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I wish I'd posted this sooner. In a few hours I'm going to a local brew-on-premises place to make a batch of homebrew, some of which I have in mind for Roo. (This is the place: www.shenandoahbrewing.com/)
I haven't done this before, but my husband has; he made a Scotch ale at this same place a couple years ago. He and some friends will be helping.
I will probably make an Anchor Steam-style beer with added ginger. The bottling won't be for a few weeks. I'm gonna want to put some of it in non-glass containers for transport to Roo. Does anyone have any experience with these?
Post by masshysteria on May 10, 2007 13:56:20 GMT -5
Well it should be okay for them to brew in a bottle and open them up and empty into a plastic growler like container. My brother homebrews and he just brewed an IPA beer close to the Two Hearted Ale, and whenever he transfers from the keg into another container he sprays this gas into it. I am not sure of the name, but it is used to keep whatever is in there fresh for a good while. It also eliminates particles that could skunk the beer out. Just go to Northern Brewer and search for awhile for the right products. By the way I cant wait to have that beer on tap at my house in a few weeks, nothing like a strong IPA homebrew on tap......mmmmmm beer!!!
"That's the big thing about education. People can be book smart, but not really intelligent about anything else. A lot of times they just taking in all this information and regurgitate it. It's much more important to process it and personalize it. To apply it to your world, to your life. You have to walk the walk, or you can't really report about it honestly."
nothing like a strong IPA homebrew on tap......mmmmmm beer!!!
AMEN BROTHER HOPHEAD.
I brew as well(although I haven't in almost a year) and have a 7% Amarillo hop showcase on now in a half barrel from a local brewpub.
Haven't used the product. BUT , when you brew, ask the B.O.P. people if they could charge up your brew a little. They will most likely force carbonate it and can determine the pressure at which this happens. It may lead to a slow down in your bottling due to some bubbly brew, but if you bottle close enough to bonnaroo, you could probably just dispense it straight into gatorade type bottles. Growlers are usually only good for a day or two anyways...
Perhaps you could get them to skip the bottling and just force it into a 5 gallon keg. just bring a party tap and keep the beer cold and it should do ya for the weekend. i'm sure if you explained it was homebrew that you intentionally kegged to keep it out of glass, they'd understand(unless you got a dickhead who knew what to do with it searching you on the way in !)
I've brought homebrews in 22 oz bombers at the bottom of a cooler a couple of times. last year, i kept them room temp in bottles in a box nowhere near my cooler just to be sure, then chilled them once safely in the gates. those were 10% barleywines though, so i couldn't risk having them found.
homebrews are friggin' killer to load up into gatorade bottle for centeroo. last year i smuggled some into the brew tent and hooked up a couple of vendors the first night. i pretty much drank free in there the rest of the weekend
Last Edit: May 10, 2007 15:44:42 GMT -5 by snoochio - Back to Top
I love IPA! I think one of my friends who's coming is bringing some microbrews. (He's in VIP and thinks he can get 'em in and out OK.)
I'm gonna print out these replies and take them to the brewing place tonight (I'm leaving in a half-hour). They should be a great help. Thanks, guys--if I see you, I owe you a Frisco Ginger Joy homebrew! (Of course, it might taste like trough water.)
Post by stallion pt. 2 on May 10, 2007 16:17:21 GMT -5
I brew as well, but have never tried anything but glass bottles and corni kegs. Have you though about a party pig? www.partypig.com/ I've never used em, but my local brew store says they're great for non-glass, non-keg dispensing.
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
"That's the big thing about education. People can be book smart, but not really intelligent about anything else. A lot of times they just taking in all this information and regurgitate it. It's much more important to process it and personalize it. To apply it to your world, to your life. You have to walk the walk, or you can't really report about it honestly."
wow. as long as that pouch is not dispensing oxygen, 10-15 pounds is perfect for a heady ipa. ginger oughta make it pop soooo fresh at this schedule.
karma stallion-for the solution for beer lovers at bonnaroo. i bet i could even run off from my half barrel(currently at 12 psi) and the pig would keep it there for awhile.
any idea on the cost--i'm too loaded to be in depth about my reasearch right now ?!
The site listed above, by Stallion, offers a starter kit for $49.95. I am definitely interested.
I had to move my brew date to tomorrow 'cause it was so hot in there I started to get woozy...which doesn't bode well for Roo, eh? The good news is that my Inforoo T-shirt arrived today. I'm getting really excited.
Love the home brew idea - I was going to do the same, but wanted to avoid the hassle when I saw that kegs weren't allowed. You'll definitely have to force carbonate with CO2 if you want it for 'Roo. Bottling requires a good 8 weeks to carbonate using the "bottle conditioning" method. Kegging is my preferred method - I can fit 2 in my kegerator and have 2 beers at once in about a month. You'll need a CO2 bottle and a reconditioned soda keg to handle the process. Any good homebrew supply can help you out with supplies and instructions! Good luck!
"And no-one showed us to the land And no-one knows the where or whys But something stirs and something tries And starts to climb towards the light" Pink Floyd - Echoes - Meddle
Post by stallion pt. 2 on May 11, 2007 14:34:59 GMT -5
pigmaster said:
You'll definitely have to force carbonate with CO2 if you want it for 'Roo. Bottling requires a good 8 weeks to carbonate using the "bottle conditioning" method.
?????? I bottle condition for 10 days-2 weeks tops and my beer comes out carbonated just fine. Are you talking about 12 oz bottles? Force carb is nice, but I've never had bottle conditioning take THAT long.
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Sibella is bottling at a Brew on Premise facility. I would be almost certain that all of that beer would be force carbonated and ready to swill even as it is being bottled. Whenever I bottle condition, I allow at least a month before I test. This is not only due to the bottle conditioning, but also for aging to begin to allow more complex flavors to come out for a fuller palate.
Also, the time bottle conditioning takes is also relative to the type of yeast used as well as what type of sugar is used to prime. Malt, corn sugar, and krausen all activate at different rates. This has to do with how they each are digested by the particular type of yeast used.
So pigmaster and stallion are in effect, both correct.
Happy quaffing folks !
Last Edit: May 11, 2007 17:17:44 GMT -5 by snoochio - Back to Top
Yep, my brew-on-premises place (Shenandoah Bottling Company) force-carbonates; the beer is pretty drinkable at bottling time (which is June 7!). That is, if it doesn't taste like crap.
I made it yesterday. The ginger smelled really strong. When the spouse and I tasted the mash (I think that's what it's called), though, it wasn't very sweet, which portends a pretty non-sweet beer--might be really biting. (There's no corn syrup in this beer, just malt. Well, I take that back--the brewery provides an extract, which I suppose might have some corn syrup in it.)
It was pretty easy to do with instruction and the facility's, er, facilities.
The brewmaster won't let me bottle into any of the plastic containers I'd looked at, though. So I'm bottling some of the beer into 22-oz. glass bottles (the rest will go in 12-ouncers), the better to transfer to a Party Pig or the like. I still haven't decided between the Pig and the Tap-a-Draft system.
Post by musicisthebest on May 12, 2007 12:22:05 GMT -5
Hello, fellow homebrewers!
Figured I'd add my $.02, in case it might inspire or enlighten someone out there.
To me, the party pig just doesn't hold enough beer to make through an entire 'Roo.
And the "tap-a-draft" looks like it would work in a fridge, but picture trying to dispense from it when it's in a cooler (Yes, you could take it out... but then it won't stay cold.)
Yesterday I bought a used Cornelius Keg (5 gallons) from my local homebrew supply place for $30. Today I'm brewing my ESB. After 2 weeks or so fermenting in my glass Carboy, I'll rack directly to the Corni keg and add priming sugar so the beer will carbonate naturally.
To aid in dispensing, I spent $20 on a little portable CO2 charger (see it at www.genuineinnovations.com/kegprods.aspx?prodid=1027). That will push the brew out & through about 3 feet of tubing with my thumb-trigger dispenser on the end. That means the keg can stay iced down in a tall kitchen trash can, with just the tubing/dispenser sticking out.
And even with significant sharing (which I certainly plan on), 5 gallons should be enough brew to last through the 'Roo. ;D
Sibella-the corn sugar would be for bottle priming only ! Extract is malt derrived, and though all grain is a bit tastier in my opinion, will do you fine ! People usually only add crazy other sugars to up their alcohol by a percent or two cheaply. Certainly not recommended.
Music to the Best- a 70 quart 5 day cooler as touted in the above thread will keep you cold as long as your co2 pack keeps you bubbly, and not just at the roo, summer partier.
karma to get you on the plus side !
Last Edit: May 12, 2007 21:30:25 GMT -5 by snoochio - Back to Top
*i like coconuts, you can break them open they smell like ladies lyin in the sun** *Hell I don't even know where I am** *for now I must sit here and ponder the yonder: The herbivores did well cause their food didn't never run** *We listen, if it feels good We shake** *You made a big impression for a girl of your size, Now I can't get by without you and your big brown eyes.**
Post by masshysteria on May 13, 2007 11:07:56 GMT -5
But be careful with the homebrew liquor, I have heard of some people getting some bunk moonshine and becoming blind. I personally would not partake in homebrew liquor unless it was quality, and you see the people drinking the hell out of it and not getting sick. Personal opinion though but I am going to stay clear of liquor at Roo other that Yeager.....mmmmmm yeager!!
"That's the big thing about education. People can be book smart, but not really intelligent about anything else. A lot of times they just taking in all this information and regurgitate it. It's much more important to process it and personalize it. To apply it to your world, to your life. You have to walk the walk, or you can't really report about it honestly."
Post by musicisthebest on May 14, 2007 11:04:53 GMT -5
Hey, boogfoot, you out there?
I saw your sweet homebrew pic in that other thread (but this thread's more positive, so I'd rather keep this one going--can you post that pic here?) Anyhow, those 2 batches look like they're considerably less than 5 gallons each, and I know you're going with Corni kegs...
I've never racked straight to a keg before (always into bottles), but the (very knowledgeable) owner of my local homebrew store said you want as little keg headspace as possible, so the beer carbonates fully and doesn't slosh around as much while driving, etc. He also said to use 1/3 cup of priming sugar, instead if the 5oz. I usually use when bottling.
Just wondering if you've had success in the past putting less than 5 gal. into a corny. (I actually used extra grain & hops & brewed 5.5 gallons of my "Roo ESB," in hopes of siphoning a full 5 into the keg.)
Any brewers out there care to weigh in on racking directly to a keg that's going to travel? (I'm only getting one shot at this & I want to do it right--If I go through all this, then get there & chill it & tap it & it sux, I'll NOT be a happy camper!)
Did you ferment in a 5 gallon or six gallon carboy ? In other words, just how full will the corni keg be ? Do you use a regulator with that co2 pack thing ? If you can regulate, I would infuse minimal co2 into the batch. Just enough to keep oxygen space difused. Rack several days before you leave so it settles out. You're not gonna get around it sloshing on the drive. Because there will be natural carbonation occuring(like bottle conditioning) from the priming, i'd keep added co2 to a minimum. Maybe let it settle once you get there for 7-10 hours, and then push it at only 7-8 psi unless you feel like it needs a little more bubbly to it. Certainly err on the side of caution with the pressure.
I mostly bottle my homebrew, so take the above advice as you see fit. I DO keep several local beers on a system, and have developed a knack for what the good live fresh drafty-draft calls for tweakwise, though ! good luck. Extra Special Bitteroooooooooo !
Last Edit: May 14, 2007 11:29:40 GMT -5 by snoochio - Back to Top
^^^actually, after thinking about it a little more, I'd rack it into the keg as soon as you can. More of the conditioning will take place before you add the co2 to push it that way. and it should make for a fuller body. what type(s) of hops did you use ? are you dry hopping it now ? What do you expect the abv to weigh in at ? i'm getting thirsty !!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by musicisthebest on May 14, 2007 12:10:16 GMT -5
snoochio said:
^^^actually, after thinking about it a little more, I'd rack it into the keg as soon as you can. More of the conditioning will take place before you add the co2 to push it that way. and it should make for a fuller body. what type(s) of hops did you use ? are you dry hopping it now ? What do you expect the abv to weigh in at ? i'm getting thirsty !!!!!!!!!!!!
My Carboy is 25 liters (~6.6 gal.) I poured in water by the gallon & marked it on the glass, so I always know how much is in there. I made 5.5 gal of ESB so I can fill the 5-gal Corny right up to the rim (that will def slosh a lot less than if I only put 4 or 4.5 gal in there.)
The CO2 thingy I got has a trigger, so you just shoot in as much as you want & stop. Put in too much? Just pull the ring on top of the Corny to release some pressure from the release valve. I should be able to dial it in pretty well. (You're welcome to help me "experiment" by "sampling" many "beekers" full @ various pressures!)
I'll def rack straight into keg as soon as it stops fermenting. It should have a good 3 weeks in there to get tasty/bubbly. I won't add ANY CO2 (or even chill it) 'til I get to Roo & get set up & let it settle upright a bit. The first pint or 2 will get rid of most of the sediment (Cornys dispense from the bottom), but after that it should be all good.
For hops, I used: Willamette, 5 minutes into the boil Fuggle, 20 min. in, East Kent Golding, 45 min. in... Then... after taking off the boil, I covered the pot & steeped a ton of Willamette leaf for about 7 minutes. It's going to be a hop monster! (Damn, now I'M getting thirsty!) ;D
You're golden, man. Ya got it more than covered. I am a super hophead. I grow northern brewer's hop but am partial to the citrussy centenial, cascade, amarillo, etc.
I won't be bringing any of my own brew(getting ready to move and have all my shiz packed away), but I will have a selection in tow from my favorite local brewery-Buckeye Brewing in Cleveland. In my opinion, their stuff is faaar superior to Great Lakes. It's on the Stone, Three Floyds, Bell's level. Nicely balanced FRESH big beer. They started as a B.O.P. that had a brewpub and distributed almost 10 years ago. I've brought their beer to every Bonnaroo ! They distribute as far as Columbus, OH right now, but bigger things are coming ! They've got Hippie IPA @ around 7.5%, 76 IPA @around 8%, Sasquatch Pale Ale @around 6.5%. I've got a keg on of their Amarillo IPA, a 7% seasonal. They also have Mammoth Stoudt, a vanilla bean porter, Martian Marzen, and several lagers , pilsners, altbiers, wheaties, etc....
Their slogan...." Kind Suds " !!! Great people, too.
Anyhow, they are also largely responsible for my brewing slowdown ! Less work brewing=more time drinking ! Perhaps as we get nearer to the fest and my plans tighten up, we can plan on a campground quaffdown !
Post by masshysteria on May 14, 2007 14:11:59 GMT -5
Ahh I am a very happy man right now. My brother just finished brewing a batch of Sammy Smith Oatmeal Stout yesterday, he has had a Two Hearted Ale IPA brewing for 2 weeks, and then he is going to try at Fat Tyre clone next weekend. I can not wait to see all 3 of those on tap at my house in about a month and a half.
"That's the big thing about education. People can be book smart, but not really intelligent about anything else. A lot of times they just taking in all this information and regurgitate it. It's much more important to process it and personalize it. To apply it to your world, to your life. You have to walk the walk, or you can't really report about it honestly."
I saw your sweet homebrew pic in that other thread (but this thread's more positive, so I'd rather keep this one going--can you post that pic here?) Anyhow, those 2 batches look like they're considerably less than 5 gallons each, and I know you're going with Corni kegs...
I've never racked straight to a keg before (always into bottles), but the (very knowledgeable) owner of my local homebrew store said you want as little keg headspace as possible, so the beer carbonates fully and doesn't slosh around as much while driving, etc. He also said to use 1/3 cup of priming sugar, instead if the 5oz. I usually use when bottling.
Just wondering if you've had success in the past putting less than 5 gal. into a corny. (I actually used extra grain & hops & brewed 5.5 gallons of my "Roo ESB," in hopes of siphoning a full 5 into the keg.)
Any brewers out there care to weigh in on racking directly to a keg that's going to travel? (I'm only getting one shot at this & I want to do it right--If I go through all this, then get there & chill it & tap it & it sux, I'll NOT be a happy camper!)
Thanks for the advice!
Ray I've finally made it back. Apologize in advance for the long post everyone...it's been awhile since I've been on the boards (work, blah blah blah). Logged back on tonight b/c my buddy riding with me to Roo bailed out just about half an hour ago. So I've got a ticket to ride, so to speak. Just more homebrew for me and my campmates (and those of you that find me at Roo) to drink.
The pic of 2 carboys (Honey Wheat and a Brown/Amber Ale blend) is in this thread:
I racked both to the 2ndary about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and my lazy butt is just now getting around to kegging these bad boys tomorrow. So by the time Roo rolls around they will have had a month in the keg. The Honey Wheat batch is right around 4.5 gallons, and the "Bramber" Ale is probably around 5 or slightly more gallons - I use 6.5g carboys as much as possible. So in the pic they might look a little low level wise.
I will admit thought that I've never traveled cross country with a few kegs like I am planning on, we'll just have to see how it turns out. I tell ya though, when I racked both (I have 2 Pils batches and 1 Scotch Ale batch to keg tomorrow too that aren't going to Roo - what can I say I went a little brew-crazy during a 2 week period) and tasted them back 3-4 weeks ago, they tasted pretty nice as was. They should be GTG after a month in the keg. I'll have to go back and check my gravity readings to see what the ABV is going to look like. If I had to guess I'd say around 5% to 5.5% on the Honey Wheat and upwards of 6% for the Bramber Ale. If anyone is interested I'll post my grain bill and hop schedules.
I think Ray has the right idea...the party pig and tap a draft would suffice if that's what you are going to use...I actually have a party pig myself and it works okay but I didn't want to take several separate containers with me to Roo, so I am kegging both of mine. I hope to have as little headspace as possible in those kegs...if I do have some I'll just deal with it - it's something I've done in the past, and the beer certainly was still tasty and quaffable.
If the brewer at your homebrew store won't let you put the beer in plastic bottles, that is okay. Just keg your beer, and then you can use plastic 2 liter bottles along with this:
I've gone back and forth on the Pig vs. Tap-a-Draft. (I'm leaning toward the latter. Just have to figure out how to keep it cold.)
This little gadget that boogfoot just mentioned looks promising. But I'm a real novice, so I have a few possibly stupid questions: Don't I still need a CO2 cartridge with it? And what's a ball lock fitting?
Heck, I better buy something soon. Roo is getting close!
OK, so the husband (not coming) just sez: "If you've got pre-carbonated beer, and you get it really cold, why not just put it in 2-liter soda bottles and keep it in those?" No special gizmos, try and squeeze out excess oxygen, etc.?
What do you brew pros think?
(A recap: I'm making a steam beer with ginger at a brew-on-premises place--it'll be properly carbonated, etc., and ready to drink at bottling time, which is June 7. I'm being compelled to bottle it into glass at the BOP place, but I plan to transfer some of it for Roo when I get it home.)
That's roughly what I'm going to do this year. I'll be running mine off from a half barrel keg and a sixth barrel. If you think about getting growlers filled it's the same premise. Growlers, if filled properly will last with fairly bubbly beer for 2 days or so.
For you Sibella, I would suggest the following: Open and fill your plastic containers right before you head to roo. fill them as completely as you can. when filling, they are going to want to foam up on you, thereby releasing much of the bottle conditioned CO2. To counter this, construct a funnel with as big an opening as possible at the end that runs through the vessel to be filled. attach a tube to the funnel that runs through the opening of your bottles and all the way to the bottom of them. this will aid you in filling from the bottom, and agitating the beer as little as possible. fill and cap as quickly as you can without foaming up the beer. i wouldn't "squeeze" off any of the headspace as this will create a vacuum that could suck air into your bottle later. instead, exhale a hearty breath into the bottle microseconds before capping. this will displace any oxygen present and replace it with CO2 from your breath(don't eat onions prior !).
Your beer will be fairly flat by sunday. but i often drink ghosted beers from the night before if they are quality enough, even after a day open in the fridge. You just kinda have to look at it as tea at that point.
Post by musicisthebest on May 28, 2007 19:08:45 GMT -5
Well, I just tapped the ESB: It's a nice!
I decided the Roo was far too important to take a chance w/ my 1st-ever kegging effort. So on the 19th, right after I racked the ESB to the Corni, I brewed up a monster IPA for Roo (Inforoo Pale Ale?) ;D
I'll bring the ESB keg to AmJam (amjam.net) this weekend to test the whole keg-at-a-fest scenario. (That's if I have the willpower to avoid my wet-bar fridge all this week.)
Hmm... I better sample it again, now that it's chilled a bit...
I killed one half barrel this weekend(Amarillo IPA) and put on another(Sasquatch Pale Ale). The new one is more of a malty showcase that is in the 6.5%ish realm. That's the one I'll be pouring off for Roo !
Things are beginning to come together ! (Things are also beginning to spin......)
(Yes, you could take it out... but then it won't stay cold.)
