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Nope! Not if it means getting out of 2nd and 3rd shift in this hospital basement. And the local place I'm interning for pays assistant brewers $10 an hour, not sure about the other local places, but as long as I can pay rent and buy my textbooks...
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Sep 6, 2012 09:49
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RiggenBlaque posted:I'm not trying to come across as a dick, but I'm actually really interested in knowing - to people who are looking for jobs in the brewing industry, what do you currently do? I can only imagine looking for a brewery related job if I absolutely despised what I do now, as it would entail an absolutely massive pay cut, and I don't even make what I consider a higher-end salary. I work for a big park welding, building trails, fixing things, etc. It's actually a good job, but it's perpetually seasonal and not good pay. I should have been full time by now, but things are changing due to a change in management. I actually like my job quite a bit, but I also like brewery work quite a bit. It really, really does take the right kind of person. This is coming from someone with a decent opportunity to be a full time public employee with good benefits and decent pay, public retirement, etc.
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Sep 6, 2012 10:47
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Okay, so I've had my first kit brew sitting in the primary and will be ready (hopefully) to be bottled soon. In the mean time, I've been to the homebrew store and picked up some malt/extract to do a simple British Brown/Dark Ale. I was wondering if anyone could have a look at what my planned process is and see if I'm going to do anything wrong: Ingredients: *3kg Golden Light Dried Malt Extract, 0.3kg Crystal Malt, 0.1kg Chocolate Malt, 0.1kg Wheat Malt *20g Horizon Hops, 40g Goldings hops *1 packet of Windsor yeast Planning to brew ~23L Since I only have a ~11L pot, my plan is to steep the grains at 65-75C in 5L of water in the pot for half an hour, then top up to around 10L, start boiling and add the extract. Then I'll put the Horizons in at the start, half the Goldings in with five minutes of boil left, and then the rest of the Goldings once the boil has stopped. I'll then try to cool the wort in the sink and chuck in some (preboiled) blocks of ice, and then top up to 23L in the fermenter, and then pitch the yeast. Am I going to be able to get away with this, or will I need to scale back/get another pot? My first brew was just a can of premix with instructions to just mix in with some included sugar and fill up appropriately with water/boiling water.
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Sep 6, 2012 13:43
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Ubik posted:If I'm bringing beer to a Chicago Beer Society event or something, though, I use an Avery template to print paper labels to stick on there. They don't look bad, but they don't last long if you put them in a tub of ice. Any chance you could go into more detail, as to the process and specifics? Those labels look amazing.
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Sep 6, 2012 15:07
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Yeah, I'm looking for labels that come off when the bottle's cleaned but don't fall off by themselves three minutes out of the fridge... I guess everyone probably is.  e: To the guy asking what people are labeling with, we put a strip of masking tape on our bottles and write the relevant info on that. I find caps are too small to write what I want and can be wiped off accidentally if they get wet. I haven't found out yet how survivable in an ice bucket this method is, but probably not great. Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Sep 6, 2012 |
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Sep 6, 2012 15:10
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I imagine a paint pen or a silver sharpee would work fine. Using something stronger like acetone would probably wipe the bottle clean afterwards too.
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Sep 6, 2012 15:17
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Manky posted:Any chance you could go into more detail, as to the process and specifics? Those labels look amazing. Looking back into it, I think they're Avery 5164 labels, which are about 3.33"x4". MS Word and Open Office will both have it in their templates. Then you can fill them in with whatever images/text you want to use. I had a friend of mine come up with the logo (he used my homebrew "brand" as part of a design project), and then filled the rest of the text myself. I got the spacing effect on the OG/SRM/etc. specs by drawing new tables inside the label cells. If you like, I can send you a blank template for what I did.
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Sep 6, 2012 15:34
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Wait, they're actual Avery labels? How on earth do you remove them? That gum won't come off for love or money for me. I thought you were talking about a beer-specific product that was the same size as the Avery templates.
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Sep 6, 2012 15:50
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Ubik posted:Looking back into it, I think they're Avery 5164 labels, which are about 3.33"x4". MS Word and Open Office will both have it in their templates. Then you can fill them in with whatever images/text you want to use. I had a friend of mine come up with the logo (he used my homebrew "brand" as part of a design project), and then filled the rest of the text myself. I got the spacing effect on the OG/SRM/etc. specs by drawing new tables inside the label cells. If you like, I can send you a blank template for what I did. Thank you, that would be terrific! e: I guess I should also add, my email address is dougie@gmail.com Manky fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Sep 6, 2012 |
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Sep 6, 2012 15:50
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Splizwarf posted:Wait, they're actual Avery labels? How on earth do you remove them? That gum won't come off for love or money for me. I thought you were talking about a beer-specific product that was the same size as the Avery templates. We have a couple of 1L bottles from our first batch a few months ago that STILL have Avery backing stuck to them after three or four trips through detergent/Oxyclean. Would love to hear a solution if it's out there. (They do look cool before they get wet though)
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Sep 6, 2012 19:12
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Another option, possibly maybe, is GrogTags, but I don't know if they're good or not v vFor my first batch I just used a Brother Labeler to print the name on 1/2" tape which I then stuck to the bottle caps. Again, I haven't put them in a cooler full of ice+water, so I don't know how well they'll hold up long-term. (So far, so good in the refrigerator, though.) Whoever mentioned printing on vinyl reminded me that I know someone who prints arcade machine sideart on vinyl with a nice plotter, so I might quickly design something and have him run me a batch.
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Sep 7, 2012 00:51
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Docjowles posted:Yeah sorry to dogpile but 2lbs of crystal is a looooot in a 5 gallon batch unless you explicitly want it to finish super rich and sweet. Especially paired with already flavorful base malts like Munich and Vienna. If you must, mash that at like 147*.
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Sep 7, 2012 01:10
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nmfree posted:Another option, possibly maybe, is GrogTags, but I don't know if they're good or not v Those look great! Their website is unusably horrible! Why is it choking so bad?!
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Sep 7, 2012 01:19
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Got my starter kit and beer ingredients from nb tonight, without the priming sugar. 
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Sep 7, 2012 02:26
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LaserWash posted:Got my starter kit and beer ingredients from nb tonight, without the priming sugar. Just use regular sugar, it doesn't make a difference (look up the amount to use, don't just use 3/4 cup)
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Sep 7, 2012 02:28
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LaserWash posted:Got my starter kit and beer ingredients from nb tonight, without the priming sugar. Well you won't need it for like a month anyway. Also regular sugar will work fine too.
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Sep 7, 2012 02:28
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RiggenBlaque posted:Just use regular sugar, it doesn't make a difference (look up the amount to use, don't just use 3/4 cup) How much for a 5 gallon batch? I think out of principle I'm going to bug them for my sugar tomorrow.
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Sep 7, 2012 02:45
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That depends on the type of beer you're making. What's the kit? Actually might as well just use one of these since that's all I will do with the information.
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Sep 7, 2012 02:52
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It's the caribou slobber kit, a brown ale kit.
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Sep 7, 2012 02:57
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Here's the output of the second calculator I listed using 70*F for the current temp of the beer at pitching time. Northern Brewer says that an American brown ale should be at 2.4 volumes of CO2.code:
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Sep 7, 2012 03:12
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A really important thing to keep in mind is to base it on your actual final volume of beer that made it in to the bottling bucket. My first batch came out super overcarbonated because I only had about 4 gallons in the bottling bucket due to wort loss from trub and yeast. I still used the recommended volume for 5 gallons and it was completely undrinkable.
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Sep 7, 2012 03:24
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:What do you guys use to make your labels? These and a ball-point pen (or a printer if you want to get fancy). Stick them to the cap and there is no label to clean off after.
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Sep 7, 2012 03:34
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:What do you guys use to make your labels? Blue painters tape. Full wrap so it's touching itself on the other side and a black sharpie and tadaa, comes off easily but sticks perfectly.
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Sep 7, 2012 10:46
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Midorka posted:To become a professional brewer. I think if your going to 'teach' a course on pro-brewing you should get the local SSA or whatever involved, or something. I love the idea of being a pro-brewer, I do, but I think the fact that everyone is missing is that it is a business. And sure, you can brew some killer beers, and have been doing so for x amount of time - but can you run a business? At first when I hear about breweries that are "marketing" and "daddy's little investment" - it grinds my gears like no other. Those bastards elbowing into the market and taking up space where passionate people should take their place. But those places also aren't stupid. They hire passionate people who know what they are doing - they have homebrew outreach events (Finch's does this) - they are SUPER dedicated to the local economy (Baxter does this) - they are "green" (both breweries do this). And yes business fail all the time, but I'd not foster misguided hope for some basement neck-beard who goes and saves all his pennies to then loose it thinking all he has to do is brew the perfect pint. That may come off as convoluted and/or overwrought with inaccurate stereotypes - but the message is still there: try and ground people in the fact that it [i]is[/] still a business. e: quote:label chat Jacobey000 fucked around with this message at 11:54 on Sep 7, 2012 |
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Sep 7, 2012 11:52
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Jacobey000 posted:I love the idea of being a pro-brewer, I do, but I think the fact that everyone is missing is that it is a business. The fact that it's a business is exactly why I am not interested in being a professional brewer. Rant snipped, but suffice it to say that I don't want the financial burdens of running a business to impinge on my enjoyment of the process and the product.
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Sep 7, 2012 15:29
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What's my best bet for bang-for-buck for propane burners? Bonus points if it's locally available. Time to step up out of the kitchen (and into one pot for my wort boils  ).e: If there's a two-burner stand option available for $100 or less that'd be very preferable. Must be able to seat two decent size pots or a pot and a converted keg side by side. For some background, one of the other people in our household is springing for NB's 10-gallon Megapot with the valve and thermometer and NB's $82 low-profile propane burner (the 210,000 BTU one). I'm just checking to see if there's anything better / more recommended / if you'll yell at us for paying way too much. If there's something way better around for a little more I'll throw some of my own money at it too. I do wish NB's Megapot had a sight glass on it like the MoreBeer ones but MoreBeer doesn't make a 10 gallon pot, only 8 and 15+ (and they're in California so shipping is expensive and takes 5-6 days). Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Sep 7, 2012 |
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Sep 7, 2012 16:26
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Splizwarf posted:What's my best bet for bang-for-buck for propane burners? Bonus points if it's locally available. Time to step up out of the kitchen (and into one pot for my wort boils Deep turkey fryers work really well. I got one from Lowes for $50 that included a massive pot (it was on sale). If I had to start all over again I would buy this one.
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Sep 7, 2012 16:35
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Deep turkey fryers work really well. I got one from Lowes for $50 that included a massive pot (it was on sale). If I had to start all over again I would buy this one. Yeah, I got the KAB6 and it's total overkill. The KAB6 would probably work on 15 gallon batches, and I only do 5 and have no interest in ever moving up to 10G batches even. The one that you linked is really popular from what I can tell, although people bitch about the regulator a lot; I have no real clue what the difference is. I will say that I liked the fact that the KAB6 came assembled instead of in pieces. The downside is that I think the legs are not all of even length so it wobbles a little bit, which isn't really acceptable for a 100 dollar burner. It's not really a big deal, just kind of disappointing. Bayou Classic has ridiculous customer service too. I called them up based on the C/S number I got because my hose guard broke and some guy in Louisiana answered the phone. When I asked him for a new hose guard, he said he'd have to "go check in the back." He was actually sitting in some office in the factory. He then asked for my address and sent me it through FedEx. He never asked where I got the burner or how old it was. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Sep 7, 2012 |
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Sep 7, 2012 17:46
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Vaguely related to the labeling topic, these magnetic dry-erase strips popped up on Homebrew Finds today. Seems like a great option for kegerator labeling. Not as fancy as something like a chalkboard tap handle but they're also $10 for a 25-pack as opposed to like $40 each 
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Sep 7, 2012 17:57
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Gotta be honest, I've talked myself into the Blichmann burner for stability reasons... and then talked myself right back out of it because I need it in a week. 
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Sep 7, 2012 18:45
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Deep turkey fryers work really well. I got one from Lowes for $50 that included a massive pot (it was on sale). If I had to start all over again I would buy this one. Be careful of turkey pots. Many of them are pure aluminum.
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Sep 7, 2012 18:52
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BDawg posted:Be careful of turkey pots. Many of them are pure aluminum. And?
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Sep 7, 2012 18:53
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Bad Munki posted:And? Pure aluminum gives you aids, duh. What the hell do you think the "a" stands for?
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Sep 7, 2012 19:03
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Alcohol?
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Sep 7, 2012 19:06
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What's a good thermometer to measure mash temps? I was looking at the Blichman one, but I didn't know if there was better. I will be holding it in my hand and dipping it in to measure, if that matters. Also what should I use as a PH buffer for my mash water? Edit: Also should I order some malt extract for making yeast starters? Midorka fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Sep 7, 2012 |
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Sep 7, 2012 19:07
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I'm brewing for the first time on Sunday with the brinkmann turkey fryer that hb finds had on amazon for 60 bucks, shipped. It comes with the burner, lid, a 12 inch (!!!) thermometer, lid and 7.5 gallon aluminum pot. I guess you can fry a turkey in it to, if you have that kind of thing going on. I've already burned off some water for 30 minutes, turning the inside of the pot darker, so my beer doesn't give me aids. They also have them at home depot for the same price if you check online.
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Sep 7, 2012 19:14
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Midorka posted:What's a good thermometer to measure mash temps? I was looking at the Blichman one, but I didn't know if there was better. I will be holding it in my hand and dipping it in to measure, if that matters. We had a pretty long conversation on mash thermometers about two pages back which had a few varying opinions on which works best. The only pH buffer I have ever heard recommended is Five Star's 5.2 Mash Stabilizer. You can just buy a pound of DME at the brewstore or order some, yes. You don't want to use sugar and there's no point in making an all-grain wort for a yeast starter that will be unhopped and oxidized anyways (I always decant the starter beer). Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Sep 7, 2012 |
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Sep 7, 2012 19:14
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Bad Munki posted:And? The stories about off flavors or Alzheimer's or what have you aren't true, but as I understand there are a couple extra concerns with aluminum. First, you need to pre-cook the pot to form an oxide layer when you first get it and if anything cleans the layer off (for example if you scour it out after scorching the bottom.) Second, you can't use more caustic or oxygen-based cleaners on it, so no oxi-clean soaks or anything. Other than that it's light, cheap, and conducts heat well. So even if aluminum isn't bad, it's still good to know exactly what material you're using since it does affect your procedure.
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Sep 7, 2012 19:15
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Killer robot posted:The stories about off flavors or Alzheimer's or what have you aren't true, but as I understand there are a couple extra concerns with aluminum. First, you need to pre-cook the pot to form an oxide layer when you first get it and if anything cleans the layer off (for example if you scour it out after scorching the bottom.) Second, you can't use more caustic or oxygen-based cleaners on it, so no oxi-clean soaks or anything. Other than that it's light, cheap, and conducts heat well. So even if aluminum isn't bad, it's still good to know exactly what material you're using since it does affect your procedure.
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Sep 7, 2012 19:24
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Angry Grimace posted:We had a pretty long conversation on mash thermometers about two pages back which had a few varying opinions on which works best. Seems the thermopen is highly recommended, but $90 is a bit to throw down on it for now. Would the Brewmometer be sufficient for mashing temps though? I want something sturdy and good quality and I've heard good things about Blichmann. Would the stem be long enough?
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Sep 7, 2012 19:25
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