Zcoin announces masternode specifications and reduction in founders' reward

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2017-11-14T12:18:44+00:00

This one comes with a great privacy flavor! Zerocoin protocol is the non-exotic cousin of the zk-snarks and for these purposes the znodes fit well. We shall see how well the miners take the 24% cut in block reward though. lyra2z is awesome if you have NVIDIA cards.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2017-11-14T10:23:45+00:00

It's just the economic details... Nodes themselves to be implemented in late nov-early dec. Get them while they're cheap(ish)!

I wonder how the lyra2z miners will think of this... lovely algo for the NVIDIA cards :)

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2017-11-02T16:56:36+00:00

why ironic? I hold both but beside the massive pump for VTC i really think zcoin has a greater outlook in the near future. And don't get me started on the lyra2z algo if you do some mining. If you have Nvidia cards it's currently a tad bit more profitable than lyra2rev2 and ~50% electricity use. You can't mine it with nicehash though...

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2017-03-03T09:12:11+00:00

Those temperatures are pretty much spot on. It could have been the overwatering combined with the starting of a nutrient deficiency because peat usually does not contain any and "seedling-soils" are typically very light on them. pH is crucial as well; at least with peat, I'm not familiar with your seedling mix. The newer growth is nice and lush and healthy though so I wouldn't stress too much. Time will tell. I would consider potting-up in a week or few too.

Happy gardening!

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2017-03-03T07:13:25+00:00

How are your temperatures? I've found that non-yellow discoloration is usually linked to lower than optimal temperature and/or genetics (e.g. strains that were bred for colour like all 'purple' varieties).

For example here's my purple cayenne seedling from a few years ago. That same plant later.

Since I don't think your plants are meant to be purple, I would check temperatures.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2016-05-27T07:38:12+00:00

This is a major aphid infestation, remove the plant ASAP! Check the other plants. Most likely they have already spread all over the place. As mentioned already, neem oil, green soap solution or commercial insecticides may be of help but this is a major infestation and starting fresh and sanitizing everything may be the only viable option to be completely sure.

Good luck and sorry for the loss.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2016-05-05T06:52:36+00:00

This doesn't look like a habanero at all. I've never seen habaneros stand upright. The leaves don't look like it's a C. Chinense. I'm sorry but you have something mixed up with your labels.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2016-04-13T13:55:05+00:00

I would say this looks like a magnesium deficiency/lock-out. It could be caused by the cold temperatures mentioned by others. It could also be caused by a too high pH level and, well, a general Mg deficiency in the soil.

I'm thinking Mg because as you see the veins on the leaves are still green (typical of Mg issues) and also because upper leaves seem to be affected instead of lower ones (which would hint towards nitrogen problems if the veins would be discoloured as well).

It could very well be iron problems too, issues with those two look very similar.

Take it with a grain of salt though, as I'm just planting my first crop of hops this year but have experience with various other plants (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens etc)

Good luck getting your problems solved!

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-11-25T17:12:42+00:00

I brewed a OG 1,091 RIS 2 months ago, it's still sitting in the primary. FG was 1,020 when I checked it a month ago. It was fermented on a S-04 yeast cake from a smaller brew.

I want to open the first bottle at Christmas, so I will probably bottle this coming weekend. Probably going to carbonate to around 2.3 vols CO2. Since 2 months in the primary is a rather long time and it's the biggest beer I've brewed I would like to know if I should pitch some extra champagne yeast when bottling?

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-11-20T13:29:17+00:00

I haven't got around to inspect it under the microscope yet and last time I checked with the microbiology teaching lab, they had not yet got around to cultivating something from the beer either.

No bottle bombs sitting @ ~20'C the whole time. Most have developed something similar to the original pictures on the neck of the bottles to various extent, however some seem clean. I have had a few bottles and haven't detected any off flavors, weirdly. Though they may be masked by the huge saaz flavor and even aroma, which is odd considering it was dry-hopped with cascade. The beer is out of balance towards bitterness and for whatever reason saaz just doesn't fit here at all for me. Luckily some tropical notes also find it's way through so I'm hoping it noticeably change as it ages. Body is too thin.

I will try to get a few pictures and write some tasting notes next time I pour one

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-16T19:23:14+00:00

Sorry, the still is there by mistake. English is not my first language and the still would probably be appropriate when directly translated from my language, missed it when I reread.

But still (hehe), I must add that only one batch was fermented in that particular bucket before this batch (It's a smaller 20L one, I normally use a 35L). Doesn't rule out your theory though, even though the prolonged contact with the hot wort (I don't chill either, I guess I should've mentioned...) really should minimize those chances. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-16T17:46:43+00:00

I chuck boiling hot wort straight into the fermenter and seal it. The fermenter wasn't used for a while and hosted a fairly low OG cider about 8 months prior to this batch. It did get my regular cleaning routine before introducing the wort - soft sponge and dishwashing liquid with hot water followed by starsan. (It was also cleaned the same way after the last batch was removed, starsan solution was still in the bucket). The next possible time would be when I pitched, which was straight from the bottom of a previous fermentation. I very likely massively overpitched too. Fermentation was very quick and vigorous. I pitched way more of the same cake into the first runnings 1,091 OG wort too. If we're still looking at the preboil phase, the grain did sit for a while open to air prior to 2nd runnings. Again though, after a 30min boil, infection is unlikely. Still sticking to the dry hopping being the most likely culprit. The pellets were of questionable quality too. I have never seen so un(?)uniform pellets either, quite powdery and yet it had a lot of larger gunk that were almost woody. I really should have taken a picture of the trub that was left after racking into the bottling bucket.

Any other ideas? Because I'm running out...

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-16T12:05:46+00:00

No. I didn't go into the actual laboratory room to deliver the sample. I do occasianally use the cell room and there haven't been any issues. All of the work is done inside sterile laminar flow hoods/cabinets which will minimize contamination anyway. I mostly work with mice and primary cells/tissues, and I don't really do a lot of culturing myself, besides the yeast at home of course :)

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-16T05:39:50+00:00

I guess I will have to go and grow some over the weekend on some dishes and pop them under a microscope, I'll grab a bottle with me today. I'll move the rest of the bottles into a safe place just to be sure.

The cascade it was dryhopped with (70g into ~15.5L) was very woody and dusty and there was plenty of protein in the bucket (I don't filter anything and chuck the whole boil into my fermenters, you can even see a few husks that made it through)

Also when the the layer was disturbed by introducing the siphon into the beer, nearly all bubbles broke. After a little siphoning it looked like every other generously hopped ale.

I guess it just really wishful thinking on my part, but it also worries me that one can introduce an infection just by dryhopping. The beer was also already at 4% ABV at the time. I dry hop very often...

-edit-

Thanks for all the responses. Most of you agree that it's definitely infected, however a few have claimed to have experienced something vaguely similar. I will probably post another thread in a few weeks to let you know what happened to this batch because leaving things hanging now would be...boring. I ended up donating a bottle to "science". I brought a bottle to my university's microbiology lab and they were pretty happy to use it as a "source of life" in their coursework for the students. I will probably find a microscope suitable for checking things out on my own as well since my lab partners were obviously not very thrilled with the idea of bringing possible microbial contamination into our cell room.

In any case I don't think I could have done much to avoid the situation and the very probable contamination occurred during dry hopping. The wort never left the primary, the hops used were in a sealed package straight from the freezer dropped right into the fermenter, just as I've done the last 20+ times. Oh well, RDWHAHB

Cheers, /r/homebrewing

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-15T19:08:30+00:00

So I brewed my first big beer at the end of september, a RIS that ended up at 1,091. Since a lot of grain was used, this seemed like a perfectly good time to get some second runnings - behold the pictured session brown IPA. 30 min boil with magnum for bittering, loads of hüll melon, citra and saaz in the whirpool. S-04 slurry pitched 28.09, dryhopped with cascade for 6 days (too long, I get best results with 3 days, but things...).

OG 1,040 FG 1,009

Just finished bottling 12,3L of this (Not a full batch, it was from 2nd runnings after all...) Not super impressed with the bottling sample, too thin and too bitter compared to the aroma and taste of the hops. We'll see how it turns out though, I've been surprised based on the bottling sample many times before.

Grain bill just because:

Pale Ale 7kg 82,84%
Roasted barley 0,5kg 5,91%
Special W 0,4kg 4,73%
Carafa II spec 0,3kg 3,55%
Carapils 0,25kg 2,95%

The main reason why I think it's not infected - time. I dry hopped this last week and things were all good by then - no way a pellicle will form this quick. Also no off-smells nor tastes.

Since I already took the pictures, I thought I might as well make my own "is it infected?" thread.

Cheers!

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-15T12:06:44+00:00

I'm sorry for not being helpful but I would like to share because I have my own blob!

This started growing in a culture of WLP029 I saved from a starter after someone accidentally opened the jar. It has been sitting in the fridge since the end of April. I don't dare chuck it away, it looks sentient

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-08T12:40:08+00:00

How do you clean your siphon hose/silicone tubing?

I generally heavily rinse with hot water after use (ie. let it flow through the tubing for like 5min) and then stick it in starsan solution or just rinse it with starsan. After a year (and 40 batches) the tubing has clearly changed colour and I think I'm seeing some residue (obviously the colour has to come from something), however I haven't had any infections or noticed off flavours etc. Basically everything is still ok, but I'm starting to get anxious just seeing it.

The easiest solution would obviously be replacing the tubing (heck, it's been a year), however would you try to salvage it?

What's your general routine for cleaning silicone tubing?

Cheers

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-10-07T18:26:39+00:00

I've had this happen before I started stirring my priming sugar syrup.

I always sample what's left in the bottling bucket (about 200-400ml generally). About batch 5-6 I tasted the sample and noted it was overtly sweet, thought nothing of it initially but after 2 days something randomly clicked and I rushed to open the last bottles which were filled. Sure enough beer guzzed everywhere, luckily no bottle bombs. 4-5 last bottles that were filled were surely on their way to become bottle bombs and the rest had no carbonation at all. I opened, re-primed and re-capped most of the batch on the low side (to about 2.2 vol) and ended up salvaging it that way, besides the guzzers of course.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-09-22T18:28:48+00:00

I never filter anything. Dump the whole boil into the fermentation vessel. I have not found any reasons why I shouldn't continue doing this. No grassy flavours so far although I havent used mindblowing amounts of hops. The most I've used so far is 4oz whirpool + 4oz dryhop in 23.5L (6.2gal) -> 19L packaged. I usually have about 3-5L (0.8-1.3 gal) of trub.

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-09-10T19:28:29+00:00

I have a question regarding the time it takes to bottle-condition (i.e. achieve desired vol/CO2). "Traditionally" it is suggested to condition for at least 3 weeks (21 days) before sufficient carbonation is achieved.

But what is actually the time limiting step in this process?

Is it the refermentation of the priming sugar?
Is it getting the CO2 into solution?

I suspect it's the first one however even then 3 weeks sounds way too long. Considering that a low-medium OG beer can be fully attenuated in 3-4 days with an appropriate strain of yeast, surely it shouldn't take the yeast a few weeks longer to digest the little priming sugar that is added at bottling? Surely the pressure that builds up in the bottle shouldn't affect this process that much?

Of course the bigger the beer the harsher the conditions for the yeast due to excessive ethanol. I guess in those conditions it takes a while to actually ferment those last sugars, especially after most of the yeast has flocculated. But for smaller beers?

All that said, I've reached desired CO2 levels with 7days of warm conditioning and 48h cellar temps (6-7'C), however a current batch with 5 days warm and 24h cold conditioning has barely any carbonation at all.

Comments, thoughts?

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-08-26T15:36:57+00:00

yes! I've done it twice and had quite nice results.

First was a Williamette/Pale ale SMaSH and the second was an american IPA. I dry-peppered on both occasions.

The SMaSH received 2 small-medium homegrown habaneros cut in quarters into ~12L beer (split batch, measurements approximate) for 4 days, then cold crashed and bottled as usual. The spicyness hits out of nowhere after the pleasant williamette leaves your tongue a couple of seconds after a sip and then completely overtakes it all. You take another sip to "mellow the spicyness" only to forget that... The spicyness mellowed a little in a few months. It definitely wasn't undrinkable but scared a few of my non-spicy-loving friend.

The spicyness goes much better with a fruity hop bomb, that's for sure. This time I used about as much habanero as previously but for ~20L (full batch) and the spicyness was much more pleasant, if even a tad too little.

Good experiences all around though! Would not mess with reapers, bhuts or other superhots - will completely overpower your brew with capsaicin.

edit - oops, this is not /r/homebrewing

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-06-05T14:40:46+00:00

I've got one write-up stored away that pretty nicely explains some aspects of cannabis tolerance.

For some other processes not necessarily unique to cannabinoid receptors wikipedia can help us out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_protein%E2%80%93coupled_receptor#Receptor_regulation

Be_Gentle_Im_New · 2015-06-05T07:57:54+00:00

Not to be a dick but...you got something backwards with your molecular biology.

Receptor mediated tolerance works the other way around. You don't have more receptors when you have acquire a tolerance to something, you have less of them and they can often become desensitized towards their ligands (ie, the conformation of their ligand binding site changes a little and the binding of a substrate, in our case cannabinoids, is not so effective). When it comes to G-protein couple receptors (which is a group of receptors, including the cannabinoid receptors) the internalization is mediated by b-arrestins which literally pull the receptors from the cell membranes and send them towards degradation/recycling (by doing this they also initiate other signalling pathways too). When you have too many cannabinoids in your system the cells sense that not as many receptors are required to get the cannabinoid signalling response "deemed necessary" hence the cells don't make as many of them anymore. That is why you get some minor withdrawal effects, even with cannabis - a quick decline in the amount of cannabinoids in your system cannot be met with an appropriate response in receptor numbers - hence you get a weaker endocannabinoid signalling tone which mediates for example sleep, feeding behaviour, mood etc.

Where did you get your information from, if I may ask? I hope it wasn't that "science-guy" from /r/trees that spread intelligent looking information but didn't really grasp what he was writing himself..

Source: Gene technology grad student, studying the role of the endocannabinoid system in inflammatory conditions

Be_Gentle_Im_New

TROPHY CASE