So psyched up...DOUBLE BREW DAY IS COMING!!!

[Dude]

Sam75 and I are brewing over at my place on Saturday--but we are doing 2 batches at once. He's bringing over all of his equipment and we are going to have a nice little bash with some friends at the same time.

He's brewing v.2 of his I2PA *snicker* (sorry Sam, had to do it), and I'm brewing up a smoked porter. I haven't been this excited for a brew day in quite a while. I love brew days, but this one is going to be especially fun.

I got the ingredients today from HBA, everything is there and right now I'm drinking a fat tire and preparing a starter for Saturday. I am going to do a first time (for me) experiment with this batch, and cold pitch my yeast.
More on that later.

 

[Sir Sudster]

OK Man, calm down. Just remember to take it easy on the HB until the boil.
If you start having too much fun too early Murphy will sneak in on your party while your not lookin and start trashin things.

Best of luck.

 

[ScottT]

Ooooooo Man! Can I come?

OOps a little too far to travel. Sounds like a great time though.

Y'all have fun.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

i get jazzed up like that for brew day too sam! i'm making a trip tomorrow to get my stuff for saturday brew day. i/ll toast a pint or 12 w/ my Flat Tyre, to your Flabby Tire while i brew!

may the Brew God's smile upon you and Orrelse saturday!!!!!

 

[Dude]

i get jazzed up like that for brew day too sam! i'm making a trip tomorrow to get my stuff for saturday brew day. i/ll toast a pint or 12 w/ my Flat Tyre, to your Flabby Tire while i brew!

may the Brew God's smile upon you and Orrelse saturday!!!!!

How many have you had before you posted this?

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

believe it or not, i didn't have one brew yesterday! even after watching the Modern Marvel's episode on brewing (how i managed that i have no freak'n idea!).
i'm tell'n ya, i am just fired up about brew day :~) plus,i can't type worth a flip on this new lap top.......

 

[SwAMi75]

I'm not doing my I2PA....I'm re-doing the Dog's Bollocks with crushed grains this time.

I'm stoked, too, but I'm dreading having to load all that crap onto my truck the next day.

 

[david_42]

Brewing is certainly more fun when you do it with friends. Don't get the ingredients for the batches mixed up!

 

[Darth Konvel]

Aside from the loading and unloading of equipment, sounds like a good time Good luck to both of your brews.

 

[andre the giant]

Good luck. Sounds like fun. "Have fun storming the castle..."

 

[Dude]

My starter is just about done (krausen fell during the night) so it is going to get tossed into the fridge (cold-pitching this one, remember?), and I'm mashing in my smoked porter at 11 AM. Sam should be here around noon or 1 to mash in then. Then its ON!!!!!

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

enjoy fella's! hope it is as good a brew day as mine was yesterday.
May the mash be with you!

 

[SwAMi75]

Gotta start loading up the truck.....arg.

 

[Sir Sudster]

I suspect the Dynamic Duo are into the boil right now..probably into the HB as well. Good luck Fellas!

 

[Dude]

I suspect the Dynamic Duo are into the boil right now..probably into the HB as well. Good luck Fellas!

We're both at boil now....I did my first hop addition 20 minutes ago...Sam is adding his first--3 FREAKING OUNCES in a few minutes!!!!!!!

Currently drinking LWPA and the Fat Tire clone off the tap. The LWPA keg is just about kicked, and hopefully we'll have enough Fat Tire to make it through the night. Right now we have about 6 observers watching the process! Potential new homebrewers?

 

[El Pistolero]

Right now we have about 6 observers watching the process! Potential new homebrewers?

Gawd I want to be an observer...how far to Carolina?

 

[SwAMi75]

Who's in Carolina?

We're WAY into the HB, and some chili. I hope I can hold it together until I get it cooled, and into the fermenter!

 

[user 574]

Side Bar - Sam, I thought you moved to Oklahoma or somewhere thereabouts or was that temp assignment?

 

[SwAMi75]

Side Bar - Sam, I thought you moved to Oklahoma or somewhere thereabouts or was that temp assignment?

Long story short....my wife got transferred out there....I'll be following next Sept. I spent last week out there helping her get set up.

 

[SwAMi75]

Couple pics.....

First, ORRELSE with his setup:

And me, with mine:

 

[Cheesefood]

ORELSE's hair is not quite the prize mullet displayed in his avatar.

Looks like fun! Wish I were there. Hell, I wish I could wear short-sleeves outside. Today's a nice day and it's still too cold to go sans jacket.

 

[FrewBrew]

Sounds like today's the day to brew. Just pitched the yeast on my Chocolate Coffee stout... mmmm.... coffee, chocolate, and stout... mmmmmmm.

Now to just move onto the AG like you guys have... unfortunately, my local HBS sucks, and their ingredients consist of extract kits only, so I have to order everything online (all grain kits are much more expensive to ship... booo)

Good luck to your brews! CHEERS!

 

[david_42]

Look around, there are several places like austinhomebrew.com that give you free shipping on a $50 or $60 order. That's two or three AG kits and you can keep crushed grains in the frig for a month without any problems.

 

[FrewBrew]

Look around, there are several places like austinhomebrew.com that give you free shipping on a $50 or $60 order. That's two or three AG kits and you can keep crushed grains in the frig for a month without any problems.

Also have to take into effect the cost of equipment... Paying off college loans and paying for a car.... makes me broke!

 

[david_42]

You can start doing all grain by buying a large mesh bag. Just like your hop bag, but big enough to fit your kettle, I paid $13 for one. (places that sell to the wine crowd have them) Heat six gallons of water to 160F, put the grain in the bag and put the bag in the kettle. Leave it there for an hour. Open the bag and stir the grain & wort for ten minutes.Try not to splash much. Then take the bag out and let it drain. If you also use 5.2, you'll get fairly good efficiency.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Are you guys twins? Looks like it to me.

 

[Dude]

ORELSE's hair is not quite the prize mullet displayed in his avatar.

Wait'll I retire. I'll look just like good old king gambrinus there.

Beer update:
Neither of us took hydrometer readings ( I usually don't unless I am worried about efficiency or something--I guess it is the school of Janx brewing classes I attended for so long ) before we pitched so these will be a complete mystery as far as gravity. Oh well.

Both batches are still at my house, and chugging along beautifully. Bubbling is slower than yesterday. I'm eagerly awaiting transferring the porter to secondary for a sample. The wort had a big-time smoke characteristic but I couldn't get my tastebuds to get over the sweetness that was dominating the flavor. Once that is gone I'll have a good idea of what this will really taste like. Why do I have to wait so long for this???????