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Galler posted:That tap is made by Party Star and can be gotten from various places on the internet. Ex. tap and bung (I think). Now that I see this I'm remembering that I did a bunch of research on this long ago too and had decided not to bother with it based on the cost. $75 for the tap seems steep when I could just bottle it instead.
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Oct 31, 2012 17:52
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Sirotan posted:Now that I see this I'm remembering that I did a bunch of research on this long ago too and had decided not to bother with it based on the cost. Unfortunately, that's been my conclusion about mid-sized packaging solutions in general. I keep hoping there will be something that will be cheap, reliable, and easy to use, but so far I have not found it. Bottling: Cheap as hell. Pain in the rear end. Kegging: Easy as hell. Expensive to start. Running expenses low. All midsized packaging, including Party Pigs, minikegs, Tap-A-Draft, etc: Easier than bottling, but not as easy as Corny kegs. Setup and running expenses high. CO2 in 12- or 16-gram cartridges particularly expensive, costing up to $1 each.
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Oct 31, 2012 17:58
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What are the downsides of being aggressive with the amount of yeast when brewing? I put a winter warmer (starting OG ~1.080) into the primary about 3 weeks ago with a couple of vials of WLP007, which was BrewPal's recommendation, and it is still bubbling away pretty vigorously. I kinda doubt I am gonna be able to bottle this early enough to get it properly aged and conditioned for Christmas. It's not the end of the world or anything, but could I have gotten away with putting in 4 or 5 vials, or just making a big starter first?
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Oct 31, 2012 18:14
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Can I use a whiskey barrel for sours?
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Oct 31, 2012 18:20
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Bass Concert Hall posted:What are the downsides of being aggressive with the amount of yeast when brewing? A lot of the character that yeast contribute to beer (esters, phenols) is created during the reproductive phase. If you were to get nuts and massively overpitch a batch, you would miss out on that and your beer might not have all the flavor you are aiming for. I've made bland beer before by racking fresh wort onto the yeast cake from a previous batch - there were so many active cells that they just went straight into the ferment phase and did not make any esters. In a way, this is the strategy in lager brewing, where the goal is a very clean-tasting beer. But for a winter warmer, I would expect you would want the yeast complexity. In some Belgian styles, I have even been advised to underpitch somewhat to really kick the ester production up. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 18:21
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If you don't like the design on the minis you could always just spray paint the sides.
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Oct 31, 2012 19:13
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Jo3sh posted:Unfortunately, that's been my conclusion about mid-sized packaging solutions in general. I keep hoping there will be something that will be cheap, reliable, and easy to use, but so far I have not found it. Yeah. In theory I'd love to have a couple of those 2.5 gallon cornys, but the price is outrageous, like $75-100 per keg. For that money I'll just buy 2 full size kegs and fill them half way. hellfaucet posted:Can I use a whiskey barrel for sours? Sure can! My homebrew club made a sour porter in a whisky barrel and it turned out loving awesome.
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Oct 31, 2012 19:33
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Docjowles posted:My homebrew club made a sour porter in a whisky barrel and it turned out loving awesome. Suppose a guy had no experience with sour beers and thus no palate for them. Where would he start? (on a fairly modest budget)
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Oct 31, 2012 19:51
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Splizwarf posted:Suppose a guy had no experience with sour beers and thus no palate for them. Where would he start? (on a fairly modest budget) I had never had sours until this past weekend. Visited Jolly Pumpkin and was an instant convert. If you have a beer store near you that carries their beers, check out: * Oro de Calabaza * Calabaza Blanche * La Roja As for making them, I'm trying to read up on this as well, they all take an insufferable amount of time to turn out right, and it helps to age them in a barrel for a loving eternity. I guess people mix different ages as well to give a more balanced flavor.
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Oct 31, 2012 19:59
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Docjowles posted:For that money I'll just buy 2 full size kegs and fill them half way. That'd be a bitch to carbonate.
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Oct 31, 2012 20:07
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Accipiter posted:That'd be a bitch to carbonate. Not at all - force carbonating makes that scenario ridiculously easy. It would be a pain if you were priming for carbonation though. I will say that the small Cornies are not what I think of as a mid-size solution. I have some that I bought before they got ridiculously expensive, and they are pretty useful for the right circumstances. But once you have the hardware, running cost is very small and they are just as easy to run as full-size kegs. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 20:09
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edit: realized you probably meant tasting them, not brewing them  Splizwarf posted:Suppose a guy had no experience with sour beers and thus no palate for them. Where would he start? (on a fairly modest budget) Most of the sours I've done have been kind of a copout. Our homebrew club has a great relationship with New Belgium and they let us age poo poo in barrels they've used for La Folie or other projects, so there's already a great blend of bugs in there stacking the deck in our favor. If you really want to get into it, look into the book Wild Brews as well as that Mad Fermentationist blog that was linked recently. Back in the older archives he does a ton of experiments as he's learning to brew sours himself. But TLDR brew a base beer, preferably lightly hopped, Belgian Blonde, Dark or Golden Strong is a good choice. At the end of primary, rack to another carboy and pitch something like Wyeast's Roselare blend or just the dregs of some bottles of good sour beers. Let it sit loving forever, occasionally sampling every month or two. It will look really really gross at times but that's normal, just let it keep going til it tastes good and then bottle. There are other methods, but that one should work. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 20:10
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Splizwarf posted:Suppose a guy had no experience with sour beers and thus no palate for them. Where would he start? (on a fairly modest budget) I like Jolly Pumpkin as suggested, but the problem is that their distribution footprint is fairly small. Instead, I'd go with two that you're likely (though not guaranteed) to be able to find: Lindemans Cuvee Renee. This is NOT one of their awful syrup sweetened fruit lambics - it's a passable gueuze suitable for a sour beginner. Boon Mariage Parfait Kriek. A fairly easy to drink, fruity kriek that has a little bit of funk that a beginner should easily be able to deal with.
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Oct 31, 2012 20:16
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edit: ^  Splizwarf posted:Suppose a guy had no experience with sour beers and thus no palate for them. Where would he start? (on a fairly modest budget) Sour beer has a huge range of flavors but I think Lindemans Cuvée René is a pretty solid starting point. If you can't find that, look for Vichtenaar for something relatively dry and Duchesse De Bourgogne for something a little sweeter and fruitier.
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Oct 31, 2012 20:19
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For other sours, I'd also recommend Monk's Cafe, Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge, Oud Bruin by Petrus, and everything else that was already mentioned. Those I listed tend to be on the cheaper side and are available in 375 ml bottles.
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Nov 1, 2012 00:03
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So what would you call a supposed ESB that ended up being 1.070 and is now down to 1.018? Like, an Imperial ESB? Is that a thing? I dunno. It tastes really nice but the gravity ended up being higher than I meant on both ends... maybe I should stop worrying about style and just enjoy a beer that tastes good.
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Nov 1, 2012 00:17
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That's what I do! I don't give a gently caress if my beers check the appropriate boxes in whatever judging system. I brew to my tastes just like I cook to my tastes. If it tastes good then I'm happy.
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Nov 1, 2012 00:56
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Mr. Wiggles posted:That's good to know. Do you think, since I used an ale yeast, my initial fermentation will take a little longer than the week or so I had thought? Na. But why are you aiming for week, might I ask? Bass Concert Hall posted:What are the downsides of being aggressive with the amount of yeast when brewing? Nothing or next to nothing at least till you go loving nuts with it. From your desciption though, for it to be bubbling this length in time is kinda crazy. Have you checked the gravity to make sure it wasn't done? The bubbling could be a number of things. I'd not worry about aging it for christmas in time, it's only 1.080 it isn't a barley wine type so a month or so in bottles should be fine. New to Sours chat posted:Jacobey000 fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Nov 1, 2012 |
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Nov 1, 2012 01:36
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I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually?
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Nov 1, 2012 01:50
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Midorka posted:I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually? Takes me about 18-22 mins from near-boil to about 77ish degrees with an immersion chiller.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:17
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global tetrahedron posted:So what would you call a supposed ESB that ended up being 1.070 and is now down to 1.018? Like, an Imperial ESB? Is that a thing? I dunno. It tastes really nice but the gravity ended up being higher than I meant on both ends... maybe I should stop worrying about style and just enjoy a beer that tastes good.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:17
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Jo3sh posted:A lot of the character that yeast contribute to beer (esters, phenols) is created during the reproductive phase. If you were to get nuts and massively overpitch a batch, you would miss out on that and your beer might not have all the flavor you are aiming for I've made bland beer before by racking fresh wort onto the yeast cake from a previous batch - there were so many active cells that they just went straight into the ferment phase and did not make any esters. Ditto. There are two lessons to be learned here . One: Pitching onto a yeast can result in a plain beer, even with a high OG (mine was 1.1). Two: a beer can be finished very quickly. You mentioned having to wait until Christmas...it's October 31. Any beer except some sours and lagers will be ready by December 1st, let alone Christmas.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:29
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Midorka posted:I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually? I put my pot into my bathtub with tap temperature water and with constant stirring I'm able to get the temperature down to pitching in 10-15 minutes. Without the stirring, it doesn't seem to do much. I've put a pot in a snow bank before and left it alone, but it took about an hour to cool.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:42
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I know that hops are in the cannabis family, but which hops are the most reminiscent of the other infamous plant in the same family? I've heard Columbus was like this, but I figured I'd check in before I started formulating a recipe.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:43
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crazyfish posted:I know that hops are in the cannabis family, but which hops are the most reminiscent of the other infamous plant in the same family? I've heard Columbus was like this, but I figured I'd check in before I started formulating a recipe. Apollo. Hope you like IBUs.
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Nov 1, 2012 02:47
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Cointelprofessional posted:I put my pot into my bathtub with tap temperature water and with constant stirring I'm able to get the temperature down to pitching in 10-15 minutes. Without the stirring, it doesn't seem to do much. I've put a pot in a snow bank before and left it alone, but it took about an hour to cool. You know, I never thought about stirring the wort while it's sitting in an ice bath...Thanks for that. Another question, I want to brew a brown ale in the vein of Goose Island's it has light cocoa notes, light caramel notes, and light honey. I figure I can use a small amount of chocolate malt and a small amount of crystal 40 or 60 for the caramel, how do I get a light honey? I guess those honey sticks? Also what's the base malt for a brown ale? Edit: Decided to go with 1/2 LB each of chocolate malt and Crystal 60 and am using Magnum for bittering, the problem is I'll be left with half an ounce of the hops, how long will they be good for in the freezer kept in a sealed sandwich bag? Midorka fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Nov 1, 2012 |
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Nov 1, 2012 02:54
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Midorka posted:I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually? I run a plate chiller, and you do not need a pump. Gravity does a great job moving wort through the thing. You have to make sure you are not carrying a lot of trub and debris into the chiller, though, or it can clog. I built my own version of the hop stopper, and it works great. My plate chiller will cool 5 gallons of wort to roughly 2 degrees fahrenheit over the temperature of the water I putting in the other side in roughly 5 minutes. Surrounding the chiller with ice packs gets it down even cooler. Cleaning it after use is not difficult, but can be time consuming. I always run water through the wort side both directions until it comes out clear, and then put it in the oven on self clean for 15 minutes. Before I use it, I dunk it in a bucket of star san for a while. I love the plate chiller. Makes my life so much better.
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Nov 1, 2012 04:14
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internet celebrity posted:Apollo. Hope you like IBUs. IBUs are a-ok with me because I'm planning on making a (lightly) smoked black rye ipa or porter. But if I can get that flavour in something a little lower in IBU that would be grand.
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Nov 1, 2012 04:16
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crazyfish posted:IBUs are a-ok with me because I'm planning on making a (lightly) smoked black rye ipa or porter. But if I can get that flavour in something a little lower in IBU that would be grand. I've never smelled Apolo, but of the many hops I buy in bulk, Hallertau always smelled the most like good dank. Definitely more so than simcoe, citra, amarillo, n. brewer, saaz, cascade, columbus, magnum, EKG, etc.
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Nov 1, 2012 05:25
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Bottled a Tripel after about 4-5 months in carboy... opened after two weeks, was good but had some intense sweetness I didn't like. Now, over a month after that (~1.5 months in bottles), it *tastes* amazing, however the carbonation is getting pretty extreme. Pours a massive head, way bigger than most Tripels, and I've noticed a bit of foam form in the neck when I open it. I've heard it should continue to taste better and better over time (reviews say the kit gets incredible after 5-6 months in bottles), which my experience would support, but I do not want to risk gushers or bottle bombs. I see my options now as either putting them all in a fridge (which seems like it would stop the aging process) or have like, a Tripel party? Frustrating, since it is one of the best tasting beers I've made. Is there any other recourse for this? Or are my fears of exploding bottles unwarranted?
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Nov 1, 2012 14:20
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You'll be fine. Unless where you are storing them is very cold, they would have blown by now.
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Nov 1, 2012 14:50
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Yea, carbonation should taper off a lot faster then improvement by aging. I don't really understand chem that well but in layman's terms, the CO2 production will only really come from yeast eating sugar, but the flavor changes are from yeast eating byproducts that they threw off earlier in fermentation. I guess cleaning up these byproducts doesn't usually produce CO2, but just breaks them into more alcohol and/or smaller particles that don't have any tastes (at least at these concentrations).
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Nov 1, 2012 14:59
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Daedalus Esquire posted:Yea, carbonation should taper off a lot faster then improvement by aging. I don't really understand chem that well but in layman's terms, the CO2 production will only really come from yeast eating sugar, but the flavor changes are from yeast eating byproducts that they threw off earlier in fermentation. I guess cleaning up these byproducts doesn't usually produce CO2, but just breaks them into more alcohol and/or smaller particles that don't have any tastes (at least at these concentrations). Interesting. That's probably why it now has a much cleaner flavor. It's almost juicy tasting. I love it.
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Nov 1, 2012 15:01
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Midorka posted:I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually? I disagree that plate chillers are a pain to clean or need a pump. I gravity feed my Therminator with no problem. Most of the time I don't even run the value all the way open. Cleaning it is a easy. I simply back flow with the hose immediately when finished and then run some hot PBW through which I heat up anyway at the end of brewday to clean other equipment. Back flow with water again to rinse and chunk it into the oven to dry for an hour. Then next brew day all I have to do is submerge it in my bucket of StarSan and I'm ready to go. Seems pretty easy to me. Cost is a legitimate con to plate chillers. The other that you did not mention is that they use considerably more water. That's not an issue to me, but I don't live in the dessert of AZ either so... Also comparatively we're talking about a normal shower's worth of water. I usually try and use the outflow of the Therminator to fill up other things I'm cleaning on brewday so it's not a total waste. Also with plate chillers you're only going to cool to a few degrees within tap. So you're somewhat at the mercy of your local municipal water authority. Of all the brewing gadgets I've bought over the years the Therminator is still my favorite. I've brewed with people that have immersion chillers an it just seems like more of a pain. Plus the Therminator adds three inches to your penis.
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Nov 1, 2012 15:10
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If you have a utility sink near your laundry room then you can use some of that hot water to do a load of laundry. Also I would be surprised if a plate chiller used up more water than an immersion chiller. Don't use water at the same rate (ie open faucet)? If the plate chiller cools everything faster wouldn't it therefore use less water?
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Nov 1, 2012 15:13
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:If you have a utility sink near your laundry room then you can use some of that hot water to do a load of laundry. Depends on how one sets it up I suppose. The people I've brewed with set it up in an ice bath. That's a closed system.
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Nov 1, 2012 15:26
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IC uses a lot more water.
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Nov 1, 2012 16:49
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My immersion chiller leaks and it takes awhile to cool down the wort to any acceptable temperature so I was thinking about putting together a counterflow for next year. Anybody have experience with the build-your-own variety? Is it worth the time?
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Nov 1, 2012 17:28
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Midorka posted:I've been reading up on immersion chillers vs plate chillers, it seems immersion chillers are decent but still not too great at cooling wort, I'm reading roughly 30 minute cooling times for 5 gallons. Plate chillers seem to get it done super fast but cost more, are a pain to clean, and need a pump. Any one care to weigh in? We've been putting our pot into an ice bath and it's been taking 5 gallon batches roughly 40 minutes, is an immersion chiller much better or should we just save up for a plate chiller eventually? If you're interested in getting a pump eventually, say for helping with mashing or moving wort between vessels, I've heard that recirculating around an immersion chiller works almost as quickly as plate / counterflow chillers. You can bend a bit of copper so that the recirculating wort whirlpools in your boil kettle meaning that you get all the benefits of stirring without any of the effort. Cleaning is limited to cleaning the outer surfaces of the immersion chiller and running some hot pbw through the pump (which you might be doing anyways to clean out the other vessels).
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Nov 1, 2012 18:44
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Under the advice of Jacobey000 I've decided to join the homebrew club associated with Kuhnhenn's Brewery in MI, this Saturday they are doing the following in the brewery's parking lots: quote:November 3rd is the AHA National Teach a Friend to Brew Day. To help make this day a success for the KGB and the homebrewing community, Kuhnhenn's will be brewing up some wort for homebrewers brewing in the Kuhnhenn Brewery parking lot. The wort will be 100% Michigan grown and malted pilsner. The strength will be 1.065. We will be making the wort at Kuhnhenn's Thursday evening November 1st. Come join in on the fun of brewing on the "BIG" system and then brewing it on Saturday, November 3rd. The cost will be $10 per 6 gallons of wort requested. We plan on having 80 gallons of this delicious wort to spread around. Seems basically like the best thing ever for someone who is still trying to get a grip on homebrewing and becoming consistent. Starting with a wort made by one of my all-time favorite breweries doesn't hurt either! My question is: If they are giving me a premade 1.065 OG pilsner wort, am I still going to do a 60 minute boil with hop additions and poo poo? I'm still doing extract, so maybe I'm missing that link between all-grain and extract worts. Isn't final OG calculated after the boil?
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Nov 1, 2012 18:53
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