Any Homebrewers or Meadmakers around here?

[jsteinhauer]

If there are, what are you all up to. I'm mostly an all-grain homebrewer, but I dabble a little in meadmaking. I also roast coffee, and on occasion make a cheese. I have an affinity for microorganisms, I guess you would say (except for the coffee, but that's the second juice of life (after beer)). My wife also preserves the fruits of our garden, much by natural pickling, which is also fermentation.

I always have four homebrewed beers on tap in a converted chest freezer. Right now, I have a Bavarian Helles, an IPA based on Stone Ruination, a robust porter and an English style ESB. The ESB isn't quite right. It's got too much 75L crystal malt, and it's a little to roasty. It's good, but just not true to style. I have a Czech style Pilsner and a Marzen lagering, and several others conditioning. I have two fully temperature controlled conical fermenters (7.5 gallon). One has a strong stout conditioning. I think I will put some oak chips in that. The other was just brewed. Another American IPA based on Stone Ruination.

I have two 5 gallon batches of mead aging in bulk. Both medium sweet. One white sage honey, and the other orange blossom honey.

I have well water here that is very high in bicarbonates, so I use a RO filter for brewing (and for coffee, for similar reasons). I've brewed with the Big Lake water, too, which is pretty near free of minerals, but has kind of a fishy aroma and needs charcoal filtration. I grow some hops, too. Centennial, Sterling, Nugget, Northern Brewer.

I'd love to discuss good beer, hops, malt, water, methods, etc. I'll discuss mead, too, but I'm a novice there.