Yesterday I left my old life behind

[Bocc69]

You are not crazy.

Some may argue this statement , but your explanation was very helpful, and appreciated.

I will go forth, to spread the word.

You are wise beyond your years, oh beer master.

 

[eSGEe]

THATS IT!

Not warm - room temperature. The rationale is that it tastes good. The only reason you chill drinks is to stop them tasting of anything.

Actually I don't drink beer, but that is what I'm told.

I knew there was something "odd" about you Don/........no beer?!?!?! ugh --- shoot me --- A good dark rich stout keeps life worth living ---:dood:

 

[BlackSG91]

It's too bad I'm a reformed alcoholic or else I'd order from you Garh. What's the strongest beer (alcohol %) you've ever brewed? I liked my Faxe beer from Denmark at 10% alc./vol. The first time I tried it was over 10 years ago. I woke up the next morning in my bath tub. It sure did the trick.


;>)/

 

[Gahr]

It's too bad I'm a reformed alcoholic or else I'd order from you Garh. What's the strongest beer (alcohol %) you've ever brewed? I liked my Faxe beer from Denmark at 10% alc./vol. The first time I tried it was over 10 years ago. I woke up the next morning in my bath tub. It sure did the trick.


;>)/

Honestly, I'm not sure what the strongest beer I ever made was. The alcohol as such is not important, only if it is seen in relation to the other flavors of the beer. Certain styles demand higher amounts of alcohol, but it all has to do with which balance you want to achieve in the product. That being said, I think the strongest we have ever brewed here at the brewery is around 10,5 %. The strongest I've made at home is around 12 %, and I've made a couple of fruit wines and a mead at close to 18 %. It is technically possible to make fermented drinks of around 25 %, but then you need special yeast strains and a special process in order for the yeast to tolerate the high level of ethanol. There are breweries who have made stronger "beers" (the Scottish brewery Brewdog is the most famous example), but then the beer has been freeze distilled to remove water to get a higher alcohol concentration. I think the current world record is 60 % abv. Basically this is done for marketing.

On a more serious note: I hope you stay on the straight and narrow, Black. You deserve to be happy, and drinking too much is never good. Alcohol is a dangerous substance that should be treated with respect. I know you know this, I'm not saying it to preach! But working in the industry I get a lot of comments on how my job must be a party all the time. It definitely isn't. While I certainly have had my fill on numerous occasions, I am very aware of the potential problems of drinking. Throughout the day we quite often have to taste our products in order to check the quality and try to spot potential off flavors early. We always make a point of spitting (like wine tasters do). Most days I don't drink anything at home either. A beer or two every now and then, but with kids in the house I keep it at a minimum. Beer is fun, but caution is important.

 

[Gahr]

So, after having sold off almost all of my hombrew gear over the last few weeks, I was left with a good lump of money. Like I mentioned, some on it was spent on soccer gear for my youngest kid, new shoes for my oldest, and most of it will be spent on a family holiday. However, I reserved some of it for myself as well. Today the stuff I bought arrived. It was stupidly expensive, and it remains to be seen whether it was worth it or not, but I guess I can sell it and get a good deal of my money back if I'm not happy. Yes, I could have bought a whole guitar instead, but I don't need more at the moment.

So, what did I buy? I bought this:

A set of Throbak PG-102 humbuckers. A5 magnets, 8,2K neck, 8,6K bridge.

At a ridiculous price, but right now I don't care. This is a treat for myself for selling what I consider to be a large piece of my identity. I'll probably have time to put them in and play them on Friday. They will replace the set of Bare Knuckle PG Blues (which I actually love!) in my Derek Trucks SG. I have plans for the Bare Knuckles, but we'll see. I know this is stupid and I really shouldn't have done it, but right now I don't care.

At least the shipping was free, and I got a complimentary set of strings and a couple of picks...

 

[jtcnj]

Good for you Gahr; I hope they are all you expect and more!
Thanks for sharing the very informative beer info.

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Nice pickups Gahr,rock on.

 

[Gahr]

I put them in as soon as I finished work today. Well, I hung around to have a beer in the rec room at the brewery first, it 's Friday after all. But when I came home I broke out the soldering iron and had it done. Now, this is only a first impression, based on playing in my living room (a bit louder than I should have, though) through the AC4 for about half an hour.

My first reaction was basically "Holy Hell!". They sound good. The first thing I noticed was that the output was noticeably louder than the Bare Knuckles PG Blues. Expectedly so, considering that the Throbaks are A5 as opposed to A2, and they clock in at 8.2K (neck) and 8.6k (bridge), as opposed to 7.2k and 8.1k in the Bare Knuckles. The top end is clearer, and string separation is better. They drive the amp harder, but clear up really well when the volume is turned down. I can't wait to play them through the AC30 at band volume.

I don't have any conclusion yet as to how good the pups are, but so far I'm happy. Are they worth the price? Probably not, considering what you can get for a lot less money, but they are definitely the best sounding pickups I have ever had in any guitar. I guess we are talking about personal preference and diminishing returns. And at that price i damn well WANT them to sound good, so subjectivity definitely plays a big part as well. But I'm happy, and that's what matters on a Friday night when you just popped open a beer and sit down to play your guitar after a long week of work!