The No Post Post

[D_Rabbit]

Pretty excited that today I got to meet the new owners of the LHBS that I refused to go to even though it was 5 minutes away. Really nice young couple. They don't have a lot of business experience or brewing knowledge but they are in it to learn and get in the things people want. They have been asking for requests and what people would like to see with the store and have received a lot of great input that they have already started to implement. I invited them to our club meeting tomorrow night and they said they would be there. Looking forward to forging a good relationship with these people. Got to get my foot back in the brew store door since the last one I had a great relationship with and it was a lot of fun to help out and talk beer with the owners and customers.

[Rebel_B]

Hope it all works out with the new owners! A supporting partner will make a big difference to your club.

[jimjohson]

Time for my weekly trip to the LHBS to get the grains for brewing a MPA (Middletown Pale Ale), Saturday am.

[D_Rabbit]

Hope it all works out with the new owners! A supporting partner will make a big difference to your club.

Definitely! The prior owner did not have a really good reputation so it will be a team effort to get the word out that new owners run it and expectations should change. While I was there I was going to get crystal 60 for my recipe but they were out. They said to me, well the prior owner gave us a crash course on some of the grains and you should be able to mix 40/80 and get the same results. I had to stop them and tell them they probably don't want to listen to that advice. Just because the number averages out to 60 doesn't give you the same results. I than explained the reasoning and gave them a better understanding of the profiles. They were really happy to talk and get a better understanding so that was cool. Told them about a Porter that i used crystal 60 in and tryed 10/120 to see why type of difference it would make and the difference was a completely different beer.

As long as they stay open to help and immerse themselves in the knowledge of home brewing, beer and wine, they will succeed. And to help them out they should look in to hiring someone part time that can drop some better knowledge on them too.

[D_Rabbit]

Tested out the Barley Crusher today. Factory setting is .039 gap and it appeared to crush it pretty well but left some good chunks so I will start there for my first crush and see how it goes. Pretty pumped to use all the new stuff tomorrow. I'm going to screw with my cousin and hand him the handle for the crusher and tell him to spin while I dump it in Should be a good reaction at 9am!

[jimjohson]

It's suppose to leave good chunks. Your only suppose to crack the grain not pulverize it

[Chuck N]

Looks like I dodged the unemployment line for the time being. LOML might not be so lucky.

The company LOML and I both work for makes industrial sized electrical generators (some of these are as big as large sheds). I'm a welder and she's a winder. It's a union shop.

Our business is tied up for the most part in the oil industry. So as we were all applauding these lower fuel prices at the gas stations the price oil was falling through the floor. That meant that the oil companies were shutting down pumps and derricks and doing less to no exploration. And that meant the demand for our generators dried up. And THAT meant they had to lay off eighty employees (all from the shop floor of course ). My wife has a few more months seniority on me and she just barely slipped by. But she got bumped out of her position and if she can't find a job she can do (some of the jobs are too hot and/or physical for a woman her size and - Chuck N looks over his shoulder before he continues - age) or a shift that works with her schedule she'll be forced to take a voluntary lay-off. Me, being a welder, am protected as my job is considered skilled labor and welders are nearly impossible to find. So the company doesn't want to let me go.

But there are very few orders coming in for the summer months and we're all expecting another round by June or July. Neither me or LOML will be able to miss that one if it comes. Wish us luck.

[Beer-lord]

Low gas prices are hurting many businesses in our area too and public education is getting more cuts. Crazy but true. There has to be a happy medium somewhere between what we can afford for gas and jobs,


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[jimjohson]

SWMBO ask me to make her a strawberry wheat. Which I brewed on the 4th I added 1lb of fresh strawberries (boiled and mashed) today. I told her if she likes it, next time it'll be Strawberry & Bananas(might as well get some good from the 06).

[berryman]

Just racked a Red Rye, what a mess my primary was, luckily I have a big mouth bubbler for a primary and it cleaned up good. My first rye. Is this the usual thing with Rye beers or just a combination of the ingredients and yeast I used? This is what I brewed http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ryerish- ... 10010.html and used Wyeast Dennys Favorite 50 1450 http://www.midwestsupplies.com/denny-s- ... -1450.html
It was a mess after two weeks in the primary.

[jimjohson]

FWIW my ryes aren't usually messy

[D_Rabbit]

My guess is that it has to do with the yeast style. Denny's Favorite has low Flocculation which may be why the yeast cake wasn't very compact.

[D_Rabbit]

First sunburn of the season! Guess I deserve it for skipping half a day of work in order to play 18 holes! Well worth the pain! Didn't think I would burn. Was only 72-75 degrees but apparently that was enough. Now to hid it from the wife so I don't get beat for skipping work to play golf!

[jimjohson]

Well I'm guessin' you don't live in the south east...been raining all week and will be right thru to Tuesday with more rain behind that.

[D_Rabbit]

Nope, norther va. About 40 minutes south of DC. Should be 80 Saturday and than back to mid 60s for a week.