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Main Area and Open Discussion => Living Room => Topic started by: Renegade on July 12, 2014, 07:50 PM

Title: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 12, 2014, 07:50 PM
So, to continue a chat about brewing your own booze at home...

Spinning off from the recipe thread here:

https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=35091.msg359199#msg359199

Also thinking of trying for a honey-ginger mead...hmm...
-40hz (July 12, 2014, 12:31 PM)

I'm thinking about adding in some organic honey that hasn't been filtered to death for my next batch of ginger ale. The more complex sugars aren't so easily broken down and should mitigate the extreme dryness that you get when making ginger ale like I described in the post linked above.

I've not used honey in anything like this before. Honey adds a distinctive flavour, so you need to be careful.

I mentioned the dryness of ginger ale to the fellow at the brew store and he mentioned using stevia, but stevia has a very strong after-taste and I'm not very fond of it. I tried it in coffee before, but it's just not very nice (malt extract is nicer as it has a smoother taste compared to the sharper stevia flavour). He also mentioned honey, which is certainly more agreeable than stevia.

I also picked up a "Chimay Blue" kit the other day. It uses 2 cans of malt extract, which is quite a bit.

One other thing I'm thinking of trying is just using the regular malt extract that I buy at the supermarket to create a beer. Lord knows how it will turn out, but it's worth a shot. I like the idea of using non-specialty ingredients or commonly available ingredients.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: mouser on July 12, 2014, 08:01 PM
Back in the 1980s I made a ton of beer and mead.  I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.

But the cranberry mead I made felt like something really special.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 12, 2014, 09:42 PM
I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.
-mouser (July 12, 2014, 08:01 PM)

Really? I'm pretty shocked.

I brewed up a white beer and drank it raw because it was so good even at that stage. Warm. That good. Mind-blowingly good. No bottling or secondary fermentation.

I find most beer from the store is pretty poor in comparison to what I can do at home (from my limited experience). But, I have a high tolerance for sediment too.

But the cranberry mead I made felt like something really special.
-mouser (July 12, 2014, 08:01 PM)

Hmm... cranberry... I love fruity drinks! :D (Living in SE Asia was heaven!) You've got me wondering if I can pull off some simple fruit batches. I wonder what a durian drink would be like...

I'm going to have to have a go at brewing some mead. I really never considered it until both you and 40hz mentioned it. Mead I find rather sweet, and I tend towards a more moderate sweetness with a rich texture, e.g. stout or brown ale.

Now I'm wondering if I can do it in a very small batch of just a few bottles... should be doable... Cheesecloth over the bottle with a rubber band...

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 08:08 AM
Got a batch started today of a Chimay recipe. Tomorrow I might get a batch of ginger ale going. Still mulling over whether to do it with an ale or a champagne yeast...
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: sword on July 20, 2014, 05:03 PM
Small batch processing is easy using a gallon jug or several champagne bottles. Use a fermentation lock for best results or some plastic tubing from stoppers at the top all going to somewhere under some water in a container. Champagne yeast is foolproof and excellent for every fruit I've tried. Vierka (German company) had a very good yeast but I have not used it in years. If you have access to a brewing supply store, there are many gallon concentrate cans that are excellent. Corn sugar works well.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: mouser on July 20, 2014, 05:17 PM
I want to tell you a story about my early days of homebrewing.

This was back in about 1986-1988, that range.

I was walking around the house distracted and not looking where i was going, and our cat ran in front of me and i stepped on the cat.

A cat owner's worst nightmare then occurred -- I heard the cat's bones break under my feet.   I looked down to see blood on my foot and my stomach tightened up and I felt physically ill and started to panic about what had just happened.
Then I saw the cat out of the corner of my eye, and it was just sitting there looking at me, in no apparent pain.
Then I looked down again at my foot, and I saw what had happened.  That damn cat had finally figured out a way to get the glass fermentation lock (http://beer-wine.com/products/glass-fermentation-lock)+stopper off the 5-gallon beer fermenting in the pantry, and had been dragging it around with her and she dragged it right under my foot.  Sure enough I had cut myself on the fermentation lock.

So learn from me: Do not let your cats go near your brewing containers!
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on July 20, 2014, 07:24 PM
So learn from me: Do not let your cats go near your brewing containers!
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 05:17 PM)

Or your servers, or your laptop, or your guitar amps, or keyboards, or your basket of clean clothes, or... ;D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM
I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.
-mouser (July 12, 2014, 08:01 PM)

Really? I'm pretty shocked.
-Renegade (July 12, 2014, 09:42 PM)

Me too! :tellme: I've found most decent homebrews are better than 90% of what you can buy. About the only exception is Guinness. If you like Guinness (I do) there is nothing that really quite matches the taste or texture of that brew - which is what makes it Guinness.

I brewed up a white beer and drank it raw because it was so good even at that stage. Warm. That good. Mind-blowingly good. No bottling or secondary fermentation.


There are many brewers who like a sample of their bathes "raw." And sweet wort is like candy before it's hopped. Even non-beer drinkers like it. I'm surprised nobody bottles it for sale.


I'm going to have to have a go at brewing some mead. I really never considered it until both you and 40hz mentioned it. Mead I find rather sweet, and I tend towards a more moderate sweetness with a rich texture, e.g. stout or brown ale.

Now I'm wondering if I can do it in a very small batch of just a few bottles... should be doable... Cheesecloth over the bottle with a rubber band...



I'm an ale/double-bock/porter/barley wine type myself. I like my quaff complex tasting but with a touch of sweetness (like a good Scotch ale), amber or darker in color, and with a goodly amount of body. If a spoon almost stands up in it, it's perfect. And if any pond life is swimming around in it, it's a real plus in my book!

FWIW I try to make things you can't get (or get easily) in a store. Why duplicate what's available when there are so many good craft beers available for sale? I go for the more exotic brews when I'm cooking something up for bottling.

As far as small batches go - I'm a believer. I've found smaller batches are easier to make and more reliable in outcome since it's hard to control temperatures accurately on the average home stove when boiling and hopping. And also tricky to sterilize a lot of bottles at once. I think 5 gallons is the absolute limit - and I've found about 2 to 3 gallons is the ideal batch size for a single brew project. I'm also not a big drinker - nor do I have a lot of available cellaring space. And I like to have two or three different brews available at any given time. So I try not to make more of a single brew than I and my fellow homebrew lovers can consume in a reasonable amount of time. If it's something I really like, I'll just make it more often.

But everybody has their own ideas and ways to do it. So take all of this with a sip of ale. ;D

I'd also suggest taking a look at the American Homebrewers Association. (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/) They have a wealth of solid information. And you don't need to be a member to get good info from them - although a membership is inexpensive and gets you full access to everything they have. They even have a beginner's mead how-to here (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/mead/making-mead/).

They just published an 'official' mead recipe (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/Mead-Day-Recipe-2014.pdf) (August 2 is Mead Day!) that looks good. I notice it uses Lalvin K1V-1116 Montpellier (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/lalvin-k1v-1116-montpellier.html#Reviews_tab) yeast which is found in a lot of grape-based recipes I've seen. I haven't used this particular yeast myself, but I've heard other local brewers sing its praises. It supposedly produces a drier brew in fairly short order - so if sweet isn't your thing in a mead - maybe this recipe and yeast is worth looking at. If you start it about now you can crack it for Christmas - although I've found the type of meads I prefer need a good year of racking before they're really worth drinking.

 :Thmbsup:

 :Thmbsup:
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 08:13 PM
Small batch processing is easy using a gallon jug or several champagne bottles. Use a fermentation lock for best results or some plastic tubing from stoppers at the top all going to somewhere under some water in a container. Champagne yeast is foolproof and excellent for every fruit I've tried. Vierka (German company) had a very good yeast but I have not used it in years. If you have access to a brewing supply store, there are many gallon concentrate cans that are excellent. Corn sugar works well.
-sword (July 20, 2014, 05:03 PM)

I've only got the 1 fermenter, and I didn't want to buy bungs & locks as we'll be moving in the near future and they'd just get thrown out. At the moment it is gurgling nicely. :)

So.... the current plan is to simply cover the bottles with cloth & a rubber band. Not ideal, but it should do well enough.

I'm not sure what brands the yeasts are - I simply got what was available at the brew store on a recommendation from the shop keeper.

I probably should have picked up a clarifying agent, but, meh... I'm ok with sediment.

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on July 20, 2014, 08:20 PM
I'm not sure what brands the yeasts are - I simply got what was available at the brew store on a recommendation from the shop keeper.
-Renegade (July 20, 2014, 08:13 PM)

If you have a good store in your area, it's smart to ask their advice. I do at mine. They haven't steered me wrong yet. And why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?  8)

However, if you're really into it, at least keep a notebook. It's a big help. Trust me.

I probably should have picked up a clarifying agent, but, meh... I'm ok with sediment.
-Renegade (July 20, 2014, 08:13 PM)

It's ok by me too. I'll just leave half an inch in the bottom of my glass - and dump it if it's too sludgy. I can always get another glass if I want more.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 08:48 PM
There are many brewers who like a sample of their bathes "raw." And sweet wort is like candy before it's hopped. Even non-beer drinkers like it. I'm surprised nobody bottles it for sale.
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM)

Very! I had a taste of it before hopping yesterday. "Candy" is an appropriate description.

In bad news, the local supermarket has dropped malt extract from the shelves... sigh... my coffee just isn't the same.

I'm an ale/double-bock/porter/barley wine type myself. I like my quaff complex tasting but with a touch of sweetness (like a good Scotch ale), amber or darker in color, and with a goodly amount of body. If a spoon almost stands up in it, it's perfect. And if any pond life is swimming around in it, it's a real plus in my book!
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM)


Hahaha! "Pond life!" :D


FWIW I try to make things you can't get (or get easily) in a store. Why duplicate what's available when there are so many good craft beers available for sale? I go for the more exotic brews when I'm cooking something up for bottling.
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM)


I'm still in the learning curve, but eventually I'll figure it out well enough so that I can just go crazy and brew exotic experiments.

I do look forward to experimenting with fruit though. I love fruit juice, and living in SE Asia was heavenly. Soursop, pineapple, coconut, mango, star apple, etc. etc. I can imagine making some very tasty drinks!


I'd also suggest taking a look at the American Homebrewers Association. (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/) They have a wealth of solid information. And you don't need to be a member to get good info from them - although a membership is inexpensive and gets you full access to everything they have. They even have a beginner's mead how-to here (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/mead/making-mead/).

They just published an 'official' mead recipe (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/Mead-Day-Recipe-2014.pdf) (August 2 is Mead Day!) that looks good. I notice it uses Lalvin K1V-1116 Montpellier (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/lalvin-k1v-1116-montpellier.html#Reviews_tab) yeast which is found in a lot of grape-based recipes I've seen. I haven't used this particular yeast myself, but I've heard other local brewers sing its praises. It supposedly produces a drier brew in fairly short order - so if sweet isn't your thing in a mead - maybe this recipe and yeast is worth looking at. If you start it about now you can crack it for Christmas - although I've found the type of meads I prefer need a good year of racking before they're really worth drinking.
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:07 PM)

Ah! Thanks for the links! I've read through some recipes and whatnot, and have a few more answers to things I was wondering.

For now I'm being fairly conservative in my beer brewing. The ginger ale is all just one big experiment though. My first batch was really, really, really dry. Like, Sahara dry.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 08:54 PM
If you have a good store in your area, it's smart to ask their advice. I do at mine. They haven't steered me wrong yet. And why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?  8)
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:20 PM)

I'm an info-leech. :) They know a heck of a lot more than I do, so, might as well pick their brains!

There's one good store relatively nearby... not close, but... driveable.

http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/

There may be more, but Brewcraft seems good. They've got all kinds of goodies there! :)

However, if you're really into it, at least keep a notebook. It's a big help. Trust me.
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:20 PM)

Once we finally move, I'll start keeping track better.

It's ok by me too. I'll just leave half an inch in the bottom of my glass - and dump it if it's too sludgy. I can always get another glass if I want more.
-40hz (July 20, 2014, 08:20 PM)

When I bottle, I try to get a variety of different amounts of sediment in the bottles. Makes life a bit more interesting. e.g. Oooh! I wonder what this will be like! :)
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: mouser on July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM
I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.

>Really? I'm pretty shocked.


you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 10:21 PM
I want to tell you a story about my early days of homebrewing.

This was back in about 1986-1988, that range.

I was walking around the house distracted and not looking where i was going, and our cat ran in front of me and i stepped on the cat.

A cat owner's worst nightmare then occurred -- I heard the cat's bones break under my feet.   I looked down to see blood on my foot and my stomach tightened up and I felt physically ill and started to panic about what had just happened.
Then I saw the cat out of the corner of my eye, and it was just sitting there looking at me, in no apparent pain.
Then I looked down again at my foot, and I saw what had happened.  That damn cat had finally figured out a way to get the glass fermentation lock (http://beer-wine.com/products/glass-fermentation-lock)+stopper off the 5-gallon beer fermenting in the pantry, and had been dragging it around with her and she dragged it right under my foot.  Sure enough I had cut myself on the fermentation lock.

So learn from me: Do not let your cats go near your brewing containers!
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 05:17 PM)

That kind of stuff just makes me cringe.

I have to say that the mead was the most satisfying -- only because as good as the beer was, and as fun as it was to make, it didn't rival the best store bought beer.

>Really? I'm pretty shocked.


you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM)

Guinness is tough to compete against. Kilkenny as well. There are a few store-bought beers that are really, really good. But the majority just don't compare to what you can do at home.

I certainly would love to know how to brew something better than Guinness...

But it's not hard to brew a beer that you can drink warm. That's really a solid test of a great beer - can you drink it warm? Guinness is fine warm. Bud Light? Not so much. :)
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 20, 2014, 10:33 PM
you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM)

Oh... 1 other angle... The current batch that I'm brewing will cost about 1/10th as much as it would cost in the store. So, there's that angle. How good is it compared to how much it costs?

When comparing costs, I think you have a much stronger case for homebrewing rather than store-bought beer.

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: IainB on July 21, 2014, 04:10 AM
...you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM)
Tricky. Home-brewers don't have ready access to what would (for them) probably be a relatively expensive nitrogen infusion process.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 21, 2014, 08:47 AM
...you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM)
Tricky. Home-brewers don't have ready access to what would (for them) probably be a relatively expensive nitrogen infusion process.
-IainB (July 21, 2014, 04:10 AM)

Well, you learn something every day! I did wonder how Guinness got that rich head, and I did wonder a bit about widgets, but never really enough to bother looking it up when I could simply taste it. :)

But it appears that it's not really all that expensive. Yes - more than pocket change, and certainly an investment, but not unaffordable.

Looks like they can be had relatively cheaply (under $300):

http://www.kegoutlet.com/homebrew-nitrogen-kits.html
http://www.homebrewing.org/Nitrogen-Keg-Systems_c_413.html

But, there is other equipment that you need to use with those. So, doable if you're into it that much.

I won't be trying it out for a while though. We'll be moving, and I'm avoiding buying anything that I'll have to transport that I don't have to have 110%. I would love to give it a spin though. Sounds like fun!

...you show me how to brew a beer better than a pint of Guinness poured from a bar tap and I'll eat my hat.
-mouser (July 20, 2014, 10:09 PM)

Does that include home bar taps? ;D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on July 21, 2014, 12:57 PM
Since war stories seem to be in order and you're going back to the "old" days there are caveats you should be aware of.
Back in the old, old days, during WWII, I was a teenage high school student. Money was hard to come by and a case of 24 bottles of beer was $3.00, as I recall. Bootleggers and home brewers were trying to quench the thirst of a gang of "deprived" teenagers and the usual indulgers in the area.
It came New Years Eve........ of course we had a party planned!
My girlfriend was the barbers daughter, the barber made beer and wine. His oldest son was also a barber and he made beer.
The son lived, and worked, in a town about 20 miles away. This was up on the Canadian border and it was New Years Eve! The snow was butt deep to a tall Indian and with the Northern Lights and all, it was a beautiful night for a party.
Us teenagers pooled our money, headed for the country market where the guy would sell alcohol to minors, spent what we had pooled on "long necks" of Ballantines and pressed on to the son's home some 20 miles away.
Long story short.......... we finished what we had purchased long before New Years arrived leaving us the only alternative of sampling the almost 15 gallons of home brew that my girlfriend's brother had brewing. He informed us that it wasn't quite ready but we were welcome to try it!
Coffee cups were produced and we started dipping into the five gallon crocks he used for brewing vessels.
He was right...... the beer wasn't quite ready but it was drinkable, we had nothing else, and it was New Years Eve.
Several hours later and following the consumption of all the home brew we could drink, the party broke up.
As we stepped outside someone noted the fact that it had snowed several inches while we enjoyed drinking Hermie's beer.
Inches of new powder on top of several feet of old snow. Everything covered with fresh snow..... cars, trees, bushes, driveway.
A beautiful night!
BUT!
As we chatted away, heading across the snow covered porch, Hermie's wife, standing in the open doorway, flicked on the porch light to light our way to the car. Hermie hadn't given it a second  thought when he installed one of those yellow "bug lights" in the porch light. When the light came on it seemed to light up a half acre......... of MUSTARD!
All that snow was the color of French's finest mustard........... tons of it! As we looked around someone exclaimed "MUSTARD" and it was like somebody just uncorked that home brew.......
Home brew goes a long ways when spread over fresh snow, especially when mixed with chips, peanuts, various dips and chunks of cheese. The landscape changed in an instant................ and I'll never forget it!
So beware my friends, and never drink "not done" home brew. It may result in memories that you "can't" forget.

 ;)
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Vurbal on July 21, 2014, 01:10 PM
As much as I love Guinness, if I were to start brewing, the first target on my wishlist would be a German pils like Wernesgruner. I can already get the real thing (at Aldi) for barely more than Budweiser would cost. As a result I've never been particularly motivated.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: tomos on July 21, 2014, 01:41 PM
I always thought of home-brewing as being about making a bottled beer (but maybe I'm wrong). Good Guinness on draught is a drink I grew up with and love, but bottled beer is simply a different world - there's such an incredible world of variety out there.

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on July 22, 2014, 04:12 PM
http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/beer-why-perfect-pour-isnt-enough-0156372/

There's a couple of posts about beer at wonderhowto written by a "girl"!
Do girls know anything about beer???
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 22, 2014, 06:00 PM
...a case of 24 bottles of beer was $3.00
-Cuffy (July 21, 2014, 12:57 PM)

A case! The cheapest beer here is $3.00 a bottle on sale! A bottle of Chimay is $25.00 for 1 bottle. 1. One. A single.  :o

But, the vintners here are very good, and much better priced, so, I primarily drink wine when I pick up something at the store.

I always thought of home-brewing as being about making a bottled beer (but maybe I'm wrong). Good Guinness on draught is a drink I grew up with and love, but bottled beer is simply a different world - there's such an incredible world of variety out there.
-tomos (July 21, 2014, 01:41 PM)

I've seen a few vids on kegging homebrew, so making your own draught beer is an option. I don't have a keg - just bottles, so I won't be trying that out for a while yet. But, draught beer really is a lot nicer than bottled. And whoever thought that putting beer in cans was a good idea... well, maybe for a few specific purposes, but cans just suck... Even for regular soda cans suck. Glass has a neutral flavour.

http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/beer-why-perfect-pour-isnt-enough-0156372/

There's a couple of posts about beer at wonderhowto written by a "girl"!
Do girls know anything about beer???
-Cuffy (July 22, 2014, 04:12 PM)

From the article:

However, if you're serving bad beer, you might want to get it as cold as possible—almost like a slushy. That way you're less likely to get complaints because no one will be able to tell.

If you can drink it at room temperature, it's goooood. :)

When I was a kid, the father of a close friend of mine was a senior grand master wine maker, and we spent a good deal of time with him getting an education on the finer points of wine and the like. He completely spoiled my pallet for wine - his wine's were simply so good that there was no point in trying to buy a wine in the store any longer unless you wanted to be disappointed. But... backstory aside... I remember him once talking about how coldness masks low quality in beer. It's true - try drinking Bud warm... it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later. :P
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on July 22, 2014, 07:02 PM
..." I remember him once talking about how coldness masks low quality in beer. It's true - try drinking Bud warm... it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later."

I got to go skiing in the alps and stayed in various hotels in Switzerland back in the early 60's (military assignment in southern Italy) In the hotel dining rooms there always seemed to be several older guys drinking beer and their steins always had a container that looked much like a Cuban cigar case, made of aluminum, with a little clip on the side. The waitress was continually dumping that little tube of water and refilling it with hot water from her teakettle.
I was a big beer drinker in those days and the thought of putting an aluminum container full of hot water in a glass of beer was positively revolting. A look around convinced me that they were permanent residents of the hotel and were perhaps demented or alzheimers  patients. At the time I had no idea that warm beer was quite common in Europe............. yeakk! :down:



Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Stoic Joker on July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM
it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later.
-Renegade (July 22, 2014, 06:00 PM)

You got a story about drinking warm piss?!? O_o ...Was this during a trip to Brazil by chance??
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on July 23, 2014, 02:15 PM
it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later.
-Renegade (July 22, 2014, 06:00 PM)

You got a story about drinking warm piss?!? O_o ...Was this during a trip to Brazil by chance??
-Stoic Joker (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)


I soooooo do not want to hear this story! :P
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: superboyac on July 23, 2014, 03:27 PM
it's like drinking warm piss. Oh... got a story about that, but, maybe later.
-Renegade (July 22, 2014, 06:00 PM)

You got a story about drinking warm piss?!? O_o ...Was this during a trip to Brazil by chance??
-Stoic Joker (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)


I soooooo do not want to hear this story! :P
-40hz (July 23, 2014, 02:15 PM)
I agree with 40.  Gross.




Ren, PM me the story please.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 24, 2014, 03:23 AM
You got a story about drinking warm piss?!? O_o ...Was this during a trip to Brazil by chance??
-Stoic Joker (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)

Nope. Just an average weekend in Canada. :P

I soooooo do not want to hear this story! :P
-40hz (July 23, 2014, 02:15 PM)

Oh, you know you do! :P

Ren, PM me the story please.
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 03:27 PM)

Hahaha! I'll post it in a spoiler later when I have a chance.



But... what I came here for...

I used this yeast for my ginger ale batch (E1118):

http://www.lalvinyeast.com/strains.asp

I also used some natural honey, dark brown sugar, and regular sugar. Lots of lemon as well - 5 lemons total. 250 g of ginger finely pureed (not liquified). Total volume was about 7 L.

Today I measured the alcohol and it was clocking in around 7~10%, which is lots. I also had a tiny taste...

But first... the commercial ginger beer/ale I bought the other day:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/storm-brewing-artisan-collection-alcoholic-ginger-beer-ale/260694/

Super sweet. It's drinkable though. Not a huge amount of flavour. Typical commercial mass market stuff.

I was pretty much blown away by the small sample I had. It was beautiful. I'm now wondering what the finished product will be like. The only thing is that I may have made it a bit sweeter than I'd anticipated -- my last batches were VERY dry. But, so far so good.

They're capped now, and just waiting to carbonate for a couple days or so.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 24, 2014, 10:28 AM
The "Piss" Story

Names are changed to protect the guilty! :P

Once upon a time, way back in high school, we used to drink a lot, smoke a lot of drugs, and play a lot of RPGs (Role Playing Game)...

One weekend over at Clive's house (his parents were away), we're set up and playing an RPG (I think it was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, but it might have been Rifts or something else). Of course, this is before the weekend debauchery of booze & drugs.

Alex shows up at the house with a case of beer...

Now, a few of the guys didn't particularly like Alex all that much. He was one of those guys that was scrawny and took to steroids to bulk up, and some of the guys thought that was lame. I never particularly cared much.

Clive was adamant that nobody could smoke pot at the house. Solution? Simple. Walk down the street to the woods in the park nearby.

So Alex and a couple other guys leave for the park...

I'm the Games Master, so I'm not leaving. Besides, I'm a fucking wreck when I'm high. Just useless. So, needless to say, I'm running the game while Alex & co. are absent.

Now, Brad & a couple of the boys get the idea that some free beer (that Alex brought) would be a good idea!

Several bottles of beer are opened (twist tops - Alex had bad taste in beer then - IIRC it was Budweiser) and begin drinking. I didn't drink it because it was warm & shitty beer anyways.

Then Brad gets the idea that it would be an even better idea to conceal that a few of the boys had had some of Alex's beer...

And to piss in the bottles.

But, beer is required to be in bottles to taste like beer.

Now, not everyone there can piss all that much, so some bottles need to be a combination of beer & tap water instead of just beer & piss.

Brad is meticulous. Very meticulous. He caps the bottles and carefully puts them back in the case where he knows what they are...

A while later, Alex & some of the boys are back from the park.

Alex decides to crack open a beer...

The case is sitting right next to Brad, who naturally keeps his eye on what beer is chosen.

Alex takes a swig of beer...

"What the fuck? This tastes like piss! What the fuck are you assholes doing? Here Darren, taste this!"

Alex hands a bottle over to Darren, who nervously looks over to Brad who signals Darren that it's ok.

Darren says 'sure' and takes a gulp. "Tastes fine to me." (The bottle was watered down.)

Brad takes the bottle, takes a drink, and verifies Darren's assessment.

Alex is skeptical, and takes another bottle of beer out of the case...

He takes one of the bottles that's half piss...

Cracks it open...

Takes a swig...

Loudly exclaims...

"Now that's a beer!"

We had enough self control to save the laughter for later. But man... that was one of the funniest things.

Water tastes like piss, and piss tastes like beer... cripes...


Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on July 24, 2014, 10:57 AM
Some fun beer commercials:

What do you mean I can't drink it? :)







Damn rules! :P

Homebrew is still leagues better than that stuff.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 12, 2014, 09:37 AM
Well, some more lessons learned...

I need to filter my syrup more. I don't mind sediment, but I got way too much particulate matter in this batch of ginger ale. Like, nearly lemonade with pulp.

I've also concluded that I should probably simmer the syrup a bit more.

I think much finer filters are needed coffee filters.

Also, I need to be more patient in letting it ferment. I opened some 2, 4 days after starting, and that's not long enough.

Also, probably a bit less lemon. I used 5 in this batch. It's good - no mistake about that, but it's more like ginger-lemonade with too much lemon. Just a matter of taste there... which brings me to...

So many more ideas! Just mash up some strawberries and go wild! :) It's just flavour anyways. It's the yeast & sugar that give it the alcohol & fizz. So, that overdose on lemon has me thinking in a much broader sense now.

And, knowing how to properly open a super-mega-fizzy bottle is a learned skill. I tried a few ways, and have now settled on a solid method that works for explosively wild fizziness. :D

One last thing... Using a fermenter is way better than just doing it in bottles.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: tomos on August 12, 2014, 09:50 AM
And, knowing how to properly open a super-mega-fizzy bottle is a learned skill. I tried a few ways, and have now settled on a solid method that works for explosively wild fizziness. :D
-Renegade (August 12, 2014, 09:37 AM)
you want to be careful you dont have exploding bottles :o


One last thing... Using a fermenter is way better than just doing it in bottles.
-Renegade (August 12, 2014, 09:37 AM)

no understand -
you mean instead of 'bottle-conditioned'? does a 'fermenter' make it like in a barrel?

Ren's Draught Ginger Ale :)
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 12, 2014, 10:34 AM
And, knowing how to properly open a super-mega-fizzy bottle is a learned skill. I tried a few ways, and have now settled on a solid method that works for explosively wild fizziness. :D
-Renegade (August 12, 2014, 09:37 AM)
you want to be careful you dont have exploding bottles :o
-tomos (August 12, 2014, 09:50 AM)

I've got good strong bottles.

And I have a lot of faith in them... Especially after opening a few and seeing the pressure first hand... Holy mother... They sound like a high-caliber rifle.

One last thing... Using a fermenter is way better than just doing it in bottles.
-Renegade (August 12, 2014, 09:37 AM)

no understand -
you mean instead of 'bottle-conditioned'? does a 'fermenter' make it like in a barrel?

Ren's Draught Ginger Ale :)
-tomos (August 12, 2014, 09:50 AM)

Oh, for the ginger ale (or really with this batch, lemonade-ginger ale), I fermented them in the bottle then capped them.

A fermenter is just a glorified barrel. They're better to work with.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*

Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: superboyac on August 12, 2014, 05:46 PM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*

Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
-40hz (August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM)
Interesting...never tried it sugarless.  Any recommendations on brands?
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 13, 2014, 07:28 AM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*
-40hz (August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM)

It's got me thinking more about what I can do. e.g. what would this be like?

500 g Strawberries (or any fruit combo)
350 g Dark brown sugar (a heavier flavour)
150 g Organic/natural/unfiltered/lightly filtered honey (gives a more complex flavour)
Champagne yeast (half package or so)

That'd be enough for 5~10 L of beverage.

Living in SE Asia... man... that was great... I'm a fruit juice freak. I love it. When I went out to eat I'd order 4 to start. Starfruit, mango, watermelon, lime juice... so many to choose!

But basically, just sugar + yeast + flavour. Done. The only trick is figuring out a good mix.

I'm really enjoying this bottle of lemon-ginger ale.

I experimented on this batch a lot with timing, and have figured out a fair bit.

And managed to start dipping into the raw batch of beer I've got brewing... man... warm raw beer is pretty damn fine. Try warm Bud. :P Hint: You can't tell the difference between warm Bud & piss! :P
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: IainB on August 13, 2014, 08:52 AM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*
Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
-40hz (August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM)
Have you ever tried drinking shandy? It's a mixture of beer and lemonade. Very refreshing drink, and reduced alcohol content too - e.g., if mixed 50-50.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 13, 2014, 11:20 AM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*
Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
-40hz (August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM)
Have you ever tried drinking shandy? It's a mixture of beer and lemonade. Very refreshing drink, and reduced alcohol content too - e.g., if mixed 50-50.
-IainB (August 13, 2014, 08:52 AM)

Heh! In Korea we used to drink a lemon beer mixed 50-50 with beer. Even better! ;D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 12:32 AM
Hey you guys.

I get a newsletter, Free Kindle Books, and occasionally they list titles about making things of an alcoholic temperament.
Do you use written material in your endeavors or are you true pioneers, bare-knuckle, man to man, toe to toe beer makers that don't need no freaking books?   :huh:
It's an email newsletter and a list containing a recipe for brew might be rare  :huh:

I've got the freebie, Kindle for PC, and Amazon sends anything I order right to my Amazon account. ...all free  :o

I'll be glad to post it, refer it, whatever, if anyone is interested.

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:54 AM
Hey you guys.

I get a newsletter, Free Kindle Books, and occasionally they list titles about making things of an alcoholic temperament.
Do you use written material in your endeavors or are you true pioneers, bare-knuckle, man to man, toe to toe beer makers that don't need no freaking books?   :huh:
It's an email newsletter and a list containing a recipe for brew might be rare  :huh:

I've got the freebie, Kindle for PC, and Amazon sends anything I order right to my Amazon account. ...all free  :o

I'll be glad to post it, refer it, whatever, if anyone is interested.


-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 12:32 AM)

Free you say? ;D

I was just reading more about brewing. I just finished bottling a Chimay Blue batch, and was looking to start something new in the fermenter. Kind of hoping that I can make it over to the brew store to pick up some malt extract & supplies if I can figure out what I want to brew in time.

So, heck yeah! Post it!  :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup:

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 09:21 AM
Apple, Nook, Kobo, Google Free Book & Deals Emails
Sign Up for Free Books & Deals (Various Stores): Apple iBooks Deals & Free, Nook Free Books & Deals, Google Free Books, Kobo Free Books, Kindle Fire Apps & Deals, Kindle UK Free Books.
Please Note: Significant overlap between different stores (lots of free books & deals are the same). Good to use multiple lists if you have an iPhone or iPad or Android.


Don't get all excited and spill your beer..... :P

http://forms.aweber.com/form/69/554748169.htm


This is a daily list to scroll through and your search may be in vain  :huh:


http://forms.aweber.com/form/69/554748169.htm

I get the Kindle How-To list. Romance novels, etc., hold no interest for me. The How-To list is where I spotted the beer recipes before so that may be the one you want?? I'm not sure because I don't know what's on the other lists  :huh:
I have a Kindle account at Amazon. Check the format that you use............ it appears they are all available   :D

CAVEAT: All these free book lists are a give away of the day type of program and if you read the list a day late it may have a price posted when it comes up in Amazon. Don't blindly click buy! If you miss the free one, don't worry..... books are like buses.
Miss one and there will be another along in a few days  ;D

In the meantime, I'll scroll through back mail to see if I can find a recipe that will get you through the day  ;)

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 09:38 AM
Here's an old listing.......... it's now $2.99 at Amazon  :(

*The Ultimate Guide To Wine: Everything About Wine, Making Delicious Wine, Selecting Best Wine (Winning Image, Life Purpose, Binge Eating) by George K.. Price: Free. Genre: Wine Tasting, Homebrewing, Distilling & Wine Making, Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Education & Reference, Spirits, Nonfiction, Reference. Rated: 4.8 stars on 5 Reviews. 28 pages. ASIN: B00LR68GRK.

I'm still looking................................................

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 11:51 AM
Here's a free one right now but it may have a price tomorrow  :(

Homebrew Beer: How to brew beer the right way the first time and experience tantalizing tastes from unique beer making ingredients (Fermentation Series Book 1) [Kindle Edition]
Eric Andrews (Author), Joyce Zborower (Editor) 
 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)



Digital List Price:  $2.99 What's this?     
Kindle Price:   $0.00   
You Save:   $2.99 (100%) 

The above is a link in the list and it takes you directly to Amazon where you click once to buy. FREE!!!
Get an account.........
Check the price.......
Click once for free purchase........ :D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:10 PM
Here's a free one right now but it may have a price tomorrow  :(

Homebrew Beer: How to brew beer the right way the first time and experience tantalizing tastes from unique beer making ingredients (Fermentation Series Book 1) [Kindle Edition]
Eric Andrews (Author), Joyce Zborower (Editor) 
 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)



Digital List Price:  $2.99 What's this?     
Kindle Price:   $0.00   
You Save:   $2.99 (100%) 

The above is a link in the list and it takes you directly to Amazon where you click once to buy. FREE!!!
Get an account.........
Check the price.......
Click once for free purchase........ :D
-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 11:51 AM)

Sigh... I'm bowing out there. I did sign up and create an account, etc. etc.

But I have to install Kindle and can't just download the file to use in another viewer. I'm simply not willing to install Kindle. I'm ok with downloading a file, but... not Kindle itself. Oh well.

Thanks anyways. I do appreciate it.

I'm making some more ginger ale tomorrow! :D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 12:50 PM
I don't understand your reluctance...... I have an icon for Kindle which opens my Kindle account where I can read the free book I just bought at Amazon. No kindle.exe, etc.............. so it's not hogging space  :huh:
There's other choices there for online ebook readers so maybe you can get the same product through other channels  :huh:

One thing I haven't been able to find, and I miss it so, is a reader that will sit down and read me a bedtime story  :(

and no Ginger Ale, thanks. :(
I opened a bottle of it as a kid............. it started to foam............ I stuck it in my mouth............. it came out my nose............end of story  :-[
I haven't tasted Ginger Ale since 1946 and it's not on my To-Do list  :D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 16, 2014, 01:45 PM
Just checking,
I have Kindle, Nook and Kobo e-readers for the PC. They all seem to operate in pretty much the MO  :huh:

Do you have an aversion to Kindle itself or PC readers in General?  :huh:

I must have 1000 books listed in these accounts, all freebies, classics, how-tos, historical............ one of these days I'm going to read one  :D

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: 40hz on August 16, 2014, 04:42 PM
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*

Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
-40hz (August 12, 2014, 12:15 PM)
Interesting...never tried it sugarless.  Any recommendations on brands?
-superboyac (August 12, 2014, 05:46 PM)

The one I had was made by a French company and marketed under the Lorina label.

Since it's the only brand I ever tried, I don't know of I'd call this a recommendation. But it was awfully good. :-*
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 16, 2014, 10:43 PM
I don't understand your reluctance......
-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 12:50 PM)

DOH! I have a VM... It was late last night when I did all that. I'll just fire up the VM. :)

Do you have an aversion to Kindle itself or PC readers in General?  :huh:
-Cuffy (August 16, 2014, 01:45 PM)

I have an extreme aversion to any software capable of accessing the network that is created by a large company or a company capable of partnering with a Big Data company.

off-topic about software - just me complaining
On a side note, I also don't use supermarket loyalty cards. I don't like being tracked. I know that we all are, but I try to minimise it as much as possible.

Also, I utterly LOATHE any software that requires me to login to use it. My reaction to having started a program, then seeing a login (with very, very few exceptions), is "it's broken and doesn't work." I don't care if "if you just create and account and sign in, everything works." Nope. I'm much more stubborn than that. If it requires a login, it's broken and doesn't work -- by design -- and I don't care whether it crashes or whether it's broken by design -- it's still broken. My forgiveness in this extends to 1 program that I use, which is for my stock trading account.



I'm less averse inside of a VM though.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 17, 2014, 07:14 AM
I did another batch of ginger ale today.

3 large lemons
750 grams of ginger
250 ml water

Puree the above (a bit at a time). Dump in large pot.

1 L water + (water to get almost full as needed)
2 kg sugar
2 heaped, swirled spoonfuls of honey (1 cheap organic supermarket honey, 1 natural, lightly (if any) filtered organic honey from farmers market - the good stuff with pollen and wonderfulness inside)
500 grams super market malt extract

Boil & simmer for an hour.

Strained into fermenter.

Strained mass and continually rinsed & strained to get all the sugar & flavour.

Topped fermenter to 22 or 23 L total & stirred.

Added essential oils:

~10 drops ginger
~2 drops cinnamon bark
~4 drops lemon (might have let a 5th in)

Stirred thoroughly to mix in oils.

Added champagne yeast & stirred in.


FUNKY COOLNESS

With the "waste" material (strained mass), I boiled that again and strained it to make ginger lemon tea. And wow... was it goooood! I could have done another boiling for more tea, but I was tired & lazy. So, we saved half of the mass to use later.

Waste not, want not.

But that tea could just as easily be poured over ice for a refreshing and invigorating drink.

Also, it's great for colds & flus or just when you're sick. (Ginger and lemon are fantastic anti-virals, etc.)


Now, there's still a good amount of particulate matter in there (the ginger ale), so I'll be filtering it again when I bottle it. My last batch still had too much particulate matter, though it tasted darn good.

Crossing fingers... the essential oils are a real gamble there. They could destroy the entire batch.

Excluding the oils, the cost of the above is about $40 AUD, which is about the cost of a case of the cheapest beer on sale here.

No idea how it will turn out...

I saw some much more complex recipes, but figured I still want to try to stick to fairly basic ingredients until I get a better grip on some of this. And besides... the store was closed and I didn't want to wait for the stars to align for me to have time to get there while it was open. Make hay while the sun shines & all that.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 17, 2014, 01:12 PM
I have an extreme aversion to any software capable of accessing the network that is created by a large company or a company capable of partnering with a Big Data company.

I understand your position but I think you're pushing on the end of a wet noodle!  :D

Until you are in a position where you can get to the other end of the noodle where you can pull... go with the flow, and hang on to your end, as uncomfortable as it may be. When I sit down for supper, and chocolate pie for dessert, and momma says "go wash your hands before you can eat" you can bet that I'm on the way to the bathroom  :o

The system is bigger than both of us but it takes two to tango. If we object to and stop tracking then the freebies stop!
I'll take the free books, free software, free deodorants, or anything else that I can use and the donors can follow me around all day if they want. (I'll admit it was tough giving up the porno movies  :-[)

Your VM idea sounded good at the outset but I get all these free newsletters, book lists, freeware lists and deodorant samples streaming in via push technology, so I just go with the flow. Messing around with a VM takes effort and that puts a value on the freebies which I wouldn't pay very much... :huh:

It's a matter of perspective... like the 81 year old talking to his doctor. "Hey doc, I got married since my last visit. Met the cutest little 19 year old blonde I've ever seen. She makes a mean TV dinner and the sex is fabulous. I asked her to marry me and she said yes  ;D
On hearing the word "sex" the doc cocked his head and asked "you're 81, how often are you having sex?", to which the old codger replied "well we been having sex every night but I'm sure the excitement will wear off after a few years"  8)
and a rapid response from the doc, "every night  :o  you realize that could be fatal???"
The old newlywed thought for a moment and then replied "well, if she dies, she dies!"

I think he's on the right end of the noodle  :D
YMMV  ;)

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 17, 2014, 08:03 PM
Until you are in a position where you can get to the other end of the noodle where you can pull... go with the flow, and hang on to your end, as uncomfortable as it may be. When I sit down for supper, and chocolate pie for dessert, and momma says "go wash your hands before you can eat" you can bet that I'm on the way to the bathroom  :o

The system is bigger than both of us but it takes two to tango. If we object to and stop tracking then the freebies stop!
I'll take the free books, free software, free deodorants, or anything else that I can use and the donors can follow me around all day if they want. (I'll admit it was tough giving up the porno movies  :-[)

Your VM idea sounded good at the outset but I get all these free newsletters, book lists, freeware lists and deodorant samples streaming in via push technology, so I just go with the flow. Messing around with a VM takes effort and that puts a value on the freebies which I wouldn't pay very much... :huh:
-Cuffy (August 17, 2014, 01:12 PM)

I take a different approach. There's enough FLOSS software out there, and enough clean paid for software that I can always find something. For actual content, there's tonnes of it out there. Now, some may not be as good as others, but you can still get decent material. For example, this is just insane:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f82/

Craziness. So much... You could never get through that in a lifetime.

I'm fine with freebies that use tracking dying up. I'm fine with seeing Gmail and other "free" email die off. I pay for a lot of stuff I use, and there are some free ones that I use as well - but the tracking stuff... the online storage? The cloud storage? The 'keeping my data somewhere out of my control'? Nah. Done with it all. Forever. Period. I've been burned way too badly far too many times. When I control things, everything goes smoothly. When I don't, I have problems - catastrophic problems.
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 17, 2014, 10:42 PM
http://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Brewing-Beer-E-Hughes-ebook/dp/B004TSB378/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408332446&sr=1-1&keywords=free+beer+books

Best I could do on short notice  :(

If you have an Amazon account simply search free beer books.
That was the only one there just now but that's a dynamic site and there may be a dozen tomorrow.  :D

I'm also wondering if I copy and paste a link from an RSS feed directing you to Amazon if that would work. You have an Amazon account, hmmm  :huh:
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 20, 2014, 09:43 AM
Here's one of the entries on the Free Kindle eBooks list this morning.
I realize that you need a Kindle acct, Amazon acct, etc. but this will give you an idea of what's out there   :huh:
Damn!, beer is big business   :o
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZV3HX2

This page is for free Kindle books, which Amazon downloads to your Kindle acct, AT Amazon  :tellme:
They areNOT downloaded to your harddrive  :(
If you will notice there's a long list of "what others are reading" at the bottom of that page........ :tellme:
Somewhere in that kindle list it was cited that a large overlap of sources exists so my mission this morning is to find another source for some of those books. I was a little surprised at the number of free psychology books that Google turned up so maybe there is some free beer (books) afterall   :D
If Google turns up freebies, I promise, you'll be the first to know... :P
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 22, 2014, 09:14 AM
Been a bit busy, so still need to get the VM & accounts & Kindle running... But I'll get to that! :)


Regarding this batch of ginger ale (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=38421.msg362113#msg362113), I've been much more patient and methodical (using the fermenter), and it's gurgling away very nicely after almost a week and gurgles every 5 seconds or so.

But... it is testing my patience... I'm dying to try it...

Heck, I can't keep away from my last batch of beer. It's bottled, and primed for secondary fermentation, but I've still pilfered 3 bottles so far, and it's still very nice. Even at room temperature.

I HATE warm beer. Or rather, I hate stuff like warm MGD or Bud or Molson Canadian or Labatt's Blue... They're horrid warm. This? It's actually nice warm. It's a brownish red, lightly carbonated (because it's still too early), but very drinkable. It's actually much nicer than the commercial stuff I buy.

I've got a packet of ale yeast still, and wondering what I can do with that, but I've only got so many bottles, and I'll run out once I bottle the ginger ale.

I saw strawberries on sale... oh my... strawberry beer! So many possibilities! :D
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 23, 2014, 07:17 AM
This is Youtube channel from a homebrew retailer. They have a LOT of really good material. They do advertise some of the things they sell, BUT... get this... they actually talk about the products in a practical way, i.e. exactly the opposite of the drivel commercial ads you get on TV. They're more like product reviews.

Most of the videos are educational, and even the short ones get into some depth with explanations that I've not heard elsewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/user/NorthernBrewerTV/videos

Now, back to watching a fellow explain yeast strains! 8)  :Thmbsup:
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Cuffy on August 27, 2014, 08:34 PM
Here's one of the entries on the Free Kindle eBooks list this morning.
I realize that you need a Kindle acct, Amazon acct, etc. but this will give you an idea of what's out there   huh
Damn!, beer is big business   ohmy
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZV3HX2

This page is for free Kindle books, which Amazon downloads to your Kindle acct, AT Amazon  tellme
They areNOT downloaded to your harddrive  Sad

A slight correction is in order here............ :huh:
The free Kindle books are downloaded to your Kindle account at Amazon and are loaded into your Kindle for PC when you open the reader.
BUT  :-[  by right clicking on each volume then clicking "Download" the book comes down to your Kindle content folder.
I knew I had Kindle book files in Win7 so I started playing, moving files, etc. where I discovered, (or remembered) the right click thingee. What happened in Win8  :huh: I went back to the Win8 machine and tried the right click. Bingo, it works in Win8 too  :)

I found the fastest way to download was to go to the end of the list of books in the ereader, right click, Download, and keep doing the same thing (up the list) as fast as you want. As they download they disappear from the list so you just keep up with the drill until all the books in the achive are gone and they all appear in your collections. It's easy and quite fast once you get a rhythm established.  :D

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on August 29, 2014, 11:58 AM
The last batch of beer is working very well, and the batch of ginger ale is highly alcoholic. But, I'm too lit to continue typing. :P

Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on November 23, 2014, 09:43 PM
Here's an interesting post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/2n5pam/til_that_if_you_did_not_brew_beer_in_the_viking/

Source: The earliest Norwegian laws

This law was written down in the older gulathing law . The reason for this law was because of the old tradition of drinking "jol" to remembrance and as a ritual drinking offer to the old gods. This was not in accordance to christianity, but all the people of Norway was so accustomed to drinking jol that Olav Trygvasson said/made a law that more or less said "You shall keep your traditions of brewing beer and drinking it, but you have to bless it in the name of Christ and holy Mary".
Also, Jol was celebrated as long as there was beer to drink. After 20 days of celebrating, all the beer had to be consumed and eveything regarding christmas had to leave the house. But some kept the tradition of celebrating as long as there was beer in the house.

Here is the transcript from the older gulathing law.

"Hvis det ikke er færdigt til den fastsatte tid, skal man betale 3 øre til biskoppen, men dog holde gildet, selv om det er senere. Hvis nogen ikke brygger og findes sandskyldig i det, at han sidder således i 12 måneder uden at iværksætte sammenskudsøl, da skal han bøde 3 mærker til biskoppen for det.

Endnu en ølbrygning har vi lovet at gøre — bonde og husfrue af lige store mængder — og signe det på den hellige nat til Kristi og den hellige Marias tak til år og fred. Men hvis det ikke bliver gjort således, skal der bødes 3 mærker til biskoppen for det. Hvis han sidder således i tre vintre, at han ikke iværksætter ølbrygningen — og findes sandskyldig deri — og ikke udreder de bøder, som vi har pålagt for vor kristendoms skyld, da har han forbrudt hver en penning af sin ejendom, som skal tilfalde halvt vor konge og halvt biskoppen. Men han skal have mulighed for at gå til skrifte og bøde over for Krist og så forblive i Norge; hvis han ikke vil det, skal han forlade vor konges land."

In english:

Now the next is this, that we have promised an ale feast, such as men call a "neighborhood ale"; [there shall be] ale from one measure of malt for each freeman and another for his wife. And let three householders at the fewest give the ale in common, unless the live so far out among the isles or so high up on the mountainside that they are not able to bring their brewing to the homes of other men ; in such cases they shall brew as much ale singly, Magnus: "as would be their share". Olaf "as all three should".

But if a man occupies a farm supporting fewer than 6 cows or [needing] less than six salds of seed grain he shall give the ale feast only if he wishes to do so. Both: "This ale shall be given before the mass of All Saints at the lates. The ale shall be blessed with thanks to Christ and Saint Mary for peace and a fruitful harvest; and if one fails to do this at the appointed time, he shall pay a fine of three "øre" to the bishop and shall give his ale even if it [has to] be at a later time. If he fails to do it and if he is accused and convicted of having allowed a twelvemonth (year) to pass without sharing in a neighborhood ale, he shall pay a fine of three marks to the bishop.

We have also promised that every husbandman and his wife shall join in an ale feast, all sharing equality, and bless it on Holy Night with thanks to Christ and Saint Mary for peace and a fruitful harvest. And if this is not done, they shall pay a fine of three marks to the bishop. And if a man allows three winters to pass without giving an ale feast, and he is accused and convicted of this, or [if he fails to heed] the penalties that we have added to our church law, he shall have forfeited his goods to the last penny ; and the king shall have one-half of it, and the bishop one-half. But he has the choice of going to confession and doing penane; [then he may] remain in Norway ; but if he refuses to do this, he shall depart from the king's dominion.

tl;dr - It was illegal to not brew ale. ;D


In other news, I've got a new batch of ginger ale on the go. I've been too busy for too long to manage to get it started, but Saturday I finally had time.

Once that's done, next on the list is a beer.

But this ginger ale recipe is quite different from anything I've tried so far. I'm really curious how it will turn out. I'll post the recipe later when I find my notes again. I still need to write down the SG (1.096).
Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on December 16, 2014, 08:02 AM
Some may enjoy this. Just know... the Mountain King is a beer drinker!



Title: Re: Homebrewing
Post by: Renegade on March 05, 2015, 12:50 AM
http://gizmodo.com/what-a-170-year-old-beer-uncovered-in-a-shipwreck-reall-1689446524

What 170-Year-Old Beer Uncovered From a Shipwreck Really Tasted Like


In other news, my last batch of hard ginger ale was AWESOME! 8)