Ymm, Beer

[mattman91]

Sanitizing is the most important thing in brewing. Just buy a small bottle of iodine and mix a few drops with tap water and fill your carboy/bucket and sanitize everything from there. Don't need to sanitize your cooker as you'll kill any germs with boiling the brew. I sanitize all my bottles just before bottling, including my caps. Sanitize anything that wort will touch after boiling the wort.

An aside, I found a location to open a brewpub in South Hill last night, 5000 sq. ft. Owner of Kahill's restaurant will be my partner. I want any of you near the NC/VA area to visit this site when you have half a day. I plan to be down there late tomorrow morning. CT

I sanitized EVERYTHING, a lot of people stressed the importance of this to me. Congrats on the brewpub spot! It is a dream of mine to one day be able to do the same here in Asheville (like there isn't enough already ).

[mattman91]

Ok home brewers...

Last night I brewed my first batch, went with an IPA using Warrior, Columbus, Centennial, and Columbus hops. Anyway, the fermentation process has already really taken off. Foam is creeping through the airlock...I have heard this is normal, but I'm not sure what to do about it. Any suggestions?

[fuse]

Ok home brewers...

Last night I brewed my first batch, went with an IPA using Warrior, Columbus, Centennial, and Columbus hops. Anyway, the fermentation process has already really taken off. Foam is creeping through the airlock...I have heard this is normal, but I'm not sure what to do about it. Any suggestions?

You could consider replacing the airlock with a blowoff tube into a bucket until fermentation slows down.

How big is your carboy? If you are brewing a 5 gallon batch, you probably want a 6+ gallon carboy.

[devildeac]

Duquesne Pilsener-Duquesne Brewing

Ok, stop laughing and let me provide a bit of history and how I managed to partake of this beer.

Here's a partial history:

The original brewery closed in 1972 after a labor/anti-trust dispute after beginning operations in 1900.

"In 2008, Pittsburgh Area attorney Mark J. Dudash and his wife, Maria, incorporated Duquesne Brewing Company. In 2010, the resurrection of Duquesne Pilsener was announced, and was to be brewed by City Brewing Company at the Latrobe Brewing Plant, the old home of Rolling Rock. Duquesne Pilsener, officially released in August 2010, is brewed in the spirit of the Pittsburgh classic but with improved ingredients. Duquesne Beer was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2011 World Beer Championships, securing its place as the top pilsener in the international competition. By the end of 2011, Duquesne Pilsener was widely available in bottles, cans, and on draft. Duquesne Brewing Company continues to grow throughout the region, and the golden yellow beer has secured its throne as the true Prince of Pilsener!"

Yesterday, at the Pitt game, a friend from medical school and his wife stopped by the tent with a peace offering-about half a case of this in cans. Warm and not suitable for drinking. I thanked him graciously (without biting my tongue) and divided up the supply among various tent members and brought about 4 cans home. One for me and one for each of the children. I chilled one and poured it last evening and found it surprisingly refreshing, especially considering it is brewed in the former Rolling Rock brewery in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and you can probably imagine what I thought of RR, even in the cheap beer of college days. This poured a light straw color with a smallish near-white head. Very light, pleasant scents of flowers with minimal hop bite and light, bready and caramel flavors. Brewed with two row barley and three hops, Hallertau, Mangum and Saaz, ones typically found in German and other Euro pils beers, made this lager a rather pleasant nightcap. IBUs would be low, likely 10-20 with ABV estimated to be 5% would make this a good thirst quencher or summer pre-dinner brew.

And, if I have an extra, fuse will be sure to find one in his next trader.

[devildeac]

This sounds interesting. Anyone visited yet?

http://belchinbeaver.com/our-beers/

[devildeac]

Pumpkin-Foothills Brewing (Formerly C*rolina Beer [and Beverage] Company formerly known as Cottonwood Brewing)

Confused? I was but am not any more after doing a bit of beerresearch. Looks like Cottonwood sold to CB&B Company (no apparent relation to our own CB&B) in November, 2000 who then sold to Foothills Brewing in January, 2011. Sounds like the old lines have been continued. This is my first pumpkin brew of the year, compliments of Tom at Brunchgate yesterday. Briefly, there's too much spice and not enough pumpkin here. This brew includes cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. I'm surprised they didn't include some mace and allspice, too, with a little brown sugar. Interestingly, no pumpkin is mentioned on the label. Poured a light orange-amber with a thin, rapidly disappearing head. Cloves are the primary scent with cinnamon also present. Tastes are about the same. IBUs listed at 5.2, which may be less than some fake beers, and ABV is at 5.2%. Not a bad beer and at least worth a taste for comparison/s, but there are better pumpkin brews available as we have discussed here before.

[fuse]

http://allaboutbeer.com/daily-pint/w...ith-moon-dust/

A beer brewed with moon dust.

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blo...-koozies.htm-0

I am at a loss for words at how indescribably cool this beer is conceptually.
Of course I have no idea how it tastes but wow.

[devildeac]

http://allaboutbeer.com/daily-pint/w...ith-moon-dust/

A beer brewed with moon dust.

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blo...-koozies.htm-0

I am at a loss for words at how indescribably cool this beer is conceptually.
Of course I have no idea how it tastes but wow.

Sounds out of this world to me.

[mattman91]

Well, I came home to a small explosion. Batch number one of beer decided to blow its load all over the place. Luckily, I built a small fort around the carboy out of fear of this scenario, so the mess is not too bad. I'm assuming the beer is ruined now, so I guess I'll be dumping it out. What did I do wrong? How can I prevent this next time? Totally bummed!

[mattman91]

Well, I came home to a small explosion. Batch number one of beer decided to blow its load all over the place. Luckily, I built a small fort around the carboy out of fear of this scenario, so the mess is not too bad. I'm assuming the beer is ruined now, so I guess I'll be dumping it out. What did I do wrong? How can I prevent this next time? Totally bummed!

I'm reading some home-brew forums and apparently this seems like a common occurrence. Problem is, I dont know how long the airlock has been off. Could be for more than 18 hours. I'm kinda scared to continue with it, but I so don't want to waste it. I am totally against alcohol abuse

[fuse]

Well, I came home to a small explosion. Batch number one of beer decided to blow its load all over the place. Luckily, I built a small fort around the carboy out of fear of this scenario, so the mess is not too bad. I'm assuming the beer is ruined now, so I guess I'll be dumping it out. What did I do wrong? How can I prevent this next time? Totally bummed!

You probably did nothing wrong. You may have gotten a very vigorous batch of yeast.

Bummed for you- keep at it, it will be worth it!

[fuse]

Sounds out of this world to me.

I teed that up nicely but you knocked it out of orbit ;-)

[mattman91]

You probably did nothing wrong. You may have gotten a very vigorous batch of yeast.

Bummed for you- keep at it, it will be worth it!

So, I sanitized the airlock and put it back on. Should I just dump and start over? Or will it be ok?

[fuse]

So, I sanitized the airlock and put it back on. Should I just dump and start over? Or will it be ok?

Only time will tell. :-)
The good news is, having been there, it's pretty normal to obsess over that first batch. :-)

If it was fermenting like crazy, it probably still will be and you'll have evidence bubbling in the airlock.
Patience is really, really hard for the first batch. Overconfidence by batch 3 may be your next hurdle. :-)

[devildeac]

I teed that up nicely but you knocked it out of orbit ;-)

Leave it to DFH to come up with yet another bizarre ingredient. Next think you know, they'll be brewing with water from Mars or ice from one of Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons.

[devildeac]

http://allaboutbeer.com/daily-pint/w...ith-moon-dust/

A beer brewed with moon dust.

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blo...-koozies.htm-0

I am at a loss for words at how indescribably cool this beer is conceptually.
Of course I have no idea how it tastes but wow.

Sounds out of this world to me.

I teed that up nicely but you knocked it out of orbit ;-)

Wonder if they used full, half or crescent moon dust...

[devildeac]

1554 Enlightened Black Ale-New Belgium Brewing

From the brewer:

"Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale uses a lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be. In 1997, a Fort Collins flood destroyed the original recipe our researcher, Phil Benstein, found in the library. So Phil and brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, traveled to Belgium to retrieve this unique style lost to the ages. Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and mouthfeel."

I've got a bit of a quibble here. If it's an ale, how do you arrive at that designation using a lager yeast and fermenting at high temperatures?
Otherwise, I've no complaints about the product. This was a 12 ounce bottle generously gifted by Bob Green on Saturday that he had left over from the GT game that I missed due to my work schedule. Thanks! Poured a clean mahogany with a light tan head. Modest aromas of dark flowers and dark chocolates accompanied tastes of the same with the tiniest hint of espresso. IBUs register at 21, typical for a lager, and enough malt/grains to have an ABV of 5.6%. Enjoyed by itself tonight but would make a nice cookout brew with some ribs or BBQ chicken. I thought about giving this away to my son or a son-in-law but, not having had one for several years and the fact that Bob kindly saved it for me for a week, I just had to sip it myself and am very happy to have enjoyed it.

[Turk]

Duquesne Pilsener-Duquesne Brewing

Ok, stop laughing and let me provide a bit of history and how I managed to partake of this beer.

Here's a partial history:

The original brewery closed in 1972 after a labor/anti-trust dispute after beginning operations in 1900.

"In 2008, Pittsburgh Area attorney Mark J. Dudash and his wife, Maria, incorporated Duquesne Brewing Company. In 2010, the resurrection of Duquesne Pilsener was announced, and was to be brewed by City Brewing Company at the Latrobe Brewing Plant, the old home of Rolling Rock. Duquesne Pilsener, officially released in August 2010, is brewed in the spirit of the Pittsburgh classic but with improved ingredients. Duquesne Beer was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2011 World Beer Championships, securing its place as the top pilsener in the international competition. By the end of 2011, Duquesne Pilsener was widely available in bottles, cans, and on draft. Duquesne Brewing Company continues to grow throughout the region, and the golden yellow beer has secured its throne as the true Prince of Pilsener!"

Yesterday, at the Pitt game, a friend from medical school and his wife stopped by the tent with a peace offering-about half a case of this in cans. Warm and not suitable for drinking. I thanked him graciously (without biting my tongue) and divided up the supply among various tent members and brought about 4 cans home. One for me and one for each of the children. I chilled one and poured it last evening and found it surprisingly refreshing, especially considering it is brewed in the former Rolling Rock brewery in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and you can probably imagine what I thought of RR, even in the cheap beer of college days. This poured a light straw color with a smallish near-white head. Very light, pleasant scents of flowers with minimal hop bite and light, bready and caramel flavors. Brewed with two row barley and three hops, Hallertau, Mangum and Saaz, ones typically found in German and other Euro pils beers, made this lager a rather pleasant nightcap. IBUs would be low, likely 10-20 with ABV estimated to be 5% would make this a good thirst quencher or summer pre-dinner brew.

And, if I have an extra, fuse will be sure to find one in his next trader.

I remember the Duquesne Brewery building as a young Turk; the clock on the face of its South Side brewery is still a legendary (but not iconic) Pittsburgh landmark despite many changes in ownership since the original brewery closed. http://www.brooklineconnection.com/h...ColaClock.html One of its offerings was "Duke". (perhaps a subliminal influence on my choice of college?)

I saw the new "Duquesne Pilsner" product in the beer stores on trips back home, but had no interest in trying it. The Latrobe brewery had been idle for a number of years after Bud bought the Rolling Rock label and then moved production to Newark. I jumped to the conclusion that the same weasels who abandoned Pittsburgh Brewing to move to Latrobe, leaving the city with unpaid utility bills, taxes, and pensions, had merely acquired the rights to the name on the cheap and was just trying to scam oldtimers and nostalgia freaks with low cost swill.

Glad to hear the stuff is worth drinking, and while I may not go out of my way to get some, this is a cautionary lesson that I need to keep my biases in check once in a while...

[devildeac]

Guinness Extra Stout-Guinness Brewing Company (New Brunswick, Canada)

WTH? I thought I was drinking a dry Irish stout and here I am drinking some Canadian beer. Next think you know, I'll read that Bass Ale is brewed in New York. Oh, wait a minute. Never mind.

I think the only other time I've ever had this beer was in college and absolutely despised it and couldn't finish the bottle because it looked and tasted like motor oil. Well, it still looks a bit like 10W-30 but tastes now like a cocoa/espresso blend and the scents match the palate. A bit of bitterness from heavily roasted malts and virtually no hop presence. I think I picked up this bottle as a leftover from an office meeting last month and I'm pleased it was available for the taking/tasting. I'd guess IBUs about 30 and the ABV around 5-6%. Nice pairing with several mini Oreo cookies.

[devildeac]

Murphy's Stout-Heineken UK Brewing under the supervision of Murphy's Brewery

WTH?

OK, dry Irish (or English?) stout from a 14.9 ounce widgeted can. Poured with a ginormous creamy tan head that occupied about 2/3 of the pint glass and allowed to calm down to a nice two fingered head prior to sipping at about 60 degrees. Pleasant aromas of cocoa and espresso and tastes to match. Bitterness is modest, mostly I think from the heavily roasted malts. I'd guess IBUs about 30 and ABV around 5%. Like drinking a stout in a pub from a nitrogen beer engine. This was a leftover from an office meeting several weeks back. Very enjoyable.