What I did for beer today
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Cleaned my downstairs kitchen so I can clean 6 kegs, then fill 3? 4? of them with beery goodness after the FIOS lady finishes setting up.
Raided my LHBS. I love that while the owner and I are on a first name basis (as well as the main other guy, who I believe has now departed for brewing school in Deustchland, since I haven't seen him in a few months), I don't know the names of the other folks. However they all know me by name as soon as I walk in.
Picked up 55 lbs of Maris Otter, 20 lbs of US 2 row, 10 lbs of various specialty grains, 1 lb of EKG, 4 oz Chinook, 2 oz Cascade, 2 oz Challenger, Wyeast strains 2565 Kolsch, 1469 West Yorkshire, and 1332 Northwest Ale, along with WLP007 Dry English Ale. And then restocked on gyspum, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, and lactic acid.
Picked up 55 lbs of Maris Otter, 20 lbs of US 2 row, 10 lbs of various specialty grains, 1 lb of EKG, 4 oz Chinook, 2 oz Cascade, 2 oz Challenger, Wyeast strains 2565 Kolsch, 1469 West Yorkshire, and 1332 Northwest Ale, along with WLP007 Dry English Ale. And then restocked on gyspum, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, and lactic acid.
I did a rough cutout of my new 36" mash paddle. I'll sand and finish it tomorrow. I got tired of dealing with the cheap bendy plastic spoon. I went online to check out mash paddles and was a bit taken aback by the prices. $6 for a three foot length of red oak plus a few hours of my time seemed far better to me!
EDIT:
I wasn't tired, so I decided to stay up and sand it.
EDIT:
I wasn't tired, so I decided to stay up and sand it.
Looks fantastic and quite professional. I too was taken a back by the pricing on just your basic mash paddle (wooden). I felt as though unless it was a custom job that required a CNC router or something, I wasn't really following the pricing. Although, if I didn't have the tools or the basic know-how, I'd probably pay.
I did a rough cutout of my new 36" mash paddle. I'll sand and finish it tomorrow. I got tired of dealing with the cheap bendy plastic spoon. I went online to check out mash paddles and was a bit taken aback by the prices. $6 for a three foot length of red oak plus a few hours of my time seemed far better to me!
EDIT:
I wasn't tired, so I decided to stay up and sand it.
I've see a lot of people do this and have wondered, what makes this better than a metal spoon?
I can't speak for everyone, but I won't use a metal spoon because I mash in a plastic igloo container and I don't want to scratch the sides with a metal spoon, and my plastic paddle is far too flimsy.
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Waxed about forty bottles. Most were bigfoots or apfelwein, but also some barleyswine, special release bretts and big BA stouts 
. I love the way they turned out!
. I love the way they turned out!
leftcontact
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I have *got* to tag up with you guys. How was it?
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geek_chaser
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I got a recipe for a honey ale with juniper berries.
Went to HD to get some wire twist caps, and PVC parts for a blow off. Then went to the LBHS for water adjustment additives. Then went to the local beer warehouse and got a bottle of Mikkeller Black. The 17.5% one... And a bottle of Ommegang Belgian chocolate stout.
Paddle looks great. How much for one?
Why the concern about scratching the sides?
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Why the concern about scratching the sides?
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jdot6
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I bottled my tangerine cardamom imperial blonde, racked my car bomb milk stout onto cocoa nibs, and then did my first all grain batch, a cherry bourbon porter. Great day!
Thanks... Though there are some imperfections up close.
Although the mash is preboil and harboring bacteria is less of a concern, I'd still like to minimize it, plus scratches make cleaning more difficult, and it looks unsightly.
I get the unsightly part...but if you get an infection from your mash tun, we as a human race are doomed because some kind of super bacteria is going to destroy us all.
So...how much for one of your mash paddles?
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I get the unsightly part...but if you get an infection from your mash tun, we as a human race are doomed because some kind of super bacteria is going to destroy us all.
So...how much for one of your mash paddles?
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If you had the choice of a mash tun that harbored bacteria, or one that doesn't, all else being equal, which one would you take? Knowing full well that neither would contribute to an infection.
I'm not selling any paddles, but asking is a compliment, so thank you. There are quite a few small imperfections that I can live with, but I wouldn't feel comfortable selling them for a profit... Plus I'm not willing to put in the time to make more. Making one for me was a labor of love. Making them to sell would be much less so...
If you had the choice of a mash tun that harbored bacteria, or one that doesn't, all else being equal, which one would you take? Knowing full well that neither would contribute to an infection.
I'm not selling any paddles, but asking is a compliment, so thank you. There are quite a few small imperfections that I can live with, but I wouldn't feel comfortable selling them for a profit... Plus I'm not willing to put in the time to make more. Making one for me was a labor of love. Making them to sell would be much less so...
So now I guess we see why they are so expensive, eh?
Regarding the mash tun, with all else being equal (and we know it isn't), I'd pick whichever got me to the path of least resistance for making good beer. If that means a metal spoon because it's within my budget, that's what I'd use. However, since all else isn't equal, I prefer a wood paddle because they look bad ass...and I, too, didn't want a scratched up mash tun until about the third all grain batch I did when the damn lining warped faster than the freaking Enterprise due to the heat. Now, since I've got that ugly warped lining, I don't care about the looks of the tun in general.
Not knocking those who do at all. Hell, I have a buddy who sanitizes his mash tun.
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donovanmaxwell
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Hung out at the LHBS for a couple hours while they did the weekly instructional brew session and shared a couple bottles of a trappist style ale I made. Came home with fresh ingredients and brewed an american pale ale. (Used 1oz Chinook @ 60 mins, Chatoe Rogue @ 15 mins, and will dry hop 1oz Cascade in secondary). During boil, racked my coffee stout into secondary. Will be clearing space in the closet tomorrow for all these bottles that a buddy gave me.
DanCoBrewing
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Unpacked an order from Amazon containing a Taylor Panel Mount Digital Thermometer, a Johnson Controls Electronic Temperature Control device and seven books: How To Brew by John Palmer, Designing Great Bees by Ray Daniels, Brewing Classic Styles by Zainasheff and Palmer, Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski, as well as three more from Classic Beer Styles Series - Altbier, Mild Ale andGerman Wheat Beer. In addition I also cleaned several bottles which were returned to me. Then I began reading the Designing Great Beers book.
Made a simple beer transfer from fermenter to keg a very hard and aggravating process by one stupid, stupid oversight.
So...the idea was to transfer from the cold-crashed, fancy new stainless brew bucket through the liquid post on the keg directly onto the hot gelatin mixture after co2 blanketing the keg...relief valve open...blah blah blah.
Blanketed the keg, bled the liquid side line of air, snapped it onto the keg without venting the keg pressure from the last blanketing and with the fermenter valve open. I instantly kicked up 5 ounces of settled hops, yeast, crap and shot the gelatin into my fermenter. Flipped the relief valve and hard clogged everything!
I had to back pressurize the keg into the fermenter three different times and also pressurize the fermenter to get it unjammed and flowing.
Would have been a clear beer...
grizzly2378
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Brewed the MoreBeer Pliny the Elder kit. I thought the house smelled as great as it ever has; pure hoppyness. My wife did not agree. To each their own, I guess.
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Bottled my the stronger versions of my Altbier.
Toasted 2-row malt. I attempted to replicate a Golden Malt, by toasting dry malt at 350°F for 15 min. I also attempted an Amber Malt, by toasting dry malt at 350°F for 25 min. Both toasted malts, have a pronounced nutty aroma/flavor.
I recommend more people try this at home, when you have the time. For my next attempt, I will try less heat, or less time, but either way, I'm excited to try them soon. The more roast/toast, the longer they need to rest before being used. The recommended rest time is a month, to two months, in a brown bag. This helps rid the off-flavors, from toasting.
P.s. I saw this on a few different blogs, and followed the instructions on barleypopmaker's beer blog. "home toasting your malts".
I recommend more people try this at home, when you have the time. For my next attempt, I will try less heat, or less time, but either way, I'm excited to try them soon. The more roast/toast, the longer they need to rest before being used. The recommended rest time is a month, to two months, in a brown bag. This helps rid the off-flavors, from toasting.
P.s. I saw this on a few different blogs, and followed the instructions on barleypopmaker's beer blog. "home toasting your malts".
Similar to toasting above, I tried to make some crystal/caramel malts, also. I soaked the grain for a few hours, then mashed them for an hour, and finally toasted until dry, to create a sweet caramel malt.
I steeped the grains to show me the color, and flavor, to be expected.
I steeped the grains to show me the color, and flavor, to be expected.
I got some strategic early birthday gifts (see pic). Time to stop underpitching yeast. My future sister-in-law, a bona fide scientist, says the flask is too large to leave unattended on the stir plate. So I'm thinking of building a little wire cage to keep it secure and centered.
Today I brewed an Acadian Rye Satsuma Saison while christening my new homemade ribcage wort chiller. Then made spent grain dog biscuits for the brewing muses.:fro:
tripplehazzard
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Finally tweaked my practice amp stirplate to work perfectly. Almost ripped my hair out in the process but for a grand total of about 8 bucks to build I can't complain ( minus the the flask and stir bar) so stoked!!
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I shipped off four this morning and packing up two more to go out tomorrow. I really need to buy Fedex stock
SmokeyMcBong
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Not done yet but about to be.
I'm heading to the brew shop to grab some carboy dryer/stands, fermometers, and an American Light (I know) kit. Also gonna grab some soda pop flavours, gonna experiment with adult hard soda pops.
I'm heading to the brew shop to grab some carboy dryer/stands, fermometers, and an American Light (I know) kit. Also gonna grab some soda pop flavours, gonna experiment with adult hard soda pops.
skunkfunk
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/complain
I bottled a schwarzbier. While my wife was cleaning bottles, I tried to rack it to the bucket, first time I did that without an assistant. While aiming the hose, I shoved the siphon down into the trub and rubbed it along the bottom of the bucket. Now my beers are full of trub and hop ****. Sigh.
I bottled a schwarzbier. While my wife was cleaning bottles, I tried to rack it to the bucket, first time I did that without an assistant. While aiming the hose, I shoved the siphon down into the trub and rubbed it along the bottom of the bucket. Now my beers are full of trub and hop ****. Sigh.
Well, next time you do that, and you likely will, you can put a lid on the bottling bucket, let the trub settle a bit, then start bottling. Leave the trub behind. I have never ever had help with any part of the brewing process. It just takes practice really. The time I hit trub, I just sat for about 10 minutes and let things settle. I did not end up with a bunch of trub in my beer bottles.
@ fin, I haven't created labels. I'm waiting on someone to get to my house. They're now only 4 hours late.
Rinsed out the last batch of bottles that have yet to be de-labeled & put into rotation. Bottles from Columbus,The Brew Kettle,Kona,Wernesgruner. And a bomber from Ranger IPA for my collection.
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