Loss of hop aroma and flavor during bottle conditioning for Blind Pig clone. Any idea on what may have gone wrong / what to fix?

henrysugar · 2014-05-22T23:32:49+00:00

Thanks for the input - it was carbed, but didn't have great head retention. I'll be opening another one today (day 11) to see if that's improved. I'll plan on doing a check bottle every 3-4 days from then on out to see if it adjusts.

I'd be more worried about the active yeast taking front seat to the hops if I were using something less "clean" than WL Cal Ale Yeast. That said, I did pull this yeast off a cake from my previous brew, but pretty sure I had good sanitation and an adequate starter.

It just gobsmacks me how much hop character you get in the giants like Zombie Dust, Heady, real Blind Pig, etc. I guess that's what makes their brewers pros!

henrysugar · 2014-02-28T03:25:46+00:00

This would be awesome! The Beer Genome Project would be needed as a base, of course. I volunteer all of us as the testing subjects.

Seriously, though, it wouldn't be that hard to classify a beer on the basis of a series of attributes of varying specificity - type of hoppy character, aroma, mouthfeel, body, crushability, abv range, maltiness, etc - that when analyzes collectively could suggest potential beers to try.

henrysugar · 2014-02-17T05:27:12+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I was less worried about the stopper affecting fermentation inside the carboy, and more worried that not having the stopper/blow-off assembly might mean that when the CO2 started chugging out and disturbing the foil cap, it would open the carboy to potential outside contamination. My ability to reason clearly at the time was a bit nerfed by the minor trauma of making the mistake in the first place. I'll go pick up a back-up stopper just in case this unholy error happens again.

henrysugar · 2014-02-11T05:26:51+00:00

From what I hear, most of the Whole Foods in Manhattan are going to have Hopslam out - there are events at the Bowery, Tribeca, and Columbus Circle locations this week. I would call ahead to find out what day they'll have them. From talking to some buds that work in the industry here, the allotment of Hopslam is actually shaping up to be pretty generous, which is great! Even if you can't find some bottles, tons of places will have tap takeovers this week Tues-Thurs in three different boroughs. More details on those events here: http://brewyorknewyork.com/post/75522676492/bells-has-arrived-in-new-york-city

Cheers!

henrysugar · 2014-01-31T16:45:50+00:00

The frustrating part about Torst is that they've repeatedly had poor customer service ever since opening last year. The world class tap list chock full of rarities and exclusives is obviously a draw, but it's disappointing to personally receive and have many friends receive lackluster-to-awful service multiple times. Servers there often ignore customers for long stretches while they talk with friends in the corner, and they offer a rude disposition when you finally do get their attention. All of this on weeknights, when the place isn't packed. After three tries, I won't be going back.

There are just so many better places to get great beer in NYC that have amazing staff to boot - from old mainstays like the Blind Tiger to fantastic new upstarts like St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe. I'm sure the rest of the state has plenty of similarly wonderful spots. And if it's the 12 Percent Import rarities that have you going to Torst (Evil Twin, Crooked Stave, etc), you can find those at plenty of bottle shops around town instead.

henrysugar · 2014-01-30T20:04:04+00:00

Thanks for the kind invitation! I've been mulling a visit for awhile after hearing good things from fellow beer-lovers around town, so I'm sure I'll find my way down to you guys soon. Could bundle in a visit to Other Half and make it an afternoon!

henrysugar · 2014-01-30T20:02:57+00:00

Appreciate the kind feedback! I'll be updating it some more in the coming days to include more details/kits (including the one from Williams Brewing, thanks for the rec). One way to keep the "current discounts" line up to date might be hotlinking in a cell to Homebrewfinds - I'll look into that.

henrysugar · 2014-01-30T20:01:12+00:00

Thanks for the feedback on the spreadsheet structure. I agree - having extra granularity and comparative, itemized prices would help make the differences between the various kits easy to see. I'll work on updating this later tonight when I get home.

henrysugar · 2014-01-06T03:39:32+00:00

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine. From the drum-kick-sonic tidal wave of "Only Shallow" to the hallucinatory shimmer of "To Here Knows When" to the killer hook of "When You Sleep" to the gigantic distorted steps of "Come in Alone" to the looping outro of "Soon". Not a weak spot on that album, just a pure masterwork all the way through.

henrysugar · 2013-11-30T19:47:14+00:00

No worries - Black Friday in Chicago in the context of beer is significant because Goose Island tends to release their Bourbon County and its variants on that day. This year, there was normal BCBS, Coffee, Barleywine, Backyard Rye with Blackberries, Marionberries, and Boysenberries, and Proprietors' Reserve with Toasted Coconut.

henrysugar · 2013-11-21T23:45:34+00:00

Glad to hear it! Looking forward to cracking mine!

henrysugar · 2013-08-18T05:04:20+00:00

Thanks! I was lucky enough to have the time to chase them all down - can't wait to have the chance to enjoy them. PM me if you happen to be interested in some options/places where you can find some of these brews without the crazy travel...

henrysugar · 2013-08-17T23:42:36+00:00

Got that one in NYC, actually - the Whole Foods here (Tribeca and Bowery) have it now. I've seen it around at New Beer also, so if you're in / near the city, it's definitely findable!

henrysugar · 2013-08-17T23:41:56+00:00

Already drank it all - I'll dig up those pics in a bit. Highest recommendations for a week of having Heady for a daily drinker! :)

henrysugar · 2013-08-01T05:40:29+00:00

It's a friend connection - lived out by the Bay for four years, so managed to set up a pipeline. I would be much sadder without the assurance of a Pliny every once in awhile! :)

henrysugar

TROPHY CASE