Msk

The Saison turned out great. Perhaps a little too malty based on my problems in the mashing process but great nonetheless. I found it to be the perfect "one beer" beer. I slapped some homemade labels on a six pack and gave it to my friend as a present. Named it "AbigAle" for his brand new daughter (Abigail). Great citrus malty combo there. You really have given us some great recipes. I have made two more batches since then a nut brown ale and I remade the golden ale with a few tweaks. Nut brown definetly needs some age on it. The golden ale however, just rocks. Its such a crowd pleaser, people who don't like beer like it. My next two will likely be a Dubel or Tripel and a remake of the Red Ale since I messed that one up too (though still made good beer) I also made the investment in a kegging setup, just getting it going but loving it.

Had a marathon brew session this past sunday, did two brews. A nut brown ale and a re-brew of the golden ale from the course. Somehow I came away with too much wort with the golden ale and it blew the stopper out of the carboy. I'm praying it does not get infected. I cleaned the stopper and airlock and re-sanitized it and put it back on since I don't have a blow off hose. I'm going on vacation so I hope its ok when I get back. Thanks for the intro to the hobby CDH, I'm totally hooked now. Msk

Foodman, that was certainly the goal. I know I have learned from dozens of mistakes posted here on eGullet. I figured it was time for me to give back. I've noticed the Red Ale has changed more drastically (in a good way) as it ages in the bottle relative to the Golden Ale. Is this my imagination or is it the more "From Scratch: you make your wort the more it matures over time? Bottled the Saison last night. I wonder if it is going to be a bit too sweet and concentrated since I had the spillage mishap. It did taste very good. MSK

So I opened my Bucket to test the gravity of my beer. How do you do this and prevent contamination? I basically sanitized my Beer Thief, cracked open the bucket, took a sample and poured it into the testing jar. I was just so paranoid about infecting it one week into fermentation. How in the world do more experienced brewers do this three consecutive days to check on fermentation? Is it just that at this point there is significantly less chance of infection? Does oxidation become a big risk as well? I tasted the beer and it tastes fantastic. When it went into the fermentor it was extremely sweet (duh) and had a weird bite that probably came from the orange peel. That is now gone and its very good. Looking forward to this one. MSK

I used the White Labs Pitcable 550 Belgian Ale yeast. I just wazsn't thinking about how much pressure was likely building up in there as the little guys gave off gas. Its what I could find at my brew store. The temps were not really such a big deal. I basically had all new equipment this time around so I was getting used to it all. The other thing I failed to realize is that inside the cooler there was alot of pressure building up since I kept the lid close to preserve the temp. So when I opened the spiggot it really shot out the liquid. You id a great job explaining the process, and I got that fairly easily. For me the issue was new equipment and logistics. I love that caramel/malty aroma of the grains/wort. Since I had the recipe put into Beersmith, I also could not help adding some more DME to raise the Alcohol. I'm sure all the new brewers do that in the beginning at some point. Thanks again Chris. MSK

Did the Saison last night. What a disaster! When I opened the spiggot on the cooler to drain the first run it sprayed everywhere. In addition the grain bag would continually block the spout, then as I would try to move it the pressure would shoot the beer over the kettle. It would have made a great comedy sketch (though my wife wasn't laughing" I used Beeersmith free trial to scale the recipe and was hoping to get 5 gallons. I probably would have gotten 5 if I didn't spew so much all over the floor. I ended up with about 3 and a half gallons in the fermentor. I perservered and got it into the kettle and boiling and from that point things went a bit smoother. Except the yeast vial exploded when I opened it, so I am praying for no infection from that. The good news is the fermentor is bubbling away in the garage this morning. I think I will do this outside next time (at least the mash). I may look into buying one of those cooking elements for outside use too. In the next day or two I'll post shots of the previous two beers Well I certainly will know what to expect next time. Msk

I'm hoping to do the brewing this weekend, got my cooler and I'll order my ingredients tomorrow. Is there a good book you can recommend that discusses the flavor characteristics of grains and what they add? I bottled my Red Ale this past weekend, and as far as 70 F degree flat beer goes it was killer! Most importantly it was not infected. Chris, if we were to remake that firts beer with Amber DME, what flavor differences would we see. I almost want to brew a batch with all Amber DME so I can get a sense of the ingredient flavor profiles. MSK

Had a great friend over this weekend and chilled two of the golden ales fully understanding they would not be totally carbonated (only one week in the bottle). They were carbonated enough and tasted great. Seriously great. Its official I'm hooked and can't wait till the red ale finishes this weekend. I'm so glad I decided to jump on in even if late! Msk

There is significanlty less activity and Krauzen on this red ale than the Golden. Is this correct? Is it a function of lower ratio of fermentable malt? Did I just screw up? The airlock is bubbling was about once every ten seconds about 15 hrs in. Also, my Golden Ale is getting very clear and starting to look less like Snapple Iced Tea and more like Beer MSK

What yeast are you using? There are some that should not mind temperatures around 74, though the Windsor may get quite fruity up in the mid 70s. It's only 2 gallons, so my advice is to try it and see if you like the effect or not. If there is too much flavor going on in there for you, then you know that this yeast needs to ferment cooler for your tastes. ← I am using the Windsor and I did a double batch this time. What could I do to lower the temp somewhat other than sticking it in the fridge? Would a cold wet towel do it? Typically the cellar ranges from 70-74 its just 74 to start with this time and I'm worried about it going higher. Msk

I know I'm a couple weeks behind, but I got my Red Ale bubbling away in the fermentor last night. All this rain in the Northeast gave me a great opportunity. If this batch comes out good, I'll be hooked. Everything just seemed to go wrong from a boilover to impromptu guests showing up. Chris, My cellar is 74 degrees F, do you think that is too hgih a temperature? Should I wrap a wet towel around ther fermenter? Thanks Msk

I bottled my Golden Ale last night and it wasn't infected. It tasted pretty good, a bit astringent or tannic. I truthfully did not now what to expect from 73 degree flat beer. I got about 13 16oz bottles from the batch. I look forward to trying it in a couple of weeks! I hope to do the red ale boil tonight to try and catch up a little. Thanks again for the Class Chris! Msk

Chris What are your thoughts on the Better Bottle plastic carboys. I have a glass one but hate the weight and danger of breakage. I know you are partial to buckets but I like the idea of watching my beer ferment, for me its hard enough waiting the two weeks let alone staring at a plastic bucket. They seem pretty cool with spigots to make the siphoning and beer transfer easier. Better Bottle Webpage Thanks, Msk.

Does anyone have any good sources on the mechanics of a concentrated boil? I would very much like to make a double batch next time around but would prefer not to buy a turkey fryer just yet . Do you just double the ingredients then add additional water to the fermentor before pitching your yeast? I am such a sucker for equipment so if anyone has bought something that has made this much easier (or faster) for them please, do tell. I am an immediate gratification sort of guy so 2 weeks of suspense is killing me. Msk

So I got my equipment and did my boil last night and pitched my yeast. The airlock on my glass carboy was gurgling away today so something is alive in there eating the malt, I sure hope its the good yeast! My wort looks like apple cider. I tried to be as strict as possible with the sanitization stuff. The place where I bought my equipment threw in some of that no rinse sanitizer so I used that. I had such a strong urge to rinse stuff anyway after pulling the equipment out of the sanitizing bucket. I guess I'll know in two week if I screwed something up. Sorry to hear about the bad luck Foodman Chris, Everything took me about 3 and a half hours last night from start to clean kitchen, how long does it take a seasoned brewer like you Chris? Msk

Ok, I couldn't hold out any longer, I ordered my stuff and it should be here tomorrow. I know I am late to the party but what the heck. Thanks to eGullet I bake my own sourdough bread and I roast my own coffee so why shouldn't I brew my own beer. Curse you! All your successes have motivated me. Chris, I really like the approach you took here, very inviting for the newbie like myself. Msk

The 2nd Ave Deli was a great place may it RIP. I have had the sandwich you describe there and did enjoy it. However I preferred their turkey and chop liver. Taking a 20-30 minute trip for a food fix of any kind is hardly out of the ordinary for eGullet members. Heck it would take me longer than that to get home from work when I lived in the city. Msk

This could be just my personal preferance, but I know too many people who agree (some even have sandwiches overnighted from the Millburn Deli all over the country). This response is like saying Ground Beef, bun, cheese same sandwich why go anywhere other than McDonald's. The Millburn Deli Slices their fresh Rye paper thin on a slicer. They make their own homemade russian dressing and cole slaw. I have had this sandwich at dozens of places over the years and no place ever comes close. I guess if you pinned me down to what was the best aspect of it, its the Russian/Cole slaw combo. It combines perfectly to give you a creamy sloppy topping for the sandwich. I could (and have) eat a cup of their cole slaw with russian mixed in. I have been going there for almost 25 years and it could just be what I think a sloppy joe should taste like. But it is DEFINETLY more than just a sandwich with russian and cole slaw. Msk

Amen! Since I grew up in Millburn I thought I loved ALL sloppy joes. However I never was able to find another that came close. When I lived in NYC I introduced people to them that would make the trek to the burbs just for that sandwich almost weekly. MSK

Thanks Beth! My wife and I are dying for some new Mexican in the area and this place looks just like what we need. Msk

This place sounds great, how kid friendly is it? I don't mean by menu I just mean do you think they have a height chair. Thanks MSK

I have the Zyliss which is indeed a quality press. However, I find it difficult to clean. I have another one pitched as an easy to clean press but the name escapes me. The "Extrusion faceplate thingy" actually is hinged so its easier to get in the pressing cavity to clean. If you are dealing with jobs of 10-20 cloves then the cleaning time is certainly worth the help the Zyliss would give you. Msk

Abra, The first time I did this I did it with a rib roast with the bones removed and tied back on. I only aged it 72 hours but it was absolutely delicious. I don't see why you couldn't tie them back on just make sure to work clean. Msk

I have done this as well and it works great. In fact I have my steaks cut 2 inches thick by my butcher and dry age my steaks this way too. As long as you keep the steak thick, it seems to work pretty well. I have alot of pics I hope to get around to posting. Msk

I have a wifi-connected laptop in a corner of the kitchen, but find it difficult to keep things clean AND convenient. I saw on one of the "Kitchen Gadgets of the Future" shows on FoodTV. They did a thing on the Microsoft Kitchen of the future. It had some of whats been discussed. However, the ingenius thing I liked was a "Display" that was light projected from above onto the counter. So it was a display of say, a recipe, that you dont have to worry about getting dirty. Msk