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Popped open my first brew today. It's a dubbel. The bottle didn't geyser beer all over the kitchen like it did the first day, either, which was nice. I really like it! Tastes recognizably like a dubbel! There is a definite alcoholic kick-my wife says it ought to be served in a shot glass. The only problem is that there are little 'floaties' in the beer. I assume this is from bottling straight from the fermenter? They don't seem to affect the taste any. Also, I am tasting a bit of tangy banana, but I kinda like it. The Dregs fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Apr 20, 2012 |
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Apr 20, 2012 14:36
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Congrats! And those bits are probably just hop particles or yeast bits. I wouldn't worry about it.
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Apr 20, 2012 15:22
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The Dregs posted:I assume this is from bottling straight from the fermenter? They don't seem to affect the taste any. Also, I am tasting a bit of tangy banana, but I kinda like it. If you leave it to settle and then pour it super carefully leaving the sediment in the bottle you will most likely get rid of most of that stuff. Yeah it means a slight loss of beer but you can minimize it by pouring against a light so you can see when the mass of stuff is about to hit your glass. Not that it matters for much other than aesthetics, just like Daedalus Esquire said. Well, that and potential resulting bloating.
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Apr 20, 2012 15:29
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The Dregs posted:There is a definite alcoholic kick-my wife says it ought to be served in a shot glass. If you let it age a bit more that alcoholic kick should mellow a bit. Tangy banana might imply trying a slightly lower ferment temperature next time, but if you like that flavor then you're golden. I brewed a really really simple Bavarian hefe a couple months ago, and I have to take a second to brag about it. It's seriously the best Bavarian hefe I've tasted. Pils, winter wheat, tiny bit of carapils (cheating, I know), Hallertau hops, WLP380. Judging from this result, I really, really like WLP380! More recently I did a double decoction Bohemian pils using Wyeast 2278, and I'm super happy with it based on the taste I got when I transferred it to the lagering container. I posted many pages back asking about diacetyl production with this yeast, and the answer is that I got basically none. When I do lagers, I pitch at 42-44F and let it rise over the first 24 hours to 48F; with both Wyeast 2278 and WLP833 this has led to superb results (those are the only two lager strains I've used to this point). Right now the ferment fridge is housing a second batch of my Helles recipe from last year. I modified the mash schedule a bit (still double decoction, just changed the rests around a bit) and added a small bit (5%ish) of Carapils to improve the body and head retention slightly. I'm noticing that the WLP833 seems to ferment a bit faster than the Wyeast 2278 at the same temperature. The 2278 fermented slow and steady for almost 3 weeks (!) before finally clearing, whereas the 833 stopped producing substantial CO2 just before the 2-week mark. One thing I learned the hard way from my last Helles: don't bother trying to use a "correct" strain for bottling, just get something that will ferment clean and compact down nicely. I used a lager yeast to bottle condition the first batch and if you weren't really careful when pouring you'd get a sour apple taste from yeast in the pour. More recently I've used US-04, but Chris White recommends using US-05 (WLP001) despite the slightly lower flocculation because it compacts sufficiently to stick to the bottom of the bottle and doesn't tend to break free in chunks like US-04.
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Apr 20, 2012 15:32
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How do you guys get familiar with all the various yeast strains? Is there a good resource out there I should read? I should really be reading one or more of the books that are always being discussed.... I'm starting to accumulate more equipment to get my brewing gear to a more advanced level. Thermostat for the fermentation fridge is on its way, and I bought a new 9gal stainless steel brew pot. The brew pot came with one port near the bottom, where I've got a ball valve and spigot attached with the intention of using that to drain the wort after its cooled. I guess I'm concerned with how I should be aerating the wort now. In my first three batches, I just poured it directly from the pot into my bucket and sloshed it around while doing so. I'm expecting this to be a lot more difficult if its going to be draining out of the pot through some tubing. Should I just do the same thing?
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Apr 20, 2012 15:48
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Sirotan posted:How do you guys get familiar with all the various yeast strains? Is there a good resource out there I should read? I should really be reading one or more of the books that are always being discussed.... This was mentioned not too long ago: a damned huge spreadsheet of yeast types - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmRc5_x3ehAfdFhBQ3pmczhqdHUtbmFONUYyZzVEY0E&authkey=CP-m-dUJ#gid=3 edit on a completely different note: I know it's a beer kit but this site I've ordered from just emailed about these. I don't know what to make of them, off hand. Kaiho fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Apr 20, 2012 |
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Apr 20, 2012 15:56
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Sirotan posted:I guess I'm concerned with how I should be aerating the wort now. I bought an O2 setup that screws onto the little oxygen canisters you can get from Home Depot, and it's awesome. Oxygenate like a bastard before pitching, enjoy awesome results. Someone commented to me that I treat my yeast better than I treat my cat. Well, duh, I don't eat the cat's poo poo.
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Apr 20, 2012 16:00
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Got a link to the O2 setup you bought?
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Apr 20, 2012 16:03
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Jo3sh posted:I think basil would be really excellent in a clear, golden beer or a sweet mead. I have five varieties of basil in my garden, so even if no one plant gets big enough to pick over in time, I may do a blend and give him that. All put together, they should have lots of different notes. The lemon basil tastes as the name suggests, the Thai basil is kind of musky, the Red Rubin and Greek Globe are crisp and spicy, and the Italian has more of a mellow, sweet flavor.
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Apr 20, 2012 16:08
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kwantam posted:Someone commented to me that I treat my yeast better than I treat my cat. Well, duh, I don't eat the cat's poo poo. Requesting thread name change. I'm trying out a BIAB decoction mash tonight as a pilot batch for a doppelbock I want to brew when I get my fermentation fridge set up. Are there any good resources for learning how to hit the right temperatures in a decoction mash that I should go over first?
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Apr 20, 2012 16:22
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Sirotan posted:How do you guys get familiar with all the various yeast strains? Is there a good resource out there I should read? I should really be reading one or more of the books that are always being discussed.... Thread correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the quick and dirty way to do this be just to let gravity aerate by letting the cooled wort flow from the hose into your fermenter from a suitable height to make it splash?
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Apr 20, 2012 16:33
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Mikey Purp posted:Thread correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the quick and dirty way to do this be just to let gravity aerate by letting the cooled wort flow from the hose into your fermenter from a suitable height to make it splash? Possibly. I think you would have better results with pumping through some kind of spray nozzle, or by using a venturi to entrain air.
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Apr 20, 2012 16:40
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If you're trying to aerate by gravity in the first place, put a sanitized strainer over the fermenter so the wort is forced to become a million tiny drops, like manufacturing BBs.
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Apr 20, 2012 16:41
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Splizwarf posted:If you're trying to aerate by gravity in the first place, put a sanitized strainer over the fermenter so the wort is forced to become a million tiny drops, like manufacturing BBs. Cool, this is actually what I wanted to do since it will double as my way to filter out all the hop bits. And thanks for the link to the Google Docs yeast spreadsheet!
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Apr 20, 2012 16:53
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Splizwarf posted:Got a link to the O2 setup you bought? This one: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2437 Not super cheap but the O2 bottles aren't very expensive and they last a while (I've oxygenated at least 40-50 gallons with my present bottle and it's still going strong). internet celebrity posted:I'm trying out a BIAB decoction mash tonight as a pilot batch for a doppelbock I want to brew when I get my fermentation fridge set up. Are there any good resources for learning how to hit the right temperatures in a decoction mash that I should go over first? I like the discussions in the Helles book by Dornbusch, http://www.amazon.com/Bavarian-Lager-Beerhall-History-Techniques/dp/093738173X
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Apr 20, 2012 23:51
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Sirotan posted:How do you guys get familiar with all the various yeast strains? Is there a good resource out there I should read? I should really be reading one or more of the books that are always being discussed....
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Apr 21, 2012 02:02
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indigi posted:Reading will only tell you so much, unfortunately. The only way to get a handle on a strain is to use it more than once and take a lot of notes. Some of the more popular/distinct commercial yeasts you'll already be familiar with, but even that falls down when it comes to many Belgians, as a little variation can lead to wildly different results (I've found this to be the case with WLP500 especially). Having had a chance to try the yeast flights at White Labs, let me just say that if there was ever a doubt how much a yeast plays in the role of a beer, it was completely shattered for me after that day. It's truly remarkable what variance you can create given different yeasts. I know the en vogue thing to do is the single hop IPA, but I'm waiting for someone to crank out a line of Belgians with single yeasts, something in the dubbel/tripel vein, to show the public how unique those strains are.
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Apr 21, 2012 02:35
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I did a Spotted Cow 'clone' with the Wyeast Kolsch strain and it tasted Kolsch as gently caress. I can imagine it being a completely different beer had I used something like 1056.
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Apr 21, 2012 03:21
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wattershed posted:
In the beer thread like a week ago they were talking about westy 12 vs ABT 12 and someone made the comment 'well, who cares they're the exact same recipe except only the yeast is different' and I wanted to scream (on the internet) about how that's precisely the difference but it was well past the discussion when i saw it. I feel like beginners overthink their grain bill while basically picking their yeast out of a hat like an after thought.
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Apr 21, 2012 05:16
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Have any of you guys tried any Hitachino Nest beers? Something truly special. I tried a few, and the Red Rice Ale stood out. How the hell would I go about achieving something that smooth and complex and strange and drinkable?wattershed posted:I know the en vogue thing to do is the single hop IPA, but I'm waiting for someone to crank out a line of Belgians with single yeasts, something in the dubbel/tripel vein, to show the public how unique those strains are. I now know what to do if I'm short for a project. I'm drinking a kit tripel now which is nice and complex but am just imagining how it would have turned out if I'd thrown in a brand-name Belgian yeast.
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Apr 21, 2012 13:05
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Spergio Leone posted:I now know what to do if I'm short for a project. I'm drinking a kit tripel now which is nice and complex but am just imagining how it would have turned out if I'd thrown in a brand-name Belgian yeast. Yeah, I find yeast to be the coolest part of all of this. I'm tempted to buy more apple juice at whole foods (1gal carboys on the cheap) just so I can pitch a slew of yeasts. I'm reading Farmhouse ales as my going-to-bed book and it's really got me thinking about how forced into styles we (american/brits) are as well as the fact that we are lead to believe that adjuncts=bad mostly because of all the 'Lite' bashing done by the homebrew community at large. As an example: most biere de gardes have about 20% of their 'bill' as sugars like sucrose.
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Apr 21, 2012 13:56
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If anything I'd call it a German phenomenon co-opted by craft beer marketing. It definitely sounds cool to say your following the precious purity of FREAKING 1516 Reinheitsgebot, even though most reasons for it's inception are flat-out obsolete.
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Apr 21, 2012 14:58
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Here's a newbie question for you. I wanted to dry hop this new Citra Pale Ale I am getting ready but all I have left is some Sorachi Ace and there seems to be no more Citra hops anywhere in the world. I have read that this variant of hops is used more for bittering than aroma so is there any point in doing this? If the Sorachi Ace thing is a no-no, what should I seek out for dry hopping later on (maybe in the keg)? Cascade? Thanks in advance.
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Apr 21, 2012 15:12
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I've used Sorachi Ace for dry hopping, and I like it, but not everyone agrees; I have seen some mixed reactions to that variety. I do think it's likely to complicate (and not in a necessarily good way) an all-Citra beer because SA is lemon where Citra is grapefruit. I think you'd be well-served with Cascade, Centennial, Summit, Ahtanum, or Simcoe.
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Apr 21, 2012 16:14
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Jo3sh posted:I've used Sorachi Ace for dry hopping, and I like it, but not everyone agrees; I have seen some mixed reactions to that variety. I do think it's likely to complicate (and not in a necessarily good way) an all-Citra beer because SA is lemon where Citra is grapefruit. I think I'm going to hold off for now, just see how it tastes and smells with the all-Citra hopping and add some Ace if it needs something extra. I was hoping for the extra citrus-y nose but don't necessarily want to impart that in the taste so much. I might hold off and use the Sorachi ace for an American Wit that is on deck. Thanks a lot for the reply.
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Apr 21, 2012 16:21
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kwantam posted:This one: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2437 I've been looking into something like this as well. I can't remember if its wyeast or white labs' website, but the amount of oxygen dissolved this way is way higher, by 2-3 times ppm, compared to any other technique. Which oxygen bottles do you use? The ones for the little oxygen torches?
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Apr 21, 2012 18:47
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On the oxygen aeration stone, I have the one from Austin Homebrew, and it's nice. However, ONE of the shops had one where the stone was on a 2' plastic/metal rigid tube. Buy that one instead. The plastic tubing on the AHS one stays curled and I feel like I should have it deeper in the wort. One day I'll take it apart and fix it. Or something. And yeah, it's the red tanks from Lowe's / Home Depot. I just let it rip for 30 seconds. I'd also be interested to see a table of time and dissolved oxygen.
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Apr 21, 2012 19:12
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Alarbus posted:On the oxygen aeration stone, I have the one from Austin Homebrew, and it's nice. However, ONE of the shops had one where the stone was on a 2' plastic/metal rigid tube. Buy that one instead. The plastic tubing on the AHS one stays curled and I feel like I should have it deeper in the wort. http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_oxygenation.cfm This is the one that I saw, but I definitely would like to see a better table. I'll keep my eyes open and post one if I find it.
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Apr 21, 2012 19:43
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Alarbus posted:On the oxygen aeration stone, I have the one from Austin Homebrew, and it's nice. However, ONE of the shops had one where the stone was on a 2' plastic/metal rigid tube. Buy that one instead. The plastic tubing on the AHS one stays curled and I feel like I should have it deeper in the wort. Ah yes, this is one issue with it. I sanitize a long plastic rod and use a length of sanitized paperclip to attach the tubing just above the stone to it, then move the rod around near the bottom of the carboy while oxygenating. Having a stiff length of tubing just above the stone would be a good solution, too.
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Apr 21, 2012 19:54
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My brew buddy and I entered a contest this weekend and won 6th place out of 40! We got a starter kit, beer kit, and joy of homebrewing 3rd edition. Not bad for a beer that sat in a fermenter on my bedroom floor for 3 months with only the window air conditioner pointing at it to keep it cool in the summer.
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Apr 21, 2012 21:03
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I use the aeration setup from williams brewing. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WORT-AERATION-C106.aspx
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Apr 21, 2012 21:31
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Jacobey000 posted:Yeah, I find yeast to be the coolest part of all of this. I'm tempted to buy more apple juice at whole foods (1gal carboys on the cheap) just so I can pitch a slew of yeasts. Also, pretty much every english brewery includes a significant amount of adjunct sugar in their beers. This somehow gets swept under the rug by the homebrewing community.
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Apr 21, 2012 22:19
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il serpente cosmico posted:Also, pretty much every english brewery includes a significant amount of adjunct sugar in their beers. This somehow gets swept under the rug by the homebrewing community. "Man, adjunct beers are total bullshit!" [brews dubbel with candi sugar, old ale with molasses, stout with oatmeal and lactose] On a non-snarky note, I recently brewed my first homebrew since coming back from Denmark, with my brother-in-law helping out. I used a recipe based on one of the beers I did professionally overseas, Executioner IPA. I got lower extract than I wanted (1.064 instead of 1.070), but otherwise it turned out excellently, and much like the production recipe - dry, bitter and intensely aromatic.   I'll happily give out the recipe if anybody's interested - it's definitely a hop bomb, but still exceptionally drinkable. Unfortunately, the 7-gallon Rubbermaid cooler I use for my hot liquor tank has had its interior lining peel off to a major degree, and the valve is leaking pretty badly. Is there any way to save this, or is it pretty much a loss at this point?
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Apr 22, 2012 03:29
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Ubik posted:
I'd like to see it, and I'm sure others would too.
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Apr 22, 2012 05:01
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Burner chat time! I'm going to be upgrading to a new burner soon. I've been trying to do my homework on them, and I think I am leaning towards the Bayou Classic KAB6. It's got a 22" stand, and can support up to 40 gallon pots. Right now I am rocking a 15 gallon kettle that is 18 inches wide. The Blichmann is also on the short list, mainly for its advertised ability to convert to natural gas. I have the plumbing for a gas line in my garage where I brew, so I have been thinking about switching to a natural gas setup, but the Blichmann goes from like 72k BTU to 60k switching it to natural gas. The KAB6 is rated at 210k (holy crap). What are you guys all using? Seems like the 10 and 23 jet tip natural gas burners they sell on Bayou Classic are problematic judging by what people say about them.
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Apr 22, 2012 05:12
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Jo3sh posted:I'd like to see it, and I'm sure others would too. For 5.5 gallons: 7# Maris Otter 6# Pilsner 0.5# Carapils/Cara 20 1.4 oz. Galena (13.00% AA) @60 1 oz. Centennial @20 1 oz. Amarillo @10 1 oz. each Amarillo & Centennial @0 1 oz. each Amarillo, Centennial & Galena dry-hopping for 3 days 1 packet US-05 yeast 1 teaspoon gypsum in the mash. Mash @153F for 60 minutes. Boil for 90. Ferment for 7 days before adding dry hops, then let sit 3-5 days before kegging (or bottling, but I'd wait longer or transfer the beer over to get the hop debris out of there). Targets: 1.068 OG 75 IBU 6-8 SRM 1.015-1.012 FG 6.5-7% ABV I like the blend of pilsner and MO for the grist - it gives a subtle but complex maltiness, while keeping the beer nice and dry. You could probably even pass over the C20 entirely if you just mashed a bit higher, too. And Galena is actually a pretty fun hop, in my opinion - nice pineapple and lime characteristics that dovetail nicely with the Amarillo and Centennial. And before you berate me for using dried yeast without doing a starter or even rehydrating, that's actually what we did for the beer at the brewery too. 
RocketMermaid fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Apr 22, 2012 |
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Apr 22, 2012 05:50
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Huge_Midget posted:Burner chat time! I can only speak for the KAB6, here's my high-level thoughts on it... -can work up a healthy and sustained burn -is pretty quiet overall, though I don't know how it would compare to other burners -is somewhat inefficient UNLESS you build up a collar around it which shields the flame from the wind. I did this in 20 minutes with ~$15 worth of parts from Home Depot, and can give more details/pics if you'd like. -the 210k BTU claim is crap, and has been proven as much by those who know how to test this stuff. what is it exactly? no clue, but I'm not left wanting for heat when I use mine.
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Apr 22, 2012 06:20
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Huge_Midget posted:Burner chat time! I'm running those burners on natural gas. That KAB6 uses the standard 10" banjo burner that everybody in the world, Blichman included, uses. There is nothing at all special about the burner casting whether it's advertised for high pressure, low pressure, or natural gas. The orifice is the only difference. From what I could tell the only advantage to the Blichman is the fancy stainless stand and ability to attach to one of their tiered systems. You can buy NG orifices or drill yours out. My burners came configured with high pressure propane and I bought NG ball valves for $7/ea from Brewer's Hardware. I did a water test today of my PID tuning on my stand's HLT buner. I ended up taking 14.5 gallons of water from 72 degrees to 168 degrees in just over 70 minutes on 8"WC natural gas using the brewer's hardware ball valve on banjos with recirculation. I'm using 15 gallon Megapots that are 18" wide so I think they're probably the same as yours. With about 5 gallons in the same configuration I had about 2 degrees/min. I just got the system up and running and my only basis for comparison is my stovetop, but they burn really freaking hot and I'm totally happy with my rate of change.
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Apr 22, 2012 06:29
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Ubik posted:Awesome Sounding IPA A few questions. 3 oz of dry hopping sounds super aromatic! How many do you think you can drink before you get tired of it? Also, why do you boil 90 when your first hops are at 60?
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Apr 22, 2012 16:59
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TenjouUtena posted:A few questions. 3 oz of dry hopping sounds super aromatic! How many do you think you can drink before you get tired of it? Also, why do you boil 90 when your first hops are at 60? Guessing here: color/flavor when you boil longer you get more 'caramel' flavors. But I dunno if 90min is long enough to do so - someone correct me.
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Apr 22, 2012 18:20
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