It's been a while since I updated this. Lots has happened and a few beers brewed.
The last one got 3rd place in the Philly Homebrew Club Winter Warmer contest. Brewed for our club, Barley Legal Homebrewers, a Foreign Export Stout. This was a random selection for me in that contest, and turned out to be a good deal. I'd recently gotten some GI Bourbon County Stout, and then a bourbon barrel called out to me, so now it looks like a barrel aged Stout is on the plan. The Foreign Extra Stout will be amped up to 10% or so, Be nice to do the Chocolate Milk Stout again too.
I've been busy my DIY projects, and have pretty much all my brewing equipment in good order. I got a new 10 gal brew pot from a club member. I'll need to add a heating element to it before I can use it, and may make this a DIY night for the club. A couple people came over to my shop a couple weeks ago, and made a hop screen basket. The May meeting will have a DIY topic, and hop management is the theme. I hope to do monthly sessions at the shop as interest from the group leads.
Kegging has come to JonnyCakes Brewing. I bought a couple used 5 gal kegs and they just barely fit into my Redi Whip cooler. Learning the fine are of CO2 has been interesting. I've been using CO2 for some time, but only in small containers. The Stout for the competition tested this whole program. I had to force carb some to meet the deadline, and when I tried to bottle it chaos ensued. I managed to get 2 bottles filled and 1 glass leftover from more than a 1/2 gallon. Took third place, so...yea?
The second annual Walnut Grove Wineberry Wheat for July 4th at the farm is coming up before too long. I made a stop at the farm a week or 2 after last years party and the berries were just about done for the year. I filled up a couple buckets in about an hour or so, and off I went. My mother was with me, so she sat on the porch of the house while I walked the fields to the berry trail. I need to pick them when we're there for the part this year.
The 2014 Christmas present my kids got me finally arrived, the Ukeg64 from Growler Werks. I've been anxiously awaiting it's arrival so I was pretty excited. But, all was not good. The regulator is not working right, and has to be rebuilt. I managed to get it to dispense a full fill, but only because it was done in a timely manner. It would not work overnight. GW finally responded to my email, and will repair and return it. Time to wait some more.
Happy Brewing, John
