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fullroundaction posted:You're supposed to drink it, doofus I'm in this camp. And also really you don't need consecutive FG readings on every brew. If I'm making some variation of IPA/Stout/sour/etc that I know, I am aware of what sort of FG or attenuation to expect, so checking before packaging is just confirming that I didn't screw up (also lol at my only recent high FG being an LME kit that a friend had been sitting on for too long).
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Jun 17, 2013 20:50
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I have a bunch of hops that I opened a couple of months ago and then put in the freezer inside zip lock bags. I have about 3/4 ounce each of: Mosaic, Simcoe, El Dorado, Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascade. I am tossing around the idea of making my first ever IPA. Would it be an especially bad idea to use all of those left over hops in such a beer? Edit: I made a SMaSH pale ale on Thursday and a quasi-Scotch Ale on Saturday. These were my first all grain beers. The starting gravity readings were pretty much where they were supposed to be, and both had significant airlock activity in the couple of days following pitching. Should I consider this evidence of likely success? PBCrunch fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Jun 17, 2013 |
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Jun 17, 2013 21:19
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PBCrunch posted:Should I consider this evidence of likely success? Sounds like a good bet to me.
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Jun 17, 2013 22:15
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PBCrunch posted:I have a bunch of hops that I opened a couple of months ago and then put in the freezer inside zip lock bags. I have about 3/4 ounce each of: Mosaic, Simcoe, El Dorado, Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascade. It wouldn't be a bad idea, but some of those hops are really tasty and I think you could get more than 1 IPA out of it. Citra + Amarillo + Simcoe is pretty tried-and-true. I suppose it also all depends on how you want to dry hop.
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Jun 17, 2013 22:19
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ChickenArise posted:It wouldn't be a bad idea, but some of those hops are really tasty and I think you could get more than 1 IPA out of it. Citra + Amarillo + Simcoe is pretty tried-and-true. I suppose it also all depends on how you want to dry hop. I guess I want an IPA that is not ridiculously bitter but has more of the fruity hop flavors. I have read this comes down to the timing of the hops additions more than anything.
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Jun 17, 2013 23:08
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Firestone Walker Union Jack and regular ole Stone IPA are my gotos. West coast style baby!
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Jun 18, 2013 00:01
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Is it unusual for a primary fermentation bucket to have a very tight fit on the lid, but not an airtight one? My airlock shows pressure clearly, but it doesn't displace a bubble and I noticed when I shake-rinsed the sanitizer solution before adding the wort it would dribble a little on the rim when shaken vigorously. I don't think its a problem, especially since the airlock clearly shows positive pressure, but I'm just curious. drat, I'm reading this and realize I have the most  posts in this loving thread.
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Jun 18, 2013 02:49
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Allahu Snackbar posted:Is it unusual for a primary fermentation bucket to have a very tight fit on the lid, but not an airtight one? My airlock shows pressure clearly, but it doesn't displace a bubble and I noticed when I shake-rinsed the sanitizer solution before adding the wort it would dribble a little on the rim when shaken vigorously. I don't think its a problem, especially since the airlock clearly shows positive pressure, but I'm just curious. with an air tight lid, that primary fermentation bucket would blow its top. it needs to have some way for the CO2 to escape. bucket lids with an airlock are unusual because usually the lid allows for it to escape. its not a problem, just dont pull the lid off, ut it somewhere else, stare at your wort, dip a finger in, stir with stuff you find on the ground etc.
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Jun 18, 2013 03:38
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fullroundaction posted:Ooof. I took some final gravity samples for a couple competition beers we have coming up and they all finished way lower than I wanted them to. This seems to be a trend for ALL of my beers, even with first generation yeast. Dude, same problem. My beer always finishes below 1.010. I bought a refractometer to check against my hydrometer. We'll see.
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Jun 18, 2013 06:21
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Midorka posted:Dude, same problem. My beer always finishes below 1.010. I bought a refractometer to check against my hydrometer. We'll see. Only other thing I can think of is that the recipes I'm making are "too fermentable" if that's even a thing. I usually don't use anything but base grains unless I have a really good reason to, but even so you should be able to pull above 1010 with Maris Otter or 2-row or Pilsner if you're trying really hard, right?
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Jun 18, 2013 15:23
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sounds like you all need ta be usin' more CRYSTAL MALT! its the only solution guys.
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Jun 18, 2013 15:30
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fullroundaction posted:Only other thing I can think of is that the recipes I'm making are "too fermentable" if that's even a thing. I usually don't use anything but base grains unless I have a really good reason to, but even so you should be able to pull above 1010 with Maris Otter or 2-row or Pilsner if you're trying really hard, right? According to my readings American Ale yeast has been attenuating 85%+ every time. I'm guessing either: - Hydrometer is reading poo poo, though it reads 1.000 from tap water - Thermometer is reading poo poo, though it reads around 212 at boil and 31.5-32.5 at freezing - I live in a magic world where yeast attenuates better then anywhere else in the world, other than your house I'm going to start mashing over 151, I'm going to try 154 for my pale ale next time.
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Jun 18, 2013 15:43
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How often during the mash do you check temperature?
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Jun 18, 2013 15:47
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For whatever it's worth, when I bought a new hydrometer my beers suddenly became a lot more fermentable. It's calibrated at the same temperature and measures water correctly but I'm thinking that maybe the scale is a bit off or something. It's this one: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beer-and-wine-triple-scale-hydrometer.html
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Jun 18, 2013 16:10
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zedprime posted:How often during the mash do you check temperature? I check at the beginning and end. I have, on average, a 1F temperature drop.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:18
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internet celebrity posted:For whatever it's worth, when I bought a new hydrometer my beers suddenly became a lot more fermentable. It's calibrated at the same temperature and measures water correctly but I'm thinking that maybe the scale is a bit off or something. It's this one: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beer-and-wine-triple-scale-hydrometer.html I use that one too and I have the same issue (FG is always way lower than predicted).
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Jun 18, 2013 16:29
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Midorka posted:I check at the beginning and end. I have, on average, a 1F temperature drop. So basically for mashing you're just pouring hot water on the grains and letting it sit for a while (1 qt per pound ish?). Then pouring more hot water over the grains when its done (sparging), to you're boiling volume, then you boil with all that (minus the grains?). Sorry if that's entirely wrong. Every tutorial I've read on it is spergin confusing.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:34
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Marshmallow Blue posted:So basically for mashing you're just pouring hot water on the grains and letting it sit for a while (1 qt per pound ish?). Then pouring more hot water over the grains when its done (sparging), to you're boiling volume, then you boil with all that (minus the grains?). Sorry if that's entirely wrong. Every tutorial I've read on it is spergin confusing. I crush the grain and add 1.3 quarts of water per pound of grain, my preferred mash thickness. I usually add the water at 16 degrees over my desired temperature because by the time I add the grain and stir, the temperature is down 16 degrees to where I want it. At this point I close my mash tun and wait an hour. After that I vorlauf, which basically means run off some of the wort and pour it back into the mash tun. You do this until the beer runs clear. When it runs clear you run off all of the wort in your mash tun. While that's running off I boil my first batch sparge amount. Once I've completely run off I add the boiled water to raise the temperature beyond conversion. I stir it well and repeat the process. I batch sparge twice.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:40
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Midorka posted:According to my readings American Ale yeast has been attenuating 85%+ every time. I'm guessing either: 151 seems really low for a mash point to me, and I would expect high attenuation. I typically aim for 154-156 for more sweetness, and 150-152 for more crispness.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:42
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Overkill or awesome investment? http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewery-essentials-advanced-gravity-testing-assembly.html I think I have one of the cheap hydrometers somewhere.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:44
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Do you have room to do a mash out to 170 before vorlauf? A vorlauf followed by runoff of the first liqour is a lot of extra time before you start elevating the temp at the end. This is all assuming you desperately need more sweetness and aren't just angry at your final gravity as a number.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:46
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Marshmallow Blue posted:So basically for mashing you're just pouring hot water on the grains and letting it sit for a while (1 qt per pound ish?). Then pouring more hot water over the grains when its done (sparging), to you're boiling volume, then you boil with all that (minus the grains?). Sorry if that's entirely wrong. Every tutorial I've read on it is spergin confusing. This is my basic process. There are probably as many processes as there are brewers, but this one works for me. 1) Do some calculations to determine the amount of water I will use and what temperature I will heat it to for my mash. I typically use 1.25 quarts of water per pound. 2) Measure strike and sparge water and treat it by stirring in a crushed Campden tab to remove chlorine and/or chloramine. 3) Heat strike water to the calculated temp. While the water heats, crush grain. 4) Stir in the crushed grain. Be sure to break up all doughballs, as dry grain is grain you won't get any benefit from. 5) Let it rest to convert. About 20-30 minutes before I am ready to sparge, heat sparge water. 6) Recirculate until the runnings are pretty clear (5-10 minutes) 7) Pump the first runnings over to the boiler. 8) Dump in half of the sparge water. Stir well. Let rest 10 min or so. 9) Recirculate until the runnings are pretty clear. 10) Pump the second runnings over to the boiler 11) Dump in the other half of the sparge water. Stir well. Let rest 10 min or so. 12) Recirculate until pretty clear. Put away hot liquor tank. 13) Pump third runnings to boiler. 14) Start boil. Clean up mashtun and put away.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:46
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strikehold posted:Overkill or awesome investment? Im going to vote over-kill. When you break one (notice the word When), you will need to pay to replace it, which costs more than 2 regular ones, I always just add .001 to my readings as opposed to taking a temp, it seems Im always fermenting at 74 degrees or so. Also thanks for the input on How-to-All-Grain, its still beyond me some how. Im sure I just need to see it done, then I'll understand. I'll stick to my extract beer and spergy Staggered Nutrient Addition and Aerated must to the 1/3 sugar break meads for now. Marshmallow Blue fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jun 18, 2013 |
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Jun 18, 2013 16:49
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zedprime posted:Do you have room to do a mash out to 170 before vorlauf? A vorlauf followed by runoff of the first liqour is a lot of extra time before you start elevating the temp at the end. My mash out comes with the first batch sparge addition. Mashing out is just raising the grain high enough to stop conversion. From what some have said in this thread, full conversion is done by 30-40 minutes anyway.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:49
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baquerd posted:151 seems really low for a mash point to me, and I would expect high attenuation. I typically aim for 154-156 for more sweetness, and 150-152 for more crispness. Unless you do everything exactly the same as someone else its a lot tougher to talk temperatures than homebrew culture tends to let on. For example I could never get a beer to finish below 1.018 with 1.060 starting gravities at 1.060 sg at 151f single infusions. I've since stopped reading FGs since kegging because no bottle bombs and go with my gut for infusion temp based on the sort of beer and SG.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:51
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Midorka posted:My mash out comes with the first batch sparge addition. Mashing out is just raising the grain high enough to stop conversion. From what some have said in this thread, full conversion is done by 30-40 minutes anyway. Beta begins denaturing as low as 130 but keeps trucking well into the 150s and alpha can do plenty to make fermentable sugars if given time. Ferment ability has nothing to do with when starches are 100% converted which usually is really quick with 150s single infusions.
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Jun 18, 2013 16:54
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From my understanding longer mash times would only decrease wort fermentability, IIRC. It allows the sugars to become more complex. I'm not sure what you're trying to imply though.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:03
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Midorka posted:From my understanding longer mash times would only decrease wort fermentability, IIRC. It allows the sugars to become more complex. I'm not sure what you're trying to imply though. Sugars are only ever becoming less complex. You start with starches which is as complex as you can get as super long sugar polymers. Beta can break off very simple sugars, about as long as a molecule can be and still be called sugar. Beta can do this to any sugar sitting at the end of a carb or complex sugar chain and tends to be slow since there are only so many ends. Alpha breaks up a complex sugar at any point, quickly turning starch into sugar but by probability, only making so many short chain simple sugars. However it can break any complex sugar in half so given enough time it can make lots more simple sugars.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:08
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Midorka posted:From my understanding longer mash times would only decrease wort fermentability, IIRC. It allows the sugars to become more complex. I'm not sure what you're trying to imply though. I don't think this is true. I've read that at medium to higher mash temperatures (i.e. 154+) most mashes have reached full conversion by the 30-40 minute mark, so a longer mash would either have no effect, or possibly lead to a more highly fermentable wort if you are mashing at the lower end of the temperature range (148-150). Granted my limited understanding of the chemistry behind the mash process, I can't see any reason or circumstance where the sugars would become more complex, though.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:15
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Yeah I think you only start going back to the unfermentable stage of sugars when things start to caramelize which is above boiling point in degrees.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:28
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Interesting. I suppose I could start my vorlauf at 50 minutes instead of at 60. I should be finished recirculating by 60 is up and have a sparge batch ready to raise it to 170. I'd rather not mess with mash times though, even if it would save me time. It just seems easier to mess with the temps than the time.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:29
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Midorka posted:Interesting. I suppose I could start my vorlauf at 50 minutes instead of at 60. I should be finished recirculating by 60 is up and have a sparge batch ready to raise it to 170. I'm an idiot for instantly going to more complex procedures when you have plenty of room to raise the temperature as someone else mentioned. I really want you to be sure you are chasing after what you think you are chasing after though. Your attitudes toward your hydrometer imply you are more worried a out the number coming out as a FG since you were so convinced it was wrong. You've said nothing about being disappointed with residual sweetness or body. FG is really good for telling you about bottle bombs. Your tongue needs the final say in the mash schedule though.
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Jun 18, 2013 17:34
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My FG complaining is from my last few high-gravs (1070+) coming out too dry and boozy when I was hoping for them to retain some sweetness and body. You're right about the number though. I've had medium-grav SMaSHs finish at 1.002 that were just as good as ones that finished at 1.006, and if I had not done the math I wouldn't have known any better.
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Jun 18, 2013 19:02
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Could a person simply run their first runnings through a coffee filter or some cheesecloth instead of recirculating? How do you know how much mash water and how much sparge water to use?
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Jun 18, 2013 19:48
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PBCrunch posted:How do you know how much mash water and how much sparge water to use? Volume of your boil = ([mash water] - [loss to grain]) + [sparge water] You know the first 2 variables ahead of time, and you'll know the third after you've brewed on your system a few times. So for instance if I know I want my boil to be 6.25 gallons for 10pounds of grain with a mash thickness of 1.25qts/pound and a grain loss of 1.5gallons: 6.25 gallons = ([12.5qt mash] - [6qt loss to grain]) + [PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN, but now calculated at 18.5qt sparge water needed] In reality I don't think many people measure their sparge water EXACTLY. They just get a rough idea of how much they'll need and then add more since it's better to have more than not enough.* E: unless you batch sparge, in which case you do need to know it exactly
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Jun 18, 2013 19:59
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Could you just add too much sparge water and then close the valve on the mash tun when you have reached the desired boil volume?
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Jun 18, 2013 20:14
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PBCrunch posted:Could you just add too much sparge water and then close the valve on the mash tun when you have reached the desired boil volume? wouldn't you be letting some of the good stuff out?
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Jun 18, 2013 20:19
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PBCrunch posted:Could you just add too much sparge water and then close the valve on the mash tun when you have reached the desired boil volume? You could, but that would mean you were leaving some of your sugars in the tun, which would result in a lower OG than anticipated and lower mash efficiency. The better method would be to collect all of your sparge water and then boil down to your desired batch size. Still, not a great method because you'd then have to recalculate your hop additions for a longer boil, etc.
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Jun 18, 2013 20:19
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PBCrunch posted:Could you just add too much sparge water and then close the valve on the mash tun when you have reached the desired boil volume? Sure, but you risk stranding sugar in the tun and reducing efficiency. I don't actually measure any volumes of water, only wort. I strike by temperature: strike water needs to be between 160 and 165 for normal mash consistencies and a single infusion between 148-154. Then my first few batches limit me because I have a small tun. Depending how much wort I still need, I eyeball the last batch.
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Jun 18, 2013 20:23
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Huzzah! I am moved in/unpacked enough that I can brew again this weekend! Taking 1.5 months off was too long  Tonight: Cider. I'm probably just going to do some basic apple juice + frozen concetrate + Nottingham Saturday: 2 gallon saison. Belgian Munich malt + Dark Brown Sugar + 3711 Sunday: 5 gallon raspberry wheat beer. 5lb of wheat extract + US-05, and then like 4lb of raspberries in secondary. 
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Jun 18, 2013 20:24
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