Yeah that’s right! I picked up a 12 pack of Schlitz long necks yesterday. I still don’t trust them past two, but the thing is, there is some real nostalgia in that beer. When I was very little pops would have a beer now and then. Maybe with dinner or during a football game. I have vague memories of him letting me try a sip once in a while.

Schlitz tastes like those memories! It sounds crazy, I know. I was really young, too, I know, but still, there is something in that bitter clean finish, low to no mouthfeel, high carbonation that has some historic rightness to it. Brothers, if you’re reading this and can find a 6′er or single give it a try and report back. I’d like to know if my memory serves me or not.

I tell you what, though, even with the high school chant of “Schlitz’ll give you the schlitz!” I’ll take it over Bud or Busch any day.

Cheers!
Tony

I finally kegged that lemon coriander wiess that has been sitting in secondary for an extra two weeks. The addition of the second lemon’s zest really makes the wheat sing. Here’s hoping my mother in law doesn’t ask for more lemon to put in it. My wife likes the flavor, too, so that’s a double bonus.

The carbonation was still a little off this morning, so I cranked it up to 20psi until this evening. Hopefully it will fizz up nicely.

Cheers!
Tony

This blog post was pointed out on one of the forums I read. Give a look, it’s a very creative way to get the pumpkin essence into the beer!

Cheers!
Tony

I had the chance to have a couple pints of Guinness last night. The keg at that bar must be old or the faucet dirty because there was a definite metallic flavor in the after taste. I don’t remember the pub draught having that.

It made me want to go back home and have a pint of my own. The nitrogen and CO2 is settling down to show a return of the great cascade. I may have failed to mention that once it got cold, the foam show went away. That darn liquid physics gas properties.

Isn’t it sad that I don’t remember if it was physics, chemistry or biology that I fell asleep through when the topic was gas volumes in liquid? I vaguely remember that topic being brought up in college, but that is all!

Cheers,
Tony

Now that the beer is cold, it needs to absorb more CO2 before I get the cascade back. Hopefully it won’t take too long.

Cheers!
Tony

I just poured my second pint of stout from the newly drilled fridge. Funny enough, the beer is newly kegged. Sure, it is still cellar temperature, and yes it might be slightly under carb’ed. But it IS beer from my sorely neglected kegerator.

I took gravity of the lemon coriander weiss and it was still higher than I’d like, so I’m going to leave it for another week or two in hopes it might not be done yet. I know, I know, the books and pro’s recommend checking the gravity three days in a row and if there is no change it is done.

Well, so? What’s wrong with leaving it another week or two? Nothing.

By the bye, the hydrometer sample tasted quite lemon-y and good. I’m certain my “it would be better with lemon in it” mother in law will even like it!

Cheers,
Tony

I just finished another mod to my kegerator, or beer fridge. Since I have two cylinders to push my beers with, and a small fridge that only fit one, I had a problem running my stout faucet along with the regular CO2.

My problem is solved by drilling two holes in the side of the fridge to pass the gas lines through. Before committing myself to the whole hole (ha) I used my hole saw to cut just through the plastic inside, then a screwdriver to crunch up the insulation between the inside and steel outside. The last thing I want to do is somehow hit a line that would result in one big paperweight.

Yes, I can plainly see the cooling plate in the fridge, in fact I’ve frozen beer lines on that cooling plate before, put the risk is still there.

After I made sure there was nothing to hit with the saw I punched it through. Looking at the ragged holes that I was going to be putting the hose through I got out my Dremmel. No plug in near.

Crap.

So while I was looking around trying to think of a way to dull the edges around the holes I spot my furnace, and the putty we put around some of the holes in the venting. *ding*

I still had some of that putty! Around the hoses it went, now I still have a sealed fridge, a barrier between the hose and the jagged lip of the holes and we’re good to go!

Next up is kegging the two beers that are patiently waiting to be drank.

After MONTHS of no beer on tap, I am close. Very close!

Cheers!
Tony

I finally got a chance to pick my hops today. Unfortunately the rain kept me from getting to them sooner, so more than half are unusable. Still, I should have enough to toss into my IPA tomorrow as I’m brewing. They will just supplement the hops that came with the kit, anyway.

It is really hard waiting for the two beers in secondary to finish.  It has been a long time since I’ve had beer on tap.

Cheers!
Tony

I racked both my beers to secondary last weekend. Now I have to find some internal control to keep me from kegging them before they are finished and cleared. It has been a long time since I’ve had beer on tap, I’m very much looking forward to getting it flowing again.

First I have to drill through the fridge wall and get the beer gas ready to go. Can’t use the stout faucet without having the mix in there. My fridge is just too small for two kegs and two cylinders.

Incidentally, I added the zest of two lemons to the weiss instead of just one. I’m hoping it will age nicely and still have that lemon essence.

Cheers!
T0ny

I pitched an activator smack pack from May that didn’t swell into my stout that I brewed on Sunday. On Monday morning there was still no activity in the carboy so I went back to Midwest and bought a newer smack pack. In fact, the date on it was Sept 09.

That thing puffed up nice and when I checked the carboy the next morning there was krauesen coming out of the airlock! Now that was some fresh yeast! I can’t wait until that one is ready. It has been years since I’ve run a stout properly.

Cheers!
Tony

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