cdh

Now that folks have gotten brewing a couple of times and know that it is something you'll continue to do, now seems a good time to recommend some equipment upgrades from the bare-bones setup we've been teaching with here. Your local homebrew shop would be happy to sell you any or all of the following, or you could order online from any of the web shops I recommended back in lesson 1. First in importance- a plastic fermentation bucket with a lid and an airlock. A 6-gallon bucket should be fine for most homebrew purposes, and shouldn't set you back more than about $10. Improvement in process: bigger size, sealed environment, airlock is a good meter of fermentation activity. Second in importance- a plastic bottling bucket with a valve at the bottom, so that gravity powers the beer's final trip into the bottles. Usually just a fermentation bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom and a valve stuck into the hole. You hook your siphon tubing to the valve and your beer goes just where you want it without any crazy straw antics. Again, shouldn't run more than about $10. Improvement in process: easier bottling, you only have to siphon the beer once, you can buy an airlock lid and use it as a secondary fermentor if you want to brew two beers at a time. Third in importance- a big pot with a thick heat dispersing base, as has been discussed above. Process improvement: eliminates excess caramelization of wort during the boil, allowing you to make lighter colored beers. Fourth in importance- something more stylish than used seltzer bottles to store and age your beer in. You will need some glass bottles. You might also want a kegging setup. The two solutions are remarkably similar in price if you know where to look. I've just decided to get myself a kegging setup, and all of the equipment has come in at less than $100 for a 2 5-gallon keg setup. I know I've spent more than that on my four cases of flip-top grolsch-style bottles. I do, however, very highly recommend the flip top bottles... they're all thick and sturdy, and they don't need a bottle capper. And they come filled with some nice beers. Don't buy empty bottles for $30/case, when you can buy full ones for near the same price. Breweries that offer nice flip tops I've run across- Grolsch, Fischer d'Alsace, Leikeim, Hirsch... Let me know if you run into others. That's it for now... those are the things that will make brewing a simpler process for you, and allow you to make bigger batches.

Hmmmm... Sly Fox on tap chez me.... nice thought. Will have to look into that...

Anxiously awaiting.

I've given in and ordered a reg, some lines and a couple of kegs. I've realized that I've got more brewing to do this summer than I've got room to keep it, so something needed doing. The two keg setup will cost me less than $100 before the CO2, which I hope to rent locally for a pittance, so it is even affordable. Great deals on regs and lines at www.beveragefactory.com and great prices on kegs at www.homebrewing.org. Worth checking out if you're in the market.

Oz for oz substitution should be fine for 2 oz. Cane sugar packs a tiny little bit more carbonation kick than dextrose, but it should be insignificant in 2 oz.

You can use cane sugar, but you should dissolve it. The good thing about corn sugar is that it is so fine that you can just stir it in and it will dissolve. Table sugar crystals have a tough time getting fully dissolved in cool solutions.

I should add that these bagging and weighting antics are really only required if you're dry hopping with pellets. If you're using plugs or whole hops, they'll strain right out when you siphon to the bottling bucket. Pellets are pulverized small enough to make their way through the sipon tubing. Whole and plug hops won't do that.

Oregon, I think. ← And Texas and North Carolina... Pecan truffles down there...

Bingo. Right on. I just dry hopped an english bitter that is in the works with exactly that method today. Those nylon drawstring bags are great for that sort of use.

Rodenbach Grand Cru Rochefort 10 Duvel Maredsous 10 Timmermans Geuze

So, everybody out there who has been quietly brewing along (yes, I'm talking to *you*): Check in and let us know how it is going. Questions, comments, suggestions, mysteries, and just a general hello are all welcome. Let us hear about how the course has worked out for you so far.

Well, Fresser, there has been wild speculation and idle scheming and plotting to do an extended Pizza Club excursion up to the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area to try the Old Forge Pizza up there... It appears that this Girardville place is a wee bit of a detour away from the straightest route from PHL up to NEPA, but it appears that the Yuengling brewery is right on that detour too. Maybe an extended North of Allentown Pizza Club Expedition will get arranged eventually... but probably not until Sandy's Pizza Reassessment Tour has run its course.

Limoncello?

I've seen tons of honeysuckle in bloom in the past few days, so I'd bet that it's time for the sorbetto. I'd love to join in for that breakfast of champions.

I've personally never done the negotiation with PA, but have heard from reliable sources that they are willing to help, if the distributors don't have crazy terms.

Had the good fortune to visit the Pegu Club the other night and tried their "Intro to Aperol" cocktail, which was delicious. Something like a twist on the Jasmine, but with the oranginess of the Aperol showcased right up front. Now my question is: who's the importer, and in what states can it be purchased. Any confirmed sightings in NYC liquor stores yet? The only chance of getting Pennsylvania to pick it up would be if I could tell them who the importer is. Mmmmmm... Aperol, Campari's orange cousin.

Which yeast did you use? They all behave differently. I don't think Windsor is a particularly showy yeast as far as foaming up goes. I'd not worry too much about it. Give it a tilt and a swirl to roust anything that fallen to the bottom and let it keep on doing its thing. After a week, get out a ladel or a turkey baster, sanitize it, pull a sample, and if it is still really sweet and sugary, then you know you've got a problem that can be solved by putting in more yeast.

Looks like the right substitution to me. I'd say it would be fine.

For everybody following along with the brewing course, or for those who want to get started, the fourth lesson has joined the first three over in the eGCI. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...0entry1201403

The next lesson is up now! Don't hesitate to ask any questions that come to mind.

Well... you know that marmite is derived from adding salt to leftover brewing yeast sludge... but I always associate Marmite with the salt... any others flavors in there are kind of obscured.

All sorts of things affect the head. The dishwasher rinse agents can do that, as can oils.

You can reuse them. They can take it unless they're visibly weakened, e.g. bulging or have deep scratches in them.

That tell-tale citrusy-ness is a hallmark of the "c" hops... Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus primarily. Glad it showed through.

Elie- Hmm... salty? That has got to be your water supply. But you're in Dallas so your water table shouldn't be brackish, should it? No dried up salt lakes up there, are there? I've tasted vaguely salty tap water at some seaside locations.... but this is mysterious. Boil your tap water for a while to concentrate it a bit and see if the hint of saltiness comes through there too. Matty- As to the strange behavior of that one bottle... did you thoroughly mix your priming sugar through the beer? It takes a bit of stirring to get the dispersion even. Maybe the flatter bottle just had less sugar for the yeast to eat. Everybody else- Let us know how it turned out! I want to hear about any disappointments as well as the success stories. If something is weird, I'd like to help you figure out why it's so.