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Any homebrewers out there??

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  • bbentley40

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    I did a quick search and found some really old threads talking about homebrewing, but I figured I would start one and see if anyone on here is into beer making? I used to brew a lot when I lived in Alabama and even did some part time work for one of the breweries up there to help out. I am finally trying to get my brew rig up and running again after a few years of it being out of commission (I tore it down to upgrade it then life happened and I never got to finish it), and I am thinking about making a nice SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop for those wondering) beer to test it out. Thought I would see if anyone had a good SMaSH recipe to share.
     

    FrommerStop

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    Not a brewer although someday I would like to get into wine making. But I do have question do any of the brewers here grow the raw products that are needed to do brewing?
     

    bbentley40

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    I have thought about growing some hops before.. but so far I have not done it. I still order most of my stuff online a week or so before I brew.
     

    FrommerStop

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    I have thought about growing some hops before.. but so far I have not done it. I still order most of my stuff online a week or so before I brew.
    I see that you are in crestview and other than being slightly colder than me (I am in Pace, FL), your growing conditions are the same. Will Hops grow in NWFL? I am fairly big into trying to grow things here in Pace, FL.
     

    Ric-san

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    I’ve looked into it before and have a childhood buddy who does home brew that is very persuasive that I do so...but it is more time consuming from my point of view now on top of all the other hobbies I currently have...
     

    bbentley40

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    I see that you are in crestview and other than being slightly colder than me (I am in Pace, FL), your growing conditions are the same. Will Hops grow in NWFL? I am fairly big into trying to grow things here in Pace, FL.

    I have not looked into growing conditions here.. but I am sure it would be fine. I have friends that grew them in North Alabama.. and it’s warmer here than there.
     

    Plinker

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    I was into making wine. Had best luck with those kits out of Canada. Just 6 weeks start to bottling and got between 28 and 32 bottles depending on how many times I had to rack it for clarity.
    Making beer was a LOT faster.

    Another fun part of it was thinking up labels and printing them out for the finished bottles. Had a Watermelon Merlot that I named "Marilyn Merlot" with a picture of Marilyn Monroe from the movie 7 year itch.
    The one with her dress blowed up.

    Another label was "Heavy Artillery". Picture of the big Civil War Rodman cannon and at 8% it sneak up on you and knock your ding-dong in the dirt.
    A bunch more.
    Fun hobby and made a great Christmas gifts.

    For beer & wine making supplies, check out the Wine Smith over in Mobile on Moffett Road.
     

    FrommerStop

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    I have not looked into growing conditions here.. but I am sure it would be fine. I have friends that grew them in North Alabama.. and it’s warmer here than there.
    I know that hops are grown IIRC in the pacific northwest. So being as warm as we are is not likely essential. Soil conditions, rainfall, disease, and other factors play a role. Also hours of sunlight some say is important.
    Not planning on growing hops at the moment.
    Here is link for growing hops in FL. https://dengarden.com/gardening/Growing-Hops-in-Florida-for-Homebrewed-Beer
    Growing Hops in Florida Is a Little Tricky

    I tried growing hops on four separate occasions before being successful. Each time, I tried different things to attempt to have a successful growing season. I learned a little bit each time, and with some help from a Burt's Hops here in Florida, I was able to get hops to grow and even produce some cones on the first year before Hurricane Irma knocked them down and even broke some of the bines at the base. Luckily, hops are very hardy, once established, and they should come back next year. There were a few key problems to address, specific to Florida, to be successful here: drainage, soil, heat, and sun. There will also be a section at the end with some additional pointers for growing.
     

    fir

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    I've been brewing for a little while, though I don't really do SMaSH beers very often. Looking back at my logs, I did one a while ago that was Briess Pale Ale Malt (12 pounds), and Pacific Gem hops (2oz; 0.5 FWH, 0.5 at 60m, 0.5 at 30m, 0.5 at 15m). Fermented with S-33. From my notes the fermentation stalled and I had to use a backup yeast, it was also 7 years ago so I don't remember how it turned out :wacko:

    Additionally: I have tried growing hops in the area, even though my reading on the subject says that they typically grow best between the 35th and 55th parallels. In Pensacola we are down round the 30th parallel, outside of the growing zone. Some parts of Alabama are well within the zone though. I bought some rhizomes years ago and tried it anyway. They all tended to just sprout, and then die back once they saw the light.
     
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    bbentley40

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    Got my new RIMS controller wired up and running over the weekend. Did a water test on the system yesterday to see how it did and check the system for leaks. Its been almost 3 years since I brewed on it and it survived a move from Alabama to Fla so I was expecting some issues. Have a couple small leaks to fix before I try my first brew day on the system. Also have to look at getting another fridge because my years of not using it mean my wife took over my old fermentation fridge.. will have to get her another one to get mine back.. lol.

    RIMSController.jpg
     

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