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Paladine_PSoT posted:I would think you could simmer them at around 140 or so for 10-15 minutes without too much problem, then mash them w/ a sterile bowl and masher and dump into primary. If you were already going to put and pulverize them, why not just sterilize it with campden?
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Jul 30, 2012 00:02
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Docjowles posted:Welp, so far today I've been hit by a surprise thunderstorm just as I went outside to discover I also had a stuck sparge. Grain somehow got under the false bottom and TOTALLY clogged the little plastic tube that connects to the mash tun's ball valve ( Another reason why I'm still doing 10 gal BIAB.
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Jul 30, 2012 00:28
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). Had to dump it into a bucket, disassemble and clean the mash tun, reassemble and sparge. Cool brew day.
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Somehow despite all that I was within 1 point of my intended pre-boil gravity. Here's hoping that's the worst thing that happens with this batch. Also if it wasn't clear, the thunderstorm was literal; it was pouring as I tried to fix this.
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Jul 30, 2012 00:48
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Ran across this today while I was looking at starting my homebrew kit. Sam's Club has aluminum stock pots available online for what appears to be a pretty good price. 20 qt - $40 24 qt - $42 32 qt - $51 40 qt - $56 http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=102996&navAction= So, given that the price isn't all that different going from 5 gallons to 10 gallons, how much stock pot should I be buying here? I don't want to get too little after I tire of extract brewing (or have boilovers on a full 5 gallons) and I don't want to go too large to where I can't move the wort after I'm done cooking (how do you cool something that big anyway?). It seems to me like that 32 quart/8 gallon one might be the sweet spot. What do the experts say? Also have a smallish sink and would like to TRY to boil on an electric stove once everything gets started. So while a super huge pot is awesome looking, I don't want something that is impractical for the other kitchen equipment I have. LaserWash fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 01:12
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The question that comes to my mind is, how are you going to boil all that wort? Assuming you have a propane burner or something, a 32 quart pot is a very sweet spot to be and will give you room to do full-volume extract boils as well as all grain, particularly if you use Fermcap to control foam. But most home stoves (even nice ones) don't really have the power to boil 8 gallons in any reasonable time frame. I can readily boil 3-4 gallons of water for pasta or whatever, but I did an experiment a while ago where I put 8 gallons on, and it took 90 minutes to get up to a boil and never really did get to a rolling boil before I lost patience. For cooling, build or buy an immersion chiller. This is basically a coil of copper tubing that you hook up to a faucet and place in the kettle for the last 20 minutes of the boil or so. Once the boil is over, you run cold water through it to cool the wort. EDIT: Just found this over on homebrewfinds: http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2012/07/125-gallon-kettle-and-propane-burner.html It's bigger than most people need, but excess capacity is rarely a bad thing. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 01:20
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LaserWash posted:It seems to me like that 32 quart/8 gallon one might be the sweet spot. If you're doing 5 gallon batches, that's drat near perfect. My propane burner came with a 30 quart pot (which I now use as a hot liquor tank) that was juuuuuuust too small to do a full volume boil for 5 gallon batches. It worked, but I had to watch it like a hawk. 32 seems good.
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Jul 30, 2012 01:50
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Docjowles posted:If you're doing 5 gallon batches, that's drat near perfect. My propane burner came with a 30 quart pot (which I now use as a hot liquor tank) that was juuuuuuust too small to do a full volume boil for 5 gallon batches. It worked, but I had to watch it like a hawk. 32 seems good. Nah, you actually want *more* than 8 gallons. I have an 8 gallon pot for my 5 gallon batches, and it's not enough for the big beers that need tons of sparging and long boils.
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Jul 30, 2012 03:23
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I'll be on a glass top, electric stove. I've kind of resigned myself to thinking that if this doesn't cut it, I'll have to have the money ready for the lp burner. We already have an lp grill, so at least we have that part taken care of (lp tanks). It looks like I have some thinking to do on the 32 vs 40 quart quandary.
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Jul 30, 2012 04:24
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Jo3sh posted:Maybe posting a picture or three would help, but if you are talking about things like this, I just think of them as tin signs or pub signs. Or tin pub signs. I have also seen them called 'tackers' - the ones I have on my beer fridge have small holes at the corners for tacking them to the wall. Nah, not a tin sign, the ones I'm talking about are much smaller and are usually tacked up on rafters or support beams. I've been having a surprisingly tough time finding a picture of a bar with them, but I finally found one. Up on the beams, between the plates, they are the little brassy things tacked up. Click for a bigger version. 
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Jul 30, 2012 04:35
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I'd be more interested in the fox-like creature that appears to be skulking around on the ceiling
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Jul 30, 2012 04:42
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I've got a 40 quart Update International SPS-40 Stainless Steel Stock Pot and it's awesome. Nice and heavy tri-ply bottom so scorching isn't much of a concern and a 10 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches means very little chance of a boil over. If you look around a bit you can get it from a restaurant supply store for about $100 shipped. It's also sold by a number of brew supply places under various names (Megapot at Northern Brewer) but they will charge 30% more than the restaurant supply places. e: looks like the same company makes an aluminum version. Update International APT-40 40 qt NSF Aluminum Stock Pot which is around $35 + $10 for a lid at various restaurant supply places. Or the Polarware version which is ~$50 and 4 pounds heavier. I've not ordered from any of those sites though so I have no idea if they're good or not. Galler fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 05:25
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LaserWash posted:I'll be on a glass top, electric stove. I've kind of resigned myself to thinking that if this doesn't cut it, I'll have to have the money ready for the lp burner. We already have an lp grill, so at least we have that part taken care of (lp tanks). There is no quandary. Spend the extra $5 and get the 40. You would be a fool to get the 32. I have an 80 qt stock pot and it is not too big for a 5 gallon batch, I can make huge beers 10 gallons at a time and I can easily make 15-18 gallons of a simple ale if I so desired. I used to brew 5 gallons in a 5.5 gallon pressure cooker on the stove. You can't imagine the giant leap in comfort by going for the larger pot. Even when I do a 10 gallon batch I'm barely over halfway capacity in my kettle and it feels great! I don't mess with ferm cap and other stuff anymore
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Jul 30, 2012 05:39
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Hmm. Tested a bottle of my imperial IPA five days after bottling, to find that it has absolutely zero carbonation. I know it's a bit early, but that worries me a bit, considering most of my homebrews - even the high-gravity beers - have at least some degree of carbonation by this point. I didn't reyeast, but the beer was only in the fermenter for two weeks total (one week fermentation, one week dry-hopping), so I figured the yeast hadn't totally fallen out of solution. That might have been a miscalculation, but I was saving the last of my yeast for the stout that's currently blasting away in primary. At what point should I actually start worrying? I know high-gravity beers can take longer to bottle condition, but I'm not used to absolutely nothing happening after a week. I figure another week or two of waiting (and of flipping the bottles to make sure everything is still in suspension) is required before starting to panic. After that point, what could I do to save the beer? This is one reason I miss kegging. 
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Jul 30, 2012 07:25
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Ubik posted:Hmm. Tested a bottle of my imperial IPA five days after bottling, to find that it has absolutely zero carbonation. I know it's a bit early, but that worries me a bit, considering most of my homebrews - even the high-gravity beers - have at least some degree of carbonation by this point. I didn't reyeast, but the beer was only in the fermenter for two weeks total (one week fermentation, one week dry-hopping), so I figured the yeast hadn't totally fallen out of solution. That might have been a miscalculation, but I was saving the last of my yeast for the stout that's currently blasting away in primary. I've had nothing happen for a week a couple of times on lower-gravity bottled beers and they did eventually carb up to normal levels. 
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Jul 30, 2012 09:21
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Galler posted:e: looks like the same company makes an aluminum version. Update International APT-40 40 qt NSF Aluminum Stock Pot which is around $35 + $10 for a lid at various restaurant supply places. Or the Polarware version which is ~$50 and 4 pounds looks like we have a winner. (except no cover... Hmmm...) Polar ware is better because...? LaserWash fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 12:03
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I think I read it in Radical Brewing's section on big beers, but due to the amount of stress the yeast has gone through for a big beer and the high alcohol content in the bottles makes carbing significantly slower. I don't have the big beer experience to relate, but I think he said to expect everything to take about twice as
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Jul 30, 2012 15:26
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Yeah, higher ABV = slower carbing. Our first 8+% beer took over a month to reach acceptable carb levels, we were convinced the whole batch would have to be trashed but it's a good thing we held off.
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Jul 30, 2012 16:25
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Detective Thompson posted:Nah, not a tin sign, the ones I'm talking about are much smaller and are usually tacked up on rafters or support beams. Are those old metal pump clips?
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Jul 30, 2012 16:46
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This is sort of a stupid question, but how do you get your hops into the carboy for dry-hopping? (First dry hop attempt for me, obviously) We're using whole leaf since our store doesn't carry Simcoe in pellets, so I think some kind of weighted bag is in order, but seems like it'll be tough to get that through the 2" neck of the carboy. Probably will use 4 oz or so.
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Jul 30, 2012 16:56
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Blistering Sunburn posted:This is sort of a stupid question, but how do you get your hops into the carboy for dry-hopping? (First dry hop attempt for me, obviously) 4 oz is a lot for a single addition. I would put 2 oz in without a bag, wait a week and add the other 2. Wait one more week (2 in total) and then rack to keg. Just use some mesh around the end of the racking cane and you'll leave all the hops in the fermenter.
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Jul 30, 2012 17:00
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LaserWash posted:looks like we have a winner. (except no cover... Hmmm...) Polarware's aluminum pot looks like it's heavier based on the shipping weight. Unless it has 4 lbs more packaging which seems unlikely. A heavier pot will conduct heat more evenly which lowers the risk of scorching and just tends to work better.
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Jul 30, 2012 17:36
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I saw a bottle of margarita mix at the grocery store and briefly thought about getting it and pitching some wine yeast into it just to see what happens. Should I do it?
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Jul 30, 2012 18:26
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internet celebrity posted:I saw a bottle of margarita mix at the grocery store and briefly thought about getting it and pitching some wine yeast into it just to see what happens. Should I do it? Yes. But it's probably full of sodium benzoate, so nothing will happen.
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Jul 30, 2012 18:39
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Blistering Sunburn posted:This is sort of a stupid question, but how do you get your hops into the carboy for dry-hopping? (First dry hop attempt for me, obviously) Put the hop bag down into the carboy first, leaving only the rim of the bag above the mouth of the carboy. Fold the bag over the mouth of the carboy, then begin stuffing your hops in there. Tie it off and stuff it down when you're done. And while I haven't done it yet, next time I plan on leaving the bag suspended in the middle of the carboy via a neodymium magnet inside the bag and another one on the outside of the carboy. Will also make it a poo poo ton easier to get the bag up and out of the carboy when I'm done with it.
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Jul 30, 2012 18:42
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Bad Munki posted:Yes. But it's probably full of sodium benzoate, so nothing will happen. Water, sugar, lemon and lime juice concentrate, citric acid, gum acacia, natural flavors, and caramel color. I think I'm good.
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Jul 30, 2012 18:43
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The worst that'll happen is you'll end up with yeasty margarita mix. e: stop slacking off, start losing weight
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Jul 30, 2012 18:45
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hbf posted:Anyone ever made a fruit beer with fresh cherries? I have 4 pounds each of Rainier cherries and an unknown tart cherry in my freezer that I picked last weekend. I also brewed a blonde ale which I plan to rack onto the cherries in 2 different carboys (2.5 gal into each). I picked a bunch of tart cherries this weekend for use in a cherry melomel so I've been doing some reading on it in the Compleat Meadmaker book. 8 lbs is in the "strong cherry" flavor range for tart cherries with 5 gallon batch. The low end is 3-4 lbs. If you heat them up at all I would suggest adding pectic enzyme as insurance against haze. There seems to be some debate about pitting. It does add to the flavor and some people like it while others don't. I wouldn't leave it on the cherries with pits for too long though, definitely not more than a month. I was able to pit my cherries pretty easily while they were still fresh by pulling the stems. About half the time the pit came out with the stem and the rest of the time I would just squish it out. Apparently sweet cherries hold on to the pit better and I've heard that using the end of a paperclip to scoop them out works best. In your case since they are already frozen you might be out of luck for pitting. You could probably still do it if you let them thaw and start squishing but it could get messy quick. Either way I think the best method is what Angry Grimace mentioned. Mash up the cherries with a little water in your secondary a day or two before racking and mix in some crushed campden (potassium metabisulfite). When you're doing mead and the ABV is higher you can get away without the campden, but with the lower ABV of beer you probably want to play it safe.
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Jul 30, 2012 18:54
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Holy crap, Oskar Blues' Deviant Dale's PA is amazing.
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Jul 30, 2012 23:59
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Yeah, that poo poo's awesome. I'm going over to NH this week and I can't wait to pick up another pack. Anyone know what hops they use in it? Also, I'm thinking of doing a small batch Yeti clone, but am getting conflicting recipes when I look online. Does anybody have a reliably accurate source for clones? And is it even remotely possible for that I'd design my own imp stout recipe and it come out good?
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Jul 31, 2012 01:38
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The Brewing Network's "Can You Brew It" show is great for clones. Don't recall them doing any Great Divide beers, though. Just because of how the show works (ie they interview their pro brewer buddies) it's very California centric. Oskar Blues' site says Deviant Dales uses "hedonistic Columbus dry-hopping" so I guess that's a big component.
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Jul 31, 2012 02:02
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Here's my 'label' for my IPA: I opened a bottle after 5 days of priming and it tasted great, still a little sweet, but with some nice spicy aftertaste from the wit yeast (I think), and lots of nice citrusy aroma from dry-hopping with Summit.
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Jul 31, 2012 02:41
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My girlfriend and I did our first home brew last night using a kit. Hopefully we'll have a red ale in the upcoming weeks. One thing I noticed was after the boil down (when I added the hops then let it cool), the amount of liquid, which had started at 2.5 gallons of water, was down to 1.5 gallons of wort. Is this amount of evaporation correct? The directions then said to pour it into the fermenter and bring the level up to 5 gallons. After I brought it up to 4.5 gallons, I checked the OG with the hydrometer, and it already seemed to be going out of the desired range of 1.048-1.052 so I didn't add the last half gallon of water. Was this a major mistake? Also, on accident I didn't correct for the liquid being at 73 degrees Fahrenheit when the hydrometer said it should be at 60 degrees to get a good reading. Is this why the OG was going out of range?
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Jul 31, 2012 17:33
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It's better to hit your OG than have exactly 5 gallons of beer. The difference in the reading between 60 and 73 degrees isn't going to be more than a 2-3 points: http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/
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Jul 31, 2012 17:45
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That amount of evaporation isn't unusual, but I would say it's a bit high for a partial boil. I boil off ~3 gallons when I brew, but I usually start with ~8 and I always boil for a full 90 minutes with the pre-hopping boil going as hard as it can without boilover. I agree with Cpt.Wacky regarding hitting your target OG - however with extract brewing it's hard to be off by more than 10% since the sugars are all prepared for you. What I'm thinking may have happened to you is that you didn't mix everything thoroughly enough and your gravity reading was lower are a result (counting that on top of the the .003 error from reading at 73*). it's not going to "ruin" your beer either way, if you follow the instructions and keep fermentation at a reasonable temperature and you will have tasty beer that already beats the pants off most commercial beer. Basically when you taste this batch, try and taste if it's "boozier" than your gravity readings would imply - that would back up my assumption that your gravity reading was artificially low both due to sample temperature and uneven mixing of wort and topoff water.
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Jul 31, 2012 20:35
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Bondii posted:
I did the exact same thing with my brew a couple weeks ago and the final gravity turned out right in the desired range. The brewing process is pretty much food chemistry, so proportion is more important than total amount. If your proportions are off, you might end up with under-utilized ingredients leftover in the wort.
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Jul 31, 2012 20:51
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CalvinDooglas posted:The brewing process is pretty much food chemistry, so proportion is more important than total amount. If your proportions are off, you might end up with under-utilized ingredients leftover in the wort. I think this can't be stressed enough; it's the most important part of every recipe, be it beer, food, concrete, etc.
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Jul 31, 2012 21:14
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Bondii posted:started at 2.5 gallons of water, was down to 1.5 gallons of wort. Is this amount of evaporation correct? You can control the rate of boil-off by how much heat you give it. Also, a tall/narrow pot will evaporate slower than a short/wide pot. To minimize how much you lose, dial in the burner so you keep it right at a rolling boil. You don't need it bubbling furiously - just get it so it turns over by itself. And you did good to shoot for proper OG rather than volume.
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Jul 31, 2012 21:22
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Thanks guys for the help I really appreciate it. Keeping that all in mind. Another question: I've been storing the fermenter in my basement. When I did a temperature reading of the fermenter (with a sticker thermometer) in the morning, it was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon returning to the basement mid-day (at its hottest) the sticker thermometer was around 78-79 degrees. This was a little less than a day after placing it there. Soon as I noticed, I put the fermenter in a larger container of cool water. It's now down to around 72 degrees. Is this still too hot? The things I'm reading online waver back and forth if this might have ruined the batch or not.
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Aug 1, 2012 08:04
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Bondii posted:Thanks guys for the help I really appreciate it. Keeping that all in mind. It's pretty hard to do something that will "ruin" the batch. It might not taste as good when fermented too hot, sure. But ruined is a pretty strong word.
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Aug 1, 2012 08:27
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Assuming you're using a clean ale strain like US-05, Nottingham, WL California, or Wyeast American, then 72 should be acceptable, if on the high end of acceptable. The day spent at 78-79 probably didn't do any good, but it also depends on how far along fermentation was. Temperature control for ales is really only crucial for the first few days when the bulk of fermentation is happening. I usually let my fermenting beers slowly warm to room temp after 3-4 days of fermentation (i.e. once 90% of fermentation is done). This helps keep the yeast from crapping out early - I usually like my beers drier. If I ever purposefully want a beer to under-attenuate then I keep it as cold as recommended for the full 2 weeks.
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Aug 1, 2012 15:47
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