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ExtremistCow posted:After reading American Sour Beers, I'm trying an experiment and letting a lambic sit on the trub for an extended period. Pretty simple recipe, I guess we'll see in a year or two how it went: I sat mine on the primary trub for the first 18months and it is delicious.
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Sep 6, 2014 01:44
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life is killing me posted:I'm told that I won't need to transfer to secondary ferm since that's mostly for clarity, and since I want a hefe and not a kristal, I shouldn't transfer. The instructions that came with the kit said to just take OG and transfer to carb like you'd do with other beers. We just had a discussion about secondary and clearing, or lack thereof. Long story short, many of us don't bother much with secondaries - I sure don't. Here's what I would do: I'd let the beer rest a little longer. For "normal-strength" beers, I pretty routinely go for two weeks in the fermenter. Around day 12, I'd pull a gravity sample to make sure it is about where I expect it to be. Make a note of what your reading is. Don't return the sample to the fermenter - drink it instead, so you can see how it's coming along. A couple days later, pull another sample and compare. If the gravity is unchanged, it's time to package it. Make your priming syrup by boiling your priming sugar in a couple of pints of water for a few minutes. Put this in the bottom of a sanitized bottling bucket, and rack your beer in on top of it. Don't leave it there, but bottle it right away. If you tried to carb in the bucket, the gas would just bubble off - it has to be in a vessel, like a beer bottle, that will hold the pressure, for carbonation to form.
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Sep 6, 2014 01:54
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life is killing me posted:Okay so I just finished my first foray into homebrewing last week and with the help of a couple more experienced friends I think I managed to not gently caress it up. I've been a big, big fan of craft brews for a while and am a supporter of the craft breweries in my area and THINK I know a bit about beer. I'm definitely wrong about this. Anyway, said friends had been doing it awhile, one servers his from a Kegerator and makes a couple batches a month and wants to start a brewery with us. He has invited me over in the past to help him brew and I've gladly gone because I was thinking about doing it myself and figured what better than to get some hands-on knowledge? I'd let it go longer than 7 days, but once fermentation activity has come to a halt, there really isn't much to stop you from bottling it. Letting it sit longer can definitely help flavors settle though.
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Sep 6, 2014 02:11
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It seems like it's done fermenting--within the first 12 hours it was already bubbling in the airlock and now it's subsided, but I want to let it sit for a bit as rockcity suggested. I have a Trumer pils glass I'm just gonna use as a cylinder, but could backfire if the beer tastes funny and I have this huge sample I've gotta drink. I'm not too worried about it because it started fermenting quickly and should have killed anything that got in the bucket when I pitched the yeast (we finished brewing and went out to drink for a bit, so sealed the bucket because the temperature wasn't low enough to pitch yeast at the time we were ready to leave). I came back at like 330am and pitched yeast, aerated it a bit, and sealed it off again so I feel like it's in a good place and that it should be good to go with no unwanted bacteria in it. But now that it's been suggested to take gravity after ~12 days, I will probably just do that. I don't want it too sweet or too much of a banana-ish beer, though. I just want it to be subtle and like the hefes I had in Germany. I guess we will see. I'm the only one who's gonna drink it besides my friends anyway. Tomorrow we're going to try a wheat IPA, but we're not going to just throw more hops in a standard hefeweizen--we're planning on using three different hops and a Vienna malt to try to strike a balance between hefe and IPA, so I'll be pumped to see how that turns out. My friend did a lot of the recipe last night and we're gonna go buy whatever ingredients we lack tomorrow.
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Sep 6, 2014 06:22
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Go for the citrus flavored hops, they work really well in hopped up wheat beers.
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Sep 6, 2014 07:04
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vulturesrow posted:How hard is doing a sour compared to a normal beer? sours are the best because 80% of the time infections are actually gonna add to a beer lol. I use a blend of yeast bay Brett Beersel, Lacto, and any bottle dregs I get. My next sour will have tripel karmeliet, smog rocket and a raspberry wild ale dreg going in, purely for the added complexity.
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Sep 6, 2014 13:14
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Jo3sh posted:We just had a discussion about secondary and clearing, or lack thereof. Long story short, many of us don't bother much with secondaries - I sure don't. One thing that cannot be stressed enough is to measure your priming sugar carefully. If you eyeball it, small differences can change the character of the beer and large mistakes can lead to bottle bombs or geysers!
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Sep 6, 2014 13:40
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I bottled my first brew last night, i'm excited. Seeing all those bottles lined up nicely is very exciting. My take away lesson from bottling is "don't drop your hydrometer on the tile/hardwood, because you will be left hearing the skittering noises of tiny ball bearings probably forever"
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Sep 6, 2014 15:44
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BrianBoitano posted:measure your priming sugar carefully. ... and by weight, not volume, if you possibly can.
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Sep 6, 2014 16:02
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So what do you guys think of decoction? Is it even worth the extra effort?
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Sep 6, 2014 16:02
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Jo3sh posted:... and by weight, not volume, if you possibly can. How much water do you normally use? I normally do 40-50grams homebrew sugar with 160ml (roughtly 1/3rd imperial pint). I've seen alot of books always saying 1 or 2 cups but whenever I tried those they ruin the beer by making it watery as hell. :I
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Sep 6, 2014 16:10
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Fluo posted:How much water do you normally use? The water amount is noncritical - I've always just used "some." Probably a US pint or so. In a five-gallon batch, that's a small enough amount that I've never noticed a watery effect. These days, I keg everything, and so I don't worry about priming at all. I just rack the beer in, seal it up, and put it to force carb.
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Sep 6, 2014 16:21
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I'm finally about to join the world of kegging. I saw a great deal on craigslist for a dual tap kegerator with ball lock fittings, a 5lb co2 tank, two ball lock corny kegs, all the necessary lines and a temperature controller for a little under $250. Time to throw more money in a hole! In any case, the dude said that the o-rings on the kegs were recently replaced, so I shouldn't need to do that yet, but besides cleaning everything, are there some 'must have' kegging supplies or 'must do' items that someone should have/do with their first draft system?
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Sep 6, 2014 16:59
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a regulator so you can shut off gas to individual kegs and a larger CO2 tank as 5lbs won't last more than a 2-3 months and filling them can be a pain e: sorry, not a regulator (you need one of those anyway) but a manifold
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Sep 6, 2014 17:35
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life is killing me posted:So what do you guys think of decoction? Is it even worth the extra effort? I make a lot of German lagers and generally don't do a decoction. I've done them before but didn't notice enough of a difference to keep doing them. On beers with a lot of wheat or rye I have seen benefits from doing a beta glucan rest so I step mash on occasion and sometimes I'll do a decoction for those just because. I do think decoction might make a small difference though, like if you made great German lagers it might make them really great so I'm going to get around to trying out some decoctions next year since I've consistently been making kickass lagers this year. You'll see better results putting your effort into making appropriate yeast starters, pitching at the right temp, fermenting at the right temp and adjusting your mash water correctly. If you do all those and want something else to try making your beers better then go for it.
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Sep 6, 2014 17:54
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JawKnee posted:a regulator so you can shut off gas to individual kegs and a larger CO2 tank as 5lbs won't last more than a 2-3 months and filling them can be a pain Looks like the regulator may already have a manifold on it, as there's a split for two different kegs and there are individual valves for each one. As for the 5lb tank, I won't be replacing that because it fits in the fridge with the kegs so things are nice and tidy, and there's an Airgas about a 5 minute drive away so filling it up shouldn't be that bad.
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Sep 6, 2014 18:02
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Hi brew thread! it's been a long time since i posted here, and even longer since i've brewed, but i'm growing some hops in my back yard: I harvested today, and got about 350g/12oz (wet). not bad for the first year! I have them in the dehydrator now. Hopefully it will be enough for a batch of something. I'm planning on doing a pale ale or something really simple and crisp to highlight the hops (they're Cascade). As far as alpha/beta levels go, I don't have a lab so i don't have any way to know what they are -- should I just look up the general range that cascades fall into and pick something on the low end?
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Sep 6, 2014 19:20
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Mr. Glass posted:Hi brew thread! it's been a long time since i posted here, and even longer since i've brewed, but i'm growing some hops in my back yard: Where are you roughly? I'm still waiting on mine to be ready for harvest here in Western Washington. That yield seems about right for what I've seen on first year plants. Expect that thing to explode in growth next year. These are some of mine this year:  Tettnanger in the middle is on it's second year. I had to trim the top several times to keep it in check. On the left is Magnum and both rhizomes I planted this year survived. On the right is the Nugget and only one rhizome made it. I think you'd be better off estimating the mid point or high end since they are likely fresher than commercial hops. If you want to sperg out there's a method to estimate the bitterness relative to known commercial hops. It's at the end of this article which covers just about everything for growing and using hops: http://home.netcom.com/~dluzanp/backyard.htm
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Sep 6, 2014 21:31
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Where are you roughly? I'm still waiting on mine to be ready for harvest here in Western Washington. That yield seems about right for what I've seen on first year plants. Expect that thing to explode in growth next year. I'm in Pittsburgh, so (generally) warmer and more humid summers than the PNW. I've never done this before, so it's certainly possible I harvested a little too early, but the majority of them were papery and had visible lupulin dust and a few of the earliest blooms had already turned brown.
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Sep 6, 2014 21:39
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Where are you roughly? I'm still waiting on mine to be ready for harvest here in Western Washington. That yield seems about right for what I've seen on first year plants. Expect that thing to explode in growth next year. These are some of mine this year: I'm moving to Washington in the spring. I may have to swing by and sample your wares. 
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Sep 6, 2014 21:54
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got dumb with my breakfast stout BIAB today and forgot to check my water temps before wrapping up my kettle in jackets for the mash (usually heat up to 175 and by the time im done stirring in grain the temp has dropped to 155 or so). Checked it at the end of 60 minutes and it was at 160. I usually lose less than 2 degrees so temp going in would be around there; is that too high for a mash? hah and just had a minor boil-over, great brew day so far
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Sep 6, 2014 21:56
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All you guys growing hope make me super jealous. They won't grow in Florida.
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Sep 6, 2014 23:18
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rockcity posted:All you guys growing hope make me super jealous. They won't grow in Florida. I live in NW Florida and the home brew store I go to definitely has hops growing.
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Sep 7, 2014 00:21
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Yeah I was under the impression that hops grow pretty much anywhere it's not freezing all year round, as long as you don't mind reduced yield in suboptimal climates. which shouldn't matter if you're just growing for yourself, just grow more plants. it's not exactly a labor-intensive crop.
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Sep 7, 2014 00:23
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Gravity check on my brown ale. Down to 1.015 from 1.056 and i pitched only 6 days ago. It was mangrove jacks newcastle dark ale dry yeast. When I was brewing it (on the gas stove top) the CO alarm went off, so i had to kill the boil 15 minutes early. I added my finishing hops and let them stew for a bit before chilling. The un carbed beer is pretty spot on for a brown so im pretty happy despite the scare. Just remember to have good ventilation in doors even if your just using a natty gas range. Recipe here for 3 gallons in case i didn't already post it. https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/brown-earl
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Sep 7, 2014 01:45
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vulturesrow posted:How hard is doing a sour compared to a normal beer? Crazy easy way: pitch the last .5" (dregs) of a Jolly Pumpkin in a batch you think is "okay", let it sit 3 weeks and check the gravity along the way. Less easy: pitch WL670, wait 2-3 months. Only seemingly complicated: Brew a berliner weisse. Painful: Use a pitch of roeselare. (tip: repitch roselare three time and you'll finally have something worth the effort).
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Sep 7, 2014 03:12
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Josh Wow posted:I make a lot of German lagers and generally don't do a decoction. I've done them before but didn't notice enough of a difference to keep doing them. On beers with a lot of wheat or rye I have seen benefits from doing a beta glucan rest so I step mash on occasion and sometimes I'll do a decoction for those just because. I've stayed away from lagers since they seem to be more complicated and involved than I can handle right now, but I have read about decoctions in hefes and got the impression that it worked well for hefes. I just wasn't sure if it was enough good to make me want to go to the effort, but on one of my rare days off when I brew again with a little more experience I think I'd want to try it just out of curiosity.
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Sep 7, 2014 03:24
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The vacuum sealer that I bought 3 years ago and never used finally came in handy!   Ended up with exactly 4 oz after drying. I packed it into 3 1oz packages and 2 half ounce packages to minimize waste/repackaging and threw 'em in the freezer. e: I'm thinking about making a pale ale with these: 7 lb light DME 1 lb Crystal 20L (steeped) 1oz Cascade @ 60min 1/3 oz Cascade @ 45 min 1/3 oz Cascade @ 30 min 1/3 oz Cascade @ 15 min White Labs WLP001 Basically I want the hop flavor to be highlighted as much as possible. Any suggestions? Mr. Glass fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Sep 7, 2014 |
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Sep 7, 2014 17:32
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Jacobey000 posted:Crazy easy way: pitch the last .5" (dregs) of a Jolly Pumpkin in a batch you think is "okay", let it sit 3 weeks and check the gravity along the way. How about Supplication - does it have live bugs in it / can it be used to make sours?
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Sep 7, 2014 17:38
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Jo3sh posted:How about Supplication - does it have live bugs in it / can it be used to make sours? Yep! http://www.themadfermentationist.com/p/dreg-list.html
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Sep 7, 2014 17:43
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Awesome. So make a beer, ferment it out with regular old Sacch., then pitch some bottle dregs and check it again in a month?
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Sep 7, 2014 18:43
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Jo3sh posted:Awesome. So make a beer, ferment it out with regular old Sacch., then pitch some bottle dregs and check it again in a month? http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/brewing-sour-beer-at-home.html quote:
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Sep 7, 2014 20:04
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Mr. Glass posted:
More hops late, that's what gives you the hop flavour and aroma, hops added earlier will just add (mainly) indiscriminate bitterness. I'd do something like: 1/2 oz Cascade @60min 1/2 oz Cascade @15min 1 oz Cascade @10min 1 oz Cascade @5min e: or maybe 1 oz at 60min, forgot how low in alpha acid Cascade is toe knee hand fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Sep 7, 2014 |
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Sep 7, 2014 20:58
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Mr. Glass posted:The vacuum sealer that I bought 3 years ago and never used finally came in handy! Move the 45 minute addition to later in the boil, maybe at 15 or 10 minutes.
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Sep 7, 2014 21:10
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toe knee hand posted:More hops late, that's what gives you the hop flavour and aroma, hops added earlier will just add (mainly) indiscriminate bitterness. dont be averse to trying other hops either, centennial, summit, citra and others are great late addition hops (I prefer summit for the grapefruit tones and its cheap)
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Sep 7, 2014 22:10
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He's got 4oz of harvested Cascade to use, I think. Here's the hop schedule for my next pale ale: code:You're the one who offered me swingtops, right? I bottled my last batch entirely in Howe Sound swingtops and it was so easy. I'm hardly ever in Vancouver with a car though (live in Victoria and the ferry is so much cheaper as a foot passenger), so not sure if I'll be able to take you up on the offer.
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Sep 7, 2014 22:22
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Cool. Thanks for helping me with the training wheels. I might break down and inoculate half of next weekend's batch with some bugs just to try it.
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Sep 7, 2014 23:21
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I've thought about growing hops for a long time. My local brew store has such a wide selection for cheap that kind of makes me not need to as much. The problem I've had is I'm in a bit of a brewing rut. I haven't brewed in months and at this point I don't know what I want to make anymore.
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Sep 8, 2014 00:49
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RedChops posted:I haven't brewed in months and at this point I don't know what I want to make anymore. Go to a friend's house, or a local tavern, and have a beer you think is interesting. Talk to fellow homebrewers (including those of us in this thread) what they are doing now and what they want to do next. Find someone excited about beer and let a little excitement rub off on you.
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Sep 8, 2014 01:38
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Really confused today -- hit 110% on my mash efficiency according to Brewsmith which makes no sense... all I changed about my process was I added 4 ml of 88% lactic acid directly to the mash water instead of using acid malt. Normally hit ~80%. The error could have came from not weighing my grain out correctly... but even then I would have needed to weigh out at least 3+ lbs extra which I'm pretty sure I didn't do. Now I have a 1.069 wort that was meant to be a hefeweizen... just gonna pitch the hefe yeast and ferment cool to limit fusels... but I really wanted that legit fairly low alcohol hefe :/
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Sep 8, 2014 02:42
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