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Sirotan posted:Brought sure homebrew to a dinner party tonight and had every bottle start to foam out immediately after opening. It's an IPA I brewed back around October. The taste was a bit soured so obviously I have an infection of some kind, but what would cause it to foam up like that? Or is this a case of I'll just never know? It's hard to say exactly what without a microscope and a biology degree but generally thinking along the lines of "something worth doing again" or "oh god foul infection" is good enough for most people in practical terms.
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Mar 20, 2013 02:17
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I'm gearing up for my first real brew. I'm going to try the norther brewers witbier recipe. http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/Witbier.pdf . I'm going to buy the ingredients from my local store but i have a few questions. When i add the hops/coriander seed/orange peel, do those need to be bagged and removed before cooling, or do i just dump them in? If so, how do you guys use the grain/hop bags? Do you tie em off and toss em in, or do you hang them from something so they don't hit the bottom and burn?
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Mar 20, 2013 02:41
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Crunkjuice posted:I'm gearing up for my first real brew. I'm going to try the norther brewers witbier recipe. http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/Witbier.pdf . I'm going to buy the ingredients from my local store but i have a few questions. When i add the hops/coriander seed/orange peel, do those need to be bagged and removed before cooling, or do i just dump them in? If so, how do you guys use the grain/hop bags? Do you tie em off and toss em in, or do you hang them from something so they don't hit the bottom and burn? I made this recipe (edit: the all-grain version), and it's pretty good, but it gets very bitter and grainy as it ages out so drink it young-ish. I use a tea ball (got a cheap one from Bell's online store) for additions like that, but you won't have a problem just chucking them into the wort as long as you don't plan on recycling the yeast after you bottle/keg - and even then you'll be fine, but you'll be carrying over the orange/coriander with you. e: some people are pretty spergy about 0min/flameout additions and claim that they NEED TO BE FREE to swirl about the kettle, so take that for what it is. I tend to agree because it's more fun.
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Mar 20, 2013 03:00
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wattershed posted:wrap the reflectix (it's fire-proof, I don't have it on when the flame's going but it's good to know), Definitely want to keep the flame off when using reflectix. It might not burst into flames but it will melt somewhere around 3-400*F and attach itself to whatever it is on. I was using it for insulation on my smoker and I took too long in getting everything assembled after starting the fire (so the charcoal got a lot more air than usual) and the reflectix around the base where the fire is melted onto my smoker. I've since switched to a silicon impregnated fabric which is amazing.
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Mar 20, 2013 03:15
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Galler posted:Definitely want to keep the flame off when using reflectix. It might not burst into flames but it will melt somewhere around 3-400*F and attach itself to whatever it is on. I was using it for insulation on my smoker and I took too long in getting everything assembled after starting the fire (so the charcoal got a lot more air than usual) and the reflectix around the base where the fire is melted onto my smoker. I've since switched to a silicon impregnated fabric which is amazing. You have a link for it? I'd love to be able to wrap my turkey fryer with insulation for when we're cooking Christmas dinner. And for brewing, naturally.
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Mar 20, 2013 03:22
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Okay here's the weird thing I want to do, so tell me why my recipe is dumb and my idea is dumb and how to make it not dumb: I want to brew a "Saison 3 Ways" for a special event we have coming up. A straight version, a sour version, and a (dried) hoppy version, all 3 gallons each. My plan is to start the boil at 60 minutes and bring it to about 11-13 IBU (because my precious sour tank doesn't like big IBUs), cut the boil at 30 minutes, run off 1/3 of the wort (for the sour batch), and then continue the boil at 30 minutes with addition(s) that will bring the 2/3 batch up to around 30 IBU. At that point things will proceed as normal, but for the hoppy batch I'll dryhop about a week before bottling with some huge aroma hops (I haven't decided on what those should be yet, definitely open to suggestions). Here's what I have on paper, based on what I know about how Saison Dupont is brewed and what I've read in Radical Brewing: http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/41224/anniversary-saison
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Mar 20, 2013 04:01
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Galler posted:Definitely want to keep the flame off when using reflectix. It might not burst into flames but it will melt somewhere around 3-400*F and attach itself to whatever it is on. I was using it for insulation on my smoker and I took too long in getting everything assembled after starting the fire (so the charcoal got a lot more air than usual) and the reflectix around the base where the fire is melted onto my smoker. I've since switched to a silicon impregnated fabric which is amazing. Oh, yeah, I wouldn't use reflectix when the flame is on. That said, yes, tell us more about this silicon impregnated fabric.
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Mar 20, 2013 04:04
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I bought mine pre-made for my smoker from here. I seem to remember reading that the fabric is good up to something retarded like 1,000*F. I'm not sure if you can get the raw fabric without buying a huge amount although you could cut up one of the smoker jackets. Also I don't know if it would work all that well for a turkey fryer. It works great on the smoker because it blocks the wind and the shape of the smoker/cover forces the warm air exiting the top of the smoker to flow back down along the outside creating an insulating air gap. I'm not sure if the fabric alone provides as much insulation as something like reflectix. I need to get another couple pork butts and fire that thing up again.
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Mar 20, 2013 04:09
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Crunkjuice posted:I'm gearing up for my first real brew. I'm going to try the norther brewers witbier recipe. http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/Witbier.pdf . I'm going to buy the ingredients from my local store but i have a few questions. When i add the hops/coriander seed/orange peel, do those need to be bagged and removed before cooling, or do i just dump them in? If so, how do you guys use the grain/hop bags? Do you tie em off and toss em in, or do you hang them from something so they don't hit the bottom and burn? What local store are you going to? If you don't mind driving to Lake Worth, go to BX Beer Depot. By far the best brew shop in the state. They do brewing classes for pretty cheap too.
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Mar 20, 2013 05:19
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rockcity posted:What local store are you going to? If you don't mind driving to Lake Worth, go to BX Beer Depot. By far the best brew shop in the state. They do brewing classes for pretty cheap too. I'm in Dallas so driving there would take 18 hours according to google maps ;p
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Mar 20, 2013 05:28
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Just had an idea: when I do my mash/sparge in my 10 gallon Igloo drink dispenser, can I press the excess moisture out of the grain down through the mash screen with a dinner plate, or will that extract unwanted stuff from the grain? Could be a way to get a little more efficiency from my process.
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Mar 20, 2013 06:09
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You're going to want to protect your hands when you try it, because the first thing that will happen is that the liquid will pool on the plate. But apart from bodily injury, I don't think there's any issue - as the mash filter chat earlier showed, you can squeeze the mash practically dry without any off-flavors.
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Mar 20, 2013 06:25
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wattershed posted:I have a cooling rack (I think they're for cakes or something) that keeps the bag off the bottom of the pot. I also had the bag tailored to the exact size of my pot to prevent a lot of fabric from massing up down there. I imagine a vegetable steamer would accomplish the exact same thing if one were worried about it.
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Mar 20, 2013 07:25
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RagingBoner posted:Just had an idea: when I do my mash/sparge in my 10 gallon Igloo drink dispenser, can I press the excess moisture out of the grain down through the mash screen with a dinner plate, or will that extract unwanted stuff from the grain? As long as you aren't pushing grain husks or particles out through your false bottom/steel braid/whatever there shouldn't be an issue.
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Mar 20, 2013 13:37
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Getting ready to finish my keezer with some taps, is there any good reason I shouldn't get a draft tower? I can't fit any more than 3 kegs inside so adding taps won't be an issue. I know I'll have to pull it away from the wall and remove the drip tray when I want to open it but I'm not really worried about that. I built the lid with 3/4" plywood and thick insulation so cutting through metal and mounting the tower isn't going to be a problem either.
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Mar 20, 2013 13:47
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Crunkjuice posted:I'm in Dallas so driving there would take 18 hours according to google maps ;p Haha my mistake, I think I got your location mixed up with one of the other guys in the diving thread.
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Mar 20, 2013 14:50
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About how long have you guys seen Wyeast American Ale yeast take to ferment a 1.060 beer? It's been a week and most of my beers have finished in a week so I think I might be safe, but I just want to be sure. I know checking hydrometer is the only way to know for sure, but I'd like to waste as little beer checking since I need all that I can get.
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Mar 20, 2013 14:52
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Midorka posted:About how long have you guys seen Wyeast American Ale yeast take to ferment a 1.060 beer? It's been a week and most of my beers have finished in a week so I think I might be safe, but I just want to be sure. I know checking hydrometer is the only way to know for sure, but I'd like to waste as little beer checking since I need all that I can get. Just sanitize your test holding apparatus and put it back in when your done. It's what I do, after I pour a teeny taste for my trouble.
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Mar 20, 2013 15:45
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Marshmallow Blue posted:Just sanitize your test holding apparatus and put it back in when your done. It's what I do, after I pour a teeny taste for my trouble. This is risky but probably your best bet. Remember that the resultant bottle bombs from bottling too early are also a huge waste of beer.
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Mar 20, 2013 17:40
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Mikey Purp posted:This is risky but probably your best bet. Remember that the resultant bottle bombs from bottling too early are also a huge waste of beer. Just start a trend for PET bottles! Dont most of you folks keg it up anyways? On another note I got my Portuguese double lever corker in the mail this weekend! Can't wait to cork some mead.
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Mar 20, 2013 17:51
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With Spring apparently still on the way (still 40* here in Brooklyn  ) I'm starting to look towards making a hefeweiss beer. Does anyone have any tried and true all-grain recipes, preferably without a decoction mash if possible?
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Mar 20, 2013 18:39
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Are decoction mashes typical for a hefeweizen? I did one with a buddy but it caused the beer to turn too dark for a true hefeweizen. Also I think I should just pony up and get a refractometer...
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Mar 20, 2013 18:42
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Feeling pretty good today - the emergency mead is fermenting nicely still, gravity dropping down, still goldenrod in color. My steam beer is just about ready to bottle, which is good. I got a stainless soda keg to begin modifying into a basic still setup. I felt like I had enough brewing things to keep me occupied for a while. But I just got a call from someone saying they're dropping off 80 pounds of bananas at my place today. So I guess I get to learn how to make banana beer/wine/brandy this weekend!
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Mar 20, 2013 18:49
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Midorka, while a refractometer is on my list too, they Mistaken For Bacon fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 18:58
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http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/03/75-gallon-kettle-and-propane-burner.html A 30 quart stock pot, a 45k BTU burner and a 12" thermometer for $59.97 Shipped.
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Mar 20, 2013 19:03
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Marshmallow Blue posted:Just start a trend for PET bottles! Dont most of you folks keg it up anyways? On another note I got my Portuguese double lever corker in the mail this weekend! Can't wait to cork some mead. I think for most people who keg, kegging isn't a complete replacement for bottling. I personally only have 2 kegs so I'm still bottling fairly often.
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Mar 20, 2013 19:05
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Mistaken For Bacon posted:Midorka, while a refractometer is on my list too, they don't work once a solution has alcohol in it. I'll third Marshmallow Blue's suggestion. Are you using a vacuum thief? Oh they don't? I didn't know that. I'm using one of those thiefs that you dip in and it slowly fills up automatically. It takes about 6 ounces for my tube.
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Mar 20, 2013 19:08
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Mistaken For Bacon posted:Midorka, while a refractometer is on my list too, they don't work once a solution has alcohol in it. I'll third Marshmallow Blue's suggestion. Are you using a vacuum thief? Refractometers can be used with a little math if you have the original reading: http://seanterrill.com/2011/04/07/refractometer-fg-results/
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Mar 20, 2013 19:10
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Mikey Purp posted:With Spring apparently still on the way (still 40* here in Brooklyn Poster "il serpente cosmico" used to sperg incessantly about Hefeweizens in the old thread. I dug up his recipe. If anyone remembers Ajaarg (  ) he swore by this, too. Edit: It's basically the opposite of what you want in that it includes a double decoction, heh. But he swore up and down that it made the beer 1000x better so maybe it's worth it?il serpente cosmico posted:Bam: As an aside, I forgot how much the old homebrew thread ruled. It ran from 2008 to 2011 and ended up in the Goldmine. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 19:10
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Midorka posted:Oh they don't? I didn't know that. I'm using one of those thiefs that you dip in and it slowly fills up automatically. It takes about 6 ounces for my tube. Cpt.Wacky posted:Refractometers can be used with a little math if you have the original reading: http://seanterrill.com/2011/04/07/refractometer-fg-results/ Mistaken For Bacon fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 19:13
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I've double decocted a Hef before and I don't remember it being too dark. I did 10 minute decoction boils instead of 30, of course. Edit: In the wheat book by Heironymous he says decoction mashes are traditional for Hefeweizen, but hardly any German breweries do it anymore. BerkerkLurk fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 19:26
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Refractometers can be used with a little math if you have the original reading: http://seanterrill.com/2011/04/07/refractometer-fg-results/ You don't even need the original. Between refractometer reading, FG, and OG, you can use any 2 to work out the third. Be sure to degass and take the temp if you're measuring FG of a finished beer, and keep in mind that if you bottle condition that fudges things a tad.
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Mar 20, 2013 19:33
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Cointelprofessional posted:http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/03/75-gallon-kettle-and-propane-burner.html Oh, hell yes, I've been waiting for a deal like this to pop up. Awesome. Going to up my half-rear end BIAB technique to full batches now! I'll mash in this kettle, and use the 5-gallon -bucket-w/holes-in-the-bottom-stuck-in-an-Ale-Pail-technique for sparging (Yes, that's the technical name. Some nice poster outlined this system many pages ago. For posterity I'll quote this kind soul, because I saved their immeasurably helpful post. Unfortunately not their username, so I present to you the cheap all-grain setup of the Unknown Goon. Perhaps if someone has search/archives they could give credit where credit is due, on behalf of us cheapskates:) quote:I've seen a LOT of all-grain brewing setups in this thread that are
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Mar 20, 2013 19:50
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Docjowles posted:
If you do a quick google search of "arjaarg beer" you'll find many examples of how this newer, arjaag-free thread is superior to the old one.
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Mar 20, 2013 20:38
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RiggenBlaque posted:If you do a quick google search of "arjaarg beer" you'll find many examples of how this newer, arjaag-free thread is superior to the old one. I miss ajaarg. All the best beer advice comes steeped in vitriol.
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Mar 20, 2013 21:25
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Like any true sperglord, he really did know his stuff
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Mar 20, 2013 23:28
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He did have the info, it's true. Too bad he was such an rear end and had to be right all the time.
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Mar 20, 2013 23:43
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BerkerkLurk posted:I've double decocted a Hef before and I don't remember it being too dark. I did 10 minute decoction boils instead of 30, of course. Gordon Strong says many, if not most German breweries have gone to the Hochkurz high-short routine in lieu of decoction mashing things. That doesn't mean its a better or even equivalent method, it's just interesting to note.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:03
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zedprime posted:I miss ajaarg. All the best beer advice comes steeped in vitriol. The guy at my LHBS is a total dickbag.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:07
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I'd really love to get into doing decoction mashing and such, but I just got a bill for $99,000.00 from my student loans. 
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Mar 21, 2013 00:29
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