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Bobsledboy posted:They're carried by a new online store http://www.barleyman.com.au/ I did a pale ale with AU cascade, nelson sauvin and galaxy using the Vermont Ale strain and it turned out awesome. yeah that lol. his grain prices by the sack are good too, esp if you're in/near Sydney. 53/sack for BB pale, TF for 70 a sack and he gets a lot of WL yeast too. I rang him upon putting my order through for some Conan (Vermont Ale) and he was really good to deal with, gave me some great info on using the Conan in beers other than heady topper. He's actually (afaik) organising something with my LHBS at the moment for yeast supplying as he gets smaller orders more frequently.
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Aug 25, 2014 07:02
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wildfire1 posted:Depends on whether it's a harsh solventy booze flavour or not. If it is its not going away, and is probably because you massively undepitched. Otherwise time should let it mellow, but a tripel is supposed to have a touch of warming alcohol. 8.5% russian imperial stout took a good 3-4 months to start mellowing and my current belgian strong ale (9.3%) is still a very hot/solventy ale. It was fermented well above recommended pitching rates too and temperature controlled. Awesome yeast - WYeast Trappist High Gravity. I will probably do a tripel soon, and let it age out until next winter in bottles, and make a patersbier as the starter for it.
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Aug 25, 2014 07:05
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McSpergin posted:8.5% russian imperial stout took a good 3-4 months to start mellowing and my current belgian strong ale (9.3%) is still a very hot/solventy ale. It was fermented well above recommended pitching rates too and temperature controlled. Awesome yeast - WYeast Trappist High Gravity. I will probably do a tripel soon, and let it age out until next winter in bottles, and make a patersbier as the starter for it. It shouldn't be a problem if you pitch normally but he put one smack pack into a beer over 1.090
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Aug 25, 2014 07:12
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For the 15 min boil recipe I did, the only thing I did that could go either way was that I added 1oz of hops to the cold water before I even turned on the heat. I plugged that into my calculator as 25 minute hops but I have no clue how those will be extracted. Supposedly I'm getting about 60 IBUS for 5oz of kettle hops. All Dr. Rudi. Another thing I did for the first time was I used a plate filter to filter a Kolsch that just finished fermentation. Man that thing took forever, but it's definitely clearer than before. Not quite commercial clear, but close.
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Aug 25, 2014 07:47
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I forgot how terrifying it is to not see airlock movement. I did a gallon test batch 2 days ago and no movement at all. I don't need reassurance that its normal, I just haven't done a batch since February and I haven't done a gallon for about a year, and gallons seem to never push out enough CO2 to really get any movement on the airlock. Just venting 
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Aug 25, 2014 15:06
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Adult Sword Owner posted:Just venting Just so as we're clear. You're venting because your airlock isn't. This thought amuses me, although that may be the sleep depravation talking. Somewhat beer related tangent as many use freezers for their kegging setup. I have an upright freezer that's not getting cold enough anymore. When it's running frost will build up on the evaporator coils and the evap fan seems to be running just fine. I have checked the drain to ensure that it is not plugged, the door is sealing properly it just won't get down to temp to save it's life. Refrigerant? Compressor? Thermostat? Any suggestions on troubleshooting to determine the problem part?
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Aug 25, 2014 16:24
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ChickenArise posted:Does anyone have a favorite solution for a poppet that keeps clogging with hop bits that doesn't involve using a hop bag? I think I might just trim the diptube a tiny bit and/or get some steel wool to fit over the opening. I had this problem once and the solution was to use a different poppet type (the one my keg came with wasn't quite right).
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Aug 25, 2014 19:22
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ChickenArise posted:Does anyone have a favorite solution for a poppet that keeps clogging with hop bits that doesn't involve using a hop bag? I think I might just trim the diptube a tiny bit and/or get some steel wool to fit over the opening. I had this problem and ended up taking the poppet out and just went through the rest of the keg like that. You have to remove the gas, depressurize the keg, remove the post, put the post back on without the poppet, take the poppet out of the quick disconnect as well (the two poppets press each other down/up and open each other, so otherwise the QD won't be open), put the QD on, and then put the gas back on. It was a pain in the butt, but I couldn't pour a single pint without it getting clogged with hop bits.
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Aug 25, 2014 20:14
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Holy poo poo that's brilliant. I have like 3 pints left, max, and I gave up on it because I didn't want to waste more gas. Tonight it's going down.illcendiary posted:I had this problem once and the solution was to use a different poppet type (the one my keg came with wasn't quite right). This too. I'll have to see about grabbing an extra (or test the poppet from my other keg) next time I'm at the LHBS.
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Aug 25, 2014 20:50
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wildfire1 posted:It shouldn't be a problem if you pitch normally but he put one smack pack into a beer over 1.090 Thanks for the advice all. Just to be clear since we've not had something so high on the gravity before...we should have pitched multiple yeast packs? Like...two smack packs? Is the benefit of that that the yeast doesn't have to "work" as hard? Would that affect the attenuation? We were pretty good on the attenuation for a tripel as far as I could tell (86%)
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Aug 25, 2014 23:19
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TracerBullet posted:Thanks for the advice all. Just to be clear since we've not had something so high on the gravity before...we should have pitched multiple yeast packs? Like...two smack packs? I'm pretty new to the hobby, but I just brewed my first two high gravity beers so I was doing a lot of reading and talking to friends on this. Some yeast will have a lot of problems in the beginning if you don't make a yeast starter and/or aerate properly. Provided fermentation does get kicked off and doesn't stall out there shouldn't be any negative effects. It will just take longer to finish. The two beers I just did were both ~1.080 and I pitched yeast without a starter into properly aerated wort. Temperature control probably plays a bigger role when you're doing it this way. In any case, they both took a little while to get rolling, but ended up exactly where they should have been.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:41
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I have been brewing an unusual amount lately, and my carboys are down to some old glass ones I inherited from a friend. I can't seem to get the stoppers to stay in, and even lost one inside (forever probably). Anyone have a good solution to this issue? I am using the appropriate stopper size, they are the ones he used in them without issue. I have tried inserting stopper first then airlock, and also already together, with no better success. What on Earth am I doing wrong?
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Aug 26, 2014 00:19
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TracerBullet posted:Thanks for the advice all. Just to be clear since we've not had something so high on the gravity before...we should have pitched multiple yeast packs? Like...two smack packs? For that beer you need about 550 billion cells for a good pitching rate, you pitched under 100 billion, so... yeah. Your typical smack pack will do (according to the yeast pitching rate calculator at https://www.brewersfriend.com) about 19 litres of a 1.030 at the right pitching rate. The reason you want to pitch more yeast is that pitching not enough will stress the yeast out causing off flavours (I'm not sure of the mechanism behind this, but it's there). You will also tend to get lower attenuation, but as you said you dodged the bullet on that knew and got good attenuation on the tripel. If I had to bet, I suspect you've got a bunch of fuel alcohols and an abundance of fake smelling banana esters. People pitch one pack all the time and get beer in the end, but if you want to improve your beer, doing a mini beer called a yeast starter to build one pack up to better pitching rates is the second best thing you can do to get better tasting beer. The first is tightly controlled fermentation temperatures. Hope this helps!
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Aug 26, 2014 00:57
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OK, so now I feel a little less pissed off about my hoppy beers. I have a new hypothesis. You see, I've had a few pints since I posted about it, and the mushy caramel thing has gone away, replaced by the bitterness I remember from before I went on vacation. Now a week-plus since I returned, it's back to drinking well. So this is what I think happened: while I was away, some sediment settled, and what I was pulling from the keg was heavy enough in yeast and other goop that it made a major change in the flavor of the beer. So I'm off the idea that it's related to oxidation or any other process issues, and now I'm leaning toward recipe formulation issues. Which I'm okay with, because it just means I have to buy more hops and brew more beer.
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Aug 26, 2014 02:01
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wildfire1 posted:It shouldn't be a problem if you pitch normally but he put one smack pack into a beer over 1.090 jesus. I missed that. poo poo, my stout had something like a 4 litre starter - on the stir plate i think that roused up 600 billion or something ridiculous. Just enough to do what I wanted it to. Yeah.. people, please make starters if you want good beer!!
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Aug 26, 2014 02:20
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TracerBullet posted:Thanks for the advice all. Just to be clear since we've not had something so high on the gravity before...we should have pitched multiple yeast packs? Like...two smack packs? Tracer, this link from John Palmer gives a great bit of info on the how and why of yeast starters. Personal opinion, if you haven't already, get a copy of Beersmith 2. Its $30 for a license, and I wouldn't go back to before I had it. Add all the addons, you get this ridiculous amount of info and relative stuff that will help you make fantastic beer, it has water addition calcs, and yeast calcs. Other personal opinion - 5 litre Erlenmeyer flask, stir plate (if you know what you're doing you can build one for next to nothing, I bought a preassembled unit for about $70 AUD with a stir bar. The benefit is if you're buying a proper chemistry flask, you can throw it straight onto the hot plate and boil up your starter on it, throw the stir bar in while it's hot, let it cool to the right temps (throw a stick on thermometer on it, it will show when you're at temps). Pitch yeast, aerate 24-36 hours, crash chill, decant most, so that there's a bit of liquid, leave it to get back to the fermentation temp, swirl and into your beer. Nice and slow though, so that you don't lose the stir bar! http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html That's my 2 cents anyway. I've always made starters, or if I use dry yeast 2-3 packs. I have a very very knowledgable group of guys at my LHBS so they have always pushed me in the right direction, even when they're not making a cent off me.
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Aug 26, 2014 02:30
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McSpergin posted:Tracer, this link from John Palmer gives a great bit of info on the how and why of yeast starters. What's your LHBS?
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Aug 26, 2014 04:49
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wildfire1 posted:What's your LHBS? Toowoomba Home Brewers, up in QLD. Pete (owner) has been brewing for 30 years, his offsider Anthony for I think 10-15 he said, and Mitch the new guy has been for a while too. Unless you're asking what LHBS stands for, then that's local home brew shop. Covering both bases here lol. But yeah, they're smart blokes. Good brewers all 3 of them, and good to talk to. Full of information if I need. And they have a good way to put me onto great info, like recently i've been thinking about brewing a Berliner Weisse and Anthony put me well on the right track with yeast/bug usage. Also Nick (I think) at Barleyman is really good to deal with. I hear Ross at Craftbrewer is good but I've only ever ordered I think one thing through them.
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Aug 26, 2014 10:16
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McSpergin posted:Nice and slow though, so that you don't lose the stir bar! Another way to do this is to hold a magnet to the bottom of the flask to keep the stirrer in place.
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Aug 26, 2014 13:54
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I've gotten myself my first smack pack. How do I go about using this besides smacking it, distributing the nutrients and letting it stand? It's in my fridge now, do I first need to let it get to room temperature before the smackin' or can I take it out and then smack it?
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Aug 26, 2014 15:13
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Is there a reason I shouldn't bottle beer in a whiskey bottle? My Christmas beer should be ready for bottling this weekend and I just finished a Dalmore bottle with a silver deer on it, so I figured I'll give that one to whoever hosts dinner this Christmas. It'll be clean and everything, but I kinda worry about the cork. Can it contain stuff that'll mess up the beer? If I clean it with stuff other than water, will it mess up the flavor? Also, the cork isn't crammed in like with wine, expanding after you open it, but cut to size. It closes off the bottle perfectly, but should I wrap it up after bottling so the top doesn't fly off?
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Aug 26, 2014 15:21
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BioTech posted:Is there a reason I shouldn't bottle beer in a whiskey bottle? My Christmas beer should be ready for bottling this weekend and I just finished a Dalmore bottle with a silver deer on it, so I figured I'll give that one to whoever hosts dinner this Christmas. I think Dalmore comes in a clear glass bottle, so you'll need to be careful about skunking the beer. I'm also doubtful that the cork will hold pressure, leaving you with flat, skunked beer. You might be able to use those heat-shrink wrappers or dip it in wax ala Makers Mark to get a better seal, but I would just go with a normal capped beer bottle. I'd rather be given tasty beer than pretty beer any day.
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Aug 26, 2014 15:32
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I'm excited, sunday was my first brew day and this morning it started bubbling happily away. One thing i'm still unclear on, how do I tell when it's time to bottle?
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Aug 26, 2014 15:43
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BioTech posted:Is there a reason I shouldn't bottle beer in a whiskey bottle? My Christmas beer should be ready for bottling this weekend and I just finished a Dalmore bottle with a silver deer on it, so I figured I'll give that one to whoever hosts dinner this Christmas. That bottle isn't designed to hold pressure. It might, but I wouldn't try it or recommend it.
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Aug 26, 2014 15:54
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Commissar Kip posted:I've gotten myself my first smack pack. How do I go about using this besides smacking it, distributing the nutrients and letting it stand? It's in my fridge now, do I first need to let it get to room temperature before the smackin' or can I take it out and then smack it? Keep in mind those packs have ~100bn cells and you typically want to pitch 200+bn for 5 gallons; although I have done many batches with just 1 smack pack and they came out fine.
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Aug 26, 2014 16:11
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BlackHattingMachine posted:I have been brewing an unusual amount lately, and my carboys are down to some old glass ones I inherited from a friend. I can't seem to get the stoppers to stay in, and even lost one inside (forever probably). I have trouble getting stoppers to stay in glass carboys if the stopper is wet (usually with starsan). I haven't found much of a solution other than "let it dry a bit and shove it in better" Also, if you don't want to push stoppers into the carboy, try the "universal" ones: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/universal-carboy-bung-drilled.html Lastly, it's actually relatively easy to get a stopper out of a carboy, there's a trick to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUSx0xN_R3o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEiMpIoCamM
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Aug 26, 2014 16:44
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mad.radhu posted:I'm excited, sunday was my first brew day and this morning it started bubbling happily away. One thing i'm still unclear on, how do I tell when it's time to bottle? Wait three weeks, or if you're impatient measure the gravity every day after 1-2 weeks until it doesn't change.
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Aug 26, 2014 21:45
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Does anyone have a method for keeping tasting notes they would like to share? Anything from a Google Doc to an Access database or a web page, wiki, or whatever. I try to keep notes on paper but I think I need to move to an electronic format so that I am more consistent.
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Aug 27, 2014 03:23
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Brewed a 'wet hop' pale today with hops from a stranger from the internet. Filled the trunk with bines. Syrinxx posted:Does anyone have a method for keeping tasting notes they would like to share? Anything from a Google Doc to an Access database or a web page, wiki, or whatever. I try to keep notes on paper but I think I need to move to an electronic format so that I am more consistent. I keep per-beer notes in the "notes section" of beersmith. I'm terrible at keeping them though. Overall notes? May I introduce my sperg-log: http://bit.ly/1tSTUyG
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Aug 27, 2014 03:34
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more falafel please posted:Lastly, it's actually relatively easy to get a stopper out of a carboy, there's a trick to it: Wow, this is great! Maybe I'll try a little more patience and allow a little drying to occur. If not I guess I'll just upgrade. Thanks!
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Aug 27, 2014 03:44
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Now that I'm about to bottle my last of the year's batch of plum jerkum, it's perry weekend this weekend. I'm putting together a new press using the "old car jack" method, and my wife and I will be out harvesting all the vacant lots and wild trees down by the river on Saturday. The rough plan is: 1. Gather a stationwagon load full of assorted pears. 2. Smash pears 3. Press pears 4. Add campden tablet and wait a day 5. Ferment using the same Safale US-05 that I've had such luck with in my jerkums and ciders 6. ... 7. Drink way too much of it Anyway, since this is my first time for perry after doing lots of ciders and jerkums, I'm torn on if I should use yeast nutrient or not. For cider I do since I tend to get very clear juice. For jerkum I don't since I get tons of pulp and stuff. I imagine I'm going to get a lot of pulp from the pears, but if anyone has done this I'd appreciate your perspective.
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Aug 27, 2014 04:15
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Syrinxx posted:Does anyone have a method for keeping tasting notes they would like to share? Anything from a Google Doc to an Access database or a web page, wiki, or whatever. I try to keep notes on paper but I think I need to move to an electronic format so that I am more consistent. I just have a running Word document where I have the stats (Planned/actual OG, volume, etc.), recipe, and notes about the brew, fermentation, and tasting. When I go to brew again I can go back and review notes from similar beers.
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Aug 27, 2014 04:36
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ieatsoap6 posted:I just have a running Word document where I have the stats (Planned/actual OG, volume, etc.), recipe, and notes about the brew, fermentation, and tasting. When I go to brew again I can go back and review notes from similar beers. I also do the notes section on beersmith, especially when doing Smashes to test various hops. That way I can leave tasting notes on each specific hop. For now it works, but then if my hard drive shits the bed again i'll be out of luck.
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Aug 27, 2014 05:27
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McSpergin posted:if my hard drive shits the bed again i'll be out of luck. ITYM *when* it shits the bed. Backups are the key to a good technology experience.
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Aug 27, 2014 05:29
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Now that I'm about to bottle my last of the year's batch of plum jerkum, it's perry weekend this weekend. I'm putting together a new press using the "old car jack" method, and my wife and I will be out harvesting all the vacant lots and wild trees down by the river on Saturday. The rough plan is: I'm hardly an expert having done just one perry batch but here's a few thoughts. I'd suggest a step in between 1 and 2 where you wait until the pears are fully or even almost overripe. Pears will ripen on the tree but they a get gritty texture. Typically they are picked underripe and then a period of cold storage will cause them to sweeten. They'll also be a lot softer meaning easier to crush and press and so probably more juice yield. I ended up pressing mine in early December. They sat in my uninsulated garage at least through November before pressing. The brix was 17.9. I added about 2 oz malic acid to get the pH down from 4.6 to 3.7. From the pH you can calculate how much SO2 is needed to sterilize the must. I used 1 gram/gallon pectic enzyme and Fermaid along with 2 grams/gallon DAP, which is the same I use for cider and mead. I used Lalvin D47 yeast based on the strain description. I had some moderate sulfur smells early on but after 6 months it was ready to bottle. Very clear, nice pear aroma and not overly dry. I bottled most of it still but also put a carb drop each in a few bottles and I think that worked well too for a light carbonation.
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Aug 27, 2014 05:59
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McSpergin posted:Toowoomba Home Brewers, up in QLD. Pete (owner) has been brewing for 30 years, his offsider Anthony for I think 10-15 he said, and Mitch the new guy has been for a while too. <---- Barleyman. Mention SA in your checkout and I'll throw in a present!
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Aug 27, 2014 08:39
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Vykuza posted:<---- Barleyman. Mention SA in your checkout and I'll throw in a present! You're shittin' me!! Will do. I was actually just today thinking about putting a new order through for some of your Yeast Bay blends and a couple WLP vials for the next few brews! I'll put him through Monday, so that we avoid potentially having those poor little yeasts sitting in transit over the weekend. The last lot got in within 3 days which was good, they're very healthy!
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Aug 27, 2014 10:24
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Hey guys, looking for some advice. I'm moving to another state this weekend and I have three carboys full of delicious sour beer. What do you think is the best way to move them? I know they're going to be shaken up a bit, there's really nothing I can do about that. I'm thinking about getting solid stoppers for all of them to prevent any chance of air getting sucked in. Good idea? Other thoughts?
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Aug 27, 2014 20:29
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Cpt.Wacky posted:I'm hardly an expert having done just one perry batch but here's a few thoughts. Aging the fruit makes sense. All the pears around here though are falling off the trees due to their ripeness, so I may not get much aging out of them before they squish under their own rate. Thanks for the advice on your additives.
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Aug 27, 2014 20:36
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Sounds reasonable, but don't tape them down or anything, the agitation will probably knock a lot of gas out of suspension and you probably them to be able to blow out the stopper instead of building up pressure.
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Aug 27, 2014 20:37
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