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No Way! Brew Day is on Delay.

February 18, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, FAIL, gadgets and gear

Today was supposed to be the brew day at the Fixx Brewery for the 2012 Sticky Porcupine, but we ran into problems. Xaq Fixx, the resident brewmaster has a day job and his company recently launched a new website, this has meant 10 days in a row pulling 16 hour days and it has finally caught up with him.  He went to bed  around 4AM last night and slept until noon. Not enough time to sanitize the brewery and the equipment, brew, chill, and start fermienting a batch beofe getting back to work for another long night. Hopefully Sunday will be brew day.

In the few hours Xaq has to kill before working he decided to clean the brewery, workshop, and give the kitchen a surgical scrub. When starting on the core of the brewery, pictured above, he discovered that after breaking his thermometer cleaning up on the last brew day he forgot to replace it on the last trip to the LHBS and must order another one. Hopefully a well sanitized digital probe thermometer will work when checking the specific gravity, as the candy thermometer, which works well in the kettle will not fit in the test jar.

Stay Tuned!!

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by XaqFixx

Sticky Porcupine

February 13, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, Drinking, Site News

For the third year in a row Sticky Porcupine will be available at Porc Fest. This is the same recipe I use every year, and as per the tradition, I am only doing one small batch. If you are interested in reserving a bottle contact Xaq by contact form, e-mail or on Facebook with “Sticky Porcupine” – last year all bottles were reserved in less than a week. This year promises a bigger even and an equally small batch – so act while you still can.

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Calling All Porcupine Brewers

February 3, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, Site News

Are you a brewer even thinking about attending the Free State Project’s Porc Fest this summer? Are you interested in Agorism? If you answered yes (or maybe) to both of those question then come join the Porc Fest 2012 Homebrew Planning Group on XaqFixx.com where we are working on the Homebrew Pavilion. Last year was an overwhelmingly huge success for Fixx Brewing, we kept running out of beer, so this year we are hoping to share the experience and better meet demand with the help of people like you while exposing fellow liberty lovers to high quality hand brewed beer.

Porc Fest brings over 1000 liberty lovers together in beautiful Lancaster, NH to meet with like minded people, practice counter economics, hear great speakers, explore alternative currencies and generally have a great time. It is a project to show off the New Hampshire and the Free State Project to perspective movers and supporters as well as unite activist from all over the state.

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The Chemistry of Brewing

February 2, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, How To, video


Care of the Big LIttle Guys at Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) come a great video explaining the chemistry behind a 4 vessel brewery.  Their brew master, featured in this video has gone on to launch his own brewery, Revolver Brewing, in TX.

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Buy or Build: Printable 6 Pack holder

February 1, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, Drinking, gadgets and gear, How To

This nifty little six pack holder can be bought from the designer on Etsy for $30 – but because he is awesome he has also shared the designs for free on Thingiverse so those with access to a Laser Cutter, CNC Machine. or a -decidely low tech - scroll saw (currently my only easy option) can make their own.

Although I have only seen wooden versions, I would love for those with access to the tech to modify the plans to work in acrylic or metal – maybe even grown to handle 6 growlers!

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A Fancy Bottle Opener for a Fancy Beer.

January 27, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, gadgets and gear, Just For Fun

If Forged Stainless isn’t your style and you want to look classy getting tired, as the Two Man Gentleman Band sing, you may be interested in picking up this manually machined cold formed bee’s wax rubbed steel bottle opener. This lovely block of metal is hand numbered and attached to a hand sewn tanned leather strap and can be yours from Adam Hoggset of Richmond, VA on Etsy for just under $50.

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2012: A New Year For Beer and The Man

January 13, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, politics, Uncategorized

It’s 2012, that either means it is the end of the world or that new laws has gone into effect at the beginning of this month. There is good news and bad news depending on what state you are in – sorry for those out west.

California No Longer knows how to party. – As of the first of the year caffeinated beers or malt beverages, now really really crafty figures will have to actually mix their own drinks.

Utah now only allows UNHAPPY hours. – From the state that limits how many drinks you can order per trip to the bar comes a new restriction. No happy hours or drink specials – Now you can pay full price one drink at a time.

It isn’t ALL bad news – it is rather unlikely that the world will end.

Ohio is a cheap drunk – Until this year it cost $4000 annually just for the permit to operate a tasting room. Dropping this requirement means more breweries offering tours and more tastings while there.

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How NOT to Make a Yeast Starter

January 11, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, FAIL, How To, review

 

Thinking Liberty host, Fixx Brewing member and general bad idea expert, Bosco, shares a Beer Fail with us, so we can learn from his mistake. READ MORE AT HIS BREW BLOG

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Smokey & The Undocumented Immigrant

January 5, 2012 in Beer, Brewing, Drinking, politics

Alcohol laws vary from state to state and in some cases county to county – they can vary how much you buy, how strong you buy, where you can buy it, and how you can transport it. This is no surprise to beer loving loving liberty activists, or fans of “Smokey & The Bandit” but was a surprise to Alabama resident Ms. Gloria Crisantes Salazar who faces deportation after being pulled over with a car load of beer she bought in Tennessee. Had she been a citizen, she would “only” be facing charges of tax evasion, felony charges for illegally transferring more than 5 gallons of beer, and perhaps worst of all transferring it in the Cab, rather than the trunk of her car.
Thankfully Hereos like Deputy Cody Lewter and Sheriff Mike Blakely are keeping of safe from Ms. Salzar and her demon liqour stash of 15 cases of Bud Light 40s. According to reports, this bust wasn’t because she was speeding or driving drunk, she wasn’t presenting a threat or nuisance to anyone else on the road. Instead, they received a tip – someone tipped off Sheriff Buford T. Justice about the lady Bandit.

So called “illegal immigrants” with a carload of red neck juice aren’t this southern state’s only beer fear, in fact it’s one of the worst states in the country for fans of the hop infused nectar of the gods. If you get the urge to think about beer in Alabama, stop now.  In Alabama it is illegal to own the equipment to brew your own, it is illegal to posses beer that was brewed at home, it is illegal to transport a keg (better hope they deliver), it’s illegal to open a brewery or brew pub in a building that wasn’t a brewery or brewpub before 1919, and it is illegal to sell beer in any can or bottle more than 16oz.

It isn’t all bad news, in 2009 Alabama finally legalized the strong stuff, allowing sales of beer with an ABV up to 13.9% (Still won’t be able to Sink the Bismark in Utopia, but it is better than the old 6% limit.)  and as of 2011 Breweries can now sell their own beers where they are made, but there is a long way to go.

If you are interested in better the beer bureaucracy in ‘bama check out these great sites:

 

 

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