302 replies to this topic

[Jared Stier]

***see below**

Edited by Jared Stier, 30 March 2009 - 08:14 PM.

[Jared Stier]

* Use 15 lbs honey, preferably not Fall honey.
* Boil it in a large pot with 1 gallon of water.
* Boil at least 10 minutes and skim the foam off as it boils.
* Add 1 tbs gypsum and 1 tsp Irish Moss.
* Let cool (or chill) until 80 F or so.
* Pitch into GLASS 5 Gallon carboy and top up. Plastic buckets let oxygen in. Oxygen RUINS mead after the pitching stage. Aerating, and oxygenating your mead at the pitching stage, however, is a GOOD thing. Adding tannins in the form of tea or oak chips is beneficial now. Add herbs now.
* Add yeast, preferably Wyeast Mead Yeast or at least good champagne (esp. for sparkling.) Bordeaux is also good.
* Cap carboy with airlock and store in a dark place between 60-70 degrees F until primary ferment is complete; generally 3-6 months.
* NOW is the time to add fruit. Rack after 2-4 weeks depending on pectin content, with higher pectin being racked sooner. Wait to bottle until fermentation settles again.
* Carefully bottle. AVOID OXYGENATING by splashing etc.
* AGE FOR MINIMUM 6 MONTHS. A YEAR IS BETTER. 5 Years is WONDERFUL.
* Brew OFTEN.

yeah my air lock failed its reason for existence. So i showed it the price for failure, Meh blow torch!

I love using forest fire honey. Its hard to get but with all of the fires in Cali, I might get to make some batches here soon with a new air lock of course

[Gary Mulkey]

I've watched this thread for some time and finally had to chime in. I know that taste is individual but to me if the yeast isn't a lager-- "IT AIN'T BEER". Nothing against those of you who prefer your ales & stouts. You can have my share for I'll stick with a good lager any day. I'm sure this will probably solicit many opposing views, but think about it.

BEER=LAGERS!

Gary

[Michael Pyron]

I agree with you 100% Gary!

[blacklionforge]

what an awesome thread.... i would like to also say that beer helps with farming as well...any thoughts on a brew"in" this fall? or a blademaking/brewing weekend?...and that being said...brewing is fun... but id like to learn how to run a snake...

[J.Arthur Loose]

Beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer, beer, beer
A long time ago, way back in history
When all there was to drink was nothing but cups o'tea
Along came a man by the name of Charlie Mopps
And he made a wonderful drink and he made it out of hops.

He must have been an admiral, a sultan, or a king
And to his praises we shall always sing
Look what he has done for us, he's filled us up with cheer
The Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer, beer beer.

The Drunkin' Rat, The Achin Drum, the trowess pub as well,
One thing you can be shure of, it's Charlie's beer they sell
So all ye lads and lasses at eleven o'clock ye stop
For five short seconds remember Charlie Mopps
one, two,three,four,five,hey!

He must have been an admiral, a sultan, or a king
And to his praises we shall always sing
Ah, look what he has done for us, he's filled us up with cheer
The Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer, beer beer.

A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it 'round with a stick
the kind of lubrication to make your engine tick
40 pints a wollap a day will keep away the quacks
its only four pence hay-penny and one and six in tax
one,two,three,four,five,hey!

He must have been an admiral, a sultan, or a king
And to his praises we shall always sing
Ah, look what he has done for us, he's filled us up with cheer
The Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer, beer, beer, tiddly beer, beer beer tiddily beer beer beer.
the Lord bless Charlie Mopps!Hey!

[Jared Stier]

very nice, but i love to sing this a good many times whilst throwing back the brew of the gods

There is a song that I love to sing
And I'll Sing it now for you
My friends, it is no mystery
It's of the fine brown brew
I have yet to meet the ale
For which I didn't care
And there's no pub in all the land
Where you won't find me there

Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer
Lift your glasses in the air
And give a hearty cheer
When the barrel is empty
We'll surely shed a tear
Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer

Seven days without a beer
Does surely make one week
It's pleasure in the company
Of a frosted mug I seek
I've travelled clear across the world
You know that I've been cursed
But the Devil doesn't know where a man will go
When he's dying of the thirst

Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer
Lift your glasses in the air
And give a hearty cheer
When the barrel is empty
We'll surely shed a tear
Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer

Mr. Killian would be proud
If he heard the old one say
"Another time 'round with the Irish Red
And the Devil, let him pay!"
Sometimes she's a happy wench
Or a beautiful maiden fair
But there's nothing else on this green earth
To which she can compare

Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer
Lift your glasses in the air
And give a hearty cheer
When the barrel is empty
We'll surely shed a tear
Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer

Now, there is but one dream I have
And of this, I will relate
It's not of riches, fame or power
For these are not my fate
Sure it's clear that I love my beer
And of this there is no doubt
And when I turn the kitchen tap
I wish she's come flowing out!

Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer
Lift your glasses in the air
And give a hearty cheer
When the barrel is empty
We'll surely shed a tear
Hats off to beer, me boys
Hats off to beer

[Alan Longmire]

Yeah, but it's not really a party until someone starts singing this little ditty. By the time this one rolls around, you know it's well past time to STOP forging, 'cause it's not gonna be good...

Note: not safe for work or those easily offended.

[Jared Stier]

Yeah, but it's not really a party until someone starts singing this little ditty. By the time this one rolls around, you know it's well past time to STOP forging, 'cause it's not gonna be good...

Note: not safe for work or those easily offended.

HAHAHA that song reminds me of this old irate guy in a bar in Knoxville that i went to for my birthday on Saturday. He was so drunk from drinking (good beer mind you) that he went to take another sip and missed his mouth by about 10 feet and threw it over his shoulder and poured it on a waitress, then proceeding to call her a thieving whore and wondering why it was not ok to lick his beer from her chest....ah cheers!

[Dan Seaver]

Let me reiterate,



BEER=BARF

Just admit is stinks, tastes nasty, and is horrible:P.

Agreed! I'll take a glass of Canadian whiskey or some moonshine over that nasty stuff any day!

[Bob Ouellette]

Ick! Canadian whisky is pretty nasty, from my experience. I'll take a nice glass of 12 year or older scotch any day, but beer is better for the every day forging operations.

Alan, that's a fine, gentle song (mind you've I've had a few New Castles this evening)

[Bob Ouellette]

Ick! Canadian whisky is pretty nasty, from my experience. I'll take a nice glass of 12 year or older scotch any day, but beer is better for the every day forging operations.

Alan, that's a fine, gentle song (mind you've I've had a few New Castles this evening)

[Kurt]

Ick! Canadian whisky is pretty nasty, from my experience. I'll take a nice glass of 12 year or older scotch any day, but beer is better for the every day forging operations.

I agree with that. And I'm Canadian! Canadian Club is a piece of crap.
What's all y'all's favourite beer? Mine would have to be Bavaria. A tad too much hops for my taste, but you can't beat the feeling of beer foam on your whiskers. Such a frothy beer. True love.

[Gary Mulkey]

Agreed! I'll take a glass of Canadian whiskey or some moonshine over that nasty stuff any day!

Moonshine yes, but if it is commercial whiskey give me a good sour mash. Not much on blended whiskeys.

Gary

[Mike Sheffield]

I found a bar in St. Louis that has a wonderful Irish stout. Don't ask me to remember the name because I liked it a little too much. Got a little shlker.

[Jeff Pringle]

Jim Austen decided to home-brew some beer; since he likes to do things right and isn’t afraid of a little infrastructure he did not start out with a couple five-gallon pails like everyone else I know who has done it. He got some expert advice and a few large stainless vessels and now has 40 gallons of flawless ale – on his first run!
The fermenter


Sterilized and pressurizing


Ahh, the sweet taste of success!

[Dave Stephens]

Wow. That's a big run.

I used to homebrew a lot. I just couldn't consume all the beer I brewed (and that was just with a 15 gallon brew kettle and conical fermenter).

That's an impressive setup. It looks as if he's doing a mini-microbrew setup with zero oxygen exposure after yeast pitch, yeah?

Was this an all grain batch, or did he start with malt extract?

I hope that Jim has a LOT of friends.

As a hobby, I decided bladesmithing was better for me than brewing. You can only have so much beer before you run out of keg space. I've never run out of room for my knives/swords.

--Dave

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk]

I agree with that. And I'm Canadian! Canadian Club is a piece of crap.
What's all y'all's favourite beer? Mine would have to be Bavaria. A tad too much hops for my taste, but you can't beat the feeling of beer foam on your whiskers. Such a frothy beer. True love.

Bavaria? You poor guy! If you go for dutch beers, get anything but Bavaria, that's the worst thing produced in this country. Get f.e. grolsch instead.

[Guy Thomas]

Grolsch is certainly better than Heinekin!

Oh man, I can't wait for Oktoberfest season now (the appearance of Oktoberfest brews here means Summer is nearly over, right now it's 100 degrees with a heat index of 110. I don't want to do anything BUT drink beer! Must be time for Summerfest.)

[Jeff Pringle]

zero oxygen, yes; and it was a malt extract batch, to keep things simple, I guess...