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Birth of a Beer...

Yesss
 
So I just bought a kegerator with two taps. Got the local Soft Serv from South Street in CVille (Ice Cream porter) and am waiting on Bask from Basic City here in town (NEIPA) on the other.

I haven't been in this thread forever but was literally thinking the other day that next Summer I might want some Shandy in one. Instead of going to SS, might have to head towards Greensboro to find some if it's available then. :)
 
Yeah - the Shandy was a hit. Perfect for a hot summer day. Will definitely do that one again.
 
I wouldn't get that one. First of all it's 2 gallons and almost every recipe ever written is written for 5 gallons. I highly, highly recommend Northern Brewer equipment and beer kits. I'd recommend this kit as you can make 5 gallon batches with it and you can use it for years, and it's roughly the same cost (although yours includes the beer kit ingredients which is going to make beer you won't want to drink). They also have some recommended recipe kits or you can just go to their 'extract' kit section and pick from 100's of recipes. I'm glad to help you as you get started.

www.northernbrewer.com

Brew Share Enjoy Homebrew Starter Kit

Starter Kit for New Brewers - Everything You Need To Brew at Home. This kit was designed to provide the best out of the box first-time homebrew experience on the market. This all-in-one kit includes everything you need to start brewing today!
www.northernbrewer.com www.northernbrewer.com
 
Right on appreciate it. Hell I wasn’t aware that the recipes are 5 gallon installments. I did notice the model you’re suggesting so I’ll probably grab that one. First things first I wanna get proficient at regular beer then adding twists to the flavoring. I’m kinda excited and have a ton of alcohol loving in-laws for trials.

What model do you use at the moment?
 
I bought one of their 'Starter' kits years ago and still use it. You can do all your fermenting in the plastic buckets but I moved to glass carboys. I also bought a large brew kettle. For a 5 gallon batch, you really need to put at least 6 gallons in the carboy because you will move it from the primary bucket/carboy to the secondary (leaving most of the trub/gunk behind, and you'll lose some volume when you do. I have some specialty equipment for all-grain brewing. But the beauty of extract is, you can basically brew your wort in that 5 gallon brewkettle, transfer it to that bucket, then add cold tapwater to get it to 5 gallons. With extract beer, you literally can make almost any beer in the world, either from kits (which I suggest you start with) or with your own extract and grain mixes. If you want, I can be your Yoda for the first couple of batches and walk you through each step.
 
We need MikefromOH to get a starter kit and we'll do a Zoom brew session and all do our beers at the same time...lol. That would actually be a lot of fun. Plus - easier to walk you through the steps that way...
 
Hell yeah that does sound fun!

Edit: My brother in-law just opened up a microbrewery in Wadena and apparently is doing well with it. I plan on stealing supplies from him tho he doesn’t know it yet.

untappd.com

Drastic Measures Brewing

Drastic Measures Brewing on Untappd
untappd.com untappd.com
 
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Beach beers were a hit. I thought folks would like the blackberry milkshake IPA the best but it was the Irish Red that was most popular.

Going to do a Barleywine next - which is actually a beer, but one that is so strong it takes a year or so to develop after brewing. Huge grain bill for it, 17-25 lbs so the finished product will be very boozy.
 
Boone said:
Beach beers were a hit. I thought folks would like the blackberry milkshake IPA the best but it was the Irish Red that was most popular.
Click to expand...

*GASP*

You mean people with good taste actually prefer a real beer? Who knew?

;)
 
Neophyte said:
*GASP*

You mean people with good taste actually prefer a real beer? Who knew?

;)
Click to expand...

Yep. Guess I should be proud :)

My favorite was the coffee vanilla bourbon porter which was fantastic.
 
John. JOHN. I'm going to NEED some of that Barleywine please. I am becoming a bit obsessed with barleywine and have quite a bit aging in my basement right now. I have some local stuff but also from Sierra Nevada and Goose Island that I am saving to potentially do some verticals over the years.

I LOVE your bourbon porter and will drive down to you to try the Barleywine when it's ready.

(you know... pending an invite of course)

And Bob, some of us like Milkshake IPAs too. Sheesh.

:)
 
I drink the occasional Milkshake IPA, brother (as you know since we are friends on Untappd). They have their place. And I have enjoyed several of them. :)

I'm just ready for beer-flavored beer to make a comeback and be a real thing again. To not walk into a taproom or self-proclaimed beer bar only to find 2/3rds of the menu is made up of hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, or fruited sours. I want brewers who can not only market but can actually brew and who are willing to prove it by putting something on tap that displays their skill rather than masks their laziness.

I wasn't trying to belittle John's blueberry milkshake IPA, although I can see how my comment might come across that way. Nor am I throwing shade at anyone who likes them. I just spend a lot of time in the beer community and I have reached a point where I am totally shocked when a traditional beer style is preferred to one of the edgy, hop showcase styles that seem to be what is driving the market these days.

And John, I apologize if my comment came across as snarky or insulting. For the record, I'm insanely jealous of everyone who gets to enjoy your beer on your summer beach trips. And I mean ALL your beer.
 
I took it as a friendly jab! That particular beer is an example of ‘sometimes less is more’. In addition to the crystallized blackberry that came with the kit, I decided to throw 3 lbs of frozen blueberries/blackberries/raspberries into secondary. It was just too damn sweet for my tastebuds. I might’ve enjoyed it more with a more subtle berry background.
 
Basic City here where we live has possibly the best lineups of hazy's in VA (them or Triple Crossing imo) and I love those. The Milkshakes are... fine for me. THey're OK but not my favs, I was mostly giving you a hard time.

There are certainly days I crave a pastry stout but more and more I find myself drawn to a good ole-fashioned stout or barleywine. Em and I were supposed to go to Brussels this March but... COVID, so we'll reschedule for 2023. Really looking forward to exploring THAT side of beer and getting to know more about that aspect. Every once in a while I'll see a Saison or a Quad or something but not very consistently. Ballast Point's Barmy was one of my favorites for years but I haven't seen that anywhere in at least 4 years.

All that to say Bob that I agree completely with you. I do like Hazy's on a hot Summer day, and I do like pastry stouts (and even a few sours) but last year a little place in Williamsburg put out an Italian Lager that was probably my favorite beer of the Summer.
 
Boone said:
I took it as a friendly jab! That particular beer is an example of ‘sometimes less is more’. In addition to the crystallized blackberry that came with the kit, I decided to throw 3 lbs of frozen blueberries/blackberries/raspberries into secondary. It was just too damn sweet for my tastebuds. I might’ve enjoyed it more with a more subtle berry background.
Click to expand...

I'd have tried it. The milkshakes are hit and miss for me, but often I look for a little sweetness to cut the sour/hoppy which can be a bit much sometimes...
 
It's the time of the year where I'm under the gun to get family beach week beers done. I try to do 3 types. I had one covered as I started an American Barleywine about 8 months ago. They are one of the few styles that gets better with age. The other 2 beers I got brewed this weekend. One was a Mexican style (think Modela) summer ale, and the other is a special ale. It's brewed with an 'Omega' yeast that produces a ton of 'thiols' which give beers a lot of fruit and intense aromas. It also features 6 oz. of Trident hops added throughout the process. I'm excited to try that one in particular.
 
The difference between water and beer…

 
As some of you know, I host a beer-tasting show at the local Renaissance Festival here in the DFW area for 8 weekends in the spring. Every weekend has a different theme and menu. Most of the themes are geographical like Beers of Belgium or Beers of Germany. However, there aren't enough major geographical regions of the world to go 8 weekends without repeating so I have a couple of non-geographical themes. Examples are my favorites which is always done on Memorial Day weekend and "Some Like It Dark" which is all dark beer - always a hit with the Ren Faire crowd.

This weekend I am doing a show I started a couple of years ago called "Blind Date" where I teach the art of blind style identification. This is year 3 for this theme and it has quickly become a fan favorite. This year, however, I'm feeling surly and evil this week so I got creative with the beer list.

Now, before I share the list, I should tell you that I have rules for this particular show. First, all beer styles come out of the latest edition official Beer Judge Certification Program style guide. I'd pick any crazy new styles that may not have an official description or definition yet. Second, each individual beer I select comes right out of the Commercial Examples section for the style in the BJCP guidelines so the beer choice isn't arbitrary and I don't throw weird things out there. I also try to keep the styles pretty mainstream so you won't find a Gueze, a Rauschbier, an Ode Brun, or even an English mild.

This week's beer list is:

Budweiser
Konig Pilsener
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
Achor Porter
Deschutes Obsidian Stout

These beers will come out to the audience pre-poured in a plastic cup and in random order. In fact, even I don't know the order because I have a person backstage making it up as they go along with orders to make it different for every show. The only rule I have for service is that the Porter and the Stout can't be first.
 
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