The batch of ale for pandemonium has apparently ceased fermentation. It's several days ahead of schedule which means either the glucose has all been converted to alcohol, or the warm temps lately suffocated the yeast.
I could prime and bottle now and see how it turns out, I'll crack it open and take a gravity reading tomorrow.

Or I could add some corn sugar and pitch the yeast a second time and try to bring it down a bit more. Which will either make it really skunky and unworthy to bring, or push the alcohol content to about ten percent. Plus it would take another week before conditioning....

What the hell. I'll pick up more yeast on the way home from work tomorrow and see what I can do.
I should warn you not to expect a repeat of the "Black Heart", I'm going for something a little less chewy. Something you can actually put in a glass and see the sun through.

Man...that Black Heart batch was some very good stuff - and had a hellova kick to it (8 %?) but didn't taste "winey".

You did a great job on that stuff Pyrate Jim. I hope that this batch turns out half as good as the last - if so it'll be a success!

I just hope you'll share a thimble full with a militiaman... ;)

Regards,

Six

yes pyrate, share some brew w/ a fellow marshal

I'll be sure to bring my empty bottle from last year for a refill.

Pyrate Jim, we'll save you a bottle (or two) of Keith's Pale Ale from Nova Scotia.
Not quite as good as homebrew, but what is.



Regards, CanCon

HAHAH RFLMAO... :lol:

Sounds awesome. Can't wait to give it a good swilling. :D

[Reminds self to pick up some Chaser at GNC before leaving for PP2 :P ]

If things don't turn out right, StrokerAce and I are brining Guinness. I'll share with ya. B)

Regards,

Six

Bah, Guiness...

I stopped drinking Guiness once I discovered Murphey's! Better than Guiness several-fold, IMHO. Sometimes tough to find in bottles, though... Young's is also an excellent alternative but due to its lack of popularity, it's tough to find fresh. Not that I'd ever turn down a Guiness, but I like Murphey's better.

Jim, I missed last year and am unaccustomed to the fine drinking traditions of PP games. I doubt that I'll be disappointed, of course!

Just one question - if you're making so much for so many people, why go through the trouble of bottling? Ever think of getting an old whiskey cask to condition it in and just serve straight fom that? I wouldn't know the exact source to find one but I know that the new-barrel regulations for most American whiskeys provide plenty of casks to go around. Of course, bottles would make shipment much easier.

I've never home-brewed anything other than the pre-measured kits mostly because, well, I don't have an actual home to brew it in. Almost every home brew I've ever tried, though, has been top-quality. No preservatives, amazingly fresh, no skimping on ingredients... I'm sure yours is no exception and I'm sure you'll do very well! Oh, and the higher the alcohol content the better, IMO. Look at Belgian ales...


EDIT: Wow, new barrels are really expensive. eBay Link Gotta be a better way to do it than that...

Wooden kegs are no good for carbonated liquids, they just won't hold the pressure. I could go with a kegging system, but that requires extra filtering and conditioning as well as the cost of the equipment. (which really isn't that much but you have to clean it each time which is a pain)

I just find it easier to condition in the bottle and let the natural fermentation give it the carbonation. Plus I try to use 25oz bottles that will pour two glasses and still leave the silt behind.

I'm starting with six gallons, it'll be less before I'm done so it won't even add up to a quarter-keg. Shouldn't need more than five cases worth.

Ah, of course...

I have seen and tasted from "cask conditioning" setups and I'm not sure exactly what was involved. I did notice that the brew was less carbonated than you might expect and a pump (manual piston in this instance) was used to remove it from the cask. Perhaps it's because it wasn't a great example of cask ale, but I didn't find it to be much different from a standard tap version except for the price...

In such setups, do they seal the cask with something or is it just a wooden barrel that's lined and is just for show? (I'm inclined to believe that in most instances, it's just gimmick)

I have heard that the use of casks for ale serving stemmed from an English tradition of keeping the cask in the cellar covered with straw to keep it semi-chilled where it also aged for some time. I'm told almost all English pubs still have a cask setup (which is part of the reason I'd love to make it to the UK eventually). Much like the German "Maertzen" (sp?) where the beer was brewed from the first grain harvest in March and aged stored in straw-covered casks until the Oktoberfest, I think.


Just curious as to what's involved. I'll have to pick up a few books on the subject sooner or later. I'd love to try my hand at brewing someday once I have the space to do so. Houseboats just don't have a lot of room to be sacrificing to hobbies!

Well I'm sure it'll taste great like last time. I'll pass myself. I'm bringing a 4pack of guinness and that'll be about it for me.

Good luck to ya.


Ghar!

When is someone going to learn how to make rum at home?

Cane sugar, brown sugar, molasses, water. Heat, mix, ferment, distill. Probably the easiest of all spirits to make.

The problem is not with ability, it's with federal regulations governming the operation of stills. Given the possibility of carrying over methanol ("heads") or higher alcohols ("tails") which, in distilled quantities, can be highly toxic (even fatal), there are a large number of regulations regarding the registration and maintenance of a still. Not to say it's not possible or legal, but there's some red tape to go through. And you'd better know what you're doing, too!

For most folk, it's easier, cheaper and more rewarding (you get a product that's not commercially available) to make beer or wine at home vice spirits.

I know, it just really bums me out. I am quite aware of the governments restrictions on the manufacture of that most glorious of beverages, rum, but it just doesn't seem fair to those of us Non-ale drinking people that we have to go all the way to jamaica or puerto rico or some other tropical locale to enjoy a more, down-home version of our favorite intoxicant.

The stuff has been sitting in bottles for two weeks now. I'm going to open one tomorrow just to be sure it's fit to bring. (or maybe more than one...)
It's settled down to a beautiful deep red color, and bottled at about 6.75%. If it tastes as good as it looks, this'll be a batch to remember.

And yes, I'd be making rum if I could grow cane sugar in Connecticut. There's a place locally that sells distilling equipment.

I'll be bringing my empty bottle from last year for a refill ;)

Just in case I DONT make it DONT DRINK MY SMIRNOFF. MINE! MINE! MINE! I'll share if I'm there. but as far as it looks it's just gonna be a shindig it wont be a party till i get there LOL j/k. Gonna try one more person then I think I'm gonna give up and face reality. Hmm i wonder if I could hitch a ride with a truck driver heading that way that weekend.... hmmm.... no bad idea lol.

ANYWAY see you if I see you, and Brim You better have a valid ID this time LOL.

I'll trade you a FULL bottle of Smirnoff for some ATHF T-shirts ;)

Opps miss worded that I ment Smirnoff Ice Tripple Black I have about a half case or more still sitting there waiting for me. I'm just finding it VERY annoying that out of i'm guessing between emails and phone calls about 10 ppl that are from this area and I know are going have avoided contacting me like the plague, but oh well. I can only hope someone that missy emailed before she left gets ahold of me if not then I'm still gonna drink till I get WAY drunk anyway. Granted I'd rather be partying with my paintball friends but oh well i'm still going to castle 20 come hell or highwater

you guys are so cool
my stepdad brews beer

this thread is hiding lol
edit i have no idea what im talking about. just have fun at pp2

James - it would seem that you have again perfected another brew. The name of your new elixer escapes me at the moment, but the warm color and finish of your latest batch are excellent. Thank for the "take-home" portions. My taste buds will happily remember this batch for a long time to come. B)

Indeed! It went down real smooth and the aftertaste was just an absolute treat. Some really good, complex flavors in it. You didn't do a thing wrong with it, Pyrate. Thank you for sharing with us!

By the way, my girlfriend tells me she'll be teaching "A Pirate's Life For Me" to her students. She looked it up and thought it would be appropriate to perform for parents. Thanks for the push in the right direction!

Very good Pyrate! Thanks so much for a taste!

Regards,

Six