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1. Topics

   1. Natural or Forced Carbonation?

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      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Kegging

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      just curious what is the more popular way to keg your brew
      in the joy of homebrewing Charlie says to prime with a 1/3 cup of sugar and let rest for 4 to 5 days, do ya force carb with Co2, or do ya have another method, and bottliers why do ya bottle instead of kegging :?: I would comment on my prefered method but seeing how my keg system is still in the mail i dont really have one yet :D

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      guess I'm always different. I have done both and prefer the force carb. I can taste a naturally carb'd beer and don't like it. Maybe I'm just really sensitive to something with sugar Carb'd beers.
      
      For me, best force carbing is at serving pressure, takes a while though. I too am blessed with quite a few kegs so time isn't usually an issue. Force carbing at serving pressure can take upwards of 2 weeks to reach that perfect level and bubble size
      48 Replies
      79518 Views
      Bellybuster
      10 years ago
   2. aeration

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      by jmbingham, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hey fellas
      How do you fellas aerate your wort? Do you shake your cube, aeration stone , shake your fermentor

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      I use O2.. Oxygen bottle picked up from a lady whose husband was on O2 before he passed. It came with a regulator and a flow meter. $35 for the whole thing and the bottle was full. I will NEVER need to buy O2 again :) I used to use the little red cylinders that came from HomeDepot and were used for brazing with MAPP gas. They worked fine.. but, was an expense that I'll, fortunately, never have to do again.
      We are all jealous of your green O2 tank.
      
      I could paint it a different color? Jealousy...
      32 Replies
      34043 Views
      HbgBill
      12 years ago
   3. Should I use a Hop Bag?

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      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in From Mash to Lauter (Water to Sweet Liquor)

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      Hey fellas good day from hot and humid Florida,
      Having only used pellets to hop with so far, was wondering if it would be beneficial to use a hop bag.I was told by my LHBS that it was not necessary that the hops just settled to the bottom. just curious

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      I have read the Late Hopping and No Chilling Guide - La Methode Argonis and used it for my last two brews but only for additions that were 10 minutes or less. My last brew I did 10 minute shifts for the hop additions (i.e. from 60 minutes to 40 minutes) after reading as much as I could find that seemed to be a good number to use but since I am still a newbie I want to know what you guys do.
      36 Replies
      41626 Views
      rockbotton
      14 years ago
   4. Is it okay to keep kegs warm?

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Flat Beer to Beer

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      Just curious, I'm up to three kegs so far and my freezer will hold two .Is it ok to switch the kegs out from time to time. Just concerned about taking a keg that's at about 35 to 75 deg. Will it harm the beer?
      I guess i could just drink faster :lol:

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      long term storage above 65F will cause a delta shelf life decrease! it has happened to me with kegs only lasting a few months, then near the end taste leaning towards not so tasty. try not to swap warm-cold-warm-cold a bunch of times either.
      7 Replies
      17792 Views
      mordantly
      14 years ago
   5. removing clorine and clorimine

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      morning or evening what ever it maybe where your at
      
      got a question bout water , my city water uses chlorine and chloramine . I know i can let the water sit over night to remove the chlorine and use campden tablets to remove the chloramine. Question is how fast does the campden tablets work? kind of an impulsive brewer if i have a four to five hour window i want to brew without having to wait for the water to clear or go buy 9 gallons of water
      Thanks jimmy

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      What compounds / ions are left in the water once the Sulphur Dioxide in the tablet has done its job?
      5 Replies
      8960 Views
      Beachbum
      15 years ago
   6. Low gravity reading

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      First off hello to everyone been awhile since I've posted
      Brewed a stout yesterday overshot my water by about two gallons.so my original gravity readings were low .I was looking for 1.059-1.060 and got 1.041. I would have just did a longer boil but had to leave (took the wife to a concert ) so I went ahead and threw it into the cube to cool and was going to go with it as is but, got to thinking. Can I add a little more LME and do a second boil say half an hour to one hour to bring the OG up or...

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      Happy days then, jb! :drink: Glad it worked out well, you probably learned a thing or two so there's been a real bonus! :champ:
      
      Glad to hear the club brewers are BIAB- curious, I'm so pleased when I hear extract or kit brewers really keen to try AG and BIAB helping them to do this sooner than they otherwise would. :thumbs:
      6 Replies
      9211 Views
      Ralph
      15 years ago
   7. Biabrewer BOOK REVIEW

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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      just read joy of homebrewing twice in one week.great book for begineers.Helps u understand the whys and hows. Never thought someone could wright 300-400 words on beer and i would read it :lol:

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      My friend last night sent me a few .pdf's of brewing books meant for commercial breweries. I don't think I'll ever in my life be able to understand these. I'll have to go complete a biochemist degree if I want any shot at reading it!
      14 Replies
      18496 Views
      iijakii
      15 years ago
   8. scotch ale

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

      

      hey fellas
      had a scotch ale the other day.Great beer, it was served on a nitro tap just curious if this is a common practice.
      0 Replies
      3749 Views
      jmbingham
      15 years ago
   9. Beersmith, Promash, or Calculator

      by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Measurement, Mathematics and Records

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      useing beersmith for the trial period still not sure if i want it, will probally check out promash too.
      Which software do you use or is it even necessary :?:

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      Hi there shib,
      
      How are you going with brewmate? I've only had time to have a quick glance at the screenshots which looked very good.
      
      Be really interested to hear from you further on this.
      
      Cheers,
      PP
      16 Replies
      20653 Views
      PistolPatch
      15 years ago
   10. meads or braggots

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       Hey fellas
       anyone ever make a mead or a braggot?
       Thinking of making a vanilla mead for my wife and her friends,always better to keep her happy and on the brewing side of things and making a braggot for myself something i can age a bit :D

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       Let us know what you're planning. I'm going to have a crack at a braggot in the next month or so.
       3 Replies
       6335 Views
       NME
       15 years ago
   11. Plastic or Glass?

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Fermentation (Wort to Still Beer)

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       Hey fellas, just curious are ya using glass,plastic or old soda kegs to ferment in.if you are using plastic how many batches are you getting out of a bucket? I think eventually I would like to use a keg and be able to transfer under pressure,but for know I use plastic buckets.

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       Thanks for the link Bob.
       
       Beachbum, after reading Bob's link, I know that MHB in Newcastle stocks it or something similiar. It works in both the boil and the ferment. I remember he said it is brilliant in the boil too. His number is 02 49696696.
       
       Cheers!
       17 Replies
       17744 Views
       PistolPatch
       15 years ago
   12. frozen beer

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       hey fellas
       I had a ipa fermenting while I was on vacation so it would be ready for my empty keg when I got home :D Well got home Thur racked to keg and forced carbed Friday morning at this point I realized i had forgotten to put any clearing agent in the boil (really cloudy)not a major problem my stomach has never refused a beer due to appearance ;)
       So I took a couple liters over to a buddies house and stuck them in his freezer (they had gotten warm while waiting on the wife) well I forgot...

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       You have inspired me to give this a shot. I have a few PET bottles I can try this with on my next bottling round.
       4 Replies
       6006 Views
       SacSoul
       15 years ago
   13. Fermenting too high?

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Fermentation (Wort to Still Beer)

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       hey fellas
       I am now up to brew #4 1 extract 3 BIABs all four tasted great :D but, had a sour-sweet fruity hint to the nose. :cry: I am contributing this slight odor to fermenting in the 75 F to 79 F range. I now have a donated small freezer that will be my fermenting chamber.I had to bend the shelves (which are the coils) out-of-the-way,amazed at how far you can bend those things don't even resemble shelves anymore :D Will be brewing my first IPA tomorrow so it will be ready to keg when I get...

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       Sounds like an ideal way to enjoy your beers Jim, top stuff :)
       5 Replies
       7712 Views
       hashie
       15 years ago
   14. Moral support

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       Just curious, its okay to be drinking a stone ruination ipa ith a everything bagel at 7:00am :D I do work nights
       Anyone from Victoria,Aus. the company I work for Cardno just merged with Australian Underground Services

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       Looking forward to trying a levitation , great brewery
       10 Replies
       13305 Views
       jmbingham
       15 years ago
   15. Why slow and no chill?

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Chilling

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       sorry for being a noob but what are the benefits to the slow or no chill method besides being able to pitch the yeast at a later time?

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       No worries joshua. It is really annoying when your tap water is around that temperature and it happens where I live for half the year. Often I can only chill to around 28C. If I no-chill in the kettle (which I occasionally do, the temp is often still around 35 C the next morning. I have never found these two things to cause any haze though with my water etc.
       
       When I can't easily chill to pitching temperature, I'll get as low as I easily can and then drain the kettle and then put the whole...
       15 Replies
       20991 Views
       PistolPatch
       15 years ago
   16. first home brew

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in BIABrewer.info and BIAB for New Members

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       I kegged my firt extract brew last thursday. It was a blue moon clone.Well being my first brew ,at a buddies house cooking out, and drinking I didn't take very good notes or any for that matter. :x Didn't stick to exact time lines ;) so i dont now what i did wrong in the wifes eyes or did right in mine.Way to much to drink in the florida sun :lol:
       tasted right out of the primary really bitter and had an overly sweet soured fruit smell can't beleive i got my wife to taste it too. :o
       5 days...

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       Top stuff Goldy ;),
       
       Anytime I hear of someone enjoying their first AG, I always think of an old friend's PM sent to me after I wrote to him about mine. At the time I did three-vessel brewing. He replied as follows...
       
       Love hearing about other brewers brew days. The morning I did my first AG I must have been kissed on the bum by an angel. Here was this know-nothing in the shed making AG beer with nothing more than a brew sheet from beersmith and the luxury of having watched the Basic Brewing...
       7 Replies
       10662 Views
       PistolPatch
       15 years ago
   17. your last brew

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       If you could only brew one more batch of beer what would it be :?: having only brewed one batch so far I would like to try a stout love a good stout

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       :?:
       Do I brew something that I have all to myself (choc porter perhaps - the missus and father-in-law won't drink it ;) ) or something that everyone likes?
       
       I would brew a german pilsner but, as others have said, it would have to be a huge batch so I don't need to be stingy with it.
       7 Replies
       10562 Views
       dick
       15 years ago
   18. Happy yet Sad

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       My neighbor is a scrape metal man (collects scrape metal for a living) I saw him outside and thought I would ask him to keep an eye out for an old keg :D lo and behold there is one in his yard and for 10$ it I now in my backyard :D Now for the sad part while in his backyard I looked down and there laying in the dirt is 6 circuit plate chiller , six taps a the pepsie stainless steel cooler.He procedes to tell me he just offered it to his brother-in-law friend :x O well got my me a new brew :D pot

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       already on it hashie, told him i will buy any he finds for 10$ :D really hope he happens across another soda set-up :P already have the top cut off and ready to brew my next batch :P Wiz I'll mail you one should only cost a couple 100$ with shipping :(
       3 Replies
       4954 Views
       jmbingham
       15 years ago
   19. Bottiling from a keg

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Kegging

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       I saw this on the homebrew talk forum. I used my bottling wand or stick whatever it is called , stuck it thru a #2 cork stopper and the end into a picnic tap.Made sure it was long enough to depress the end in the bottle and the cork to seal.When pressure would build up you press the side of the cork to let air out. Worked great 2 hours later beer had great carbonation. Don't know how long they would keep using this method, but was easy and quick :) I think the other post probably explains this...

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       This is still a big bugbear for me, and I'm yet to master it :P
       
       So no-one chills the bottles before filling?? I think I'm getting there, but maybe I'm not purging enough gas from the keg before I start. You'll have to give me a demo next time you're over Pat :P
       6 Replies
       11621 Views
       NME
       15 years ago
   20. Funny looks

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       Being new to the BIAB scene i was curious do yall still get funny looks and told that BIAB wont work :?:
       I was at my lhbs picking up some things for the new keg :D and decided to get some ingreidents for a my first BIAB a newcastle clone
       The store has a book of recipes that are all in extract .I asked the owner to convert the recipe to all grain , she did with out a problem but she nows that i've only done an extrct ,so the questions start
       do you have the equipment? Yep,a ten gallon pot
       You...

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       Yup I've been to a few brew days now, and although I can see the advantages and fine control offered by a HERMs system you either have to be quite financially well off or an engineering geek to get a good HERMs system going. On the other hand the few brew days I have attended where they are using picnic coolers for the mash tun, a big pot on a Rambo Burner and a similar pot precariously balanced on a heap of milk crates as the HLT, the poor buggers have been busier than a one armed bricklayer...
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       15595 Views
       Beachbum
       15 years ago
   21. finally one of the gang

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       finally did my first BIAB a english brown ale (new castle clone), lots of fun, couple of issues knocked over my water as i was trying to relight the burner thankfully it was still cold. Had to go to the store get more water
       got home started over and it started to rain :shock: Moved to the carport all good :D My burner has two burners decided to fry some fish for dinner ,talking to my son and lmost droppe a peice of breaded sea trout into the wort instead of the hot grease :shock: the came the...

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       thanks guys it was easy and a blast can't wait to taste :D I def. plan on saving a bottle or two if i can keep all the new friends out of them :D
       PP - i was using my uncles frier and it has two shelves on the sides that aren't really supported enough for 5 gallons of water :D no biggie made for good laughs
       I have city water which comes straight from the florida aquifer then they add chlorine and chlorimine I have to hook up my water filter because buying ten gallons of water i getting old...
       5 Replies
       8187 Views
       jmbingham
       15 years ago
   22. mini keg

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       only other acceptible use of a mini keg i've every seen

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       it holds his battery and electronics I think its a good looking bike love the x650 choppers
       2 Replies
       4578 Views
       jmbingham
       15 years ago
   23. abita purple haze

       by jmbingham, 15 years ago in General Chit-Chat, Nonsense & Rambles

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       we had a world of beers open here in st. pete fl. recently,so the wife another coule and myself went on sat. no pics sorry .I had a roque dead guy and a stone arrogant bastard love them both . My wife who doesnt usually branch out to new beers had a tangerine wheat the last time we where there and loved it. Of course they were out ,so her first was a blueberry beer . she like it at first then the sweet blueberry was to much , so here next beer as an Abita purple haze . It was described to here...

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       Yep that sounds like a very dodgy beer.
       
       Matt, I am impressed at your brewing the Black Forest Stout. Cherries and chocolate in beer, while impresing me, also scares me a lot! I always brew beers at the lager or pale ale end of the range. I also always have a schwartzbier on tap which I really enjoy.
       
       I hate mangos but had a mango beer a while back which was actually quite good. Do you think I could ever enjoy cherries and chocolate in beer? Can you send me a bottle? Don't worry about a 750ml...
       4 Replies
       7285 Views
       crundle
       15 years ago

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