The Beer Thread

[Dejecty-hatch lııllı|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

A Keurig for Home Brewing

I saw that and almost posted...not to bad for $499
I posted the other one they make and that was like $2500

although...kinda takes some of the fun out of brewing IMO
there is almost nothing to do but hit a button

Instead of loading up loose ingredients according to a recipe, you use prepackaged pods of grains, hops, and yeast. Just fill the chamber with water when you start, load in the different pods at each step, dump in the yeast pack, and you're good to go. It's only a little more complicated than popping a Green Mountain K-Cup into your Keurig, and instead of a single cup of steaming coffee, you get a big batch of IPA to share

guess I'm like those crazy kooks who play vinyl records

[Julian, Bespoke SEXPERT]

Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

[sweetcell]

I'm thinking I might ask for this one  or this one as a xmas gift

get the bayou, no point in spending extra for essentially the same thing.

for a 5 gallon batch, you're going to need to collect about 6.5-7 gallons from your mashtun (some will be boiled off, some will be left behind, you want to put 5.5 gals in the carboy in order to get 5 gallons out).  boiling 7 gallons in an 8 gallon pot can be tricky.  get yourself some foam control drops (FermCap S), carefully ease back on the flame as you get to a boil, and/or consider buying a 10 gallon pot.  boil-overs are messy!

probably going to need a mash tun too
I hate plastic, but do you use something like this

can't help you there as i don't use that kind of a MT.  i use a stainless pot wrapped in insulation with a false bottom on a single tier stand that continuously recirculates the wort.  i can add some heat by firing up the small burner under the pot when needed.  sorta looks like this one, mine is weldless too: http://www.aleiens.com/profiles/blogs/wallace-the-weldless-brew.  at some point i want to build a external heating element and control it electronically (RIMS system) but it's not a priority at the moment, the manual control of the flame is working just fine for me.

[Space Freely]

Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

Bell's is certainly a fine brewery, but is there a reason you only seem to drink Bell's? 

If it's a Michigan thing, I recommend you check out Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, and Dark Horse. Though the JP may be hard to find.

[sweetcell]

Though the JP may be hard to find.

and also likely to be something of a shock: they only make sour beer.  for my palette, sour beer is the nec plus ultra of fermented, but it's definitely an acquired taste. 

[Julian, Bespoke SEXPERT]

Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

Bell's is certainly a fine brewery, but is there a reason you only seem to drink Bell's? 

If it's a Michigan thing I recommend you check out Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, and Dark Horse. Though the JP may be hard to find.

I have had all of those: I like Founders, Dark Horse and Shorts, but cannot say I've had Jolly Pumpkin.

My neighborhood bar has a good relationship with the VA Bell's rep and they get all of that one-off stuff they produce. They usually have like 4 of their 12 taps dedicated to Bell's. They only have like one Founders beer at any given time (Breakfast Stout currently).

[walk,on,by]

beer, really gives me a belly, so I had to close the ole cellar door down.  sad really, for I like beer, and I like to have a little bit of a buzz from it, and i love the reaction of people in this area, when i tell them how much i just paid for a six pack of something good.  but, i don't, like having a belly.  i only drink water now, and i cry on the inside, just a little bit.

[stevewizzle]

ignore any advice that has set dates for fermentation.  yeast can't read a calendar.  they do their own thing, on their own time.  depending on the conditions of your fermentation it could take longer or could be done faster.

48 hours after bubbling has stopped is a good line in the sand, but there is no harm in going longer.  for a beer that big i would forget about it for at least 14 days before looking at it (and 3 weeks would be more typical for me).  there is a lot of yeast to settle out, flavors to meld... no need to rush.

can't preach this enough. i had a DIPA once get stuck around 1020 and I bottled it because, well, it stopped bubbling. ended up draining all 40 or so bottles three weeks later when they were carbed up about 10 times as much as needed. did the whole operation with a face shield and a couple heavy long sleeve layers since an exploded bottle will send you to the ER pretty fast.

so, yeah, take a reading 48 hours after you think your done, and if it's not done, don't bottle it.

[stevewizzle]

probably going to need a mash tun too
I hate plastic, but do you use something like this

can't help you there as i don't use that kind of a MT.  i use a stainless pot wrapped in insulation with a false bottom on a single tier stand that continuously recirculates the wort.  i can add some heat by firing up the small burner under the pot when needed.  sorta looks like this one, mine is weldless too: http://www.aleiens.com/profiles/blogs/wallace-the-weldless-brew.  at some point i want to build a external heating element and control it electronically (RIMS system) but it's not a priority at the moment, the manual control of the flame is working just fine for me.

plastic mash-tuns are pretty much the most economical and simplest solution and it's what i've used for years. don't worry about it being plastic too much. the plastics are rated for much higher temperatures than what you'll be mashing in, so you don't have to worry much about chemicals leaching into your beer. it insulates well and keeps your mash temperatures constant.

[Dejecty-hatch lııllı|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

don't worry about it being plastic too much. the plastics are rated for much higher temperatures than what you'll be mashing in, so you don't have to worry much about chemicals leaching into your beer. it insulates well and keeps your mash temperatures constant.

heat and plastic are just two bad things together...well, in this dude's opinion
So I'm really apprehensive

I'm running into a major storage issue with this 5 gallon equipment
the square feet are against me!

[Dejecty-hatch lııllı|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

opinions of brew in a bag technique?

[Yada]

Unless you're a damn good home brewer ala sweetcell, why would you want to get stuck with over 600oz of mediocre beer?

[Space Freely]

Unless you're a damn good home brewer ala sweetcell, why would you want to get stuck with over 600oz of mediocre beer?

This.

[Space Freely]

What kind of cheese would you guys pair with a Wild Ale/Flanders Red?

[Space Freely]

Scored a six pack of Born Yesterday and a four pack of Backwoods Bastard yesterday. Can't wait to try the former tonight. The latter, no rush.