What's up everyone???

[Pennywise]

Been a few years (maybe 10) since I've been in rcb. I see that there
are a couple people still keeping it alive. And I've seen that the
influx of spam has increased. If I can't find a way to weed that out
in my newsreader, I may finally stop coming. Where are the old timers?
Minus Denny. I don't like reading anything from that know-it-all.
Seriously, how many accounts on brewing boards can one person have?
And still find time to pull the gray hair back and brew?

[Steve Bonine]

Post by Pennywise
Been a few years (maybe 10) since I've been in rcb. I see that there
are a couple people still keeping it alive. And I've seen that the
influx of spam has increased. If I can't find a way to weed that out
in my newsreader, I may finally stop coming.

You are seeing spam because of the provider you are using.

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by Pennywise
Been a few years (maybe 10) since I've been in rcb. I see that there
are a couple people still keeping it alive. And I've seen that the
influx of spam has increased. If I can't find a way to weed that out
in my newsreader, I may finally stop coming.

You are seeing spam because of the provider you are using.

Agreed. I read with eternal-september and I have not seen a single
spam posting to this group in months. My filter file does not even have
a section specific to this newsgroup. I block everywhere based on
number of groups cross posted and I have a long list of trolls that I
block everywhere but I don't remember any of them coming from this
group. Nor do I remember replies to posts here that my filters had
caught.

My latest batch used a grain and malt mix to emulate a Trappist but I
substitued an ale yeast to emulate a UK bitter. It came out dark amber,
a bit sweet, not much carbonation (I don't target high carbonation so
that part is deliberate) and just a bit sweeter than I expected. Folks
who tried it at the weekend campout swarmed over the rest of the bottles
I brought so clearly they liked it. I like it and still have plenty.

Currently looking for sorghum syrup by the gallon to make "mead like
stuff" from it. I've made it in a small batch before and it worked
great so now I'm looking for a larger batch. A friend has a five gallon
bucket but it looks like the paperwork for him to be able to remove it
from his work site may never come through. I'd like to buy it in
person. Much more fun than ordering it on line.

[Bart Goddard]

Post by Doug Freyburger
My latest batch used a grain and malt mix to emulate a Trappist but I
substitued an ale yeast to emulate a UK bitter. It came out dark amber,
a bit sweet, not much carbonation (I don't target high carbonation so
that part is deliberate) and just a bit sweeter than I expected. Folks
who tried it at the weekend campout swarmed over the rest of the bottles
I brought so clearly they liked it. I like it and still have plenty.

When I make my rare attempts at Trappist ales, I use a couple
pounds of invert sugar, which I think ferments out more completely
and avoids the "too sweet" taste. If you wanted the above to be
less sweet, maybe substitute invert sugar for some of the malt..?

BTW, I've found that people will "swarm" over free beer, no matter
how horrible it is. I don't use "swarming" as a measure any more.
I just count the number of people who don't have to go to the
hospital, and that's the "score" for that batch.

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by Bart Goddard

Post by Doug Freyburger
My latest batch used a grain and malt mix to emulate a Trappist but I
substitued an ale yeast to emulate a UK bitter. It came out dark amber,
a bit sweet, not much carbonation (I don't target high carbonation so
that part is deliberate) and just a bit sweeter than I expected. Folks
who tried it at the weekend campout swarmed over the rest of the bottles
I brought so clearly they liked it. I like it and still have plenty.

When I make my rare attempts at Trappist ales, I use a couple
pounds of invert sugar, which I think ferments out more completely
and avoids the "too sweet" taste. If you wanted the above to be
less sweet, maybe substitute invert sugar for some of the malt..?

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll make sure to buy invert sugar for
later batches. Sweet masks bitter and I like bitter. At this point I am
working on optimizing details. It's a good place to reach.

On the way to the camp ground there's a German restaurant that I now
stop at each year. I wanted something I had not tried before so I
passed on the Chimay and so on. Asked for something like Sammisch
Mumble from Austria. "You're aware that's $9.95, right?" When I tasted
it yowzers how much alcohol. On the label it said 14%. Yet they
managed to have it come out delicious. Not too many ales with that
much alcohol and most of them have been mediocre. I remember Stingo
from the UK, shrug. And Sam Adams Triple Bock, syrupy yuck.

Post by Bart Goddard
BTW, I've found that people will "swarm" over free beer, no matter
how horrible it is. I don't use "swarming" as a measure any more.

In this case everyone in question brought something of their own so
there was stiff competition. Several bottles of well aged mead, a big
assortment of good import ales and so on. The German stuff with the
purple label was fabulous as was the 3 year old dry mead.

Last year's summer spice beer was a hop-free woodruff bittered batch.
It lasted until a month ago. This year my herbalist friend is growing
some meadow sweet aka mead sweet. It should be harvest ready in a month
with this weather. Another year another hop-free herbal batch.