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GORDON posted:Has anyone ever tried to culture their own yeast? Googling makes it sound kind of hard. I was JUST watching some YouTube videos on this yesterday. Interesting thought to make a cheap batch even cheaper by reusing/washing yeast. What are the dangers of not making it "pure" out of a vial, inflated bag, or a packet of dry stuff? It looks like you could store it in the fridge, but for how long until it goes bad? It also looks like if you did it right, you could pitch a ton more than you would if it came from the vial, bag, or dried up packet. Right?
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Sep 19, 2012 15:43
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This makes it seem reasonably easy, the only problem is the length of time it takes to figure out if you got a good spontaneous blend. http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2011/04/ambient-spontaneous-yeast-starters.html
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Sep 19, 2012 15:53
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What factors play into how long before a yeast gets goin? I pitched 3711 into a 2gallon beer and its been 65-73 (ambient temp) the entire time. But it took 24hours to show any activity and its kinda piddling along. I'd heard this yeast is such a beast at chomping though beer with super fast activity so I'm a tad worried. On a similar note the other batch I brewed I used a 3-4 month old smack pack of northwest yeast and it showed no activity until 30 hours but that seems fine based on how old it was.
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Sep 19, 2012 16:18
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ChiTownEddie posted:What factors play into how long before a yeast gets goin? I pitched 3711 into a 2gallon beer and its been 65-73 (ambient temp) the entire time. But it took 24hours to show any activity and its kinda piddling along. I'd heard this yeast is such a beast at chomping though beer with super fast activity so I'm a tad worried. If you can, boost the temperature. 3711, like other saison yeasts, loves high temperatures. My apartment was 80 ambient through most of the summer and 3711 did a bang up job.
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Sep 19, 2012 16:25
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While that's true of some Saison yeasts (and you could argue that over 70 is high regardless), this one's listed as liking 65-77F according to Wyeast's page about it. Personally, I'm scared of breaching the upper end on yeast ranges when they're over 70F for fear of fusel production. I guess if it worked for you it's good to go, though. How many days has it been? Did you oxygenate your wort? Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 16:32
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^^^ I brewed this Monday and probably pitched the yeast at like 8pm. Last night, late, it had a steady, but slow, rate of bubbling and like 1/2" krausen on the top. Basically was the exact same this morning too. I 'oxygenate' by shaking everything up right before I pitch the yeast for like 30s or so. Nothing too exact or special though. crazyfish posted:If you can, boost the temperature. 3711, like other saison yeasts, loves high temperatures. My apartment was 80 ambient through most of the summer and 3711 did a bang up job. Hmmm. I guess I can try to do something about that. I kind of figure by the time I get home and around to it a lot of fermentation will be done tho. E: To clarify, I'm not particularly worried that something is wrong, just that every other brew has taken off fermenting and so I was curious as to what could have contributed to this being so slow comparatively. ChiTownEddie fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 16:34
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Pretty much the same thing happened to me, when I used 3725 (Bier de Garde) it didn't krausen much and I was concerned that the bucket didn't seal correctly because the airlock never bubbled at all, but we got good attenuation and a wonderful beer out of it. v vIt's going to be what it is, I would just let it run and see what you get. I would think that any changes you make will just stress the yeast at this point and it already sounds like getting the colony grown was a big hassle.
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Sep 19, 2012 16:42
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People make a big deal about lag time (how long it takes the yeast to really get cranking) because it's something you can see and it seems impressive to have a raging ferment within 2 hours. But IMO it's literally the least important thing in the entire process (unless your sanitation sucks and you need yeast in there outcompeting bacteria ASAP). Just chill out and don't mess with it, the beer will be fine even if it takes an extra 12 hours to be done. 3711 is a beast in that it will dry your beer out to like 1.001 even if you mashed at 160, not necessarily in speed of fermentation.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:08
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hehe Fair enough. Man, the worst part about brewing is now waiting to try these! I think I need to join a homebrew club also, my friends are getting annoyed with how much I talk about this stuff.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:29
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ChiTownEddie posted:hehe Fair enough. I probably look like a nerd running to the guest bathroom every evening when I come home... just so I can see how the hooch is coming along. It's been almost 2 weeks now.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:42
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I've done a few beers with 3711, it's a mad man but I haven't had anything crazy as far as a bubbler blowing off or something. You will get drat close to 1.000 if not below. That yeast also does really well aging. 6 months in the bottle really did wonders, looking forward to cracking some 1y coming up here too.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:48
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I'm planning to use my commercial kegerator for the next batch of beer I brew. Is this all I should be looking to purchase? I figured I'd upgrade to threaded connects and a reconditioned stainless steel keg. Do I need to look at anything else? Is there a better place to purchase? In the future, I'd like to run a dual keg system. http://www.homebrewing.org/Homebrew-Kegging-System-BALL-LOCK_p_69.html
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Sep 19, 2012 19:15
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BDawg posted:I'm planning to use my commercial kegerator for the next batch of beer I brew. Is this all I should be looking to purchase? I figured I'd upgrade to threaded connects and a reconditioned stainless steel keg. Once you expand beyond one keg you will want a gas manifold to split the CO2 and feed it to multiple kegs at once. They come in all different sizes. I linked that one because it's on the same site you're buying from, but I really like the design that Morebeer uses. It's modular so if you decide you want to add kegs you just buy a couple new parts, not an entire new manifold. I'm not sure how necessary it is for a fridge but consider getting a dehumidifier. It makes a HUGE difference in how wet and grungy my chest freezer gets, but then again they aren't built to run at temps above freezing.
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Sep 19, 2012 20:13
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LaserWash posted:I was JUST watching some YouTube videos on this yesterday. Interesting thought to make a cheap batch even cheaper by reusing/washing yeast. Yeast washing is pretty simple and I usually hear tine frames of 6 months kept in the fridge. You put wicked genetic pressures on it though and by several generations it can act way different. Keeping slants of strains and propagating from a few cells solves that but that's the part that can be an entire separate hobby.
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Sep 19, 2012 20:18
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zedprime posted:Keeping slants of strains and propagating from a few cells solves that but that's the part that can be an entire separate hobby. Say, what do you do for fun around here? I grow various strains of yeast. I said "for fun" yeah, and?
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Sep 19, 2012 20:29
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Docjowles posted:Once you expand beyond one keg you will want a gas manifold to split the CO2 and feed it to multiple kegs at once. They come in all different sizes. I linked that one because it's on the same site you're buying from, but I really like the design that Morebeer uses. It's modular so if you decide you want to add kegs you just buy a couple new parts, not an entire new manifold. With a system like that, it looks like you can't control the pressure to each keg. When you want for force carbonate a new keg, can you just disconnect an existing keg without losing pressure?
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Sep 19, 2012 20:38
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BDawg posted:With a system like that, it looks like you can't control the pressure to each keg. When you want for force carbonate a new keg, can you just disconnect an existing keg without losing pressure? You can get multi-pressure regulators to keep different kegs at different pressures, though they're pricey. And yeah, homebrew kegs are designed to hold pressure even if there's not a gas line actively hooked up. There's a little bit called a "poppet" that sits in the post and presses upward creating a seal. Putting a disconnect onto the post presses the poppet down and allows gas in or beer out.
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Sep 19, 2012 20:48
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Imasalmon posted:What was your recipe? I'd have to dig it up. A recipe from a local homebrew shop for a porter. I probably under hopped and under pitched, as well as forgetting some brown sugar. I hit the target OG despite that, I think because I added a bit of extra extract. I'd like to avoid the little floaty guys in the future, if I could. They don't seem to affect taste, but aesthetically, they're less than ideal.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:52
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Docjowles posted:You can get multi-pressure regulators to keep different kegs at different pressures, though they're pricey. I have a secondary regulator (since I already had the first) and you can regulate the pressure to as many kegs as you need using these. I like them a lot because I don't necessary want, say, an English bitter carbonated at 10 PSI. It was definitely pricey though, and only really worth it if you are wanting to upgrade a single regulator unit to multiple without having to sell or get rid of the single unit.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:57
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zedprime posted:Yeast washing is pretty simple and I usually hear tine frames of 6 months kept in the fridge. You put wicked genetic pressures on it though and by several generations it can act way different.
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Sep 19, 2012 23:16
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Have you guys ever put some dregs of a commercial beer with brett into a homebrew while bottling? Does it provide a tinge of funk if aged a bit? Also its exciting when you give your beer out to a bunch of beer geek friends and they really like it. Feeling good right now haha.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:31
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Docjowles posted:People make a big deal about lag time (how long it takes the yeast to really get cranking) because it's something you can see and it seems impressive to have a raging ferment within 2 hours. But IMO it's literally the least important thing in the entire process (unless your sanitation sucks and you need yeast in there outcompeting bacteria ASAP). Just chill out and don't mess with it, the beer will be fine even if it takes an extra 12 hours to be done. Quite the truth. Theoretically, if you didn't make a starter, your first cell division will be atleast 8 hours down the line. If your beer starts fermenting vigorously after 2 hours I'd be more concerned than impressed. If there's no yeast residue and no activity after 72 hours, then I'd worry and try to repitch with some new yeast.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:51
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So, I was half asleep on my couch last night with a belly full of homebrew when I heard President Obama tell Letterman that they're homebrewing in the Whitehouse. Huh. Somewhere, Jimmy Carter is smiling. Switching gears, I had two experimental batches in a row that taught me to stay away from high gravity beers. They were nearly undrinkable, save for the high alcohol content that helped numb the oversweet flavor. Thankfully, I kept my last batch lower gravity and hopped the hell out of it, then let it sit at room temp to dry hop and it came out streets ahead.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:51
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bewbies posted:This is what the guy at the HB store said (about the batch size, I mean). At present though I'm pretty much locked into 5 gal. batches, so I went looking for alternatives and came up with this. It seems to be ideal for 5 gallon batches (at least according to the internet) and I could get it done for probably less than $50. Anyone tried one of these? I may have you mixed up but aren't you in the LA area? If you're in a big city I'd check craigslist for variations of the word "keg". I got two pre-cut, tapped, and in one case, insulation-wrapped Budweiser beer kegs with mash screen for around $150, and the uninsulated one fits on a smaller Bayou Classic burner which lets me go a bit heavy on the sparge water and boil down from there. 80% of my equipment is from CL.
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Sep 20, 2012 04:45
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ChiTownEddie posted:Have you guys ever put some dregs of a commercial beer with brett into a homebrew while bottling? Does it provide a tinge of funk if aged a bit? Haven't done it personally but I've known some people who got great results by having a sour beer party, saving the dregs of a bunch of Russian River/Jolly Pumpkin/whatever bottles and pitching them into their wort at the end of the night. Just make sure the brewery(s) you choose don't pasteurize their bottles (New Belgium  ).It can take upwards of a year to get significant funk/sour, but it will happen. Just put the carboy under your basement stairs for a year and forget it's there 
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Sep 20, 2012 05:23
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ChiTownEddie posted:Have you guys ever put some dregs of a commercial beer with brett into a homebrew while bottling? Does it provide a tinge of funk if aged a bit? I'd put it into your carboy, but I wouldn't use it for bottling. Unless you brewed a sour/wild beer, there will be too much sugars left over in the beer for the brett to eat and you'll get bottle bombs. A beer in a bottle only needs to drop a few points in gravity for it to explode. I know Orval bottles with brett and some people have had luck with it, but you should be cautious. I'd bottle with heavier glass that's meant to withstand higher carbonation rates. Also, make sure it's a beer that will almost ferment all the sugars so the Brett won't have too many sugars. Also, you'll have to wait a few months before it carbonates enough.
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Sep 20, 2012 05:30
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Docjowles posted:(New Belgium It'd be nice to have those dregs, but pasteurizing locks in the taste that they intend. It won't change/develop, so you know what you're going to get. It's not like the latest Brux beer from Sierra Nevada and Russian River that recommends you drink the beer a few years from now.
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Sep 20, 2012 05:33
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Are any of you homebrewgoons in the greater Los Angeles area brewing today or tomorrow and want a goon visitor? EDIT: Or Sunday or Monday. But not Saturday - that's launch day. I'm hoping for a mile, or 7500' if I can find a K motor. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 17:43
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What do you guys like to brew for the winter? I'm trying to decide what to make and let sit for 3-4 months...
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Sep 20, 2012 18:30
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Imperial Stout, barleywine, winter warmers.
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Sep 20, 2012 18:38
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Northern Brewer's Saison de Noel looks like it's going to be a big winter winner, I can't wait to get more laid in.
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Sep 20, 2012 18:46
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ChiTownEddie posted:What do you guys like to brew for the winter? I'm trying to decide what to make and let sit for 3-4 months... I turned around saq's new world quad in about 2 months and it's drinking amazingly.
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Sep 20, 2012 19:05
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Jo3sh posted:Imperial Stout, barleywine, winter warmers. This weekend is barley wine weekend. The trick is going to be making a starter tonight because my ideal starter pot has spaghetti sauce in it. I hate to beer scale my sparge pot but that's what the PBW is for I guess. I may have an extra ceramic pot somewhere, I'm not even sure anymore. I think my point is the hardest part about making beer is talking about it.
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Sep 20, 2012 19:30
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Any pointers for which malt to use for color/roast in an black IPA? I can't decide if I should go with chocolate, black patent, or debittered black. I want it to have a solid level of roast character without being a hoppy stout. I would use one of the carafa special malts but my LHBS doesn't carry them. Here are the grains my LHBS carries for reference.
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Sep 20, 2012 20:13
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internet celebrity posted:Any pointers for which malt to use for color/roast in an black IPA? I can't decide if I should go with chocolate, black patent, or debittered black. I want it to have a solid level of roast character without being a hoppy stout. I would use one of the carafa special malts but my LHBS doesn't carry them. Here are the grains my LHBS carries for reference. My recollection is that Carafa Special malts ARE debittered (by dehusking) malts; the difference is that there's a greater selection of Carafa Special malts (i.e. I, II and III all have different lovibond degrees). "Debittered" black malt is a Dingemans product that is similar in color to Carafa III, although I typically see Carafa II in Black IPA recipes. If you want to get as little of the harsh roast character as possible, you could try cold steeping the grains just for the color and then adding the liquid in until you achieve the color you want (I've tried this and it still tastes somewhat roasty). The other option is to get some Sinamar Extract, which is derived from Carafa Special malt, which will blacken it but has a very very mild (if any) flavor. Since it sounds like you want *some* roast character, I'd just stick some debittered black in there and calculate out how much you want in Beersmith, etc. I don't think you want the type of astringency that goes with using black patent. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 20:38
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Splizwarf posted:Northern Brewer's Saison de Noel looks like it's going to be a big winter winner, I can't wait to get more laid in. Oooh. I just looked this up and it sounds pretty great! I think I'm going to have to make a nice big order soon for my latest recipe and this. Thanks. Sorry, I have a lot of questions lately haha...this question is about cold crashing. Now that I have a fermentation fridge I can do it, but do I want to? What I mean is that it helps clear out the beer by getting suspended stuff to filter down, right? Is the low temp you have to have it at bad for the yeast though? I still bottle condition so I need some life to give me carbonation.
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Sep 20, 2012 21:46
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ChiTownEddie posted:Oooh. I just looked this up and it sounds pretty great! I think I'm going to have to make a nice big order soon for my latest recipe and this. Thanks. It's not going to make any difference. The only way I'm aware of to remove enough yeast to be unable to bottle condition is through filtering or doing something that kills the yeast. Bringing the temps down to cold crash temperatures doesn't kill the yeast, it just causes a lot (but not all) of it to fall out of suspension and go dormant.
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Sep 20, 2012 22:15
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ChiTownEddie posted:Oooh. I just looked this up and it sounds pretty great! I think I'm going to have to make a nice big order soon for my latest recipe and this. Thanks. Some advice if you're going to do that one: use a blow-off tube. My airlock looked like this the next morning and I felt like I'd dodged a bullet:  
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Sep 20, 2012 22:27
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Today I picked up a gallon of grade B maple syrup to make...wine? Mead? What do you call fermented maple? Tried this once before, but it was just grade A and some fruit flies got in to drown and made it taste nasty. Hoping for better luck this time. Anyone do this stuff before?
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Sep 20, 2012 23:59
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Killer robot posted:Today I picked up a gallon of grade B maple syrup to make...wine? Mead? What do you call fermented maple? Tried this once before, but it was just grade A and some fruit flies got in to drown and made it taste nasty. Hoping for better luck this time. They're typically called Acerglyn, although sometimes you see them called Maple Wines or even just Syrup or Maple Meads. You usually see Maple Syrups used as substitutes for all or some of the honey in a mead recipe, although there are recipes with nothing but maple (which people tend to call Maple Wine although I don't think there's an official name for it in any way since its not a commerially fermented beverage). I've never done it, although I looked into it a bit once. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Sep 21, 2012 |
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Sep 21, 2012 00:27
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