Beer!

LiveonJG · Post by **LiveonJG** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:52 pm

I've been drinking Wolaver's Organic IPA lately.
-John

LiveonJG · Post by **LiveonJG** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:44 pm

jberger wrote:
LiveonJG wrote:
DjEep wrote:Seriously though, if you are ever in SF, fuck the cable cars, you have to stop by the Chalet.
I'll second that, foods not bad either. Up here in Oregon we have a chain (I hate that word makes me think of Olive Garden or some other cookie cutter piece of crap place) called McMenamin's. They buy up historical properties and convert them into pubs, so no two are alike. They brew a fine mix of beers + ales. But I usually just have their IPA, heaven in a pint glass! :smt030

McMenamin's Edgefield out by the airport.... coolest place ever, brewery, distillery, little red shed (tequilla and cigar bar, literally a little-red-shed) winery, theater.

Haven't been to that one yet. Been to Corvallis, Salem, Roseburg, West Linn, Ringler's under the Crystal Ballroom (IMHO one of the finest venues ever with that bouncy bouncy floor!), and the three in Eugene of course. I love em all.
-John

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:02 am

hambone wrote:How can such an incredible thing be made of just 3 ingredients?? Water, barley, hops. Wow...it's alchemy I tells ya.

Hope this isn't a re-post but I'm gonna have ta correct ya there Hambone...

Beer is made from 4 igredients: Water, barely, hops, and yeast. Believe it or not, the yeast will make all the difference in your flavor profile. Wait a sec. If you change ANY ingredient, you'll change the flavor profile.

You folks in the west and north-west have it real sweet. All those micros hanging around. Just turn a corner and there'll be a pub with different offerings.

Texas sucks.

Oh, see my screen name.
<---------

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:15 am

dingo wrote:
We should start brewing our own to share at the Circle. Then bottle the collection and sell it in a bus-shaped case.
i was on the way back from the junkyard today after grabbing some brake calipers..took a wrong turn..ended up lost on a street ive never been on before...and there it was: Home Brewers Equipment Wholesale. I pulled in for a look around and took a brochure..it looks pretty simple...so Djeep whenever you are ready we can go over there and grab some equipment...get this Arctic Brew bubblin' !

Dingo, if you're up to doin' your own (GO FOR IT!), then I will highly suggest if you haven't then go and get this book: The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. Reads like the Idiot Guide and will get you well on your way. It's what started me out 10+ years ago and I've never looked back. Ther is nothing, NOTHING like the smell of your own all grain mash steeping on your stovetop; or like the smell of your wort boiling, and then, THEN you add your hops at just the right time....

. Ahhhhhhh fresh hops!

All this reading makes me want to be brewin'.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:07 pm

daves_ale wrote:
dingo wrote:
We should start brewing our own to share at the Circle. Then bottle the collection and sell it in a bus-shaped case.
i was on the way back from the junkyard today after grabbing some brake calipers..took a wrong turn..ended up lost on a street ive never been on before...and there it was: Home Brewers Equipment Wholesale. I pulled in for a look around and took a brochure..it looks pretty simple...so Djeep whenever you are ready we can go over there and grab some equipment...get this Arctic Brew bubblin' !
Dingo, if you're up to doin' your own (GO FOR IT!), then I will highly suggest if you haven't then go and get this book: The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. Reads like the Idiot Guide and will get you well on your way. It's what started me out 10+ years ago and I've never looked back. Ther is nothing, NOTHING like the smell of your own all grain mash steeping on your stovetop; or like the smell of your wort boiling, and then, THEN you add your hops at just the right time.... . Ahhhhhhh fresh hops!

All this reading makes me want to be brewin'.

My friend JUST got me that book last weekend. We're thinking about brewing up some stout this winter! It does look more complicated starting from scratch, but time will tell.

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:02 pm

hambone wrote:
daves_ale wrote:
dingo wrote:
We should start brewing our own to share at the Circle. Then bottle the collection and sell it in a bus-shaped case.
i was on the way back from the junkyard today after grabbing some brake calipers..took a wrong turn..ended up lost on a street ive never been on before...and there it was: Home Brewers Equipment Wholesale. I pulled in for a look around and took a brochure..it looks pretty simple...so Djeep whenever you are ready we can go over there and grab some equipment...get this Arctic Brew bubblin' !
Dingo, if you're up to doin' your own (GO FOR IT!), then I will highly suggest if you haven't then go and get this book: The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. Reads like the Idiot Guide and will get you well on your way. It's what started me out 10+ years ago and I've never looked back. Ther is nothing, NOTHING like the smell of your own all grain mash steeping on your stovetop; or like the smell of your wort boiling, and then, THEN you add your hops at just the right time.... . Ahhhhhhh fresh hops!

All this reading makes me want to be brewin'.
My friend JUST got me that book last weekend. We're thinking about brewing up some stout this winter! It does look more complicated starting from scratch, but time will tell.

I started out with using malt extract in the 3.3# cans (not hopped), and adding my own hops. Fast and easy! After about 3 batches my GF later to be ex-wife bought me my all grain set up. Never looked back. Just like VW's, the more you get into it, the more there is to learn. But wioth brewing you can drink your results.

Have fun!

And the Papzian book is a great springboad into that hobby. The first night I had it I read it from cover to cover. Really got me motivated. Fun drawings too.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:14 pm

Have you ever had an "accident" where the beer wasn't drinkable?
I've made a couple batches years ago with the cans of extract, but it seemed like cheating. Really would like to do the real thing.

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:28 pm

hambone wrote:Have you ever had an "accident" where the beer wasn't drinkable?
I've made a couple batches years ago with the cans of extract, but it seemed like cheating. Really would like to do the real thing.

Once or twice. Ya gatta watch your sanitation. There is a follow up book that Papazian did that has a thorough discussion on this topic that I follow:

pp22 ~23 of the homebrewer's Companion

"One ounce of bleach mixed with 4 Gallons of cold water will last for weeks in a cool enviroment. It is easily rinsed with hot tap water.....etc."

I was brewing so often that at one point I was "dumpster diving" at a local recyling center for brown glass bottle. After a sat. night in this college town, they were plentiful.
This was when I was brewing for a friends wedding and did the eqivalent of 3 kegs of beer in 5 Gallon batches. Took about 3 months. Every weekend I would transfer my 2ndary into bottles, My primary fermentation into my then cleaned and sanitized secondary fermenter. Then I would brew up another batch and put that into my primary fermenter. Whew, that took alot of organization.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 3:01 pm

Thank you for the info. Tell me, does it cost a lot to get to "real" brewing, as far as needed hardware?

PDX_Hops · Post by **PDX_Hops** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 3:38 pm

hambone wrote:Have you ever had an "accident" where the beer wasn't drinkable?

I'm a 'semi-retired' homebrewer. As daves_ale said, you definitely have to keep things as sanitary as possible (70-something degree wort is the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nasty-tasting critters).

I found this out the hard way. I made a couple of 5-gallon batches of stout and simply wasn't careful enough about eliminating opportunities for contamination. The results were bottle after bottle of sour, stinking swill. Of course, I couldn't let my hard work go to waste. I always say it was the worst 10 gallons of beer I ever drank!

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:07 pm

I like your style! I probably woulda done the same thing:
"waste BEER????"
nah.

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:51 pm

PDX_Hops wrote:
hambone wrote:Have you ever had an "accident" where the beer wasn't drinkable?
I'm a 'semi-retired' homebrewer. As daves_ale said, you definitely have to keep things as sanitary as possible (70-something degree wort is the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nasty-tasting critters).

I found this out the hard way. I made a couple of 5-gallon batches of stout and simply wasn't careful enough about eliminating opportunities for contamination. The results were bottle after bottle of sour, stinking swill. Of course, I couldn't let my hard work go to waste. I always say it was the worst 10 gallons of beer I ever drank!

LOL..sour, stinking swill?? that term is awesome!! =D>

I bet the

from that swill are encoded in legend somewhere.

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:04 pm

hambone wrote:Thank you for the info. Tell me, does it cost a lot to get to "real" brewing, as far as needed hardware?

For the El Cheapo method that I do; about $100 will get you there.

That should include a 6.5 Gall Glass Carboy
1 5 Gall bucket converted to a false bottom for your lauter tun
1 5 Gall bucket for the above to slip into with a spigot installed to collect your run off
A bottle filler
plastic tubing
a big ole funnel with a fine mesh screen

Your local homebrew store will probably have all of these availabe in a kit form. I should think that you ought to be able to pick up your kettles for that same amount. Stainless Steel is the best option here. I use two 4 gallon kettkes and I divide my mash and my wort evenly between them.

Start off cheap. Then build your system to fit your desires. Zymurgy is an excellent periodical for info. IIRC, there is a brewing magazine for the whole NW where you lucky folks live. Some people go nuts on their systems and install pumps and timers on a three tier gravity fed contraption with massive gas burners and converted kegs.

It's up to you. IMHO, start cheap, see how you like it, go from there.

Remember, it's just malted barley, hops, yeast, and H2O.

oh yeah, have FUN!

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:06 pm

Hambone if anyone can do this, you most certainly can! With your attitude and love of old fashion ways and simplicity, you will brew a great batch. Keep it simple and clean-clean. People been doing it for many a years. Like my previous post stated on this topic, I really injoyed the process and had alot of fun keeping the bottles sanitized, then in the baby bottle steamer, yes they used to be glass,as our daughter was a infant. And finding great glass mugs to keep in a extra freezer to chill for the ritchule tasting

We had a 20 gal crock at that time that moved with us many a time and I remember running accross a hydrometer in a storage barrel a couple yrs ago. Know it is hi-teck now a days but should still be fun. Just do it!

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:03 am

oh, if your bottles are all ready clean, my favorite way to sanitize them on bottling day is to run them in the dishwasher, sans detergent, and let them heat dry. The steam is what you want. Very effective.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Beer!