Hmmm … I though we could have polls in posts but now I can’t see how.
Vote in the comments for your preferred brew-day:
Saturday March 21st – Reds
Sunday March 22nd – Reds
Saturday March 28th – White Sox
Sunday March 29th – Brewers
All games start at 1pm, but I’d suggest starting the brew-day at noon.
If there’s a particular type of beer (or specific beer) you’d be interested in brewing, add that to your reply. I’m thinking we’ll do two 5-gallon batches and set them aside for the next FKing tail-gate.
My not-strong preference is Sun 3/22 but I could probably make any of those four dates.
Same for me.
easiest for me would be Saturday March 28.
after much careful consideration, i vote: YES.
I have honestly no idea whether I have a preference, but this sounds like a great idea.
The most unique and hard-to-find kind of beer that is occurring to me right now is a dark wheat beer. For whatever that’s worth.
While wheat beer is called Weizen (German word for wheat) in the rest of Germany, it is called Weißbier (white beer) in Bayern (and Austria). So this beauty from the Andechs Monastery is called “Dark white beer”
Looks amazing.
So a dunkelweizen … that’s do-able.
Do you prefer the original German style, or the toned down American version with milder banana/clove notes? Any particular favorite examples?
German style, but I couldn’t give you a brand. Mrs. N did a semester at Freiburg in college so we hit it on an anniversary trip. This beer was all over that area but I let her do the ordering so no idea on labels. Not sure if that helps at all.
And, of course, this is just one person’s suggestion.
Seconded.
Luka’s serves Erdinger, which is a pretty good example. Brotzeit usually has one too but I’m not sure which brand, I think they may rotate them.
Ill show up to all four, even if your only having one!
Could we do a fun sour? Ive only been apart of pale ale and IPA brewing, so perhaps something different if it works for everyone. Honestly Im just excited for whatever, this sounds super fun.
So an anniversary dunkelweizen and a fun sour … it’s going to be one hell of a tailgate!
Honestly I don’t even know if sours are fun to make. I do like drinking them though.
The souring is in the fermentation, so the brew day would be very similar.
Whatever and whenever we do brew, after this weekend’s exertions there’ll be a West Coast pale, an English bitter and an Irish stout on tap to help things along.
And the stout will be on nitrogen.
Any and all days for me! Despite a beginner’s kit sitting in my storage for over a year, I’ve yet to actually partake in any brewing, so any type will be interesting to me
Just to put something on my calendar I’m going to say Saturday 28th, but if someone develops a conflict let us know and we can see if there’s an alternative that works.
woohoo
Well, naturally, a family conflict has now arisen for me on the 28th. The 21st or 22nd would be my new preference
As expected, things have started filling up for me (though the 28th is still blocked out).
I might be able to juggle things to make the 21st work, but I’d want to check in with other people first since they may also have made plans based on brew-day being the 28th.
No plans either way, and both days are equally baby-dependent.
I can’t do the 21st. Its my birthday weekend, and I think it’d be dick of me to tell the family “toss off I am going to watch people pound mash while i drink and you aren’t invited.”
You just tell them to toss off until you get home later in the afternoon and then they can watch you sleep it off/sober up/throw up.
I feel like if ever there were a time to be able to tell the family to toss off, it’d be your own birthday weekend.
You’d think that, wouldn’t you.
exactly
I’m still at least theoretically available for any of the 4 dates originally proposed. With the caveat that I am constitutionally required to prioritize any North Carolina NCAA tournament game.
i’m still open for all those dates. :( that it’s so far away still.
Yeah, I understand, but I wanted to throw it out there anyway. I’d hate to have to miss it
and I understand if 21/22 becomes easier.
Turns out our plans are less moveable that I thought anyway, so we’ll need to stick with the 28th. However I’m brewing about once a month these days, so there should be plenty of other opportunities.
Especially as I brew for events more, I wonder about the right mix of beers to have on tap.
One a single tap (as we’ve had at all FK-ups to date) it is always going to be a pale ale or an IPA.
My portable rig can run two taps though. At the last benefit I brewed for we ran a hoppy pale and a dry stout – and since it was a dinner event we swapped in a milk stout towards the end for chocolate ice cream floats. That worked well enough, though the pale ran out way before the stout.
The keezer in the basement has 4 taps, and at home I typically have 3 running, with a pale and an IPA regularly turning over and then something as an alternative to all those hops for visitors which will last for many months.
For a 4-tap event, a bar-owning friend recommended a pale, an IPA, an amber and a pilsner, with stout way down the list (which surprised me a bit). Since I don’t have the wherewithal to lager the pilsner is out, and I’ve been trying to think of an ale that would fill that light/bright slot. Maybe a Kolsch?
What would your 4 taps serve?
um, yes?
I would definitely include a porter or stout. Partly just because that’s what I like to drink. Also because dark beers are popular enough that at least a few people will choose them, but are farther away from the other popular styles (various pales and ambers) than those ones are from each other.
I also like seasonals – a lighter crisp pale ale in summer, a barley wine or winter warmer in winter.
If not a stout/porter (which I’d agree on), at least a brown.
Agree IPA and something pale but not max-hoppy should be on there.
After that I think you need to find your bliss on experimental stuff. Whether it is seasonals, beers with additives (fruit, bacon, whatever), something regional (say, bitter), or whatever strikes your fancy. That way someone can try something experimental with plenty of safety to retreat to.
THERE WILL NEVER BE BACON BEER ON MY WATCH
little known fact, timex were invented for the very eventuality that you get bacon beer on your watch.
1973 called and said FK TIMEX.
now I get it
now i don’t.
1973?
I misspelled 1993.
ah.
your watch is running a little slow.
He takes a roasting and keeps on posting.
Textured soy protein beer, then?
SATAN beer!
(you might want to check the spelling)
I’m pretty sure that’s right.
That was my thinking too, but I was persuaded that without a lager (or lager-like ale) I was missing a much bigger cohort than stout’s.
Though some associate a dark color with something heavy, a nice session porter is a great balance from the IPAs. And I’m a big fan of red ales.
I think with lots of options, people like to try the gamut, and stouts (when heavier) tend to require more of a commitment than easy drinkers like pilsners. It’s also harder to move from stouts to lighter beers, palate-wise. As slinger said, if going stout, choosing a dry or sessionable one makes sense.
In my mind, lagers are generally not worth the time, but something that goes down easy is a nice addition. The four I would choose would be a hoppy pale ale, a Belgian or white or wheat, an ESB or bitter, and something off the wall (like a sour). If off the wall isn’t doable or is too adventurous, then an interesting brown or red
I like stouts because I enjoy commitment also the toasted coffee notes.
For this brew day I’m now leaning towards a porter and a blonde or cream ale, just to try my hand at those as the missing components of a 4-tap event.
We’ll then need to have a FK-up to drink them.
This may change depending on how Sunday goes. I’ll be brewing 10 gallons of the house hoppy pale and 5 gallons of my first Russian Imperial Stout (to age in time for next winter), and then doing my first partygyle to see if I can pull a porter out of the second runnings of both.
The RIS is crazy … 22lb of 6 different grains in a 5 gallon batch, shooting for 10% ABV. I’ve been building up the yeast for it for 24 hours now, and will keep growing it for a couple more days. It’s going to be explosive!
Is this still happening on Sat? If so what time… and what should we bring?
March 28th, I believe, not this weekend.
So then yes, it is happening on Saturday.
Just not this Saturday
Thanks, and go As.
Stupid February and March having the same dates on same days 75% of the time.
75.75% of the time, to be precise.
nerd!
Given recent events maybe we should all get loaded and trash the neighbor’s place.
We can do that this Saturday!
Well booo… but ok
If Carolina gets past Fair Hahvahd on Thursday, they will be playing sometime on Saturday, so my availability and attitude will be entirely dependent on outside events. If Carolina should lose to Fair Hahvahd Thursday, well, at least I will be in the right place to drink heavily.
check the dates? (i, too, am eager for this march 28 FKup.)
Oh, yes, I am an idiot. If Carolina is still playing on 3/28 that’d be awesome.
If they make it past Harvard, Arkansas, and Wisconsin then they’ll be playing Arizona for a final four spot sometime on the 28th.
That would be acceptable. Though I’m thinking Arizona maybe gets knocked off before then.
Given the current state of my production line, I’m now leaning towards a standard 3-batch brewday to include a 10G IPA, 5G English bitter and 5G cream ale.
The trial 4-tap combo would then be hoppy pale/IPA, bitter, stout/porter, cream ale.
So we will be brewing 3 batches.
Batch 1 – 10 gallons of Bells Two-Hearted Ale
Batch 2 – 5 gallons of Boddingtons Best Bitter
Batch 3 – 5 gallons of Cream of Three Crops
In order to fit all 3 batches in, I’ll be starting at about 11am, with the 2nd batch at 12:30, the 3rd at 2:30, and everything wrapping up by 5:00 (all times approximate!)
First pitch is at 1pm.
Email jdborrill at lbl dot gov for the address.
do i need your address? pretty sure i’ll be partying and/or brawling the night before right next door…
i have a baseball game until about 1030. expect to arrive around noon
I haven’t responded until now as our schedule has been up in the air, but we are in. Are we pot-lucking this (did a quick scroll up but didn’t see anything) or should we just plan on ordering pizza or something during the day?
It may be a bit buried above, but there will be an American pale, English bitter, Irish stout, and Partigyle porter on tap.
Oh, you mean food? Let’s pot-luck it.
Heh. OK, we’ll bring something, and may get there in time for the big 10-gal batch.
vegan, yes?
I’m vegetarian rather than vegan, if that’s the question. I don’t have any objection to other people eating meat though.
yep, that was the question.
and with a week’s worth of international-friendly dates to pick from… arg plays el salvador at 1pm on saturday.
perfect, right? we can have the radio on with the A’s one computer with footie and one computer with NZ v AUS/INDIA
i was thinking for your sakes. won’t be able to concentrate on sports or beer, with me acting all deranged. but i won’t mind.
It’s just a money-grab friendly, no? You get deranged for those?
WTMW messi?!?
he left training camp this morning to go get his foot checked at a clinic1!!!
I FELT IT IN MY SOUL AND CONFIRMED VIA TWITTER WITHIN 20 SECONDS!!
he’s OK apparently, some small something lingering from the clásico… but does that answer your question?
—
there aren’t a lot of warmups before copa america. champions’ final is a few days before the start in chile, so who knows how much team practice they’ll get. and this is tevez’ return, so i need (NEED) to see the way the new system’s supposed to work.
chile–brazil on sunday will probably be a better game.
i forgot tevez played in that friendly against croacia last november.
And one with NC/Wisconsin.
like a nerd sports bar
tagline?
Done.
Only one request for the address so far. Is that just because everyone else already knows where I am?
I was going to request on Friday so it would be higher on my phone email for easier access.
I assume bart and ride is easy?
Yeah – 5 minutes from 19th Street or MacArthur.
my seat partner for 2 games may stop by to pick up parking pass.
I mean, I was gong to follow the signs
i could be polite and pretend i don’t know… i’ll be there with guacamole and chips around noon.
running a little late.
@ptbnl: As a foreigner known to hold suspicious political views, your location is constantly tracked and available. Everyone knows how to find you.
I’m aiming for a 1pm arrival, depending on the basketball situation.
Plus I work for a map company.
Now planning a noon-ish arrival, bearing pizza.
Yeah, not going to be there for first batch, closer to noon or 1.
Just ran the numbers, and we got 78%, 77% and 75% efficiencies on the 3 batches … excellent work people!
That was a ton of fun, thanks much!
What does that mean?
It’s the fraction of the theoretically available sugars that we extracted from the grain during the mash, which depends on
(i) creating the right conditions for the amylase enzymes to convert the grains’ starch to various sugars, primarily by controlling the water temperature, minerals and pH
(ii) flushing this sugar out of the grain into the wort, either with an explicit rinse step (batch 1) or by using a very watery mash (batches 2 & 3)
It’s important because it sets the potential alcohol level of the final beer. How much of that potential is realized also depends on the mash, which produces both fermentable and unfermentable sugars (lactose being the obvious example of a unfermentable, even as the defining ingredient in milk stouts). The balance depends on the relative activities of alpha- and beta-amylase, which produce the fermentable/unfermentable sugars at the lower/higher end of the mash temperature range respectively.
Got it. Are there reasonably well-understood efficiency ceilings, and if so are they most influenced by things like ingredient quality, brewing setup, beer style?
This stuff is fascinating.
Pretty much, yes.
Mostly you’ll get 60-85% efficiency, and that will depend on the two conditions from above – getting the enzymes to convert the starches, and getting the sugars out afterwards.
These in turn will depend on the water quality (pH, minerals), brewing setup (eg. how well you can control the temperature, how well you can flush the grains), and beer style (dark grains lower mash pH and help the enzymes, very large grain loads – like a Russian Imperial Stout – make it harder to convert and flush).
It is a lot of fun … large-scale chemistry with a beery bonus.
This was super awesome!!! thank you!
This
i never knew how much cricket tea can be made in one batch.
final score, australia 186, argentina 2, athletics 10, PTBNL 100,000,000,000,000,000.
And no, those aren’t IBUs.
i have pictures. it happened
Damn it! I didn’t know it was going to involve time travel!!! If I had, I would have totally showed up!
That’s just an instagram filter that makes them look that way.
happy birthday
seconded!
thirded
Thanks fkers.
Also happy birthdays to Soaker and Hammer.
Thank you. Medicare eligibility is one year closer. I did wheeze through a 10-mile hike today so don’t buy me that wheelchair just yet.
yay. happy birthday
Congrats! And I would say awesome to the hike, but I don’t think you’re supposed to be able to do that where you are until at least May.
Some gates that wouldn’t ordinarily be opened until early May, USFS is opening this Wednesday, April 1. May is a great locals-only month at Tahoe and for anyone into the outdoor activities, I would suggest coming up to the Sierra a week or two before Memorial Day this year. There’s a chance the weather could get a little chilly but it’s usually pretty good by then and you’ll have Fourth of July conditions with 1/20 of the crowds.
Hang in there, I count on folks like you and ptbnl and doctorK to make me seem young.
Happy bday to both of you!
You will.
Sunday 26th is the next brew-day is anyone is interested – Astros at 1:05.
Thanks – I might take you up on that. If so I’d like to come early to help/learn from the get go. I’ll let you know.
Not going to make it today but thanks for putting this out there – maybe another time.