked, but was able to maintain the mash temp (Used a sleeping bag), voile bag worked great, and volume was good. Need to adjust the corona I think. Doing no sparge BIAM, maybe a batch sparge is the ticket. Looking at the cheap pump to use for recirculating the mash. Process is getting better, just need to get a couple more brews going.

Here is mellow for ya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=funri7BEf7w

Think I'll listen to this one a couple of times, on my second replay now. I would think it would be difficult to do no sparge BIAB on your first few batches. Not sure what you'd call my method, probably "over sparge". Tannins don't scare me. :rockin:

 

[brewingmeister]

Chill...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=G_rQ6Av0gMY&desktop_uri=/watch?v=G_rQ6Av0gMY

 

[Leadgolem]

Chill...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=G_rQ6Av0gMY&desktop_uri=/watch?v=G_rQ6Av0gMY

I can't say I was enchanted with the music, but the video was loaded with historical references and ironies that more them make up for it.