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I racked my wine over to secondary yesterday. A little cloudy yet, but a very interesting goldenish color. Tasted a bit - I was worried that it was going to be too sweet because of the grape variety but it's looking like it's going to be plenty dry. But boy oh boy is the alcohol hot in it. I'm going to have to pick up a hygrometer to see just what it's turning out at because this is going to end up being some real powerful stuff.
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Nov 5, 2012 20:17
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| # ? May 30, 2024 00:49 |
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I'm so sorry to be that guy, but you need a hydrometer, not a hygrometer. As hygrometer will tell you it's humid in the fermenter, but won't give you a good idea of the specific gravity of anything. Depending on the yeast strain, cider can finish in the range of 0.995 - 1.005. The former is dry as hell; the latter is pretty palatable.
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Nov 5, 2012 20:35
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Jo3sh posted:I'm so sorry to be that guy, but you need a hydrometer, not a hygrometer. As hygrometer will tell you it's humid in the fermenter, but won't give you a good idea of the specific gravity of anything. Yes, thank you for correcting my autocorrect. You are that guy. It will be interesting to see how the cider ends up relative to this wine. It's all good experiment time brought on by excess of fruit this year, but I'm glad of it since it's getting me back into brewing. Once this 15 gallons is done I'll do some beer and then I'll be back into more of a comfort zone.
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Nov 5, 2012 20:46
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Josh Wow posted:I would be all over one of these if they had a cooling jacket like real conical fermentors. Cooling that thing must be a bitch and a half. I also always think it's funny that these super professional looking things seem to always use the $1 airlock and bung combo for CO2 release. Same here. I don't have the space for a chest freezer at my apartment, so a glycol-jacketed fermenter would be a godsend for me.
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Nov 5, 2012 21:20
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Why not just cool it with an immersion chiller and dump in after cooled?
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Nov 5, 2012 21:45
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Pulled the trigger on it. Going to probably have it sit for a few weeks while I maneuver poo poo around to find a home for it, but not going to find that price again anytime soon. Think I'll break it in with that 120 minute recipe I've been meaning to try if I can find a pot big enough...hellfaucet posted:Why not just cool it with an immersion chiller and dump in after cooled? They're referring to the temperature of fermentation. If you don't have a cellar or garage that sits at the temperature you want, this thing isn't going to fit into whatever fridge/etc you've fashioned for temperature control.
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Nov 5, 2012 21:46
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Sorry if this has been discussed at any time recently, but I finally got my mash tun put together last night. I ended up going with a false bottom, and I noticed as I was running water through it to make sure it won't leak that about a quart of water didn't drain out. I figured that'd probably happen. I assume anyone else who uses a false bottom probably has the same issue and was wondering if there are any tricks to get any wort left behind to drain out or if you just add an extra quart of sparge water to compensate for it. Later today I'll probably also post the recipe I'm planning on using this weekend to get some useful feedback before I call my LHBS and ask them to put my grain bill together.
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Nov 5, 2012 21:54
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:Sorry if this has been discussed at any time recently, but I finally got my mash tun put together last night. I ended up going with a false bottom, and I noticed as I was running water through it to make sure it won't leak that about a quart of water didn't drain out. I figured that'd probably happen. I assume anyone else who uses a false bottom probably has the same issue and was wondering if there are any tricks to get any wort left behind to drain out or if you just add an extra quart of sparge water to compensate for it. Later today I'll probably also post the recipe I'm planning on using this weekend to get some useful feedback before I call my LHBS and ask them to put my grain bill together. Depending on the vessel you may be able to tilt a bit to get a lot of the water, but you'll always have it retain a good amount of water through the grain bill alone. Tons of websites will tell you the exact gallon to use for the mash and for the sparge, as well as what temperature is needed for each based on the room temp of the grain. Spargepal is an iOS app that is free that does this. If I try to drain my mash while empty I only lose a cup or two of water to drain placement, so I follow the volumes pretty exactly. If you're over by a quart, throw an extra quart in.
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Nov 5, 2012 22:06
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crazyfish posted:I ordered four pounds of hops the other day, and I just realized today that I don't have a realistic storage solution once the packages are opened, so I'm potentially looking to buy a vacuum sealer. Anyone have a solid recommendation? I've heard conflicting things about cheap vacuum sealers. I was gifted a FoodSaver and it works pretty well. I haven't had a chance to use the attachment yet but it looks like a cool way to vacuum seal their containers, jars and bottles in addition to the one-time use bags. The sealers and compatible bags show on Homebrew Finds fairly often so you could go back through the history and find a few to check out. Pressed another 7 gallons of cider on Sunday. Homebrew store isn't open until Tuesday so I sulfited it for now. I'm going to get some Sweet Mead yeast for this batch. Unfortunately I am barely making a dent in all the apples I picked. Good thing I have lots of extra carboys and I keep the house around 65 during the winter so I don't have to worry about running out of space in the chest freezer.
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Nov 5, 2012 23:47
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America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Country did a test on vacuum sealers a while back and their conclusion was that it was more about the bags than the vacuum unit itself. The more expensive units used thicker bags which held up better against ice crystals which kept the bags intact longer which kept the food good longer. The vacuum pump itself either works or it doesn't. I think the food sealed by cheap units (which used thin bags) developed frost burn after a month and the food sealed with the expensive model (which used thick bags) lasted more than six months. However for something dry like hops I doubt it would matter. Also spending $500 on a professional vacuum sealer to keep hops fresh for a few more months probably isn't worth it. e: so the thrift store vacuum sealer sounds like a good solution to me. e2: or just buying better bags if that's a possibility. Galler fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 00:27
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Galler posted:America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Country did a test on vacuum sealers a while back and their conclusion was that it was more about the bags than the vacuum unit itself. The more expensive units used thicker bags which held up better against ice crystals which kept the bags intact longer which kept the food good longer. The vacuum pump itself either works or it doesn't. I think the food sealed by cheap units (which used thin bags) developed frost burn after a month and the food sealed with the expensive model (which used thick bags) lasted more than six months. Rewatching the Cook's Country episode they recommend bags that are 0.5mm thick and the Weston 2300 vacuum sealer. Their runner-up was the predecessor to this Foodsaver. Looks like if I'm going to get into this hobby more I'm going to have to start trolling Goodwills again.
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Nov 6, 2012 04:48
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Can anyone check over my brown ale recipe? Here it is. I based it off what I imagine Goose Island's Nut Brown Ale might be, the only thing I'm unsure of is the biscuit malt. Thoughts? I'm considering using .4lbs of Victory instead if I can find it.
Midorka fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 04:50
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So here's what I put together with the help of Beer Smith for my first attempt at an all-grain batch: 5.5 gallons 95% US pale malt (2 row), ~12.35 lbs 5% crystal 40L, ~.65 lbs Mash at 148 for 60 min Boil for 60 min 1 oz Galaxy (15 min) 2 oz Nelson Sauvin (10 min) 1 oz Nelson Sauvin (5 min) San Diego Super Yeast (WLP 090) 1.062 OG 1.008 FG (this doesn't seem right) 52.4 IBUs 7.1% ABV I may have not done everything correctly in Beer Smith which could explain the estimated FG since that's not really passing the eyeball test. Not that I really know what an acceptable FG is since this is my first all-grain batch, but other recipes I've looked at just don't seem like they end up there. Also debating on maybe dry hopping it and was planning on doing a yeast starter. Other than that, it seems to be about where I want it in terms of color, bitterness and ABV, but any suggestions on the grain bill, mash temp or anything else would be very greatly appreciated as I'd like this to turn out nicely without too much bloodshed.
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Nov 6, 2012 04:54
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:So here's what I put together with the help of Beer Smith for my first attempt at an all-grain batch:
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Nov 6, 2012 05:01
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Just sampled my latest creation, a maple holiday ale. For being 9% alcohol, it's loving dangerous. Super smooth and delicious with a really nice, delicate maple aroma and finish. This one is going to be a big hit over the holidays.
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Nov 6, 2012 05:27
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Angry Grimace posted:1.008 is slightly low, but not crazy low. I really wouldn't worry about the projected FG at all. So just for future reference in the event that any other recipes end up with a very low projected FG, what would you do to try to raise it?
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Nov 6, 2012 05:29
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Angry Grimace posted:1.008 is slightly low, but not crazy low. I really wouldn't worry about the projected FG at all. WLP090 attenuates like a mofo, especially with a healthy starter. Might not get down to 1.008 but you might not be too far off.
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Nov 6, 2012 05:33
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Took some samples tonight as a break from pressing more cider. Blackberry melomel, tart cherry melomel and a cider. The melomels aren't much different from the previous sample although it seems like they got a bit darker. All I did since then was add 2 g pectic enzyme per gallon. The cider is just under a month old from pitching. I used a single Wyeast Cider 4766 pack in about 3 gallons of juice, fermented a little warm at 69. OG was 1.051 and SG 1.005. Added 1 g Fermaid-k and DAP per gallon 48 hours after pitching and then again 5 days after that. I added the pectic enzyme about 2 weeks after pitching, let it sit for a few days and then cold-crashed at 40 F. After that it sat in my kitchen until tonight. It smells very strongly of apples and has a nice balance of acidity and slight sweetness, unlike the other stuff I've made which has been bone dry. Unfortunately it doesn't have much taste which I attribute to just using a single variety of apples. I think they were King, huge red juicy suckers. So it looks like you can make a drinkable cider in less than a month with the right yeast, yeast nutrients, pectic enzyme and cold crashing.
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Nov 6, 2012 06:07
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What advantage does the pectic enzyme give, do you figure?
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Nov 6, 2012 07:41
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:So just for future reference in the event that any other recipes end up with a very low projected FG, what would you do to try to raise it? Higher mash temp, less attenuative yeast. If you are truly insane or just like candy beer, more crystal malt.
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Nov 6, 2012 13:16
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zedprime posted:Higher mash temp, less attenuative yeast. Also shorter mash time (paired with higher temps) and you can always add lactose/dextrin too if needed.
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Nov 6, 2012 17:44
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Super Rad posted:Also shorter mash time (paired with higher temps) and you can always add lactose/dextrin too if needed. Short mash time is more of a bonus of high temp mashing than a cause of less fermentability. Mash sufficiently high enough and alpha amylase will hit its own wall between denaturing and being so slow at making fermentable sugar. Mash time is a bit hokey of a lever to use when you have so much easier control with temp.
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Nov 6, 2012 18:12
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Mr. Wiggles posted:What advantage does the pectic enzyme give, do you figure? I'm not an expert but all fruit has some pectin that can cause a haze. Pectin enzyme breaks down the pectin somehow so that it can settle out.
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Nov 6, 2012 19:15
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Oh, that makes sense. Maybe I'll throw some in my cider next week, then. Thanks.
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Nov 6, 2012 19:51
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So if you accidentally use exponentially more PBW than you're supposed to (3/4 cup per gallon vs 3/4 oz per gallon) and don't notice for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse off all your equipment really well once you realize you've done a dumb thing, is there anything to worry about or will anything that touches it immediately turn into poison beer? I haven't brewed in a long time and noticed some of my equipment was pretty dirty, and I had my tubing I use with my auto siphon and blowoff hose sitting in the bucket with 3 gallons of water and the obnoxious amount of PBW. I think I did a good job of rinsing everything out once I realized I messed up the ratio horribly, but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or if I should toss those things. Seems like it should be okay. This is a dumb post, I know.
Whodat Smith-Jones fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Nov 7, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2012 03:43
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:So if you accidentally use exponentially more PBW than you're supposed to (3/4 cup per gallon vs 3/4 oz per gallon) and don't notice for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse off all your equipment really well once you realize you've done a dumb thing, is there anything to worry about or will anything that touches it immediately turn into poison beer? I haven't brewed in a long time and noticed some of my equipment was pretty dirty, and I had my tubing I use with my auto siphon and blowoff hose sitting in the bucket with 3 gallons of water and the obnoxious amount of PBW. I think I did a good job of rinsing everything out once I realized I messed up the ratio horribly, but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or if I should toss those things. Seems like it should be okay. This is a dumb post, I know.
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Nov 7, 2012 04:15
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Angry Grimace posted:If you rinsed its not a big deal. PBW is designed to be rinsed anyways. Ok cool. On an unrelated note, I pulled up Mr. Malty's yeast pitching calculator since I was planning on making a starter tomorrow night, and I noticed the "use by" date on my vial of WLP 090 is November 11. According to the calculator, that would mean the production date was around July 11 and the viability would be around 14%, so I'd need a 3.5 liter starter with 6 vials, which nobody would bother doing. I bought the vial about 3 weeks ago thinking I'd be able to brew a week later (I couldn't), so even when I bought it the viability would've been low. I feel like someone said before that the Mr Malty calculator overestimates pitching rates, but with something that old should I just toss it and get a new vial or will it be okay to just proceed as normal with it? Whodat Smith-Jones fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Nov 7, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2012 04:34
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:Ok cool. On an unrelated note, I pulled up Mr. Malty's yeast pitching calculator since I was planning on making a starter tomorrow night, and I noticed the "use by" date on my vial of WLP 090 is November 11. According to the calculator, that would mean the production date was around July 11 and the viability would be around 14%, so I'd need a 3.5 liter starter with 6 vials, which nobody would bother doing. Make a normal sized starter (about a liter) with it, and if you get good activity in there use it. If the starter doesn't take off grab a new vial.
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Nov 7, 2012 11:58
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Ugh, ignore this post. This is just my phone/Awful App screwing up.
Sirotan fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Nov 7, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2012 13:24
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Whodat Smith-Jones posted:Ok cool. On an unrelated note, I pulled up Mr. Malty's yeast pitching calculator since I was planning on making a starter tomorrow night, and I noticed the "use by" date on my vial of WLP 090 is November 11. According to the calculator, that would mean the production date was around July 11 and the viability would be around 14%, so I'd need a 3.5 liter starter with 6 vials, which nobody would bother doing. You'll most likely be fine. The assumptions that Mr Malty make are incredibly extreme. Making a small starter certainly wouldn't treat you wrong, though.
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Nov 7, 2012 14:36
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Yesterday I poured some heated gelatin mixture (3/4 teaspoon +2 cups of non boiling water) into my Sierra Nevada clone (secondary) that has been sitting in the fridge for a few days. It doesn't look like it cleared things up like I had hoped. I'm thinking I may go back and try again since most people swear by it. How much gelatin do the gelatin users use? I've likely done one of two things: 1. heated the water too much (thinking I was at 170, when I was at 200'ish) or 2. Not used enough gelatin. :-/
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Nov 7, 2012 15:35
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Anyone heard anything about the "For the Love of Hops" book? It's by Stan Hieronymus who I think wrote the wheat book that people weren't too fond of?
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Nov 8, 2012 03:23
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He did a good job on Brew like a Monk. It's not the most engaging read, but its pretty informative.
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Nov 8, 2012 03:38
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Brew Like a Monk owns. I think it's the second-most-readable brewing book I have (granted, I only have a few) after Radical Brewing, and it's easier to get good information out of it. If that other book is half as good, it'll be good. So I just tasted my imperial stout in progress, and it's only been a week in fermentation so of course it's got a ways to go, but it's got kind of an off, "tomato" flavor. What could that be? I taste the same flavor in Brooklyn Lager all the time, if that helps.
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Nov 8, 2012 04:01
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I just racked 5 gallons of an Nut Brown Ale onto top of 1oz of french oak, 3 oz of bourbon, and a half lb of cashews. I'm basing it on Founder's cashew mountain brown. It won't have the same alcohol content, but I'm hoping that it tastes like a brownie. I also split a batch of a yeti clone onto some oak cubes and I plan to add coffee to the other half when I'm a week away from bottling. I also just pitched yeast onto a cider made with 5 gallons of Trader Joes spiced cider. I added some honey, beet sugar, and brown sugar. It should be a good winter.
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Nov 8, 2012 04:57
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So my Belgian Wit has been in primary for 8 days now. Decided to take a gravity reading, came out to 1.012 (as I expected). After that, I decided to take a sampling to make sure it didn't get infected (had a problem with my chiller leaking some water into my wort after the boil) and while it didn't taste sour, it had far more bitterness that I would have expected from a wheat ale. Does the yeast just need time to clean poo poo up, or am I going to wind up with an overly bitter finished product? I should probably mention that I boiled coriander for 10 minutes and bitter orange peel for 1 minute.
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Nov 8, 2012 08:47
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This site currently has 2012 Amarillo and Simcoe hop pellets, if anyone is in need. The Simcoe is a pretty decent price too, $20
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Nov 8, 2012 15:01
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Diacetyl rest time for my lager, I'm excited to try it in 4 weeks  code:10min @ 168* 90 minute boil 9 days @ 50* 5 days @ 64* 28 days @ 38*
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Nov 8, 2012 16:49
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RiggenBlaque posted:This site currently has 2012 Amarillo and Simcoe hop pellets, if anyone is in need. The Simcoe is a pretty decent price too, $20 Well I'm pretty sure that the universe is trying to tell me to brew http://www.homebrewchef.com/120minuteIPArecipe.html
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Nov 8, 2012 17:36
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So I washed the yeast from my last batch pretty thoroughly and stored it in a sealed container in my fridge for a month. Today I was planning on making a starter from it. I opened it, decanted the water off, and took a sniff expecting to get some of the flowery fruity smell of yeast and instead got a burnt or roasted smell off of it. Is that indicative of the yeast having gone bad?
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Nov 8, 2012 18:46
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