Best products from r/beerporn

Answering your questions in order:

1. Yup. My purchases are usually motivated by whether or not the brewery is local, how cool the label is, whether I like the other beers I've had from that brewery, and sometimes my Untappd recommended list. I buy almost exclusively singles. I've only been drinking for about a year so I still have lots of beers to discover, plus I just like trying new things.
   
   
2. Stored cold and served chilled is best. This is a decent ballpark for serving temperatures, but in general, the darker the beer goes, the warmer it should be served. I usually just warm up my glass with my hands for 30 seconds or so if it's a darker beer.
   
   
3. Glasses are generally either bought in sets in stores like these or bought singly from breweries people like.
   
   
4. What /u/tinoynk said is true, a flight will usually be a good way to try new stuff. If your local liquor store sells singles, a make-your-own-six-pack is a really good way to try new beers. Try a lot of styles to figure out what you like. If you're really stuck on what to try, the app Untappd (if you don't already have it) allows you to log the beers you've had, and suggests new ones for you to try. Alternately, post in /r/beer asking for recommendations (they're usually very helpful to newbies).

Sure,

well theres three types of labels, printed cans( cant do anything with )

Wraps ( plastic that has a seam) you can cut these but you have to cut the seam and then snip the top and bottom ring area then it will flatten.

Adhesive labels. ( these work best)

I try to use the edge of an xacto knife or even a fingernail on a part of the label that i know ill maybe trim a hair off of anyway , so that it hides any crinkling.

there are a few companies that its just impossible to get the labels off of, some bottles like Founders, or cans like aslin, dont work well , usually bigger bottles work good though. Prairie works great. I recommend these magnet sheets,

https://www.amazon.com/Craftopia-Magnetic-Adhesive-Anything-Flexible/dp/B071L97W57/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525196048&sr=8-3&keywords=magnet+sheets

and i use xacto knives and a craft mat like this one, https://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Professional-Self-Healing-Cutting-GBM1218/dp/B0015AOIYI/ref=sr_1_4?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1525196109&sr=1-4&keywords=craft%2Bcutting%2Bmat&dpID=51gR%252BOrM3WL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1

so you dont cut through it to the table youre on etc, the key to making your cuts nice and clean is putting a good amount of pressure during your cut and cutting fairly slowly.

use a straight edge, use metal rulers, plan out the size of the label, peel it off the can or bottle and affix it adhesive side down on the adhesive side of the magnetic backing. then just square off your edges with cuts and bingo instant fridge magnet.


You can also do it with brewery stickers as well.

That is not a snifter. Libbey (a glassware company) calls that glass a “porter/stout glass”. It is 14.75 oz or something like that. I have a set of them and that one looks exactly the same shape and size. Looking at the “pint” glass you have sitting next to it it seems to not have a flat bottom, which could be an optical illusion because of the picture angle, but that would mean it is not a true pint (16 oz) so they could be exactly the same. Humans generally have a hard time telling volume in differently shaped vessels. Be glad they were kind to you and despite your complaint possibly being wrong they gave you a free beer to keep you happy. I call that good customer service.

Edit: snifters are big fat bottom bowls with a tapered opening on top. They don’t taper at both ends like this one. Check out libby’s set

Update: Actually if the pint glass is this one it should be a full pint. Anyways an ounce and a quarter doesn’t seem like a huge deal to me to be complaining about. It is .50 less. Those ABV are close enough they would be charged the same in most places so seems like you paid for what you got.

I recommend picking up Randy Mosher's 'Tasting Beer'. Here is an excerpt regarding pouring for a creamier head:

"To get the best head on a beer, pour boldly down the center of an absolutely clean glass. It will foam up, but this is good. Really. Allow it to settle and then repeat until you have a full glass. By delaying gratification and allowing a large amount of foam to build up and then shrink, you have created a dense, creamy foam, filled with tiny, long-lasting bubbles. As a side benefit, you have knocked some of the excess gas out of the beer, and the result will be more like the smooth creaminess of draft beer."

Homebrew is a 1 gallon version of the Saison Dupont recipe from this book.

The Foolproof is from a new local brewery started by a friend of a friend. They currently only have distribution in RI and MA, but the brewmaster there has been around for a while at a few places and makes some great beers. The Collette and Hennepin are great as well. Haven't yet tried the Stillwater Cellar Door.

I unfortunately don't have all the photos I took of the build. Thankfully google saved a few.

The fridge was delivered and I ripped all the shelves out.

I cut a little hole in the bottom of the fridge (the bottom 6" are empty space for the compressor, so this was just thin plastic) and wired up an ITC-1000. The original freezer controls only go 10F max. I also removed the defrost timer so this fridge is on manual defrost now, though I've had no freezing problems in well over a year. The fan is now on 24/7 instead of coming on with...the defrost? I cant remember how it originally turned on. You're playing with electricity here, be smart and safe and dont start a fire or die, or have a professional do it.

The back panel in the above picture stayed on, RIGHT behind it is about 3" of space for the evap and fan. Right under the evap I drilled 3 holes. 1 for the main CO2 line, 1 for the Nitro line, 1 small one for the fridge temp sensor. Eventually another one for the 5v for the arduino. They all came up through the little slit and had grommets for the sheet metal. They shouldn't be moving around, but the last thing I want is a cut line.

I bought a 36"x5" drip tray without a drain and 3d printed 3 brackets for mounting. Since it doesnt have a drip tray I want it to be mobile. The brackets have magnets in them so it can easily be taken off the fridge door and cleaned. I really didnt want to put any holes in the door except the taps.

I cut the shelves off the door but left most of the skin. The plastic helps seal the door seal AND it's holding in the plywood I used to replace the door. I have no idea the thickness of the plywood anymore but I did have to sand down a good 1/8" where the taps are so they'd fit. Any longer shanks and I'd be poking kegs, any shorter shanks and I'd be too short and need smaller plywood.

You can see above how the CO2 is routed and the temp sensor right in the middle of the fridge.

The top distributor goes to the top shelf, middle splits to both sides, the bottom goes to the bottom shelf. I honestly could have gotten away with 2 different pressures. I really don't change off serving pressure except for quick carbing a beer. Most of the beers I brew end up around the same carbonation level. Maybe when I need something crazy high/low carbed I'll be excited.

That's also the best photo I have of the finished product before it got a bit more messy like now. I have some 3D printed brackets that hold the lines in place on the side of the fridge.

I did have an issue with the fridge leaking all of its damn r134a out. There was a small leak by the evap. A bit late in the build for a replacement. Found the leak and JB Welded it shut. It was too close to the wall to braze and JB Weld has held for over a year now. Luckily I had done a car AC before and had the manifold gauge, vacuum pump, and fittings. I learned to braze on the quick connect, pulled vacuum, hit it with nitrogen to ensure there were no leaks (though it held vacuum as well), pulled another vacuum and filled her to spec with r134a. Been working like a charm ever since.

There is a raspberry pi running RaspberryPints with some cheap ass flow meters. The only changes I made were how many pulses on the meters meant a pint. I've been fiddling with it ever since. I'm sometimes off by a handful of pints on my kegs. Enough to get me close, but I'd like to dial it in without spending $60 on each freaking meter. How much beer is left in my keg is not a $60 problem to me.

Funny, I love beer so my fridge has almost no room for food.

I have a wine fridge, got it from amazon, but apparently they don't sell it any more (http://www.amazon.com/Haier-Bottle-Dual-Zone-Cellar/dp/B004FHAGNK). Fits 45 bottles, 16 bombers/750's upright in the bottom, 4 more on their side in the top, and 25 12's upright on that divider. Anyway, it works pretty well, it's nice having bottles at the right aging/serving temperature.

Ah yes... my sexy snifters. Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Glass Cognac snifters... strong crystal, sexy shape, IMO the PERFECT beer snifter.

Best all purpose tasting glass of all time IMO. Great stout! Cheers.

http://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Classics-Stemmed-Pilsner-Glasses/dp/B003QRJCY4

Do yourself a favor and pick up a wine fridge like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/NewAir-AW-180E-Bottle-Thermoelectric-Cooler/dp/B001DEQJXE/ref=sr_1_12?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1370439140&sr=1-12&keywords=wine+cooler). The temp controls make it perfect for aging things, and since you have a dedicated space for beer, you won't take up as much room.

I paid about $950. Expensive, I know, but it seemed to be a good investment and nothing else seemed worthy of housing these precious commodities. Looks like Amazon wants even more for it. :-(

I have a pretty awesome book of Alex Grey works.

http://www.amazon.com/Transfigurations-Alex-Grey/dp/1594770174/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Background info: Palo Alto Brewing is owned by Kasim Syed, the owner of an excellent beer bar, The Rose and Crown, located in Palo Alto, CA. Until recently, the beer was brewed at Devil's Canyon Brewery but was shifted to Firehouse Brewery (they make some good stuff, too - check out Hops on Rye, if you're in the area) and is now being bottled and sold in six packs. Syed brews the beer, rather than contracting it out to Firehouse; he just uses their equipment (CA brewery licensing allows for this).

I picked it up my bottle in San Francisco for $2, but I didn't note the six pack price (probably ~$8-10). I assume distribution is very limited, at this point. Palo Alto Brewing beers have previously been mostly limited to kegs at The Rose and Crown. I believe this new version of Hoppy Ending debuted during SF Beer Week, but this is the first time that I have tried it.

• Pours a transparent light gold with a big creamy white head. Crescents of foam cling to the walls of the glass after each sip. Spot on for an APA.
  
• The aroma is honey, caramel, tangerines and pine needles. Nothing too strong, nothing too weak.
  
• The taste is just a touch too sweet at first with some crystal malt notes, but it finishes with some dry yeastiness, hop bitterness and lingering honey.
  
• Mouthfeel starts smooth and kinda creamy but is fading and getting watery before I can finish my glass.
  
  Having purchased the bottle due to an impulsive need to try new local beers, I expected practically nothing and was pleasantly surprised. This is a very quaffable APA with good hop flavor and balance.
  
  On a sidenote, why is the hop cone receiving the massage? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
  
  Also, I threw in some beer bookporn. I just received a copy of Martyn Cornell's Amber, Gold & Black and can't wait to read it.

There's a great children's book entitled Duck! Rabbit! that cracks me up every time I see it: http://www.amazon.com/Duck-Rabbit-Amy-Krouse-Rosenthal/dp/0811868656/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411607744&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=duck+rbit

Follow up: I tried using a normal can opener like /u/BrewerMan mentioned and it works great! No need to buy this device, guys.

The can opener I have sells for $14 on Amazon as of now: https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Can-Opener/dp/B00004OCJW/

I have a Johnson Control A419 I've been using for similar purposes for about three years now and it's worked great!

I have heard horror stories of similar control units failing and causing either a continuously open or closed circuit. If you have a working thermostat in the freezer, it might help to set it to its highest temperature, which should still be well below the new control unit's setpoint but hopefully above freezing to prevent catastrophic freezing if the unit breaks in the open state.

If it breaks closed, the temperature in a unit like this can rise very high -- I had a similar thing happen when I had a compressor failure -- due to the circulation fans running continuously. If it's cold in the the garage where it is, this would likely be fine, but in the summer it could be a big issue. I have one of these to monitor the temperature and push notifications if the temperature or humidity leave the bounds I've set. So far it's worked great and the app is very easy to use, except that I needed a WiFi range extender to ensure coverage while it's inside the fridge.

Also, super sick fridge!


EDIT: IF this is a used unit and you haven't already, REPLACE THE CLIPS THAT HOLD UP THE SHELVING! They can fail, which is catastrophic, and they're like two dollar a piece. Installed correctly, they should last for years but there's no reason not to replace them if you don't know their usage history.

They're glasses specifically designed for IPAs. They were designed by Dogfish Head, and Sierra Nevada and made by Spiegelau. They're real delicate, but I think they work really well.


Here's the Dogfish version


Here's the Sierra Nevada version


Here's a blank version

The Spiegelau IPA Glass is nice but it's easy to break. Really any 19-20 oz glass will hold a pint plus foam. Holds 16 oz plus foam no promlem. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTPUT3S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_SqJmxbQ063BRP

You can get the unbranded ones here

Shipping with amazon is much cheaper (or free)

Spiegelau IPA glass

Looks similar to the Spiegelau IPA glass

http://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-2-Pack-Classics-Glass-19-Ounce/dp/B00BTPUT3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425174117&sr=8-1&keywords=ipa+glass

Amazon

Spiegelau 2-Pack Beer Classics IPA Glass, 19-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTPUT3S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kJH7yb3BE1FJB

"Randy Mosher, one of America’s leading experts on the topic, thinks so. [...]

At a recent beer-tasting event held at the Workman headquarters, Randy told me that, generally speaking, bottled beer should be poured straight into the dead center of the glass, not into a glass tilted at a 45-degree angle, as is popularly believed. When beer is poured into a tilted glass, Randy argues, the head never fully forms, and you miss out on the beer’s creamy introduction.

True to his word, in Tasting Beer, Randy describes how beer should be poured for judging at a competition: 'Pour the beer right down the middle of the glass, wait for the foam to settle, and if needed, pour a little more.'”

source

edit 01: formatting

edit 02: i got the straight down pour from reading the book, but he does also go on about how you're not "wrong" to pour it other ways, just a method he pushes. he actually goes into another multiple step method of pouring down the center harder, letting it settle, and repeating. i've done it but the time it takes isn't worth the result in most cases.