Ouch-looks like I'll have to plan for another day. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Anyone need another carboy? 6 gallon glass $30 shipped from amazon. Thought I'd share.

http://www.amazon.com/Paklab-Glass-C...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
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Entered our Belgian Dubble Abbey Ale in 2 local contest. It is called, " Sticky Monk". We shall see how it does.
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Just picked up my basic brew kit from midwest supplies. After the VA Husband's Day Brew session Ferg sent me a great deal to begin my entry into this hobby.
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Good luck Mikey! Hope it goes well! Would love to hear about it so let us know!

Just brewed my triple abby yesterday. Bottling Maibock tonight and have a Baltic Porter in secondary fermentation now. I've been busy....

Love this time of year! :-)
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Bottled my Belgian Stout over the weekend. Not convinced whether I'll actually like it but it's hard to tell so I'm hoping for the best.
Need to rack my next batch to secondary in the next day or two - my experiment with a 20 minute boil, hoping for something remotely similar to SNPA, which I'll call "Cutting Corners Pale Ale"
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Got around to finally emptying the shed.
Had all my smokers, burners, propane tanks and patio furniture packed away for the winter that wasn't.
The good thing about not brewing all winter is that I have plenty of empties that need filling. :-)
Hoping to brew up a milk stout in the next few weeks.
Which also means I'll have a myriad of new questions to ask you fella's! :-)
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Now that's what I'm talking about :-)
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doing a black IPA next.
local didn't have Carafa II or III or Midnight Wheat.
did get some Debittered Black.

should I use debittered, or mail order one of the others?
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Hoping to brew my 5th batch this weekend.

It'll be me 2nd All Grain and 2nd Kegged...

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Gerard, you've been a great help as I continue to slide down this slope...I hadn't realized it but the instrux tell me to do a cold fermentation.

I thought that that was reserved just for lagers....any thoughts there?

And...in order to do that, I guess I have to make some room in my kegerator...and raise the temp...
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Anyone have a good Amber Ale receipt to share?
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:-) Not sure why this is--most strong ales are actually helped by warmer fermentation, to produce a higher ester/phenol profile. Perhaps it's talking about "cold conditioning" which is a way to get all that Belgian yeast to drop out of suspension and clarify the beer once fermentation is done.

Right before you bottle, put the fermenter in your kegerator for a few days. Temps can be in the 40s, although I've heard some people go as low as the mid-30's. The yeast and anything else you have floating around (hop particles, etc.) will drop, then you can bottle as normal.
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Awesome, as usual. Thanks Gerard!

And that's exactly what I was thinking...about it needing warmer temps first. I very well may have assumed the cold temps were for the beginning but really meant for the end.

I was going to throw this on the tap; any reason why I'd want to bottle instead?
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Dehusked Carafa III is the brewery go to around here for a black IPA. I haven't brewed with black at all, but I imagine debittered would be the way to go if you're going that route.
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I think I'll go for it. Reading a few things where it has worked for people. And worst case I just get a bit more flavor than I aim for...
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In the fermenter now. We'll see :-)
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Has anyone ever heard of or tryed this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_xF...ature=youtu.be
A co-worker of mine was telling me about this last night. Her father grows hops and to use up some of the extra he started putting them in a french press with a bottle of beer. i had never heard of this. Shes going to try and get me some of his extra hops. what i dont use to brew with i may have to try this out just to see what if anything it actually does.
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I put a Milk Chocolate Stout into the fermenter last night. 15 gallons of beer in the primary, and my 2 Hearted clone finishing up dry hopping this weekend-ish. I am good for a while.
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It was a good spring break here in Austin. I moved my brew equipment from my friends house to mine and bought a new March pump to recirculate my wort as well as transfer from the kettle to the fermenter. Also had my pot drilled out and fitted with a ball valve. If you are at all on the fence about getting a pump all I got to say is just do it. No more lifting the 30# pot with another 7 or 14 gallon of hot wort in it!!!! I have also noticed that I can cool much faster by using the pump to whirlpool the wort over my immersion coils. Did two 5 gal batches the past week and both dropped from 212 to 70 deg in 17 min...and you gotta remember our tap water here in Tx is always hot.

5 gal of AHS New Zealand Pale Ale will be kegged today
5 gal of AHS Summer Crisp IPA should be ready to keg by Thursday
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for my next batch, trying to decide between:
Helles Bock
Smoked Hefeweizen
American Brown Ale
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