Good morning:
I'm thinking that a coffee with a shot of whisky along side will get me jump started this morning. It's -15 F. and we're not used to it.....feels really cold. Not that I've been out much yet today! But I do have a few outdoor chores to do.
Hope everybody had a great New Years Eve and Day. Mine was pretty quiet with good eats and family right here at home!
Heartland, nice looking complex! What trackages do have serving the facility? And, would you change any doing it differently?
Dave, sounds like you are truly ready to bottle with a stable S.G. WAY BACK when I first started brewing, I didn't have a hydrometer and everything was by "guess and golly"! To say the least, I had some bottle explosions and some yeasty tasting beer.....Oh how things have changed!
A part of my New Years resolutions...every year, is to spend more time in the Trainroom and to make more beer!! So far today, I have a batch of "Nottingham Brown" in the brew-pot. I just started the boil and have the first hopping (bittering hop) underway. An hour of boil and another hopping (flavor / aroma hop) and it will be ready for primary. Then, I'm out to the Trainroom until I have to do the daily chores and make dinner!
Wish I could keep this schedule....But alas, there are and will be many other demands for my time!
Howdy everyone.......
Just stopped in to say happy new year and show what's brewing on my layout. I suspect most will recognize that my brewery complex is mostly based on the Heljin kit. Cheers everybody!
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
As Benjamin Franklin is supposed to have said...
"Beer is proof that God wants us to be happy."
Checking the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Stable for 36 hours at 1.012. Fermenter is pretty clear with sediment at the bottom. Time to bottle!
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
Chuck,
You are so right. And we are coming up on that season.
I was trying to remember, do you go south for the winter, and your layout is at your summer home?
What made you choose Japan to model?
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
A little early but,,,,,,
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Mike
Happy New Year, everybody! Joe, a round for the house.
Sue, if we could get all the politicians and 'Professional Greenies' to seal their chow locks for a year, the absence of all that hot air would probably trigger an ice age! (BTW, aren't these the same people who were predicting that we were about to be plunged into another round of glaciation just a few years ago?)
Nice looking mountain scenery! Hope I do something nearly that good once I emerge from the Netherworld...
Got to run. I want to check in with the other members of my family, a couple of time zones away.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks, guys. The encouragement is always appreciated. It sounds like all of us have been working hard on the layouts lately.
MrB, I heard a rumor that the Cascades have had 170 inches of snow this year. They have been closing the pass for avalanche control 3 times a day.
So much for global warming.
I see its lunch time again! A tap and another lunch special, Joe
Thanks for the pics, Sue. You are really coming along...And it looks REAL good!
I finished up wiring the tracks yesterday. As I was wiring Cascade Junction, I did find a few places (unsuspecting places) where the power was being routed by the turnout, so I added feeders. Today, I'm going to run some trains looking for any other "spots" that may need an additional feeder, but I think I've got right.
Mr. Beasley, I'm an "Old Dad" too, being 40 when Raeanne was born. Often enough, I get the Granddaughter / Grandfather thing! It doesn't bother me though. I know I'm a MUCH better father at 40+ (and now 50+) then I would have been at 20+.
Well, I'd better get those trains running!!
Happy New Year to all. I wish you the VERY best for 2008.
Hey Sue, that hiker might be lost or something because after listening to some George Thorogood and some scotch, bourbon and beer I would be lost too!
Your layout is coming right along, I hope to get my scenery looking that good!
Happy New Year!
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Hey, thanks, Sue and Larry. I'll stick with a glass of Pinot Grigio tonight. We had some nice fresh Atlantic scallops tonight for dinner. Broiled to perfection, with butter, sherry and just a hint of Cayenne pepper. Ummm. Delicious, if you're willing to take the chef's word for it.
Nice trees. My layout work has been confined to the shop the last few weeks. I'm going to get the Strumpet Brewery reefer done before I go back to work after the holly-days. The decals are printed and ready to go. They bled a bit, but some weathering will make them look like I planned it that way.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hey, Joe. I brought Larry with me. We will have 1 scotch, 1 bourbon, & 1 beer (Larry doesn't have to work tomorrow).
I also brought some photos to share.
Can you still see the deer? How about the hiker on the switchback trail?
Here is the tunnel portal that I have been working for quite some time.
PS. I guess we are buying because we hit the top of the page.
I'll have a cold tap Joe...And the White Plate Lunch Special.
I got to spend some time in the Trainroom yesterday and did a bunch of wiring! I've got the soldering iron plugged in and I'm heading out there again now, with hopes to have ALL of the upper level track wired with feeders to the DCC buss.
Latter.
Congratulations, Chuck! That calls for a round for the house. It's well past beer-thirty on the East Coast. Wow, a great grandfather? In my family, I never even got to meet my grandfathers. Of course, our "genetic survival" technique is to have the kids late, so the genes don't get diluted too quickly. I was 43 when our daughter was born, and my paternal grandfather was 59 when his last kid, my own Dad, came along. My own birth was delayed by my Dad's all-expenses-paid trip to Africa to deal with a guy named Rommel. If you add the numbers up and check the records, you'll find that my own grandfather was born in ... 1856. Yeah, before the Civil War. Any wonder why I like steam engines?
And good luck to you, too, Brewmaster Dave. I'll be interested in seeing how that system works out.
Congrats Chuck, and thanks for the cigar.
Seeing others do an excepital job on their pike is always a good shot in the arm. From how I read your posts and what you have gotten done so far...I'm sure you will a great job at the scenery too.
tomikawaTT wrote: Howdy, Joe! I'll have Tuborg tonight, and break out a box of cigars for these fine folks. Seems that as of six AM (CST) I'm a Great-grandfather! That's when Karsten Mitchell announced his presence to the world (or, at least, his parents, his grandmother and the OB staff.) Mother and baby are doing well - but grandma is exhausted! (My daughter, not my wife.)Dave, it seems that you've really changed the Beer Barn into a REAL beer barn. Plus a beautiful kitbash and a really impressive layout. When do you find time to study for your degree?As I mentioned elsewhere, my Japanese-language magazine just kick-started my enthusiasm again. What really got my attention was the work of a modeler who created a scene so much like the Kiso Forest Railway as I remember it that I can almost smell the fresh-cut cedar and the exhausts of the smelly little 4-wheel diesel microlocos. I just hope I can come somewhere near the quality of his work when I reach that point!Woops. The Boss just announce dinner. See ya!Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Howdy, Joe! I'll have Tuborg tonight, and break out a box of cigars for these fine folks. Seems that as of six AM (CST) I'm a Great-grandfather! That's when Karsten Mitchell announced his presence to the world (or, at least, his parents, his grandmother and the OB staff.) Mother and baby are doing well - but grandma is exhausted! (My daughter, not my wife.)
Dave, it seems that you've really changed the Beer Barn into a REAL beer barn. Plus a beautiful kitbash and a really impressive layout. When do you find time to study for your degree?
As I mentioned elsewhere, my Japanese-language magazine just kick-started my enthusiasm again. What really got my attention was the work of a modeler who created a scene so much like the Kiso Forest Railway as I remember it that I can almost smell the fresh-cut cedar and the exhausts of the smelly little 4-wheel diesel microlocos. I just hope I can come somewhere near the quality of his work when I reach that point!
Woops. The Boss just announce dinner. See ya!
Congrats, Chuck!
As for finding time for the degree, well... ...yeah, about that... !
I'm still waiting for that dissertation to write itself!
Thanks! I'll probably just follow the directions for now. I've also joined an online brewing forum, and they have a thread dedicated to Mr Beer kits.
This morning was spent tuning my new baby, my N scale PRR M1 kitbash. The chasis is a Bachmann Spectrum light 4-8-2, known as a smooth but very weak puller. I've got her up to 11 boxcars and a cabin or 18 hoppers and a cabin with no slippage on my 15" radius curve. Straight from the box she'd hardly pull her tender around a curve of any radius.
Ryan, I'm thinking that would perhaps be considered a Micro-Chip-Brew.
Dave, I have never done a "Mr. Beer". And not knowing what is, and what isn't part of the processes (additional enzymes, extracts and so on) I'm thinking that you should follow the directions with this batch...And then, do some experimenting.
The beers I make are ales so I'm not as "up to speed" on the Lagers. What I can tell you is that the difference between an ale and a lager is the type of yeast used and the temperature maintained during the fermentation and aging. And, to answer your question: To the best of my knowledge, Lagering is an aging process during fermentation. Kraeusening or conditioning is a separate step.
Unless others want it posted here? I'll send you an email with the basic methods that I have found to work the best for me. I can also share some very good easy recipes.
And now...Out to the Trainroom!! Yes!! Some time to play!!
SilverSpike wrote: Dave Vollmer wrote: Niiiiiiiiiiiice...I especially love the "desktop brewery." Now, a laptop version would be much more convenient!Would that be considered a micro-brew?
Dave Vollmer wrote: Niiiiiiiiiiiice...I especially love the "desktop brewery." Now, a laptop version would be much more convenient!
Niiiiiiiiiiiice...
I especially love the "desktop brewery." Now, a laptop version would be much more convenient!
Would that be considered a micro-brew?
colvinbackshop,
Mr Beer suggests seven days in the fermenter, followed by bottling, and then conditioning in the bottles. Are you recommending I condition the beer in the fermenter? If so, do I just shove the fermenter into the fridge? Is that considered lagering?
As you can see, I'm a newbie!
Good evening...A round for the house, if you please Joe.
Had / hosted / officiated a big invite swim meet today and just got home from the pool. A real tall cold one and maybe a pizza too, would really hit the spot right now. What the hey Joe, pizza for the house on me tonight too!
Dave, a laptop brew pub??!!?? Interesting concept. You may be on to something here.
And, if I'm reading your comments right regarding the sequence of your brewing....I would suggest that you "condition" before you bottle. Rule of thumb here, is that this step will take an additional ten days before you can actually bottle, or keg your brew, but is well worth the effort
Sometimes this conditioning step is called Kraeusening, but that is truly done with the addition of green beer of the same as you are making...meaning that there is a continual brewing and always a batch "coming in". In conditioning....The actual "conditioning" is no more than an addition of a small amount of sugar to your beer at the point you feel the fermentation is done (the S.G. has been reached or is stable) to totally finish out the fermentation process and settle out the yeast. After this step you can add the "priming" sugar to the batch (making for the carbonation) and then do the bottling.
An additional rule of thumb is to age the bottled or kegged beer a minimum of 30 days....Or more! Some of the darker, heavier ales I make age for at least 90 days. To quote Frank Romanowski "Aging always greatly improves the flavor of beers and the last bottle you consume will be the best"
For what ever it may be worth to anybody, I have been brewing and vintining since 1972. If anybody wants to tap (no pun intended) what I've learned over the past 35 years, please feel free to send me an email...just so we don't go totally go "off topic" here on the MRR forum. Even if we're at the Beer Barn!
Another round for the house Joe!!!
I've got another 5 days before I can even think about bottling my first batch... It's like waiting for Christmas all over again! Then, of course, it's another week until it's conditioned.
This weekend the wife and I are heading to American Brewmaster here in Raleigh... Woohoo! Like the LHS for home brewing!
PROST!!!!
Good morning....Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Hope you all have had a GREAT Holiday Season thus far!
It's been a whirlwind around here of late and I have NO activity to report on of from the CCRY construction crew.
Dave, welcome to the ranks of the home-brewers. Before you know it you'll be looking to build / retrofit one of these:
Or maybe retrofitting one of these..."The computer is much happier now!"...But one must be careful not to dribble into the slot for the floppy.
With that silliness out of the way...May I suggest, to any of you brewers, three books that have been very helpful in making August Meininger Brewing successful here in the Arrowhead.
First, a very small, very basic (more of a pamphlet) book Be Your Own Brewmaster by Frank Romanowski from Beer & Wine Supplies, Northampton, MA. Second, and this is my brewers bible, The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian and lastly Clone Brews by Tess & Mark Szamatulski
So, let's boil up a pot of wort, get it into primary fermentation and head for the Trainroom.
Morning all, Joe I'll have a black coffee. Thanks.
I trust everyone had a good Holliday and are prepairing for a big New Years party. It has been cool here the last few days, we had some snow yesterday morning although none of stugk to anything. I am glad for that, you guys up in the northern states can have all the snow, I don't want any of it.
I got started building my Cornerstone Fire Station yesterday, got most of it painted and will more than likely get some of the walls together today. I really need to get this building done. The folks in Traintown are presently without any fire protection, I sure hope there is no fire!
Not much going on here just the same 'ol -same 'ol. See you all later, Have a good day. Mike
Sue's pizza and Dave's beer sounds like a great combo!
I'm putting in my order for lunch early today - Pepperoni black olive pizza and some winter wheat ale for me please!
No layout construction to report.........the crew is on the holiday hiatus.....
Cheers,
Ryan
Happy inter-holiday period to you all! Joe, a round for the house. Make mine a Strumpet IPA...
My daughter (now 17 - aaargh!) got me a train calendar for the wall, and my sister supplied me with some Woodland Scenics trees. I spent part of today preparing a decal set for a Jordan truck and an Athearn Blue-Box reefer, both in Strumpet Brewery livery. Other than that, it's been the usual cook-and-eat, cook-and-eat cycle. Well, with a bit of beer-drinking thrown in for good measure.
Alex, my daughter's boyfriend, got her a copy of "The Princess Bride." One of my favorite all-time movies. He's not a train guy himself, but he does appreciate the craftsmanship. I like this guy.
Merry Christmas
and
I didn't ask for any train stuff this year... My N scale PRR M1 4-8-2 loco bash is challenge enough.
However, this morning I got the gift that keeps on giving...
...A Mr. Beer Home Brewing Kit!!!
First batch of lager is fermenting as we speak!
Looks like I'm about to embark on yet another lifelong hobby...
Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas to all.
And thankyou for the Christmas card, MrB. That may be our next large purchase. We need some other supplies, so we will hit the Tacoma hobby store on Thursday.
I worked on Aggro trees today, and Larry has been working on staining the bridge deck on his trestle. I also put some foam and cardboard strips for the continuation of the river. The hardshell will go in tomorrow along with the trees around the stockyard.
We are off to my brother's house. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all! We came in late last night (Christmas Eve) and the stores were all closed. We'd been up skiing for the weekend. Fortunately, the CVS drug store was open with milk and, to what should my wondering eyes should appear, eggnog! So, we're set for the day. We're having that great traditional American Christmas dinner, lasagna, tonight. We'd stocked up earlier on Captain Morgan and Chianti, so we should be all set.
Sue, here's my Christmas card for you:
The CMX is a good deal lower than your average boxcar, which is important to get it through my subway tunnels.