• Five 5-gallon Cornelius Kegs. I think I have three kegs worth of draft fittings, taps, hoses, o-rings, etc. $40 each

• 20-lb CO2 tank with 2-gauge regulator. The regulator has a gauge for tank pressure and line pressure. Best pressure regulator out there for kegging systems. There is still some CO2 in the tank, but it will need to be recharged soon. $25 for regulator and $100 for the tank.

• 7.5 gallon stainless steel brewpot with lid. $50

• BrewMometer stainless steel thermometer. $20

• Three 6-gallon primary fermenter buckets with lids, airlocks, stoppers and spigots. $10 each.

• Three 6-gallon glass carboys with cap/two-spouts, stoppers and airlocks. $20 each

• Bench capper and assorted caps. $15

• Case of 12 22 Oz brown bottles. $5

• Assorted other bits, including many spoons, racking cane, auto siphon, cleaning supplies and brushes, straining bag, and many random spare parts. FREE with purchase of all or most of the above.

I also have a small refrigerator that will fit 1-2 kegs. I drilled a hole through the side for the CO2 line. It ain't pretty, but if you want it with the package, it's yours.

I’ve tried to price everything at about 50% of retail, and the total of all the above as listed is over $500. If you want the entire bundle, I’d take $425.

tags: homebrew beer brew brewing kegerator

An email faux pas
Embarrassing accident
I drink to forget

Written by Captain Hops

References: I really, really, really didn’t mean to hit “Reply to All”.
Thing of the Day: Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins

Sponsor: Buying a New Car? Save time and money with our simple 3-step car-buying secret.

From Central Oregon where I sit, you just can't get enough of Deschutes. (I know, I'm sounding like a broken record with all that I blog about them.) Tonight's no different; I opened up the bottle of 20th Anniversary Wit that the Brewery sent me last week, and enjoyed it thoroughly—enough so that I shamelessly included a blatant promotional photo of the beer below the review.

They've released it under their Reserve Series of 22-ounce bottles, and it should be available throughout the summer (until September). Here's what they say about it:

This unique Belgian-style wheat beer was brewed with zested Curacao orange peel and just enough spices to keep your taste buds guessing. The Deschutes brewers tinkered with the recipe for months at the original Deschutes Brewery and Public House in Bend, Oregon.... A test batch of the Wit was sampled at Portland’s Spring Beer and Wine Festival in March where it won a gold medal.

With its slightly citrus taste and spices, the 20th Anniversary Wit pairs well with spicy Thai dishes like Pad Thai, garlicky Caesar salad, rosemary chicken or smoked cheeses such as Gouda.

It's only 5.5% alcohol by volume, and I like the fact that for their 20th anniversary, they chose to go with something lighter like this—not that there's anything wrong (by any means!) with The Abyss or Black Butte XX, but special beers don't always have to be big beers, you know?

Appearance: Pale golden, slightly hazy, with a thick pure white head reminiscent of beaten egg whites.

Smell: Delicate floral nose punctuated with coriander—though not too strong—and Belgian-y yeast phenols.

Taste: Bitter orange peel, the grainy slightly peppery spiciness that I've come to associate with grains of paradise, a character that reminds me of edible flowers—clover or bachelor buttons or something. Very bright on the tongue. It's tasty and subtle and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Light with a firm presence, delicate and open and refreshing.

Overall: I'm drinking this at about 7:15 in the evening and it's still in the mid-80s outside; this tastes really good and goes down well—it's a winner.

On BeerAdvocate, it only (already?) has 5 reviews, but those tally up to a grade of A-. On RateBeer, there are only 2 reviews, but those average 3.45 out of 5 so far.

Finally, there's that blatantly promotional image I was talking about. I took it myself, it's not something provided to me. But hey, I couldn't resist. (The hops in the background are my own meager vines.)

Reader and prize-winner Chad forwarded me some pictures from a visit to F.X. Matt in Utica to check out the place and give the brewery some support after their near calamitous fire in late May. I like this one the best. The brewery was called the West End Brewing Company in 1888 and appears to be the third name for the operation after the now more familiar F.X. Matt and Saranac monikers.

I love a tripel, and I kinda like Flying Dog. Together, we may perhaps have a tasty brew. This one can be found in 4-packs around the way right now, and it MIGHT be a limited release - not sure. Regardless, I was glad to get my hand on a few of these.

This tripel pours a mildly hazy golden color with quite a lot of dense suspended debris and a light white head that eventually fizzes out to nothing. Throughout it all, though, there is a lot of carbonation here, with steady streams of tiny bubbles rising throughout the life of the beer. The aroma of this beer is very nice with tons of spice, lots of sharp candi sugar, and a ‘pungence’ that slightly burns the nose (in a good way). In the mouth, this is a pretty good tripel. All of the ingredients are here for a good tripel. There is a nice burn on the tip of the tongue, some powerful candi sugar flavors that stick all over the tongue, and a good amount of spice to keep the sweetness from being too cloying. The only downside of this beer is a tangy bitterness that strikes right on the front end of the aftertaste. I can’t really say that this twang ruins the beer - some may even say it adds to complexity - but, for me, it taints an otherwise smooth and simple tripel (which is sorta the way I like ‘em). So, overall, it’s a pretty good tripel. It’s a little more abrasive than I like, and it simply isn’t the best I’ve had. But, in this price range, I can’t say it’s a bad buy.

An article about the STATS Sports bar in Atlanta, Georgia implementing a tap system at patron’s tables was posted a while back. A tap at a restaurant patron’s table definitely sounds illegal, but surprisingly enough it is not. Georgia is not the only state allowing the system, with the inventor, Jeff Libby, getting approval from North Carolina, South Carolina and California for the system.
I definitely see the system’s benefits: better accounting of the beer poured (every drop that comes from the tap is charged, even if it is foam), and less wait staff time moving drinks. I’m not sure of its usefulness in a beer bar however. Two stopping points I can think of, right off the top of my head, would be: cask engine and glassware. Granted both types of drinks (ie something on cask, or something requiring special glassware) could be ordered special but that would cut into the benefit of the system. Also, would the majority of people even look at a beer list if beers (if even a fraction of them) were right there in front of them?
Anyway, I found it interesting and I wanted to mention it to you sevenpack readers. Some day you might be pouring your own beer at your favorite bar.

Greetings from Banff, where it is raining on Canada Day. Good enough weather this morning for pancakes in the park — two tasty pancakes (real maple syrup), a muffin, sausage and fruit juice for $3, perhaps the best food deal of our trip.

There will be no musing this week, but I wanted to remind everybody Friday marks the 17th gathering of The Session. Rob DeNunzio is hosting and the theme is “Drinking anti-seasonally.”

I don’t know if our travels will permit me to participate. (Aside to Mark: If it works to stop in Regina we will — not sure if I will be able to give you a heads up.) Anyway, The Session is open to any bloggers who want to participate. Just post to the theme and drop Rob a note.

It's a funny thing about beer and Canada. Canadians have this relationship to beer that is based entirely around the idea - largely erroneous - that our beer is better. So much so that it becomes a principle of our national existence as this article reminds us:

The poll, broken down into demographic categories, asked 3,114 Canadians coast to coast to coast to list in order of importance the 101 symbols people feel best represent Canada. Not surprisingly, the Maple Leaf was No. 1, hockey No. 2, the flag three. Locally, the answers reflected those findings. However, there were some different findings. "Beer," said Gerry Paris, of Windsor, who was walking downtown wearing a new Maple Leaf flag T-shirt purchased for $6. "I like Canadian beer.... I consider myself patriotic."

Never mind that the three largest national brewers - Labatt, Molson and Sleemans - are now Brazilio-Belgian, American and Japanese respectively or that (as is the case everywhere I suppose) what is most proudly consumed tastes pretty much like every other macro lager on the planet. Doesn't matter. We love our beer and are defined by it in a way that can sometimes seem a bit like an American's association with the work of the founding fathers. But note what Larry is drinking on this maple-esque day of days.

So wherever you are today, like Larry, hoist a macro-lager in honour of our national obsession with macro-lagers and wear some read and white, wouldja?

an in your face tart
so unapologetic
yet so refreshing

Written by Captain Hops

References: Rodenbach Grand Cru
Thing of the Day: Running Press Pocket Guide to Beer, Seventh Edition: The Connoisseur’s Companion to More than 2,000 Beers of the World

Sponsor: Beer Haiku Daily merchandise. Get the official T-Shirts here. They make great gifts!