Homebrewers

[Czech]

For what it is worth, I will have another Sierra Cascade hop crop this year for those that are interested. For those of you that I sent hops to last year who didn't even bother to send a thank you reply or the promised six pack of local beer, you're off the list so don't even bother asking. I'm not sure if these are good or bad, but I will semi dry per your recommendation and vacuum pack and send if someone wants. Hate to see them go to waste. PM me if interested.

 

[fbelec]

hey gth
quick question. (maybe not so quick answer)
how hard is it to grow hops?
two questions

where do you get the seed?

 

[Czech]

For me in MN they grow like weeds, my trellis and the adjacent shrubs are covered this year. This is the third year they have been growing, a giant pumpkin friend gave me cuttings back then. I really don't do much with them at all, I also have no clue if they are good for brewing or not, but do know they are Sierras. I give them away every year and haven't heard much about quality? Hope this helps, Bob.

 

[fbelec]

if they are the strain that i think they are you could try a beer called sierra nevada.
thanks for the pictures. they are suppose to be like a weed. i've been dieing to brew a batch. haven't in about 8 years. my first batch came out like a sam adams ale with a 6.3 % alc

i gotta do it again

 

[homebrewz]

Re: how hard is it to grow hops, seeds, etc

Hops need full sun, well drained soil, and something to climb on. Rhizomes, or the below ground stem, are available from homebrewing shops in person,
or over the internet. hoptech.com sells rhizomes.. midwest homebrewing supply might be another source. They are usually planted in the mid spring.

Cascades have a "citrusy" quality to them and are good in pale ales and IPA's. I gave rhizome cuttings to friends years ago to use as fence cover and now
they are all over the place. Last year I picked over a pound (weighed after drying).

 

[Badfish740]

Re: how hard is it to grow hops, seeds, etc

Hops need full sun, well drained soil, and something to climb on. Rhizomes, or the below ground stem, are available from homebrewing shops in person,
or over the internet. hoptech.com sells rhizomes.. midwest homebrewing supply might be another source. They are usually planted in the mid spring.

Cascades have a "citrusy" quality to them and are good in pale ales and IPA's. I gave rhizome cuttings to friends years ago to use as fence cover and now
they are all over the place. Last year I picked over a pound (weighed after drying).

Hmmm...sounds like they'd grow well in Northwestern NJ Heating with wood, running my truck on vegetable oil, now hop production and home brewing-she's gonna kill me...

 

[d.n.f.]

Up in Canada, hops are being picked up by micro-brew companies as supposedly there is a shortage. BC used to be the biggest producer but nobody grows them anymore. Some guy with a couple hundred plants had his whole lot bought by some micro brewery. The costs of the euro stuff are getting too high I guess.

I just put a garden in this summer and am going to try to grow some next year. I just do the kit brew things, but would love to try the full meal deal from ground to bottle.

 

[homebrewz]

Apparently the shortage was caused by a combination of some bad growing seasons, and some farmers favoring corn instead of hops due to increased interest in ethanol.

If you are interested in all-grain brewing, you should give it a shot. Its really not that hard. The biggest obstacles to overcome are getting some more equipment.
You'll need a 7 or 8 gallon pot (capable of safely boiling 6 gallons of liquid), a large straining device to "sparge" the grains, and a way of chilling the wort quickly.
One of the best brewers in our club never made the last thing on the list. He has a creek in back of his house, and just puts the kettle in the creek until the wort is cool.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Apparently the shortage was caused by a combination of some bad growing seasons, and some farmers favoring corn instead of hops due to increased interest in ethanol.

If you are interested in all-grain brewing, you should give it a shot. Its really not that hard. The biggest obstacles to overcome are getting some more equipment.
You'll need a 7 or 8 gallon pot (capable of safely boiling 6 gallons of liquid), a large straining device to "sparge" the grains, and a way of chilling the wort quickly.
One of the best brewers in our club never made the last thing on the list. He has a creek in back of his house, and just puts the kettle in the creek until the wort is cool.

Homebrewz....mind if I shoot you a pm? fairly a novice when it comes to brewing, and had some ???'s I wanted to run by you. (Mainly about filtering the wort to the carboy, and perhaps a secondary filter?)

 

[homebrewz]

Not at all.. always happy to answer brewing questions.

 

[Czech]

Poooooooooook, no. They make good tea tho. You guys may want one of these to boil, fill it with pellets and let it rip. Can't wait until this years sap season starts, I'm going to get done a lot faster!

 

[SlyFerret]

Two of my buddies and I started a batch of beer on Saturday. One of the guys has brewed before, but not in the last two years. The other guy and I have never brewed beer before, so it's an adventure!!

This is our brew right after my friend who has brewed before transferred it from the initial bucket into the big glass jug after the first phase of CO2 bubbles settled down. (I think I have that right... I'm still a homebrew n00b)

-SF

 

[Czech]

Pooooooooooooook, it's the latest Wood Gas Camp Stove, fireplace model:

Base Diameter: 13.5”
Height: 11”
Burn Time (Twigs/Chips): 40 Minutes
Burn Time (Pellets): 90 Minutes
Product Weight: 15 lbs
Shipping Weight: 16 lbs
Power Consumption: 2 Watts
Power Voltage: 9 Volts
Power Current: 220 mA
Heat Output on High: 55,000 btu/hr
Knob to control fan speed.
The product will include:
Base Fireplace.
Lid to protect the fireplace after use.
Power Adapter.


I posted it on the For Sale forum a while back, I know the guy that makes them, he is local to me. Nice units, gasifiers, top down burn. So yes, the cord is for the fan. I used the smaller ones to burn down maple sap in the past, but I'm really looking forward to using the big one next year. PM me if you're interested, may be able to get you a deal if you want one?

 

[fbelec]

Two of my buddies and I started a batch of beer on Saturday. One of the guys has brewed before, but not in the last two years. The other guy and I have never brewed beer before, so it's an adventure!!

This is our brew right after my friend who has brewed before transferred it from the initial bucket into the big glass jug after the first phase of CO2 bubbles settled down. (I think I have that right... I'm still a homebrew n00b)


hey sly what kind of brew ya got goin. type, flavor.

-SF

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Two of my buddies and I started a batch of beer on Saturday. One of the guys has brewed before, but not in the last two years. The other guy and I have never brewed beer before, so it's an adventure!!

This is our brew right after my friend who has brewed before transferred it from the initial bucket into the big glass jug after the first phase of CO2 bubbles settled down. (I think I have that right... I'm still a homebrew n00b)


hey sly what kind of brew ya got goin. type, flavor.

-SF

I'm guessing either a pale ale or a red ale

 

[SlyFerret]

Yeah, it's a Pale Ale. I'm not sure what makes the difference between a Pale Ale, and an IPA, but one of my buddies said that it will be more of an IPA actually.

-SF

 

[fbelec]

Yeah, it's a Pale Ale. I'm not sure what makes the difference between a Pale Ale, and an IPA, but one of my buddies said that it will be more of an IPA actually.

-SF

if i'm not mistaken ipa has more bittering hops. it's more bitter drinking it.

 

[Gooserider]

Two of my buddies and I started a batch of beer on Saturday. One of the guys has brewed before, but not in the last two years. The other guy and I have never brewed beer before, so it's an adventure!!

This is our brew right after my friend who has brewed before transferred it from the initial bucket into the big glass jug after the first phase of CO2 bubbles settled down. (I think I have that right... I'm still a homebrew n00b)

-SF

Looks about right for a first racking... A bit much headspace, but since you probably still have a good ferment going that shouldn't be a big deal, especially since beer doesn't spend much time in secondary before you bottle it...

Gooserider
(Mead maker)

 

[Gooserider]

Yeah, it's a Pale Ale. I'm not sure what makes the difference between a Pale Ale, and an IPA, but one of my buddies said that it will be more of an IPA actually.

-SF

if i'm not mistaken ipa has more bittering hops. it's more bitter drinking it.

As I understand it, that is about right - "IPA" stands for "India Pale Ale" - and dates back to when the Brits ruled all over the place, including India. IPA was intended for shipment to India, and other distant places, hence the name, and was given extra heavy hopping in order to improve it's stability and keep it drinkable after the long sea voyage...

Of course, we don't need to get into the medicinal properties of hops, which always causes me a certain amount of amusement when I see beer being advertised as the "macho drink"....

Gooserider