Im starting a beer thread. If you like beer or brew, talk about it here!

[blefferd]

i just started brewing all grain about a month ago. here are a couple pics

Pilsner Urquell Clone (taken from the cats meow site) in the boil kettle



here is a pic of a decotion mash i was doing for a SN Pale Ale Clone

i just bottled it last night so ill let you know in a few weeks on how its doing!

here is a picture of my Pilsner Urquell in the Lager box with a nice Krausen going!


right now i have around 10 gallons of beer 5 fermenting and 5 in the bottle and another 5 gallons of Hard Cider fermenting next to the Pils the hard cider is really easy to make and ends up being around 8% abv when its said and done if any one wants the recepie just PM me

[dfib]

Originally Posted by cucamelsmd15

Yeah, the first thing that comes to mind is the priming sugar, since I carb'ed in the bottle. But, I dissolved it in 2 cups of boiling water, and added it to the brew before bottling and stirred it, carefully, so I didnt introduce air (oxidation is bad!). I only bottled it about 3 weeks ago, so Im thinking a little more aging and it would be right. I had about an inch of headspace at the top, which is about right too.

Did you cool the mixture before adding it to the bottles? If not you may have cooked your yeast.

[blefferd]

what kind of sugar are you using for your priming, dextrose?

[dfib]

Originally Posted by billbrasky

i am a big fan of virtually every sam adams beer, every Leinenkugel (http://www.leinie.com/ ) , and kalamazoo michigans own bells. Try the oberon and the bells double cream stout. Double cream stout is my favorite beer. http://www.bellsbeer.com/

ohh the best leinie is sunset wheat http://www.leinie.com/sw_page.htm
thats currently my second favorite beer.

Izzy likes sunset wheat too!

[cucamelsmd15]

Originally Posted by blefferd

what kind of sugar are you using for your priming, dextrose?

corn sugar. How is that Lager box set up btw?

Originally Posted by dfib

Did you cool the mixture before adding it to the bottles? If not you may have cooked your yeast.

It was room temperature.

[wombat13]

Thanks for the link to the Cat's Meow. I brewed several years ago with a friend, but just got into brewing on my own this past year. So far I've brewed two batches of porter, a Sparrowhawk and I've forgotten the name of the second. The Sparrowhawk turned out great. The second porter was a little lacking in carbonation and flavor complexity.

I tried brewing a Scotch Ale with a friend. We decided to try to chill the wort quicker than I usually do and we cracked the carboy. I lost all 5 gallons!

I'm about ready to brew an IPA for the summer and I'm looking for a good recipe. It's gotta be hoppey!

[wombat13]

In Western NY outside of Rochester is a great beer store Beers of the World (BOTW). As its name implies they carry a tremendous selection of international beer as well as a top-notch selection of american microbrews. It also has a wide selection of homebrew equipment.

If you are ever in WNY you've got to stop by BOTW. It is the best beer store I've ever been in. Here is a link to BOTW on the Beer Advocate:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1266/?view=beerfly

Any of you have a favorite/great beer store?

[XDinNC]

Shiner Bock - pretty good stuff for an American brewery.

[xd4life]

the I have been pondering brewing my own. Just not took the steps yet. Going to the bookstore later so I might have to pick up a book on that as well. Anyway

Here are a few bottle of beer I have, Liveing in small ass Yuma it's hard to get some beers. so when I get a chance to get out and get some Microbrews I do so.

I like the stuff from:
Stone
Karl Strauss
bierbitzch brewery

I drink Sierra Nevada and Fat Tire when I am eating out or have 6 in the fridge.

Sweetwater Brewery in Atl is pretty good too. They have 2 that I really enjoy, Purple Haze and Sweetwater 420. Taco Mac in the Atl area is a good source of Microbrews on tap.

[beardman2]

I love brewing. I just don't drink enough to make it worth while. I've actually only done one red wine and one mead. The blueberry mead turned out awesome but you have to let it age for a good year. The stuff is so smooth its scary. Not sure what the Alcohol content is. You can't so much taste it as feel it!

I'd like to brew a beer when I get some extra funds.

How long can the stuff sit? I always thought beer needed to be fresh to be any good. If it can sit a year or so without turning nasty I'm really interested.

Can you exchange home brews these days? I know you couldn't ship alcohol up until about a year ago but I haven't looked into the new laws.