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Greetings, I recently started home brewing after observing several of my friends trying their hands at mead and beer. I decided I wanted to take a different tack and went with wine. That said since I was/am brand new to this I got a kit from Morebeer.com for a Merlot. The kit says I should have enough for 30 750mL bottles when it is done. However I noted that the temperature at which I should be keeping it is actually 4 degrees higher than my room (I live in a dorm situation) is capable of achieving. From those with wine making experience how long should I wait before switching from the primary fermenter to the second if the instructions say that it will take 5-7 days at temperatures of 72-75 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas my room is sitting at 69 degrees?
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Mar 2, 2013 11:28
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Did your kit come with a hydrometer? Use it to check the gravity; the general rule for beer is if it hasn't changed in 3 days, transfer it to secondary. It should be the same for wine, I think. I'm planning to brew the Irish red from BCS next weekend, but my FLHBS doesn't have British pale ale extract. They have most of the Briess extracts, though. Would Golden Light LME be a good substitute, or should I order some Muntons? Mistaken For Bacon fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Mar 2, 2013 |
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Mar 2, 2013 12:20
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You can use bee pollen as nutrient. So that and the raisins you should be okay Jim.
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Mar 2, 2013 15:29
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Garanimals4Seniors posted:I'm planning to brew the Irish red from BCS next weekend, but my FLHBS doesn't have British pale ale extract. They have most of the Briess extracts, though. Would Golden Light LME be a good substitute, or should I order some Muntons? The Northern Brewer Irish Red kit uses their Golden extract, so it would probably be ok. Actually, my friend brewed an Irish red with that Golden Light LME recently, but it's still in the fermenter so I can't comment on the result.
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Mar 2, 2013 16:00
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Cpt.Wacky posted:There's a good bee keeping thread over in DIY. Cool, thanks for the pointer. Now grinding through three years worth of bee-related posts.
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Mar 2, 2013 16:43
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Garanimals4Seniors posted:I'm planning to brew the Irish red from BCS next weekend, but my FLHBS doesn't have British pale ale extract. They have most of the Briess extracts, though. Would Golden Light LME be a good substitute, or should I order some Muntons? You'll be fine with any light extract. You've likely heard this before, but buy the lightest possible LME/DME then add color/flavor/etc with steeping grains/mini-mash. Or heck, grab 1lb of maris otter and mini-mash it with your grains of choice - mashing is painfully easy. Just buy a big mesh bag, reach 160 or so with some water, drop in grain sock, cover ( if temp drops too fast, turn the oven to 'low' or '1'), wait 45min-60min pull out bag pour hot water over, and proceed as usual with 'extract' recipe.
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Mar 2, 2013 19:47
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Come to think of it, I have heard that before. I spent far too long on Hopville today tweaking the recipe until I got the numbers to match. Normally it wouldn't take long, but I'm in Brazil for work until Tuesday, and the 3g hotspot we're using is painfully slow. Maybe it's hopville, but I don't know how many times I added an ingredient and started typing a keyword before the software rejected the entire line item. I did a mini mash for my IPA for the first time and found it to be incredibly easy, like you said. However, that should be done when I get back, so I'll have two empty fermenters by next weekend, so I may try to fill them both up. For that reason, I think I'm going to do no more than one mini mash to save time. this Amber is the other recipe I have in mind, so I can wash and reuse the IPA's yeast. Mistaken For Bacon fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Mar 2, 2013 |
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Mar 2, 2013 20:14
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Does anyone have any tips on trying to brew a sour that is close to New Belgiums La Terroir? I was hoping to try brew something close to la terroir for this summer and since a pure lacto fermentation takes so long, that is out of the question. So, it looks like either a sour mash or acidulated malt is what I'm thinking of doing. There was a post with good information on hybrid sour mashes a few days ago that had some good ideas. I'm guessing that either I have to figure out what percent acidulated malt to use or maybe do a 2-4 gallon sour mash and a 2-4 gallon regular pale ale, let them ferment out then mix/blend to taste.
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Mar 3, 2013 00:55
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PBW is absolutely magic. I wish I had taken before and after photos of my kegs.
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Mar 3, 2013 03:00
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Raveen posted:Does anyone have any tips on trying to brew a sour that is close to New Belgiums La Terroir? I'm pulling a sample in the AM - I'll let you know just how sour mine turned out. As a warning, keeping 100f would have been easier had I watched it closer than I had - the mash also holds temps much better than you think. I do like your idea of blending and may yield the results you are looking for. I would love to see a follow up if you go ahead with that and your results. I took a sniff of the bubbling airlock an hour ago and it smells like fermenting juice - I'm using WL810-Cal Common in the ~5.5 gallons and EC-1118 in 2x1 gallons, so it's all kinds of wacky; the fermentations were also VERY slow to get going even with a low OG of 1.035 - it must have been the pH slowing things down. -- In brew news - after tomorrow's brew day, I'll have all but a single gallon jug laying empty in my pipeline: Rye Pilsner, a Wit, Belgian Blonde, Berliner Weisse - all in fermentors and an oaked stout, cider, and the rest of the Blonde - in kegs. 2013 is a pretty good year thus far.
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Mar 3, 2013 03:37
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I swear I ordered a new auto siphon, but I'm tearing my house apart trying to find it. I've got 5 gallons of wort in a 6 gallon plastic bucket and I need to bottle it today before I go out of town. How bad would it be to gently pour the wort into my bottling bucket?
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Mar 3, 2013 17:12
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I think it would dramatically shorten the life of your packaged beer due to oxidation. I suggest either putting off bottling for a few days until you locate your autosiphon or buy a new one, or finding another way to start your siphon.
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Mar 3, 2013 17:20
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Would your answer change at all if I said that all of this beer is going to be consumed at a party in 20 days? It wouldn't be a big deal to bottle in 4-5 days if oxidation really is a concern. The wort has been in primary fermentation for 3 weeks, if that changes anything.
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Mar 3, 2013 17:33
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If it's going to be consumed in 20 days you need to get it into bottles asap or it probably won't be carbonated. I would go for it.
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Mar 3, 2013 17:43
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Yep, I agree with Galler here - need to get it packaged so you can drink it if it's that short. But if there's another way to siphon, I would still try that before pouring.
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Mar 3, 2013 17:46
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Thanks for the feedback. This party is usually in mid/late April so I should have had plenty of time for bottle conditioning, but it got moved up and I haven't had time to bottle until this weekend. I'll see what I can do with the equipment I've got in terms of siphoning.
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Mar 3, 2013 17:51
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On the topic of oxidation, due to a mishap involving an unattended autosiphon I'm pretty sure I just exposed my beer to a decent amount of atmosphere while kegging. Is there anything I can do at this point to get some of that oxygen out, or should I just carb up and drink fast?
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Mar 3, 2013 17:53
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Can't you just use the hose? Fill it with water, cover both ends, then jam it into the carboy at the same time you stick it down into the lower bottling bucket. The slug of water should be plenty to get the siphon started. Or is the siphon hose canoodling somewhere with the auto-siphon?
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Mar 3, 2013 18:24
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Toebone posted:On the topic of oxidation, due to a mishap involving an unattended autosiphon I'm pretty sure I just exposed my beer to a decent amount of atmosphere while kegging. Is there anything I can do at this point to get some of that oxygen out, or should I just carb up and drink fast? Mix up a priming sugar solution, chill it and then add it to your keg. That way the yeast will consume some of that oxygen while carbonating your beer.
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Mar 3, 2013 18:49
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Shifty Pony posted:Can't you just use the hose? Fill it with water, cover both ends, then jam it into the carboy at the same time you stick it down into the lower bottling bucket. The slug of water should be plenty to get the siphon started. 'preciate it.
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Mar 3, 2013 18:49
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Josh Wow posted:Mix up a priming sugar solution, chill it and then add it to your keg. That way the yeast will consume some of that oxygen while carbonating your beer. Can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks!
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Mar 3, 2013 18:57
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Toebone posted:Can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks! I have better results keg conditioning than force carbing as well. After the first few times of doing so, I don't do anything else.
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Mar 3, 2013 19:10
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This guy did a dry hop experiment with Bud Light, I'll be doing this soon.
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Mar 3, 2013 20:05
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So for bottling i've got a question. We fermented in a bucket with a spigot and airlock. Our original plan was to siphon into our sanitized carboy, add the priming solution there and then transfer that into the bottles. Can i just add the priming solution into the primary fermenting bucket and just use the spigot on the bottom, via hose/bottle filler to fill my bottles? That way seems much easier than doing an transfer just to add the priming solution. If this is possible, since the spigot is close to the bottom, do i have to worry about sediment much? Its about an inch off the bottom so i figured by the time it was empty, all the sediment would still be in the bucket and not in my bottles.
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Mar 3, 2013 20:32
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If you add priming sugar to your spigoted bucket, you will have to stir it in to get it nicely distributed. This will also have the effect of rousing the sediment from the bottom, and will lead to lots of sediment in the bottles. It's a better idea, though more work, to move the beer off the sediment for bottling.
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Mar 3, 2013 20:38
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Haha, og on my honey wash water was 1.112. I pitched the lager yeast.
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Mar 3, 2013 20:52
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I'm reading the complete joy of homebrewing by papazian and how to brew by palmer and they say different things about rinsing bottles. Palmer says rinse with boiled water,as tap water is a number one reason for spoiled batches. Papazian says rinse with hot water. Which is the way to go? Palmer also says a dishwashing cycle with heat sanitizes bottles. If so, would you need to rinse or would you just pull from the dishwasher and bottle? Sorry for all the dumb first timer questions.
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Mar 3, 2013 21:12
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Crunkjuice posted:I'm reading the complete joy of homebrewing by papazian and how to brew by palmer and they say different things about rinsing bottles. Palmer says rinse with boiled water,as tap water is a number one reason for spoiled batches. Papazian says rinse with hot water. Which is the way to go? Palmer also says a dishwashing cycle with heat sanitizes bottles. If so, would you need to rinse or would you just pull from the dishwasher and bottle? Sorry for all the dumb first timer questions. I just wash with oxy-clean and hot water, then just before bottling (as in 30 mins or so prior) dunk in StarSan and leave on a cheapo bottling tree till it's time to fill them. By then the last few drops of sanitizer have all drained out and I haven't introduced anything else into the bottle. Of course don't forget to spray down the bottling tree pegs with sanitizer first. I am still a relative noob with only 10 batches or so under my belt but I haven't ruined any batches doing this.
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Mar 3, 2013 21:29
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Crunkjuice posted:I'm reading the complete joy of homebrewing by papazian and how to brew by palmer and they say different things about rinsing bottles. Palmer says rinse with boiled water,as tap water is a number one reason for spoiled batches. Papazian says rinse with hot water. Which is the way to go? Palmer also says a dishwashing cycle with heat sanitizes bottles. If so, would you need to rinse or would you just pull from the dishwasher and bottle? Sorry for all the dumb first timer questions. I rinse my bottles with hot tap water right after opening and pouring them, then store them upside down so they drip dry. When it comes time to bottle a new batch, I'll sanitize them with either StarSan, or dishwasher heat cycle. Just make sure your dishwasher is nice and clean, and don't use detergent.
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Mar 3, 2013 21:36
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Yep, no-rinse sanitizers like Star-San or iodophor are a really excellent way to go here. If you rely on your dishwasher for sanitation (some here do, I've never tried it) the common wisdom is to run the load without soap and with all the heating options turned on, and then to NOT rinse them before filling.
Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Mar 3, 2013 |
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Mar 3, 2013 21:38
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My parents dishwasher had a "sani-rinse" option. When I lived with them and used to bottle we would just do that. Look up your model online though, and make sure that any labeled sanitizer cycle will actually meet the appropriate parameters. I know mine used half an hour of steam at a high enough temperature that I felt comfortable using it as long as I had already hand washed the interiors to make sure there was no gunk or whatnot.
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Mar 3, 2013 21:54
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Crunkjuice posted:So for bottling i've got a question. We fermented in a bucket with a spigot and airlock. Our original plan was to siphon into our sanitized carboy, add the priming solution there and then transfer that into the bottles. Can i just add the priming solution into the primary fermenting bucket and just use the spigot on the bottom, via hose/bottle filler to fill my bottles? That way seems much easier than doing an transfer just to add the priming solution. If this is possible, since the spigot is close to the bottom, do i have to worry about sediment much? Its about an inch off the bottom so i figured by the time it was empty, all the sediment would still be in the bucket and not in my bottles. Did you get this all as part of a homebrew equipment kit? The intention was probably to ferment in the carboy and then rack into the spigot bucket for bottling. I use a bucket without a spigot for fermenting and another bucket with a spigot for bottling. If you do try fermenting in the carboy in the future just be sure to leave a good amount of space at the top and rig up a blowoff hose instead of a simple bubbling airlock.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:00
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I'm trying to work on a floral IPA for spring. Anyone have much experience with Ahtanum and Palisade? I was thinking of going with a blend of those for my mid/late/dry hop additions. So far I'm going with a cascade and centennial mix for my initial bittering (since I already have some laying around). I also have a little Amarillo I was thinking of dropping in for one of the late additions. But what I'm looking for is a big floral aroma. Malt is just going to be a basic pale/small dash of munich/tiny dash of crystal. Tips?
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Mar 4, 2013 00:08
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nominal posted:I'm trying to work on a floral IPA for spring. Anyone have much experience with Ahtanum and Palisade? I was thinking of going with a blend of those for my mid/late/dry hop additions. So far I'm going with a cascade and centennial mix for my initial bittering (since I already have some laying around). I also have a little Amarillo I was thinking of dropping in for one of the late additions. But what I'm looking for is a big floral aroma. Malt is just going to be a basic pale/small dash of munich/tiny dash of crystal. Tips? I've done an 100% low alpha ipa. The bittering seemed low, as dumb as it sounds. BeerSmith spit out a number, sure - but it wasn't that splitting bitterness, could be remedied by exactly what you plan on doing. I'd say add 'flame out' and dry hop for a week, and with more than you think 2oz/5gal or more.
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Mar 4, 2013 01:56
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Couple questions: Bought a 5" piece of Black Swan red oak honeycomb today. Would you use the Honeycomb the same way that you would use oak chips or cubes? The instructions say that 5" left in you beverage for 6 weeks will impart adequate flavor, but I kind of think I want to soak it in bourbon and then use that, don't really know what to expect though. Also is it (the honeycomb) going to be a one time use thing, or can I reuse it for a few beers? Also, I asked a few days ago, but never got an answer: Any ideas on how to fix a beer that has a strong grassy flavor? Left dry hops in a beer too long, and its rough. I'm hoping I can forget about it for a few months, and have something worth drinking.
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Mar 4, 2013 02:51
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I'm starting to get a really light film on top of my cider, which has been in the carboy about 2 months. It was no-boil pasteurized juice with a little bit of brown sugar. Should I be worried about mold or something? It also seems to always have condensation on the inside for some reason. Going to try to bottle as soon as possible but I was thinking of throwing some more brown sugar in there to wake up the yeast and maybe have them do some last minute cleanup. Any suggestions?
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Mar 4, 2013 04:44
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Did you get this all as part of a homebrew equipment kit? The intention was probably to ferment in the carboy and then rack into the spigot bucket for bottling. I use a bucket without a spigot for fermenting and another bucket with a spigot for bottling. If you do try fermenting in the carboy in the future just be sure to leave a good amount of space at the top and rig up a blowoff hose instead of a simple bubbling airlock. It was. The thing with ours was that it was a canned kit. We added boiling water with the pre hopped extract, added sugar, then added a bunch of water. We couldn't really stir it well with the carboy, so we fermented in the bucket. Our next brew will definitely ferment in the carboy, but since this kit came with our equipment, we figured we'd rather gently caress up on this than an actual recipe.
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Mar 4, 2013 05:12
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How skilled are the judges at State Fair Homebrewing competitions? Are they usually just local club guys, or are they BJCP trained individuals? I have a tower on my keg and no beer gun or counter pressure filler, should I just bottle condition with some Fizz Drops and hope for the best?
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Mar 4, 2013 05:15
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So I make a 1l starter for a Belgian. First problem is my good stirbar is in carboy. Getting it out with magnet didn't work. So I use the lovely bar that doesn't work at all. End up shaking by hand for a few days. Then I run out of time, didn't brew, and have to leave town. So I boil up some sanitary jars to store the starter in. Pour the 1 liter into a big jar. Put lid on jar. Pick jar up and Bottom falls off of jar. 1 liter of yeast all over counter and floor. It smelled great.
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Mar 4, 2013 06:06
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ScaerCroe posted:How skilled are the judges at State Fair Homebrewing competitions? Are they usually just local club guys, or are they BJCP trained individuals? I have a tower on my keg and no beer gun or counter pressure filler, should I just bottle condition with some Fizz Drops and hope for the best? If you can just hook up a picnic tap, you can put a sanitized racking cane into the end of the tap, slide a #2 stopper onto the cane and use it as a bottle filler. You just put the stopper into the bottle and when the bottle stops filling due to CO2 in the bottle, you just push the side of the stopper to let the CO2 in the bottle out until it fills all the way up. Bottle filler for 5 bucks.
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Mar 4, 2013 06:37
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