New Here

[RyanWeary]

Hello fellow brewers!

I'm new to the message boards and the NTHBA in general, however I'm not that new to brewing. I've been brewing for about 10 years, but only all grain brewing for the last two years or so. I've been getting into more and more technical aspects of brewing and am very interested in learning from those more experienced than me.

So, I guess my question is.......how do I go about becoming active with NTHBA? I'm really interested in hanging out and learning from other people. Brewing beer is a hobby of mine that I never get tired of talking about and participating in. I'm also interested in entering competition with a few of recipes I've developed to see how I fare against others. I'd also like to learn how to judge others crafts and learn.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. I hope to get to know you folks soon!

-Ryan

[BigWally]

Glad you found us. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month. We have monthly brewdays and 4 parties during the year. The web site has the monthly meeting locations as well as informtion on parties etc. Membership applications maybe found on our newsletters or at Homebrew Headquarters in Richardson or The Winemakers Toy Store in Carrollton. Please join us on February 20 for the brewday.

[RyanWeary]

Thanks BigWally. I have been a "member" in the literal sense through HBHQ for the discounts. I've just never participated in any events. I saw that the BrewDay is in Parker on the 20th this year. That's an awfully long drive for me out of south Dallas!

If I do decide to come, is there any requirement? Do I need to sign up, bring something, etc.?

[MixnMatchBrew]

Welcome Ryan.

There is no formal requirements other than bring yourself and if you have beer (home brew or commercial) you would like to share then bring it too. The host provides food at the brewday. If you want to brew that day get with the host of the party for particulars and make sure there is room.

Wayne.

[RyanWeary]

Sounds great. I'm looking forward to getting to meet some fellow homebrewers. Other than my father in law I don't know any others in town.

[kingsbrew]

No requirements other than a willingness to meet people and have some fun.

[NanoBrew]

Ryan,
I was new to the area myself a couple of years ago. Fortunately I found the club and have made some great friends. Look forward to meeting you at the Brewday.

[truckpoetry]

Is anyone doing an all-grain batch at the brew day? I am wanting to watch and possibly pick up some tips to help with my extraction rates (currently woefully at 60% or lower).

Thanks,
Cameron

[Brewboy]

I'm doing an all grain Marzen at Fred's. I will be cracking grains on sight and mashing in around 9:00 am. As long as you're there that early, you can see it all. My extraction rates usually run between 75 and 85 percent. It all depends on my target gravity and how much grain in my mashtun.

I hope to see you there.

[ClayMahone]

guess i'm gonna have to drag my but out of bed early that day- i need help increasing my efficiency too.

[Bill Lawrence]

I don't get the greatest extraction rates in the world but they have gotten better since I purchased my Barley Crusher last year. I used to just crush my grains at HBHQ when I purchased my grain and I can tell just by looking that I am now crushing my grains somewhat finer. At pretty much the same time I did that, I also went to batch sparging which you would think would reduce my extraction rate to some extent. The other nice thing about having your own grain mill is that you can adjust the gap spacing depending on what you are brewing. I just got through making a couple of wheat beers which were roughly 70% wheat and I reduced the gap since malted wheat is smaller than normal malted barley. My extraction rate went way up and since I was using rice hulls anyway, I didn't worry too much about a stuck mash. Actually though, getting really good extraction rates is somewhat like driving a golf ball a long distance. It might make you feel manly (or womanly as the case may be) but you won't necessarily score well if you end up extracting too much tannin from the husk of the grain (you know, "drive for show, putt for dough").

By the way Mr. Scott, will you be doing a double or triple decoction on that Marzen you are brewing over at Fred's?

[RyanWeary]

Wow great....these are exactly the things I want to improve on as well. I'll do my best to get there early.

[Brewboy]

By the way Mr. Scott, will you be doing a double or triple decoction on that Marzen you are brewing over at Fred's?

Well Mr. Bill, since you are the decoction master, I think that Clay should set you up for the demonstration. I did a decoction on my hefe about 3 weeks ago and that long brew secession kind of put me off of it for a while. I've no interest in a 3-4 hour mash at Fred's brewday.

I'll be doing a single infusion mash with a mashout only and my Octoberfest brew will come out just fine.

[Bill Lawrence]

Well, first of all, I'm sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. Somehow, I seriously doubt that most folks would want to stand around and watch me boil grain, that would rank right up there with watching paint dry, in my opinion. I agree, it's hard to get up for a four hour mash, actually I was just trying to give you a hard time. I am still trying to get over the image you planted in my mind over your beer's name so I was trying to get back at you. I may need to attend counseling yet again to erase the damage caused by that one.

Doing lagers at a brewday is problematic anyhow since you really want to get the wort cold quickly and keep it there to get the best fermentation. I salute you for attempting to overcome all the distractions a brewday has to offer. I have enough trouble doing that at home where I can control everything, I don't think I could keep it all together while kabitzing with all the members, drinking beer and flirting with the Cougars all at the same time.

[Mike Grover]

Bill - Since when do you "control everything" at home?