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I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 4:38 pm
by alb
I can't drink it all while it's fresh. I mean, I COULD drink it all but that would be another problem. So I'm thinking that I'll start focusing more on small batches, up to 3 gallons. That way I'll get my brew fix, I'll have a better rotation on tap, and I can stay healthy. Then when Christmas brewing comes around I can ramp it back up.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:09 pm
by Inkleg
Great to see you round here again! Fantastic new avatar!
Beer-lord's ugly and I'm so over him. :whistle:

I've been thinking of doing the same thing. It's just me drinking my beer and I brew way more than I can drink. I enjoy brewing just as much if not more than drinking, but I can't keep up. I've been looking at fermenting in a corny keg and doing a closed loop transfer into the serving keg. This is just the kick I need, thanks!

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:05 pm
by Beer-lord
How'd I get dragged into this? Nevermind, I just looked in the mirror.
Alb, I think you can make new friends if you keep brewing large amounts and leave gifts on someone's doorstep.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:14 pm
by John Sand
Sounds like a good idea.
I, on the other hand, am figuring ways to brew more beer in less time. Sailing takes more of my time, I was out today. I generally brew about once a month on average, I now have a 15 gallon kettle. I have yet to do a ten gallon batch, but I have brewed 7 and 8 and split it with different yeasts or other additions. Writing this has made me think that next time I make a Belgian Pale, I can use the same wort to make a Christmas Ale by adding fruit and spices. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:00 pm
by berryman
First of all glad to see you post alb.
alb wrote:I can't drink it all while it's fresh.
I try to brew beers that has good shelf life, my biggest problem is I drink them up before they get real good............I agree with John Sand, I try to brew as much as I can in the winter months to stock me up because in our short summer months here in western NY (and they are nice) I like to be outside working on my farm. BBQ, bon fires and enjoying the warm and don't have time to brew. So I make a lot of beer as fast as I can with the equipment that I got....... but I see your point.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 10:14 pm
by HerbMeowing
LBK FTW!

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:01 am
by mashani
Haha, I brew small batches, but a hella lot of them, so I end up swimming in brew anyways.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 6:29 am
by FedoraDave
I'm sure I drink more beer than I should. Certainly my waistline indicates I do. I brew every week, and yet it seems my pipeline is never as healthy as I'd like it to be. I haven't bottled a 5g batch in a long, long time, but with 3 kegs, that's not surprising. The smaller batches either go in a keglet or get bottled in bombers.

Seems there's never enough, though.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:50 am
by brewnewb
FedoraDave wrote: keglet
I like that term, "keglet". I seem to be drinking more wine these days so I've made a few adjustments to my rotation. I kegged a 2.5 batch of beer in my "keglet" and then kegged a 5 gal batch of "redneck blush" in my big boy keg.

We'll see how this works out.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:43 am
by MadBrewer
I did a lot of small batches before kegging. Makes things a bit cheaper at a time and brings more variety. I don't drink much at all but I do love my time spent brewing and crafting something for others to enjoy.

Re: I love to brew, but...

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:09 pm
by Kealia
I hear ya, too.

I brew more than I drink but I fill growlers for a few friends from each batch so I typically get 2-3 gallons out of a 5G batch to drink. And my Father In Law started drinking beer again so he helps me out :)
I enjoy the process, the creation of the recipe, the anticipation of the first sniff and taste of the first pour, etc. too much to stop.
I was doing exclusively 2.5G batches for years and really started doing only 5G batches early last year so I had more to give away.