A Beer and a Dog

"Why should I blog about brewing?", I asked. "Nothing like a beer and a dog...", So Sayeth Virtual Wayne.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Last of my beer is bottled… now I can die peacefully

Or not.  Depends upon things.  The ESB turned out to be around 5.7% ABV and I’ll test it next week.  Finally, one that is within style guidelines as far as ABV are concerned.  I’ve been boiling off too much liquid here lately and the last few batches have been over the top.  Good, tho’.

Next project will be another Mead… haven’t done a mead since 2005 and it is about time to do another one.  This time, I’ll stick it away in some dark forbidding corner once it is bottled so’s I don’t drink most of it before it is ready, like I did last time.  We learn these things by experience.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Beer Bottling Setup

 

I use several handy items to assist me in my beer bottling task that have proven to be extremely handy.  You know what they say: Frank Zappa is the Mothers of Invention.

110809_Bottling Rig A ‘milk crate’ for supporting the bottling bucket.

110809_Bottling Wand Fixture01 One of my bench vices with a short piece of 1x1 lumber clamped in it with a large paper clip type of deal clamped upon the end to hold the Bottling Wand;

110809_Capper04 And of course the capper.  Notice that the capper is mounted upon a piece of 1x4 lumber that is C-Clamped to the bench.  I love C-Clamps. They make life so much easier.  Hats off to Mr. C for the wondrous invention!

Not shown are the re-tasked Typewriter table that weighs too much and has plastical wheels that aren’t nearly sturdy enough, but was too good an item to toss.  I place plastic shopping bags with two six-packs of bottles on that little darlin’ for transporting to the finishing area, whether it is the freezer for Lagers or the other side of the basement where the temperature seems to be more consistent on the floor than anywhere else in the basement.  I do a half case at a time, placing a new bottle under the tube as I place the filled bottle on the bench, placing the cap lightly upon it for capping.  It is the way of my people, you see.

The plastic shopping bags are handy in case something spills and, as happened one time in my old freezer, a preventative to having to clean up moldy crap where the oft-used cardboard sixpacks take on a life of their own.  Boy, was that a mess to clean up….

 

Cheers~!

CyberDave

OK. Back to beer.

Oktöberfest is in bottles at 60°F in the freezer unit and the ESB is finally in the Secondary.  I did the two tasks the same day, one after the other.  I DID however, neglect to pour the sanitizer into the carboy before racking to the Secondary but I suspect that the hot water will have undone any nasties that might have been in it and since beer was in it just before, there won’t be a problem anyway.  Hopefully.

Next beer won’t be a beer at all, next brewing session will be MEAD!  About time that I made more mead.  Huzzahs all ‘round!

Bwa-haha! Back on line with this blog…

As it seems, my problem was security.  I set up security thingys that caused Live Writer to tilt.  Having undone that, I can now post to my brewing thingy again.

Cheers!

Friday, September 9, 2011

OktöberFest is bottled. Now we wait...

Despite forgetting the recipe when I brewed this at Microbe Festus, this looks like it is going to be pretty good and it is within style guidelines, which is what I wanted to do this time rather than another over the top version. It should be ready to drink in.. Oktöber. I got 52 12-oz. bottles with a little left over to sample. Wasn't bad at all. If I have an op to go to Bramwell this year, I'll enter it into the contest. My brethren will probably judge again this year so they will probably know that it's mine. None of them are the types to dis a beer so that their beer will get better scores, nor give mine better scores than it deserves. They are honest. Don't know about the other judges from elsewhere... ya never know.

I'll wait to share this with my fellow brewers til after that contest. They will have to make do with yet another batch of my ESB and some of my over the top Oktöberfest from earlier in the year as those are the only styles that I've made in 2011. Fine tuning.

Cheers!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Pooches!

Somehow or another I broke the link betwixt this and Live Writer. Looking at the Help thigy I am supposed to make an entry from my blog before adding the account to Live Writer. Let's give it a shot....
Cheers!

Not one of these.. these... FAUX CyberDaves... but the TRUE CyberDave!


About CyberDave

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Contract engineering, working in the field in which I truly love: Mechanical Design.

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"Bonus Nachos!" as we say on my planet. "And CHEERS!"