The Beer Thread

IPA's are our session ale, i.e. the style we usually have with dinner. If my wife had her way, DIPA's would be our session ale.

stevewizzle wrote:
bummed I couldn't make it to high-gravity night.  worked till 9, and back at it 7am today…

i feel nugget nectar is more about the malt to hop balance, but that's just me.  hopslam is an assault of bitterness, and that can get old after you've tried so many hop-bombs.  wasn't someone on here saying your threshold for bitterness is decreased with the more hoppy beers you drink? makes sense.  i wonder if IPAs will soon become just your average tasting beer to beerheads.

Yeah, pretty much all I drink these days is IPAs - Sierra Nevada cans are my go-to right now, mixed in with Raging Bitch, Loose Cannon, and Two Hearted when I'm feeling frisky.

atomicfront wrote:
I am trying to make my first lager.  Hopefully the corner of my basement is cold enough.

a carboy sitting on my basement's cement floor settles at 57-58*F.  ideally yours is a tad cooler, since you want to be under 55*F for most lager yeasts if you want to make a true, crisp lager.

if you're above the ideal range, the beer will have more esters & other "non-clean" flavors.  you'll be making a steam beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_beer).

do you have a fridge for lagering once fermentation is done?

since we're on a hop kick today: over the past 2 weekend i went on a hoppy beer buying binge (in part caused by the dwindling supply of my own IPA).  in order of preference, this is what i had:

1) firestone walker's wookie jack: almost has me reconsidering the whole "black IPA" thing.  maybe it's the rye that makes it work.  or piney, woody, and touch of fruity…  gotta get me some more of that.
2) avery's maharaja: ol' dependable.
3) stone's double bastard: not your typically hoppy beer but that spicy chinook hop really scratched the itch for me.
4) bell's two-hearted ale: dunno if this was a bad batch, or it wasn't handled properly, but it didn't have the usual kick.  it was a disappointment: the "bottled on" date was less than two weeks so i was expecting an explosion of centennial… but it was lacking.  this was my first time having it in a bottle so maybe it's just better on tap.
5) lagunitas maximus: to be avoided.  the price is low and you get what you pay for.  not horrible but not particularly good either.  spend a few dollars more on something better.

sweetcell wrote:
since we're on a hop kick today: over the past 2 weekend i went on a hoppy beer buying binge (in part caused by the dwindling supply of my own IPA).  in order of preference, this is what i had:

1) firestone walker's wookie jack: almost has me reconsidering the whole "black IPA" thing.  maybe it's the rye that makes it work.  or piney, woody, and touch of fruity…  gotta get me some more of that.
2) avery's maharaja: ol' dependable.
3) stone's double bastard: not your typically hoppy beer but that spicy chinook hop really scratched the itch for me.
4) bell's two-hearted ale: dunno if this was a bad batch, or it wasn't handled properly, but it didn't have the usual kick.  it was a disappointment: the "bottled on" date was less than two weeks so i was expecting an explosion of centennial… but it was lacking.  this was my first time having it in a bottle so maybe it's just better on tap.
5) lagunitas maximus: to be avoided.  the price is low and you get what you pay for.  not horrible but not particularly good either.  spend a few dollars more on something better.

damn, first bottle of two hearted? I went through a small porter/stoudt run this winter, but basically all I want to drink are IPAs

sweetcell wrote:

atomicfront wrote:
I am trying to make my first lager.  Hopefully the corner of my basement is cold enough.

a carboy sitting on my basement's cement floor settles at 57-58*F.  ideally yours is a tad cooler, since you want to be under 55*F for most lager yeasts if you want to make a true, crisp lager.

if you're above the ideal range, the beer will have more esters & other "non-clean" flavors.  you'll be making a steam beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_beer).

do you have a fridge for lagering once fermentation is done?

I am using Saflager S-23 yeast which states 51 to 59 degrees.  Hopefully it turns out Ok.  it is interesting article about the Steam Beer.  I see some lagers yeast have to be around 48 degree range.  How do you get a fridge that keeps a beer at that temperature. 

When I get back from vacation I am going to try my hand at all grain brewing. 

http://flyingdogales.com/blog/brewery-news/

Girl Scout cookie and beer pairings.

You boys can keep your heavy hops! YUCK!!!

Had a couple Heavy Seas Peg Legs last week which I really liked. Nothing to gush over but an all around good tasting and easy to drink beer.

Hope Bluejacket will be as good as it sounds.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/craft-brewery-with-built-in-dreams/2013/02/15/fa81f610-7609-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html

Jaguar wrote:
You boys can keep your heavy hops! YUCK!!!

I am not a fan of beers with a lot of Hops.  I now feel that drinking an IPA is the same thing as eating salted Cod.  We have refrigerators now we don't have to ruin the flavor of food and drinks by preserving them by putting too much salt or hops in them. 

atomicfront wrote:
I see some lagers yeast have to be around 48 degree range.  How do you get a fridge that keeps a beer at that temperature. 

you control the fridge through a controller, like a johnson A419 (link) or a ranco ETC (link).   the controller has a probe that you stick either inside the beer or tapped & insulated against the outside of your carboy/bucket.  you plug your fridge into the controller, and it turns the fridge on whenever your beer gets above a certain temp.  so for fermentation you would set it at 55*F, or 48*F, or whatever, then raise the temp a few degrees for your end-of-fermentation D-rest, then crash it down to just above freezing for your 4-6 week (or more) lagering phase.

slappy wrote:
Hope Bluejacket will be as good as it sounds.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/craft-brewery-with-built-in-dreams/2013/02/15/fa81f610-7609-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html

wow, that does sound promising.  fingers crossed.

atomicfront wrote:
I now feel that drinking an IPA is the same thing as eating salted Cod.  We have refrigerators now we don't have to ruin the flavor of food and drinks by preserving them by putting too much salt or hops in them. 

some people really like salt, and can taste the difference between different kinds of salt.  same with hops.  but fair enough if hops aren't your thing.  more of them for us!

atomicfront wrote:
How do you get a fridge that keeps a beer at that temperature. 

you can buy a power controller.  you plug your fridge into a the thermostat unit, and the thermostat has a thermometer that is placed inside the fridge.  you set your desired temperature, and power will be provided to the fridge to cool if it's greater than the desired temperature.  when it's at or below, power is cut off.

i own this guy - http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html

edit - just realized sweetcell beat me to it

Screw the hoppy IPA, hoppy barleywines are where it's at. Drink them fresh and hoppy, or let them age nicely.

The Mad Fox Barleywine Festival is this weekend. We went last year, was fun, if a little pricey.

Beer List
Updated January 9, 2013, with 30 Barleywines already on hand! More information on sessions and tasting notes, when available, on our Mad Fox Barleywine Festival 2013 Session page. See last year's Mad Fox Barleywine Festival 2012 Session page.

On hand:

?Mad Fox Headcracker English-style Barleywine 2012 Draught 8% ABV
?Mad Fox Slobberknocker American-style Barleywine 2012 Draught 9% ABV
?Mad Fox Oaked Slobberknocker American-style Barleywine 2011 Draught 9% ABV
?21st Amendment Lower DeBoom Barleywine 2012 Draught 10.5% ABV
?Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine 2011 Draught 9.2% ABV
?Bell's Third Coast Old Ale 2012 Draught 10.2% ABV
?Brooklyn Brewing Monster Ale 2011 Draught 10.3% ABV
?DuClaw Devil's Milk Barleywine 2012 Draught 10% ABV
?Duck Rabbit Barleywine 2012 11% ABV
?Flying Dog Horn Dog Barleywine 10.2% ABV
?Great Divide Old Ruffian Barleywine 2012 Draught 10.2% ABV
?Green Flash Barleywine 2011 Draught 10.9% ABV
?Heavy Seas Below Decks English-style Barleywine 2010 Draught 10% ABV
?Heavy Seas Below Decks English-style Barleywine Cabernet Barrel-aged 2012 Cask 10% ABV
?JW Lees Harvest Ale Draught 11.5% ABV
?Left Hand Widdershins Barleywine Draught 2011 10% ABV
?Legend Barleywine 2011 15.5% ABV
?Legend Barleywine 2012 15.5% ABV
?Old Dominion Millenium Ale 2011 Draught 10.5% ABV
?Old Dominion Millenium Ale 2012 Draught 10.5% ABV
?Rogue Old Crusty Barleywine 2011 Draught 11.5% ABV
?Rogue Old Crusty Barleywine 2012 Draught 11.5% ABV
?Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2012 Draught 9.6% ABV
?Southern Tier Back Burner Imperial Barleywine 2012 Draught 9.6% ABV
?Stone Old Guardian Barleywine 2012 Draught 11% ABV
?Uinta Anniversary Barleywine 2011 Draught 10.4%
?Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barleywine 2011 Draught 11.1% ABV
?Weyerbacher Insanity Ale 2011 Draught 11.1% ABV
?Widmer Galaxy Barleywine 2011 9.6% ABV
?Williamsburg Alewerks Grand Illumination American Barleywine 2011 Draught 11% ABV

http://madfoxbrewing.com/barleywine-festival-2013

Thanks to sweetcell and stevewizzle for the fridge thing information.  This brewing beer thing can turn out to be expensive. 

REAL men appreciate the beauty of a 40+ woman, and the beauty of a hoppy beer.
;)

atomicfront wrote:

Jaguar wrote:
You boys can keep your heavy hops! YUCK!!!

I am not a fan of beers with a lot of Hops.  I now feel that drinking an IPA is the same thing as eating salted Cod.  We have refrigerators now we don't have to ruin the flavor of food and drinks by preserving them by putting too much salt or hops in them. 

atomicfront wrote:
Thanks to sweetcell and stevewizzle for the fridge thing information.  This brewing beer thing can turn out to be expensive. 

yeah man.  it's like being an audiophile i imagine, you can get away with the basics, but you're always looking to improve your system or process, even if it's the slightest bit.

James wrote:
REAL men appreciate the beauty of a 40+ woman, and the beauty of a hoppy beer.
;)

atomicfront wrote:

Jaguar wrote:
You boys can keep your heavy hops! YUCK!!!

I am not a fan of beers with a lot of Hops.  I now feel that drinking an IPA is the same thing as eating salted Cod.  We have refrigerators now we don't have to ruin the flavor of food and drinks by preserving them by putting too much salt or hops in them. 

I understand that as you get older, you lose the ability to detect bitterness.

atomicfront wrote:
Thanks to sweetcell and stevewizzle for the fridge thing information.  This brewing beer thing can turn out to be expensive. 

heh, it's partially your own fault: you've jumped off the deep end by doing a lager, which are relatively more complicated than ales.  i haven't brewed lagers yet because i lack the equipment, notably a temp-controlled fridge (but i do look forward to the day i can make my own doppelbock - someday, maybe…)

ales are much more forgiving in terms of temp requirements.  i get away with using ice baths ("swamp cooler") to cool in summer and a $25 heat belt on a lamp timer in winter.

if you go the steam beer route (lager yeast at higher/ale temps) then you don't need to worry about temp control quite as much but the beer won't quite have the clean crispness of a true lager.  it will still make tasty beer.

sweetcell wrote:

atomicfront wrote:
Thanks to sweetcell and stevewizzle for the fridge thing information.  This brewing beer thing can turn out to be expensive. 

heh, it's partially your own fault: you've jumped off the deep end by doing a lager, which are relatively more complicated than ales.  i haven't brewed lagers yet because i lack the equipment, notably a temp-controlled fridge (but i do look forward to the day i can make my own doppelbock - someday, maybe…)

ales are much more forgiving in terms of temp requirements.  i get away with using ice baths ("swamp cooler") to cool in summer and a $25 heat belt on a lamp timer in winter.

if you go the steam beer route (lager yeast at higher/ale temps) then you don't need to worry about temp control quite as much but the beer won't quite have the clean crispness of a true lager.  it will still make tasty beer.

Yeah I guess the good thing about making beer is even the ones that don't turn out the best will still be better than the beer most people drink and will still give you a nice buzz.

I was also thinking about the stuff I need for all grain.  Mash Tun, 8 gallon pot, cooling coil.. and then i will want something to grind my grains. 

atomicfront wrote:
I was also thinking about the stuff I need for all grain.  Mash Tun, 8 gallon pot, cooling coil.. and then i will want something to grind my grains. 

cooling coil (AKA immersion chiller) is a really nice thing to have, but i made so without one for my first few batches.  fill a tub with cold water, let the hot pot cool in that, then dump the water and refill this time adding ice, and let that cool your wort.  at the end, dump some sanitized ice in to get those last few degrees (sanitize the container, use pure filtered water).  it's a pain and takes a while but it works.  you can also make yourself an immersion chiller, check out youtube.  i didn't find it a whole lot cheaper than buying one, but i didn't shop around much and i was impatient.

with regards to a mill, you can order your grains pre-milled if you buy them online, or most local shops have a mill (myLHBS will mill but you need to phone in the order and give them some time to do it, you can't do it yourself).  i go over to a buddy's house and use his mill.