Swap Kegs / Guest Taps

[bwarbiany]

I'm in the process of building my 5-tap keezer, which will end up leaving me with a nearly-functional (just need a regulator and a few hoses / fittings as I already have a spare CO2 tank) 3-tap kegerator available for use. I've been considering selling it, as I don't think I'll ever have 8 beers on tap (and can expand my keezer to 6 taps if necessary).

But last night I thought of a different idea. Many of us in brewcommune are brewing 10-gallon batches. Most of us are quite experienced brewers and thus I'd be more than happy to drink some of your beers and [I'd hope] you guys seem to like mine. So I'm wondering if there'd be any interest in doing keg swaps?

With 10-gallon batches and a desire to keep a varied rotation, swapping the '2nd' keg from a batch with another BC member might be a pretty fun trade. And I think it would be pretty cool to have 5 of my own beers on tap and to be hosting 3 "Guest Taps".

Is this something that anyone would be interested in doing?

[brahn]

I think it's a cool idea, but with only two taps and no plans to expand that in the near future I don't have anyplace to put a guest beer on tap.

[ocluke]

That's a good idea. I guess you would have to post what beers you have available or will becoming available, and see what others have that you would be interested in. Maybe there could be a shared Google Doc (or do I call it "Drive" now?) that is accessible to those interested.

[backyard brewer]

I think this is a good idea as well. Not sure how to work out the semantics of it all, but I like the concept.

[lexuschris]

Like the idea!
--LexusChris

[bwarbiany]

Currently in the fermenter I have an IPA, and I usually move through those pretty quickly, so I'll probably keep those two kegs. So the next batch (brew in 2 weeks, available for kegging ~2 weeks later) will probably be a good candidate. And by that time I'll probably have an open slot in the 5-tap kegerator anyway.

I'm thinking something approximating a blond ale, malt split 50/50 between 2-row and pilsner (with probably 10% of each malt home-toasted in the oven). ~5% ABV, 25-30 IBU with a late addition but no dry-hop. S-04.

Sound appetizing to anyone? Got something planned in the pipeline to swap by that time?

(And the more I think about this, the more it occurs to me that I should probably just expand my build to 6 taps and sell the spare kegerator... Maybe Brent might want to buy it and make that expansion anyway )

[bwarbiany]

The below beer is next on the brew schedule (plan to brew it Father's day, should have it kegged & available before the 4th of July).

Anyone want to trade something? Ideally I'd love to see a sessionable saison, as I love to have one around in the summer, probably don't have time in my brew schedule to make one right now, and it's in a very similar ABV/hops/ingredients cost to what I'd be trading. But I'm open to something else if you've got something good.

Let me know.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dirty Blonde

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 13.17 gal
Post Boil Volume: 10.92 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 5.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 77.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.00 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
9.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 50.0 %
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 38.9 %
2.00 lb Toasted Malt (15.0 SRM) Grain 4 11.1 %
2.00 oz Magnum [8.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 32.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 6 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 18.00 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 32.00 qt of water at 161.3 F 153.0 F 60 min

[bwarbiany]

I'll be kegging the dirty blonde later this week if anyone wants to do a swap. Last-minute recipe changes: subbed Saaz for Magnum to roughly the same bitterness level, and used WLP090 rather than S-04. I also added my whirlpool hops during cooling/recirc, after the beer had dropped below 180 deg F, not right at flameout.

Next on the schedule will be a Roggenbier. 50% rye, 50% pils, hefe yeast, and Willamette, shooting for about a 1.048 OG. That'll be done and kegged by the end of July.