Craft Beers, Microbreweries and Homebrewing

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Insanity said:
if they will fill, you will still need CO2 to push the beer.

what the cost of the kegs.

Could you use nitrogen, or is that just Guinness?
 
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Insanity said:
if they will fill, you will still need CO2 to push the beer.

what the cost of the kegs.
The one I was looking at was a 5 Gallon Cornelious Keg Ball Lock for $39. It was one listed on the homebrewing.org link you provided.

At the microbrewery, looks like they will sell 5 gallons of beer in their kegs with a $100 deposit. I'm not sure of the type of keg they use however.
 
I have to say, that's a pretty good looking and tough looking keg.

Kegs: When a growler is just the beginning. :wink:
 
you might need to replace o-rings or poppets. can't really tell under you lock the cap, pressurize it, and have the connectors on.

there are 5 o-rings, one for the cap and two per poppet, one outside and one inside. you can use a wrench to remove the connector to get at the one inside.

co2 or n2 can be used, CO2 is more common, i think n2 cylinders, regulators and gas cost a bit more as well. n2 probably would have different mouthfeel, texture.
 
Insanity said:
you might need to replace o-rings or poppets. can't really tell under you lock the cap, pressurize it, and have the connectors on.

there are 5 o-rings, one for the cap and two per poppet, one outside and one inside. you can use a wrench to remove the connector to get at the one inside.

co2 or n2 can be used, CO2 is more common, i think n2 cylinders, regulators and gas cost a bit more as well. n2 probably would have different mouthfeel, texture.

So, better to stick with whatever is in the beer to begin with?
 
All beer has CO2 as yeast produce it as part of the fermentation process. I don't know when N2 started being used, but even serving beer under CO2 pressure is quite new, circa 1930-40's in the UK at least, I think it took time to get elsewhere, perhaps 1970s for USA.

Nifty enough, in the UK the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) started shortly after using pressurized CO2, to protect unpressurized beer. Real ale is not served under pressure, and is served via gravity feed or hand pumps from the cask. It can include bottled beer, so long as the carbonation is natural, from yeast in the ale.

N2 is more commonly used with "creamy" beers and dry stouts to produce a rich head, less carbonated flavor. Unless you are serving something like this, N2 would not be appropriate, though it would work, but the beer would not appear, or have the mouthfeel it is supposed it.

I'd say stick with CO2 initially.
 
Insanity said:
All beer has CO2 as yeast produce it as part of the fermentation process. I don't know when N2 started being used, but even serving beer under CO2 pressure is quite new, circa 1930-40's in the UK at least, I think it took time to get elsewhere, perhaps 1970s for USA.

Nifty enough, in the UK the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) started shortly after using pressurized CO2, to protect unpressurized beer. Real ale is not served under pressure, and is served via gravity feed or hand pumps from the cask. It can include bottled beer, so long as the carbonation is natural, from yeast in the ale.

N2 is more commonly used with "creamy" beers and dry stouts to produce a rich head, less carbonated flavor. Unless you are serving something like this, N2 would not be appropriate, though it would work, but the beer would not appear, or have the mouthfeel it is supposed it.

I'd say stick with CO2 initially.

BruMeister!... thank you. :wink:
 
Insanity said:
no worries, got beer on the brain often.

Only one treatment for that you know? Drink, more beer.
 
nismaratwork said:
Only one treatment for that you know? Drink, more beer.

Gotta brew more beer, then drink it. Need to start production again soon this season.
 
While refilling my (now four) growlers at "my" microbrewery, I checked about using ones own keg. They said it had to be one of theirs. But they did say that I could purchase one from them. I've have to check this out further.

Anyway, I have some good beer on hand for now.
 
dlgoff said:
While refilling my (now four) growlers at "my" microbrewery, I checked about using ones own keg. They said it had to be one of theirs. But they did say that I could purchase one from them. I've have to check this out further.

Anyway, I have some good beer on hand for now.

Maybe you could repurpose a tanker trailer... :biggrin:
 
Astronuc said:
I think I'll go buy some Asahi and Sapporo in support and honor of my colleages and associates in Japan.

Hmmmm... I have a great recipe I just found in the NYT for sake-steamed whole chicken... maybe I'll snag some serious daiginjo sake... half for me, half for the chicken.

I'm not usually like this, but I'm ready to get good and bent today.
 
dlgoff said:
While refilling my (now four) growlers at "my" microbrewery, I checked about using ones own keg. They said it had to be one of theirs. But they did say that I could purchase one from them. I've have to check this out further.

Anyway, I have some good beer on hand for now.

Probably looking for you to purchase a 15.5gal or 7.25gal keg, that is what beer kegs typically come in, at least for the public to purchase.

A "keg" is a half barrel, a full barrel being 31gals, at least in the USA. It varies on country and used to vary if it was beer, ale, wine or whiskey, etc...

I don't know how much it may be, likely a deposit, plus fee for beer, and then if you return it, get deposit back. Know some guys that have simply kept the keg, and convert it into their large boil kettle at the cost of the deposit.
 
Astronuc said:
I think I'll go buy some Asahi and Sapporo in support and honor of my colleages and associates in Japan.

Don't forget the Kirin, Kiuchi or Orion breweries.

Kiuchi makes Owl's Nest Sweet Stout which is one of the best I had, I was not expecting a good sweet stout from Japan when I first tasted it. As I recall, 10% of the grist was lactose to add the sweetness. My brewing buddy had informed my that a lot of Japanese breweries have learned their trade in California.
 
This may sound odd, but is Mead when it's properly made any good, or is it just gimmicky these days?
 
nismaratwork said:
This may sound odd, but is Mead when it's properly made any good, or is it just gimmicky these days?

Mead can be quite good, and just like any other drink, it can be bad too.
First mead I made I used 18lbs of local honey, made 5gals that ended close to 13%ABV.
One thing with mead, the traditional can take a long time to finish fermentation has the honey has little other nutrients for the yeast other then sugar. I had used some yeast nutrient added to the boil and still took about 6mos. Very good mead though.

There are several variations of mead.
The three main categories and each one has three subcategories, nine subcategories in total then;

  1. Traditional
    1. Dry Mead
    2. Semi-sweet Mead
    3. Sweet Mead
  2. Melomel (Fruit Mead)
    1. Cyser (made with apples)
    2. Pyment (made with grapes)
    3. Other Fruit Melomel (made with other fruits, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, etc...)
  3. Other Meads
    1. Metheglin (spiced; ginger, cinnamon, lavender, etc...)
    2. Braggot (made with malt, same as beer, balanced blend)
    3. Open Category (honey-based, but can include virtually anything else, even blending other mead categories, i.e. cinnamon spiced cyser)
 
nismaratwork said:
Maybe you could repurpose a tanker trailer... :biggrin:

:smile: Good idea though.

Insanity said:
Probably looking for you to purchase a 15.5gal or 7.25gal keg, that is what beer kegs typically come in, at least for the public to purchase.

A "keg" is a half barrel, a full barrel being 31gals, at least in the USA. It varies on country and used to vary if it was beer, ale, wine or whiskey, etc...

I don't know how much it may be, likely a deposit, plus fee for beer, and then if you return it, get deposit back. Know some guys that have simply kept the keg, and convert it into their large boil kettle at the cost of the deposit.

Their kegs are 5 gal. (4.7 actually) and usually there is a $100 deposit with a fill for $50. I'm not sure how they would handle the CO2 tanks however and how much their kegs would cost outright. I'll check this out the next time I'm there.
 
dlgoff said:
Their kegs are 5 gal. (4.7 actually) and usually there is a $100 deposit with a fill for $50. I'm not sure how they would handle the CO2 tanks however and how much their kegs would cost outright. I'll check this out the next time I'm there.

They could have a CO2 hookup, or be hand air pump like a typical 15.5gal keg or even gravity fed (pop a seal at the top, spigot at the bottom).

$50 for 5gallons?, you got to get into brewing.
 
Insanity said:
Mead can be quite good, and just like any other drink, it can be bad too.
First mead I made I used 18lbs of local honey, made 5gals that ended close to 13%ABV.
One thing with mead, the traditional can take a long time to finish fermentation has the honey has little other nutrients for the yeast other then sugar. I had used some yeast nutrient added to the boil and still took about 6mos. Very good mead though.

There are several variations of mead.
The three main categories and each one has three subcategories, nine subcategories in total then;

  1. Traditional
    1. Dry Mead
    2. Semi-sweet Mead
    3. Sweet Mead
  2. Melomel (Fruit Mead)
    1. Cyser (made with apples)
    2. Pyment (made with grapes)
    3. Other Fruit Melomel (made with other fruits, raspberries, cherries, blueberries, etc...)
  3. Other Meads
    1. Metheglin (spiced; ginger, cinnamon, lavender, etc...)
    2. Braggot (made with malt, same as beer, balanced blend)
    3. Open Category (honey-based, but can include virtually anything else, even blending other mead categories, i.e. cinnamon spiced cyser)

Wow! Sounds interesting... I have much to learn.
 
There are many meaderies in the USA, most likely be found among the wines at the stores selling them. Not sure if I've seen one at Meijer-ish places, but if you know of a shop that really deals with alcohol drinks of all sorts, sake, imports, etc...that be the first place I'd go.

While not a beer, mead is not really a wine either. No hops are used, the alcohol content is closer to wine levels, so often found among the wines.

Beer/ale is made from grains, wine is made from fruits, mead is made from honey.

Klingon blood wine ('Iw HIq) is made from blood. Another story...
 
Insanity said:
There are many meaderies in the USA, most likely be found among the wines at the stores selling them. Not sure if I've seen one at Meijer-ish places, but if you know of a shop that really deals with alcohol drinks of all sorts, sake, imports, etc...that be the first place I'd go.

While not a beer, mead is not really a wine either. No hops are used, the alcohol content is closer to wine levels, so often found among the wines.

Beer/ale is made from grains, wine is made from fruits, mead is made from honey.

Klingon blood wine ('Iw HIq) is made from blood. Another story...

Hmmm... I think I'd rather go for a honeyed ale than a mead based on your description, but that's just my taste. I love that grain-taste of beer... even the lambics with their soft wheaty goodness.

Klingon blood wine... um... I'll have to pass on that, but Q'pla to you!

By the way, I have two really good star trek stories, and one was hanging out with O'Rielly, the guy who played Gauron, when he was shooting a small feature. He had some very VERY funny stories to tell, and one odd one about Marlin Brando. He was a really mellow guy with a great sense of humor, and as I was quite young, he took my mild hero-worship well.
 
nismaratwork said:
Hmmm... I think I'd rather go for a honeyed ale than a mead based on your description, but that's just my taste. I love that grain-taste of beer... even the lambics with their soft wheaty goodness.

A braggot perhaps then, honey mead with some malt, vs. a malted beer with some honey.
Made a fine ale once with 6lbs honey added, so long ago, must remake.

Klingon blood wine... um... I'll have to pass on that, but Q'pla to you!

Qapla'
 
Insanity said:
A braggot perhaps then, honey mead with some malt, vs. a malted beer with some honey.
Made a fine ale once with 6lbs honey added, so long ago, must remake.



Qapla'

I love honey, and ale is... well... it's freakin' ale, yum! I think I'll go on a hunt for a braggot while I'm hunting some daiginjo sake.
 
Thinking of brewing a spiced ale this week, chamomile, rosehips, grains of paradise?
Probably make a Koelsch for the base, as I got the right amount of grains on hand.
 
Insanity said:
$50 for 5gallons?, you got to get into brewing.
I know, I know. I've been putting off drinking any of the beer I bought this morning since I know what will happen if I try to drink just one or two. :cry:

Oh what the heck. I think I waited long enough.
 
Insanity said:
Thinking of brewing a spiced ale this week, chamomile, rosehips, grains of paradise?
Probably make a Koelsch for the base, as I got the right amount of grains on hand.

Oh hell yes to the grains! I tried a Sam Adams summer ale a while back brewed with that... like a rich black pepper with deeper fruit notes. A pal brewed a rapberry lambic with them too, and the tart-sweet-spicey was... oh it was GOOD.
 
nismaratwork said:
Oh hell yes to the grains! I tried a Sam Adams summer ale a while back brewed with that... like a rich black pepper with deeper fruit notes. A pal brewed a rapberry lambic with them too, and the tart-sweet-spicey was... oh it was GOOD.

Hops on hand; centennial, cascade, hallertau, saaz and an unknown variety.
 

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