Test results

Finished my test and looks like i aced it.  Won't be sure until Friday when we get the key.

Been busy

I haven't been posting or cooking lately.  I picked up a new hobby and have been studying for my NRC GFES exam which is in 30 minutes.  Hopefully I will do well and will have some more free time after the exam is over.  If I do good maybe I will pick up some new fish for my new saltwater aquarium (my new hobby).  I have my eye on a jellyfish aquarium as well.  Very cool.  You can see it at jellyfishart.com. 
Wish me luck.

Guinness Draft

So the other day I was forced once again to purchase an entire case of Guinness Draught bottles.  The ones with the widget.  I read online about how you can reuse the widget when bottling homebrew.  Apparently, contrary to popular belief the widgets in the bottles do not have nitrogen in them but rather beer that has been forced into them when the bottle is pressurized during bottling.  When the cap is removed the pressure reduction causes the beer in the widget to spray out through a little hole which causes the foamy head and cascading bubbles when poured.  Anyways I had it in my head that I would reuse the widgets on my next batch of stout to see how it turned out.  Well much to my chagrin I opened the first bottle and no widget.  Then the second and third and still no widget.  Apparently they no longer put the widget in the bottles.  So no widget homebrew.  This sucks

Beer bread recipe

For those interested folks. Paige uses the Tastefully Simple beer bread package. Just add beer (I think)  anyways just follow instructions on the package. Can't be beat if made with the Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

New beer store/bar

So last weekend my wife and I went out shopping.  We went to Boardman Ohio because she wanted to go to Dillards and for some odd reason there is no Dillards in Pennsylvania.  She wanted to make some beer bread and I have convinced her that there is no beer better for beer bread than Young's Double Chocolate Stout. (of course since then she used up all my Young's for beer bread)  She wanted to see if we could pick some up and because in PA the state (IMHO in violation of the three tier law) distributes and retails beer by the case at the "state store." Where a case of Young's in the cans costs about $65 on a good day and up to $90.  But in good ole Ohio beer nirvana exists at Vintage Estates.  We entered the store and found literally thousands of individually wrapped bottles of barley goodness.  They also sell wine and the place doubles as a bar as well.  I picked up the can of Young's that we were after and a bottle of Dogfish Head Red &White which was awesome.  The beer was a Belgian Wit with Pinot Noir juice mixed in.  I also picked up a bottle of Dogfish Head My Antonia which was an Imperial Pilsner that was continually hopped.  It was ok but I am not a huge pilsner fan.  Needless to say if you within driving distance of Boardman, OH you should stop by Vintage Estates.  great beer by the bottle.

Been a long time

Well its been a long time.

I have one of my batches still in the carboy waiting to be bottled but have been putting it off.  I guess I will have to get down to it this weekend and bottle it. 

Last night I drank a Dogfish Head Chateau Jihau (I think I spelled it right)  I love that stuff.  It is a beer made with honey and some fruit and then fermented with grape juice.  Makes for a pretty interesting palate.
Needless to say I finished the 750 ml bottle     probably didn't need to but hey, it was good.  I will try to get some more stuff to post but with Paige having pnuemonia the last few weeks I couldn't do much and now she has commandeered my computer so who knows when I will get back on here.

Need some new equipment

During the massisve brew weekend in November I wore out my mashtun.  A mashtun is the vessel where the grain soaks in hot water to convert the starches in the grain into fermentable sugars.  There is some sort of a filter in the bottom to strain out the wort (sugary water from the grain) and leave the grain behind.  My old mashtun was a rectangular cooler with a stainless mesh tube I removed from a hose for a washing machine (the outer stainless braid covering the rubber hose).  I had removed the drain valve from the cooler and inserted a new ball valve I picked up at Lowes.  The stainless mesh was hose clamped to the valve on the inside of the cooler.  The problem was over time the seal wore out and wort was leaking out to the floor. (the wife did not like this)  For my new mashtun I am going to buy a large round cooler, most likely one of the big orange igloo coolers and do the same type of set up.  When I make the new mash tun I will post some pics so those interested can see how to make their own for much less than purchasing one.