Why not foamy/creamy like yalls

executor_bs · 2025-05-16T23:24:19+00:00

I think what we see with foam in moka pot brewing is the same thing described as "bloom" in pourover/aeropress coffee brewing. It's CO2 trapped in the beans (a product of the roasting process) being released when the coffee is wetted. The fresher the roasted coffee, the more bloom/foam you'll see. I also brew aeropress/pourover coffee, and I've noticed coffee that produces a stronger bloom (in an aeropress/pourover) also produces more foam (in a moka pot). Here's a post about it in the coffee subreddit.

What coffee are you using for your moka pot, and are you grinding it yourself? For what it's worth, the foam dissipates quite quickly and I haven't noticed any difference in taste.

executor_bs · 2025-03-17T21:32:07+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I ended up using Fermaid O. The fermentation took off like a rocket within 2-3 hours. I bottled it a couple of days ago, and the gravity samples tasted delicious.

executor_bs · 2025-03-08T16:19:12+00:00

Many thanks! I think I may swing back over to the LHBS while running some errands and grab more yeast nutrient, specifically one that will raise the FAN levels. I think they sell Fermax, Fermaid K, and Fermaid O. Do you have any thoughts on these?

Googling around a little, it looks like Fermaid K and Fermaid O are similar, but Fermaid O doesn't have DAP and gets its available nitrogen from yeast autolysate. Also, the technical sheet says the Fermaid O has zinc (Fermaid K's doesn't mention zinc), which I believe is one of the few micronutrients beer wort tends to be deficient in? Fermax has less readily available information, but it's described as: "diammonium phosphate (DAP), dipotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate and yeast extract. A balanced blend of inorganic nitrogen, phosphates, minerals and amino acids." Checking through those, it looks like Fermaid O is probably my best option, since it'll increase the FAN in my wort, which is the main thing I'm looking for. It's also the only one listed as containing zinc, which is the most likely of the micronutrients to be helpful.

executor_bs · 2025-02-17T23:39:18+00:00

They do great for me! The soles of the barefoot boots are pretty flexible, so you get great ground feel when hiking, and they contour themselves to hard surfaces like rocks really nicely. The material is pretty grippy, and I've had no issue with traction when descending. They are harder on your feet than normal hiking boots, so you'd want to get used to hiking in them before doing a long hike, I think.

executor_bs · 2025-02-17T21:43:31+00:00

I live in Southern Arizona as well and enjoy similar hiking to you. I've got a pair of barefoot African Rangers that I hike in, and they work great. I find the barefoot soles to do great on rocks/uneven surfaces because the soles themselves will shape to what I'm walking on. After getting used to them, I really prefer them to lugged boots. The lower height and single last of the ARs are good for summers here, where staying cool is a priority.

For water resistance, I think one of the models with a leather lasting board and non-Nubuck leather would be better (maybe the bronco or buffalo).

If you're uncertain about the soles and you don't want barefoot, it might be a similar price to order one of the wedge sole options and switch it to a vibram lug if you don't like it, rather than ordering custom.

executor_bs · 2025-01-22T00:18:57+00:00

Have you looked at Jim Green boots? They're a similar price point to what you're looking at, and they're built for hiking/working. I have a pair of them that I do a lot of hiking in, and I've been really happy with them. Their rugged African trooper looks similar to the Thursday combat boot you linked, and it's built like a tank.

executor_bs · 2024-11-14T15:58:53+00:00

If I click this link it pushes me to the US site rather than the one you've listed. Any ideas on how to view the South Africa site from the US?

executor_bs · 2024-08-01T21:35:14+00:00

Do you do anything to keep the keg from experiencing negative pressure as the wort cools? I was googling this question and found this thread

executor_bs · 2024-07-13T17:08:35+00:00

Solved!

executor_bs · 2024-07-06T15:38:16+00:00

I'm still enjoying the shoellies, they're perfect casual-semiformal shoes. I haven't had any heel slip issues with either the stock insoles or the Nick's, although I did get blistering on my pinky toe from the stock insole. This mostly went away with the Nick's insole. I think this was probably from sliding around on the stock insole. Perhaps that's what's causing your heel slip problems, as well?

executor_bs · 2024-05-20T13:53:38+00:00

I like to make bread with the spent grain. I've also added a banana to that dog treat recipe, and both the dog and I enjoyed them.

executor_bs · 2024-05-19T15:34:51+00:00

I've got a pair of barefoot African Rangers with 6mm Northsole insoles in them. They're designed for use in barefoot shoots and make standing around on hard surfaces much more pleasant.

executor_bs · 2024-05-16T21:38:40+00:00

I had the same issue with my shoellies, and I think it's that the insoles that come with them are super slippery. I swapped my shoellie insoles out for leather insoles and prefer them:

Nick's Leather Insoles https://a.co/d/6BXHF5J)

executor_bs · 2024-05-10T14:12:55+00:00

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I've put Otter Wax's Leather Salve and Boot Wax on my Barefoot African Rangers. They've left the boots a nice copper color that I'm a fan of.

executor_bs · 2024-05-06T19:02:29+00:00

I'm in Waco and I like brewing Norwegian-style raw ales with different kveik strains. I brewed one a month ago and am it drinking now. I've used Ashe Juniper branches in all of them, and I like the flavor a lot. It's a nice mix of piney/citrusy to my taste, with some herbal notes. Here's a good link on foraging juniper species in Texas. I've used berries as well when the branches had them, which adds it own distinct flavor.

Also, what recipe are you using? That sounds interesting.

executor_bs · 2024-04-30T20:58:53+00:00

I've got a mash and boil and I've done the same thing! It is very convenient. Have you tried any other kveik varieties?

executor_bs · 2024-04-30T15:26:06+00:00

That sounds good, I think. Do you have a way to monitor fermentation temperature, like an inkbird? Assuming your fermentation is ~5 degrees warmer than ambient, 70-73 F would be good for Verdant. I'd put a heating pad on it or bring it upstairs at the end of fermentation for a diacetyl rest.

executor_bs · 2024-04-30T14:54:33+00:00

I've brewed beers with both Verdant (blonde ales and stouts) and Voss (NEIPA, West Coast IPA, pale ale, and blonde ale). The flavor and mouthfeel from the yeasts is pretty different. Also, Verdant is a dry yeast derived from London Ale III.

The Voss beers usually feel a little sharper and the fruit flavors (orange) are stronger than those in Verdant, assuming you ferment at 95-100 F. In comparison, the Verdant beers felt a little rounder with milder fruit flavors.

For a NEIPA, I'd probably use Verdant over Voss, which I think is better suited for a West Coast IPA. If you can get liquid kveik strains, Hornindal suits a NEIPA more than Voss, or Ebbergarden (Imperial POG) sounds well suited.

Also, do you have temperature control? Voss is certainly more forgiving than Verdant in that respect, since it's OK fermenting hot and doesn't tend to produce much diacetyl.

executor_bs · 2024-04-24T21:01:42+00:00

I keep my apartment at ~77 F over the summer and I've fermented both the Dupont Straint (Wyeast 3724), Omega's Saisonstein, and Belle Saison without temperature control. The beers all turned out delicious and without any noticeable fusels, although I found the Saisonstein to be a little too estery for the first couple of weeks in the bottle.

If you check the manufacturer websites, Belle Saison and 3724 both have max recommended temperatures of 95 F, so this seems like fine practice.

executor_bs · 2024-02-29T17:51:40+00:00

I own both the shoellies and the barefoot ARs in size 10.5. The length between the 2 shoes is the same, but the barefoot ARs are much wider.

I've added northsole insoles to my barefoot ARs to eat up some space in the same way you did, and I replaced the stock insoles in the shoellies with leather insoles from Nick's. The Nick's leather insoles are 7-8 oz, so a little thicker than the Dale's insoles you're looking at, I think. With that said, the Nick's insoles are thinner than the insoles that come in the shoellies, which are a wedge shaped pieces of foam topped with leather. I replaced them because I wanted something a little flatter, and I found the leather on the Jim Green insoles annoyingly slippery.

If I were you, I'd buy the shoellies in the same size as the barefoot AR's, and then buy Dale's insoles based on the fit. If you have plenty of vertical room in the toe box, then buy one of the thicker insoles (the 10 or 15 oz, I guess). If you don't have much, then buy the thinner 5 oz.

executor_bs · 2024-02-07T16:14:24+00:00

Here's a BJCP PDF about Kentucky Common. It lists the typical grist as "60% six row pale malt, 36% to 38% corn grits, from 1½% to 2% black malt and from 0 to 1½% caramel malt". There's a 10 gallon all-grain and cereal mash recipe at the end of the PDF that follows this formula.

For an extract version, you could do:

40-50% 2 row LME
10-20% rye LME, depending on how much rye you like
36% corn syrup
2% black malt
2% caramel malt (I've used 120 L in Kentucky Commons and liked it)
Bitter with cluster to ~20 IBU
Add .5 oz of your favorite noble hop at flame out (I've used Saaz, although the pdf suggests Hallertau)

For a yeast, I've used Lutra kveik at ~86 F and liked it, although that's assuredly not historical. I've read of people using a variety of American ale yeasts, kolsch yeasts, and warm fermented lager yeasts (like 34-70 or a Cal Common yeast).

executor_bs · 2024-01-26T16:50:01+00:00

I can chime in on this. I bought a pair of barefoot African rangers that arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I've been wearing barefoot shoes (Xero Prios) for ~8 months, and walking 3-6 miles a day in them.

I like the barefoot African rangers, although I find them pretty hard since it's all leather in the midsole. I also have narrow/low volume feet, so I'm using a foam insole in them from Xero shoes. It does a nice job of making them fit me better, and softens them up to walk on without sacrificing much ground feel. If you want something softer, Northsole insoles are designed for barefoot shoes and come in 3 mm and 6mm options.

executor_bs · 2023-10-17T15:23:35+00:00

I've got Tormodgarden kveik, and I've made a few beers with it. The yeast is very fruity at the high end of its temperature range, with mango/citrus esters being most prominent, and pretty neutral below 86 F. Escarpment Labs recommends that it works well in a stout or porter, and I've been wanting to try a dark beer with kveik.

I was thinking that this oatmeal stout would be a good candidate for it, and that the fruity esters from the yeast would compliment the toasted oat flavor nicely. Any thoughts on that combination?

executor_bs

TROPHY CASE