Couldn't be any reason for me to take special notice of this clock tower today. Nope.
This second pic just shows the serenity of a deserted campus. Thankfully campus is deserted because everybody's on break, not because there's some madman shooting the place up.
Fuck. People are awful, hideous creatures.
One of these days a real rain will come, et cetera.
ReplyDeleteWell, of course there's no madman shooting up campus, as that clock tower is quite clearly ARMED.
ReplyDeleteLook, I am already going to hell. One more tasteless joke isn't going to make the difference.
DeleteI am always in favor of tasteless jokes, how the hell else are we s'posed to respond to this kind of shit?
DeleteWell, I brewed my first batch of home brew. I picked up this kit at Williams-Sonoma on sale at $20. I learned a few things and made a few mistakes. It ended up with a bit of sediment and a bit over carbonated. But I didn't blow the tops off of any bottles, it has alcohol in it and it tastes pretty good. I'll take the lessons I learned and try to do better this time with some Bruxelles Black.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! You have yummy beer, and a new skill that will be useful in a post-zompocolypse barter society!
DeleteDid you do both a primary and secondary fermentation? I ask because if you bottle straight from the primary fermenter you can end up with a good bit of sediment and some additional unfermented sugar that will end up as extra carbonation. If you have a second suitable fermentation container, transfer the beer to that after a week and then let it ferment another week or two before bottling. It'll end up clearer as well.
No secondary fermentation. I followed these instructions that came with the kit.
Deleteand a new skill that will be useful in a post-zompocolypse barter society!
All I have to do is learn how to cultivate the hops a barley down here in Florida and I'll be ready for the end of the world.
No secondary fermentation. I followed these instructions that came with the kit.
DeleteThose are fine instructions.
If you want less sediment and a more consistent carbonation level, just add a very simple secondary fermentation step:
First, you'll need to acquire a second fermentation vessel identical to whatever you're using now for your primary.
Once you have that, slightly adjust the "fermentation" (step 4) instructions -- don't leave it there for two weeks. Leave it in the primary fermenter for a week only. Then, sanitize your secondary fermenter and racking cane/tube thingy and simply transfer the beer from the first fermenter into the second. You'll leave a ton of sediment behind in the first ferementer -- this is good.
Let it sit in the secondary for up to two weeks. One week is fine, but up to two is good as well. You don't want to go much longer than that for most ales.
Then bottle normally out of the secondary -- your beer should be significantly clearer and have almost no sediment, just a small layer of yeast at the bottom like you'd expect a bottle-conditioned commercial beer would.
Give it a shot, hope it helps.
Ok, thanks for the tip. I should have bought two of the kits when they were on sale. The extra fermenter is the same price as the sale price for the whole kit was.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of volume are you making? Any glass, food-safe plastic, or stainless steel vessel that you can seal with an airlock will work...
DeleteIf you're doing standard 5-gallon batches you can often find glass carboys on craigslist. If you're doing one-gallon batches just find a glass gallon drink jug.
Sirius -- not sure if you're still reading, but I have one more thing to add (and further annoy the zombie):
DeleteYou could get away with not having a second fermentation vessel, but it's a bit more work.
Note that his is probably only realistic if you're doing small one or two gallon batches: Simply transfer the beer out of the fermenter into a sterile temporary container(s) -- mason jars, large pot, etc. As long as it's sterile, it's fine.
Then just quickly clean and re-sterilize your fermenter and transfer it back.
The only thing you need to remember in all of this is that unlike the primary fermentation, oxygen is BAD at this stage. Be gentle when transferring the beer, don't shake it up or let it flow too forcefully into the container. Oxygen introduced at this stage will lead to oxidation (surprise!) in the beer, and make it go stale much faster. This will manifest itself in the beer tasting like wet cardboard. You don't want that.
get a room, you two...
ReplyDeleteI thought zombies liked beer? Or is it only Cuba Zombres?
DeleteSure, but you weren't talking about SENDING me any....
Deletebut really, I meant get a brewing room.
Every room is the brewing room around here, duh.
DeleteActually, now that I think about it, I probably do have at least one small item of brewing paraphernalia in damn near every room of my house.
they're called GLASSES...
DeleteThose are drinking paraphernalia. Useful, but not actually required in the brewing process.
Delete"it's like there's a word for EVERYTHING"
Delete