What's in the Carboy (or tank?)

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

Okay, let's get this party started ... whats brewing right now?

[Rob DeNunzio]

In secondaries: a scotch ale and a cyser, both for some good Easter weekend action.

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

cyser ...? Is that a mead?

[Rob DeNunzio]

Sorry, yes! Kinda... It's a hybrid of apple cider and mead. We've been making it for more years than I can remember as a little way of celebrating the fall harvest. You take the last fruit of the season, and enjoy it just when all's back in full bloom. Not bad, right?

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

Excellent ... we are certainly mead-friendly here. I love apples and it sounds truly amazing to me! Is the process more similar or dissimilar to brewing beer? I'm betraying my utter lack of knowledge about mead-making.

[Rob DeNunzio]

Brewing it is almost as easy as not doing anything at all (which is actually all the traditional cider makers do anyway). Although we've tried letting the fruit go au naturale, I tend to get impatient and inoculate it with some fresh yeast. All we do now is warm up the fresh cider enough to dissolve the honey, and then pack it away in a carboy, racking off the lees a couple of times before kegging it...

[Deege]

I just kegged a Märzen, and now my fermenters are beer-dry. I've got a few wines going, but I think I need a new beer to make the next weekend. Maybe a mexican beer for the summer? My neighbors are complaining that they don't remember the tripel I made last year too well. :) They thought it was like Bud and drank it very quickly.

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

A tripel like Bud, huh? There's a stretch ...

Given you just completed a Marzen, what's your refrigeration set-up? Haven't gone into lagers yet myself, but I admire those who do ...

[Deege]

I have a freezer with a thermostat. I've just started doing lagers myself. Unfortunately it hold 4 kegs, or one fermenter and one keg. It's a rough trade off. I'm considering finding a second fridge for lagering only.

[Rob]

Well just bottle a trappist style beer...light, nice malt accents, and an interesting flavor. Next batch is going to be another monastery beer. I am trying the Lefse Blonde from Northern Brewer, but I have to wait until the wife is gone to brew...something about nausea and being pregnant.

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

See Rob, that's why you need to come over and brew with me ... no pregnant wife ( as far as I know!)

[Wilson]

I've got a porter and coconut porter ready to keg one night this week, and a Flanders Red that's been in secondary for almost 6 months.

[gisbrewmaster]

A Double hop IPA is in secondary. I bottle Tuesday. Then I am going to try mead for the first time once the ingredients arrive in the mail. Got the honey local.