Right now I'm thinking about my next batch and my batch after that. Unfortunately, brewing beer isn't something that you can start tomorrow and reap the benefits of a few days later. Fermentation and carbonation (you can force carbonate with a keg system which cuts time significantly, but that's a different blog post) can often take months to complete, so you always need to think about what you will want to be drinking next month, the month after, or even six months later some times. Right now it's mid June so I could potentially start a Summer brew, but I'd rather take my time and work on something I can let "marinate" properly. I'm thinking my next beer will be Pumpkin and, if I can get some more equipment, maybe I'll start a darker, heavier beer for this winter.
Speaking of equipment, an issue I've run into is needing some random supply last minute. I needed a floating thermometer last time and I completely slept on it until I was laying out all of my stuff the day of the brew. I typically get my supplies from Midwest Supplies which has everything you could possibly think of. But since I needed it that day, online ordering wasn't an option. Luckily, we have a home brew store about 30 minutes from my house, Annapolis Home Brew, which has a strong selection of equipment as well as recipe kits, grains, hops, etc. So I went, got my thermometer, and it only pushed my timeline back by an hour or two.
Recently, a friend of mine told me about a liquor store nearby that has started selling home brew supplies, as well. I had forgotten about this until my friends over at Monocle Brewing had mentioned they were about to bottle but had run out of bottle caps. I mentioned to the Co-Head Brewer at Monocle that a buddy of mine had mentioned this place, but I couldn't vouch for the store and their stock. So she ended up calling the place to verify they did indeed have HB supplies and they had caps in stock. I was pretty excited about checking out this new store, so I detoured on my way home from work.
When I first walked in, it took me a minute to find the HB section. Yes, it's that small. Even though it's a small section, I was happy to see there's another option if you need something in a pinch.
The above picture shows muslin bags, wort chiller, carboy bungs (in the red Tupperware), cleaners, hydrometers, thermometers, etc.
This picture shows their selection of recipe kits, bottling buckets, cappers, brew kettle, flavor additives, and HB Kit. Again, there's not much of a selection.
This pic shows a few books, including Dave Miller's Home Brewing Guide and a few recipe books, grains, malt extracts, and small buckets.
This picture shows open grains-- I guess you're supposed to help yourself. Although, I didn't notice any bags. At first I thought this was pretty cool...until I started wondering if they leave it open like that all the time. Like when they're gone for the night. And if they have any nighttime visitors of the rodent kind. This store is conjoined to a pub, which has a lot of greasy food...so it's not out of the realm of possibility. So I think I'll stick to getting my grains from somewhere else, where I don't think about rat contamination.
So even though Londontowne Wine and Spirits has a VERY limited supply, I appreciate the fact that there's another option if I need something quickly. Their prices, just like Annapolis Home Brew, aren't very good, but I suppose the convenience factor makes up for it. If you're looking for something that's more than $10 or you can wait a week, just get it online. For example, the book I mentioned above by Dave Miller was $20 at Londontowne, but you can get it on Amazon for $11. It's good to support local businesses, but not at twice the price!
I'll try to update this more frequently, but for now I have to scoot. Seeeeeya
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