Hey Dins, you buy a home brew kit yet?

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:54 pm

Looks like your state is mulling over the idea of raising your beer tax by a percentage that can only be expressed with scientific notation.

This ought to have dinsy on some building top in salem with a sniper rifle.

Dins, may I recommend a good bolt action 30-06? Don't really know much about scopes, so no recommendation there, as if you really need one.

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 4:35 pm

Can do the job at 500 meters !

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:00 pm

thanks wolfie.

if enacted, beast light's price in oregon, if it is available, will be about 96.4% tax.

really can't imagine somebody dropping $13 on a six of the beast.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:07 pm

smackaholic wrote:Looks like your state is mulling over the idea of raising your beer tax by a percentage that can only be expressed with scientific notation.

The state kind of screwed it'self there (thank goodness). The in-state beer lobby has pretty well had it's way for about the last 20 years. Not sure exactly how they came to make the rules, but the state government generally cowtows to the McMenamins and Ponzis (Bridgeport Brewing, the Ganddaddy of them all).

I doubt there will be a massive tax increase. But as you suggested, if there is, the homebrew store right down the street from me will probably boom. I won't sweat it, since I'm Dinsdale, I know people.

This ought to have dinsy on some building top in salem with a sniper rifle.

Yeah, the rifle comes in handy to secure your prime spot on the rooftop -- our Guv, Teddy the Spectator (drinker of the Algore kool aid), is universally unpopular, and I think these days is jealous of W's approval ratings.

Don't really know much about scopes

I'll teach you everything you need to know about scopes...

http://www.leupold.com/

BY FAR the finest American made scope (you ain't buying any euro crap for twice the money, right?).

My sobriety was imperilled just about next door to Leupold last night, matter of fact. Matter of fact, I'm about to go all Left Coast Weather Pussy and go toss a round of disc golf with my old bud, whose cousins own Leupold (I went to school with his cousins, matter of fact).

Famous for being a fine rifle... that's equipped with one of the shittiest scopes ever made.

At 500 yards/meters... more velocity than an .06 would be nice. I'm just not that good a shot.

Van · Post by **Van** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:25 pm

Dins wrote:it's way

And in a smackaholic thread, no less...

Beautiful.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:28 pm

Nice to see subtle humor isn't lost on Van.

Work with me here... I'm trying to æffect a change in the lexicon.

Dinsdale wrote:æ

You know... since you're no stranger to trollboard lexicon "adjustments" and all (yeah, I remember).

Van · Post by **Van** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:51 pm

Dins wrote:since you're no stranger to trollboard lexicon "adjustments" and all (yeah, I remember).

Shit. I don't remember. That sucks too because it's probably funny, this old "adjustments" thing, or whatever it is you're referencing.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:31 pm

Van wrote: Shit. I don't remember. That sucks too because it's probably funny

You and Biggenthal issued me a beatdown over the use of "affect/effect" as a verb (one of the trickier rules in the language), and Coods settled it with the "æffect" dealio.

Man, that's been a few years ago.

Van · Post by **Van** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:37 pm

Ahhh! So that's where the Dinsified version of affect/effect started!

No, I don't know the UBB code for the cool looking "ae" thingy you always do...

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:25 am

Did a little looking around on line for a home brew kit.

Any of you fukks dabble in homebrewing? I had a room mate about twenty years ago that bought one. The first batch made with wonderful norfolk, va ~~pool~~ tap water came out decent. He then did a batch with bottled water that came out nice too, if ya like vinegar.

I think the ridiculously high chlorine content ensured that the first batch wouldn't turn into some out of control bacteria culture.

I guess the trick is to either make sure your shit is extremely sanitary or just drop some pool shock in it.

Any recommendations for kits/recipes. My cheap ass is considering just making one from an empty sheetrock mud bucket.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 12:48 am

smackaholic wrote:Any of you fukks dabble in homebrewing?

To the extent that my good buddy is a winemaker who deems brewing as "child's play," so I can hand him some cayshe with a particular type of brew in mind, and he makes it so, since he's got quite the collection of brewing shit over the years.

Matter of fact, I need to look into a batch soon.

If you really got vinegar from brew, its because it became contaminated with acetobacter bacteria. There's many species, and they occur naturally in the environment.

Definitely a sterilization/procedure issue.

And despite the common misperception, acetobacter is the only thing that causes wine or beer to turn to vinegar. Uncontaminated beer/wine can sit forever without turning to vinegar, as long as it never gets any acetobacter in it.

I believe there's certain agricultural crops that tend to fling a lot of acetobacter around in a given area, but I can't tell you which ones specifically.

Then agin, there's all kinds of other shit that can go wrong with beer if it doesn't stay sanitary, especially since a homebrewer isn't likely to add sulphates.

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:33 pm

Sniper rifle .30-06 ??

There's a lot of rifles wayyyy ahead of that..maybe .300 Win Mag...Mossberg .308 choice of many law enforcement and prisons..and a Marine Corps sniper caliber as well..but if your serious the Barret M 82A...bit of a higher price tag..

My kid has put them in a 3 inch circle at 3000 meters..and they will saw an insurgent in half at 1500 meters..or so I am told.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:30 pm

3 inch group at 3000 meters? I gotta call bullshit on that one. That's jed clampett caliber shooting there.

I sure the fukk wouldn't want a good military sniper siting my ass in at 3000 meters, but, 3 inches?

Is the 82 that big ass 50 cal sniper rifle they use now

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:41 am

smackaholic wrote:3 inch group at 3000 meters? I gotta call bullshit on that one. That's jed clampett caliber shooting there.

I sure the fukk wouldn't want a good military sniper siting my ass in at 3000 meters, but, 3 inches?

Is the 82 that big ass 50 cal sniper rifle they use now

Call bullshit if you want..I saw and held the signed and certified targets...that would be why snipers train for 12 weeks....every day..10 inch group is good enough...but he happened to be really on that day..

The 82 is the sniper weapon of choice...and it will halve an insurgent at 1500 meters...

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:23 am

Even a 10 inch group is sick at that range. Sounds like your kid is an awesome shot who probably also got a little lucky that day.

Rack him.

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:55 am

smackaholic wrote:Even a 10 inch group is sick at that range. Sounds like your kid is an awesome shot who probably also got a little lucky that day.

Rack him.

All Marine Corps snipers errrrrr...designated marksmen ....are fucking awesome..and he admits he did get lucky a bit..no cross winds at all..

4 inch circle with an M-4 at 500 yards off hand...that's why the young guys do that shit...

H4ever · Post by **H4ever** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:52 am

Derron wrote:
smackaholic wrote:Even a 10 inch group is sick at that range. Sounds like your kid is an awesome shot who probably also got a little lucky that day.

Rack him.
All Marine Corps snipers errrrrr...designated marksmen ....are fucking awesome..and he admits he did get lucky a bit..no cross winds at all..

4 inch circle with an M-4 at 500 yards off hand...that's why the young guys do that shit...

That would be incredible shooting.

socal · Post by **socal** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:10 am

If it were Derron in a 2 inch circle jerk with m2, then credibility would be alive and well.

PSUFAN · Post by **PSUFAN** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:54 pm

Derron, stop LYING.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:20 am

I smell all sorts of bullshit up in this beyotch.

We'll start here:

The CheyTac M-200 holds the world record for best group at a distance, landing 3 bullets within 16-5/8 inches (42.2 cm) at 2321 yards (2122 m) near Arco in Idaho.[2]

CheyTacs fucking clown .50's-BTW.

But this is old hat to me -- I get the same chuckle when my buddy tells me he can knock down beer cans at 300 yards "all day long without a miss" with an .06.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:45 am

what was jed using to light matches on the wall across their big ass front yard?

i'll bet he could take derron's kid.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:19 am

I can hit a beer can from a distance of 3 feet, as long as it's on the top shelf in my fridge.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:18 pm

mvscal wrote:
smackaholic wrote:Any of you fukks dabble in homebrewing?
Yeah. Like anything else, if you want consistently excellent results you need to practice frequently and brewing is pretty labor intensive. Making sure all your equipment and bottles are properly sanitized is a huge pain in the ass.

Bingo.

But, I like doing it. Once you get past the pain in the ass part of cleaning, the results are worth it. And ever since I built my keg-o-rator, not messing with bottles is awesome and I don't need to wait 2 weeks for carbonation. Only 1 day.

Fridge I converted. Bought it from a guy who replaces apartment appliances for only $20. Fits 4 5 gallon soda kegs in it.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:28 pm

Most of the people I know who have been serious about it went the pop-keg route, and never looked back.

But I'll go one better -- planted a vineyard right in the backyard. Won't yield any grapes for another couple of years, but had a perfect spot for it, and have the climate and whatnot to do so. Aiming for about10 cases a year or so. On such a small scale, it becomes much easier to manage vines, and the guys involved (one being a professional at such things) think we have a chance to ripen cab and/or zin, which is difficult in this part of the world, but in a small area, soil temps can be manipulated in ways that are impractical on any sort of real scale. If not, it'll be used as rootstock for pinot.

Doing 100% of everything, from the agriculture to the bottling should make for a cost-æffective buzz down the road... and wouldn't be the first time the homestead has produced a start-to-finish buzz (although fruit wines generally suck).

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:09 pm

Dins,

I've made wine in the past too, when I first started to homebrew. I knew nothing about homebrewing, and I got turned onto it by someone who told me how to make "wine" at home. Well, it was mead, but I did it anyway. My first two batches, one a peach and one a strawberry, yielded pretty well. About a 17% result for both. I could get drunk off it, but the hangovers kicked my ass. And the taste just wasn't that great.

So, I started making beer with my equipment. I spent all kinds of time with the owners of Homebrew Headquarters in Dallas picking their brain. I logged all their advice as well as step by step my processes from start to finish on the different beers I have made. I will not claim to be someone who could enter a competition and win it. I will say that I make a damn fine IPA which is pretty much my favorite kind of beer. I usually have 1 keg of IPA, one keg of a stout, 1 KEG of hefeweizen (for the Mrs.) and 1 keg of root beer for the kids. That root beer keg can ONLY be used for rootbeer at this point. It taints the keg so badly that bleach won't scratch the surface of getting rid of it.

Anyhow, to my point...

You say you planted a vineyard. I am considering doing the same. I have done research on the grapes that can grow in Indiana (not much but it is done here). I initially wanted to plant vines about 4 years ago, but when I read they would take 2-3 years to produce, I held off. I knew I was going to move within 5 years and didn't want to waste the time.

Now I am in my home for the rest of my life I think I may give it a shot. I am planting blackberry bushes this spring. I am planning to make wine from the blackberries, but all blackberry wine I have had in the past was very sweet, and I'm more of a dry wine fan. I'll be doing a lot more research on this, but a quick question and it is probably a stupid one because I really don't know much about winemaking...can I turn a generally sweet wine into a drier one by a) fermenting longer and/or b) using additional tannins? I remember adding tannin powder to the mead I made and it was supposed to make it somewhat drier I thought, but that was like 10 years ago.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:24 pm

IndyFrisco wrote:My first two batches, one a peach and one a strawberry, yielded pretty well. About a 17% result for both.

I assume you mean at hydrometered out at 17% ABV?

If so, that's pretty hot for wine. Most wine yeasts croak a little short of that.

I am planting blackberry bushes this spring.

Sorry, I have to get this out of the way first...

BWA!

One of the most invasive, nastiest, hardest to control weeds we have around here. So sorry if I get a chuckle from someone actually planting them. People pay quite a premium trying to get rid of them around here.

And you can always spot a transplant -- they obviously weren't raised around here, and don't realize the blackberries on the side of the freeways are contaminated with diesel soot.

But as to your question...

Ya'know, since you're serious about it, I'll take your question seriously, and I'll consult an actual real professional expert on exact procedues. I'm sure I'll be seeing him in the next couple of days, and he's made all kinds of fruit wines before (although there's a reason the wine you see in the store is made from grapes -- they make by far the best wine).

But I have a hunch that in order to make a dry wine out of something with more sugars than the yeast can eat up, you'd have to dilute the juice until it's of a sugar percentage ("brix," in winemaking terminology) that can be fully fermented by a wine yeast. I'll inquire as to the highest % you can have and still go dry, and which strain of yeast would be best to innoculate it with, and whether to make a "white" or a "red" out of it, and that sort of thing... whites and reds aren't just different colors of grapes, it's two different winemaking techniques. White wine, in a nutshell, is made from grape juice. Red wine is made from grapes... in a nutshell. White zinfandel is the one wine that crosses the two over, as it's a red grape that's pressed off before fermentation (which I understand was originally made by accident).

Another idea to kick around -- if it's not neccessarily about money, and more about taking pride in making it yourself, I believe there's outfits that will ship grape juice and/or concentrate. This way, you can get the more favorable varietals, but still do it yourself... although I understand the satisfaction that comes from making some bev from your own abode.

Since basement winemaking is pretty much a fall time of year thing, you've got some time to figure it out, and I'm sure my bro will be more than happy to offer advice.

BTW-you made mead and it didn't kill anybody? Whole lotta things can go wrong with mead... which generally tends to produce some fine laquer thinner when it does go wrong.

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:25 pm

Dinsdale wrote:Sorry, I have to get this out of the way first...

BWA!

One of the most invasive, nastiest, hardest to control weeds we have around here. So sorry if I get a chuckle from someone actually planting them. People pay quite a premium trying to get rid of them around here.

In frisco's defense, blackberries aren't nearly as invasive in most other parts of the country as they are in the U&L. I suspect that in Indiana, blackberries are minimally to moderately invasive like they are here in the 'burgh... nothing a bit of yardwork and maintenance can't control.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:13 pm

Ken wrote:In frisco's defense, blackberries aren't nearly as invasive in most other parts of the country as they are in the U&L. I suspect that in Indiana, blackberries are minimally to moderately invasive like they are here in the 'burgh... nothing a bit of yardwork and maintenance can't control.

Yeah, that's why I made it a little sidenote.

No need to defend Indy -- he seems like a pretty smart guy when he's not busy fellating high school classmates, so I'm sure he wouldn't plant something that was going to wipe out his yard.

While there's now a zillion hybrid cultivars, it all stated out as a native weed... and it truly is an insipid weed around here (but any weed you can eat ain't so bad).

I just chuckled because the idea of someone actually planting blackberries is so foreign to me (although there's plenty of blackberry farms around here, and somebody obviously planted them). Another 30 second's worth of research leads me to believe that Oregon pretty much supplies Planet Earth with all of its blackberry needs (including the blackberry variants -- marionberries, boysenberries, black rasberries, etc). They all actually come from the northwestern part of the state.

At the homestead, the blackberries are old enough they don't produce that well... but they do make an impenitrable barrier to any tweekers who want to wander off the highway and climb the back fence... a common use for them here.

Indy -- Still haven't heard from the Winemaking Drunk... he must be out selling some wine, or something. But I'll get the skinny on how to deal with fermenting blackberries without making the fusel oils and pectin clouds and all that stuff that makes homemade wine typically suck.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:01 pm

The blackberry bushes I got are of the thornless variety. They are also very manageable at least according to the place I have bought them from. I think this year, I will plant them in buckets and see how they grow. I will also plan to see if they survive the winter. Doubt that will happen in buckets. In any case, I got 5 acres. I am planning on putting these way in the back next to the woods but in full sun. Not too worried about if they were to get unmanageable. I would then plow them down if needed. My main concern is birds getting them, but I will put nets on them to avoid this.

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:41 pm

IndyFrisco wrote:The blackberry bushes I got are of the thornless variety. They are also very manageable at least according to the place I have bought them from. I think this year, I will plant them in buckets and see how they grow. I will also plan to see if they survive the winter. Doubt that will happen in buckets. In any case, I got 5 acres. I am planning on putting these way in the back next to the woods but in full sun. Not too worried about if they were to get unmanageable. I would then plow them down if needed. My main concern is birds getting them, but I will put nets on them to avoid this.

You may wanna plant them somewhere where they are easily irrigated. Of the many fruits cultivated, blackberries, raspberries, and black raspberries respond the the best with much higher yields and fruit size. You seem to be swimming in some xtra cayshe.... set up some automatic irrigation at their bases. You won't be disappointed.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:34 pm

That's odd -- as I mentioned, Oregon (specifically Northwestern Oregon) is apparently the world's capital of blackberry agriculture...

Probably in no small part due to their very minimal requirements for water.

Blackberry and rasberry crops are rarely, if ever, irrigated.

And well... where Indy lives averages several times the rainfall during the summer months than where I live...

Yet this area seems to be the preferred climate for blackberry growing.

Matter of fact, during their fruiting season, blackberries can be victims of root rot, meaning that overwatering is the devil.

BTW-I'll be seeing my friend, the Expert-On-Such-Matters, in the next 30 minutes or so. While he won't be able to speak specifically to growing blackberries in the Upper Midwest, he can sure give a rundown on how to make the best booze out of them. I'll see what I can find out, IF.

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:52 pm

Dinsdale wrote:That's odd -- as I mentioned, Oregon (specifically Northwestern Oregon) is apparently the world's capital of blackberry agriculture...

Probably in no small part due to their very minimal requirements for water.

Blackberry and rasberry crops are rarely, if ever, irrigated.

And well... where Indy lives averages several times the rainfall during the summer months than where I live...

Yet this area seems to be the preferred climate for blackberry growing.

Matter of fact, during their fruiting season, blackberries can be victims of root rot, meaning that overwatering is the devil.

BTW-I'll be seeing my friend, the Expert-On-Such-Matters, in the next 30 minutes or so. While he won't be able to speak specifically to growing blackberries in the Upper Midwest, he can sure give a rundown on how to make the best booze out of them. I'll see what I can find out, IF.

There are many variables w/respect to irrigation. Hell, the soil profile in the U&L may be such that irrigation is not as necessary. Or the soil profile is such that it holds satisfactory levels of water already and adding more only leads to root rot. Perhaps the varieties grown in the U&L are bred/selected for less irrigation requirements (wouldn't surprise me given your low himidity and lack of rain in the summer).

But, make no mistake, irrigating blackberries in the midwest is standard practice for those growers who make a living selling the fresh fruits. Night and day difference.

Imus · Post by **Imus** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:24 am

That's odd -- as I mentioned, Oregon (specifically Northwestern Oregon) is apparently the world's capital of blackberry agriculture...

And quite possibly the world center for narcissism and "I'll show you, Daddy!" complexes, based on the over the top qualities of just one guy.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:13 am

Ken wrote:You may wanna plant them somewhere where they are easily irrigated. Of the many fruits cultivated, blackberries, raspberries, and black raspberries respond the the best with much higher yields and fruit size. You seem to be swimming in some xtra cayshe.... set up some automatic irrigation at their bases. You won't be disappointed.

Funny you should mention that. This house we bought this past fall has one of the most extravagant gardens I've ever seen round these parts. And by garden I do not mean corn and tomatoes. This lady who lived here had about $100k of landscaping done, at least that's what my realtor told me. And I do not doubt it. In fact, when I placed my offer, I simply said I'm not paying for her bad landscaping choices.

Anyhow, it is beautiful, but I gotta lotta work on my hands coming up. The landscape company that finished off their 2008 contract for me quoted me about 5k for maintenance for 2009. I politely said thanks but no thanks.

Anyway, to my point, I have no idea why this lady did this, but there is sprinklers in the garden (behind the house within the gate that surrounds thae garden and pool). They also put sprinklers in the side yard and back yard. About 2 acres in front of the house have no sprinklers and the grass turns to shit in the heat. Oh well...I'm not dopping the dime to put the system in the front yard or pay to keep it green. Just surprised me they put sprinklers in the back yard where you would practically spend no time. But this is where I plan on putting the blackberry bushes so I am not worried about getting them water.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:15 pm

Imus wrote:
That's odd -- as I mentioned, Oregon (specifically Northwestern Oregon) is apparently the world's capital of blackberry agriculture...
And quite possibly the world center for narcissism and "I'll show you, Daddy!" complexes, based on the over the top qualities of just one guy.

Yeah, we all have our schtick, eh?

Some of us choose to play over-the-top charicatures of ourselves, while others register shit trolls to take potshots.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:29 pm

IndyFrisco wrote:About 2 acres in front of the house have no sprinklers and the grass turns to shit in the heat.

You call it "turns to shit". I refer to such lawns as "properly trained".

Yeah, a nice green lawn looks pretty, but, it requires non stop maintenance. A properly burnt out lawn goes dormant and needs to be mowed....oh, about next spring.

That's a good thing.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:22 pm

smackaholic wrote: You call it "turns to shit". I refer to such lawns as "properly trained".

Werd.

I won't spend a minute or a dime trying to keep a lawn green around here. The rarity of any rainfall in summer makes that part easy -- but it comes out of dormmancy in fall.

Actually, the shit has been growing at a slow clip for the last couplefew weeks. Now, the Soggy Season is starting to look like the soggy season, and it pretty much rules out mowing it... ground is way to soft and muddy for that. Shit will be two feet high by the time late March/early April rolls around and the ground is solid again.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:27 pm

Got a 61" Deck Grasshopper Zero-turn when I bought this place. I first mowed it with a 42" Craftsman rider that I used at my last house. Took me 3 hours. Witht he Grasshopper, takes me 50 minutes. Not so bad when you're zipping around with beer in hand.

Oh, and Dins, thanks for the link.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:43 pm

IndyFrisco wrote:Oh, and Dins, thanks for the link.

We'll keep in touch.

If you're going to go to all the trouble, might as well do it right.