|
And even if it does have some non-Saccharomyces in it, nothing can grow in beer that will kill you. If it smells good and tastes good, congratulations, you made beer!
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 00:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 16:23 |
|
|
Anyone subscribe to Zymurgy magazine? I think it's free with one of the homebrew org memberships, but in any case there's a recipe this month for a Cream Ale that uses popped popcorn as the primary fermentable sugar. Kinda curious, looking to track down a copy of it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 01:23
|
|
|
I'll try to remember when I'm in front of a computer and post the recipe.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 01:32
|
|
|
Here's a screenshot. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 16:32
|
|
|
Huh. I didn't know (but really should have guessed) that people care about the shape their corn pops to. That was an interesting dive into Google. I still wish I knew why mushroom popcorn was desirable for this recipe, though.
Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Apr 10, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 16:53
|
|
|
They kind of explain it. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 17:29
|
|
|
Hm, interesting. Thanks for posting the recipe and the followup.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 17:46
|
|
|
Racked the beer from yesterday and yeah, it tastes perfectly fine. Bottled it and added some priming syrup, I’ll see if it’s nice and fizzy within a couple weeks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 18:06
|
|
|
Jo3sh posted:Huh. I didn't know (but really should have guessed) that people care about the shape their corn pops to. That was an interesting dive into Google. I still wish I knew why mushroom popcorn was desirable for this recipe, though. I'd imagine the only real reason you'd use popcorn instead of any other type of corn is the ease of gelatinization. Which is why people use flaked corn. So then it's just down to taste. What does popcorn impart that other corn doesn't? And could you duplicate it by toasting your flaked corn for 10 minutes in an oven? It's a cool idea, but I'm not sure I understand why you'd choose this method over the others.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 18:58
|
|
|
Jhet posted:I'd imagine the only real reason you'd use popcorn instead of any other type of corn is the ease of gelatinization. Which is why people use flaked corn. So then it's just down to taste. What does popcorn impart that other corn doesn't? And could you duplicate it by toasting your flaked corn for 10 minutes in an oven? It's a cool idea, but I'm not sure I understand why you'd choose this method over the others. Yeah, just looking at that recipe, it's very similar to my cheap American regional lager clone: 47% 2-row 26% 6-row 26% flaked corn For a commercial brewery, maybe it's cheaper to use popcorn, but for my money, buying pre-gelatinized flaked corn is much easier.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 19:15
|
|
|
more falafel please posted:Yeah, just looking at that recipe, it's very similar to my cheap American regional lager clone: I doubt it's cheaper, but it's not my balance sheet. Cheaper would be buying unmalted corn. Cracking it and boiling it, and then adding it to the mash. Cheaper in material cost, not in labor. That's where you'd lose on this one too. Someone is going to be spending time popping all that corn for a morning. It feels like the pastry stout/weird adjunct crowd doing a cream ale instead. Which probably works great for marketing, but won't really change the beer that much. I'm all on board with that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 19:23
|
|
|
Jhet posted:I doubt it's cheaper, but it's not my balance sheet. Cheaper would be buying unmalted corn. Cracking it and boiling it, and then adding it to the mash. Cheaper in material cost, not in labor. That's where you'd lose on this one too. Someone is going to be spending time popping all that corn for a morning. There is a bit more to the article but it's pretty much this. They saw torrified corn in a cream ale recipe and said let's try it with popcorn.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 20:25
|
|
|
Jhet posted:Cheaper would be buying unmalted corn. Cracking it and boiling it, and then adding it to the mash. Obviously, a commercial brewer couldn't do this, as it's not "food," but cracked feed corn is stupid cheap. Precracked makes it easier to get through the grain mill, then make a pot of polenta out of it, and mash it up. Make sure you get the stuff without added flavorings or other ingredients, though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 20:59
|
|
|
Jo3sh posted:Obviously, a commercial brewer couldn't do this, as it's not "food," but cracked feed corn is stupid cheap. Precracked makes it easier to get through the grain mill, then make a pot of polenta out of it, and mash it up. Make sure you get the stuff without added flavorings or other ingredients, though. It shouldn't be hard to find for a business. It's what you use to make a bourbon mash. It's not much more expensive than cracked feed corn either. There's a grain mill near-ish to me that sells 100% whole grain cornmeal that would skip the milling step entirely and you wouldn't need to worry about breaking your mill on the stuff. 25# for $34 isn't bad. Then I can just cook muffins with the rest. Still more expensive than cracked corn, but then you're also not spending the time processing it. I'm going to pick up the rye berries that this mill sells though, and maybe some unmalted wheat or spelt berries too for my saison filled summer.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 21:23
|
|
|
Just don't try to malt rye yourself, that's how you get ergot (unless you're trying to make your own "acid malt")
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 22:07
|
|
|
more falafel please posted:Just don't try to malt rye yourself, that's how you get ergot (unless you're trying to make your own "acid malt") No way. Malting rye takes really precise control so you don't get nasty fungus growing. I'll just use the berries for all of them. I know you can see it with a magnifying glass, but that's just not worth the effort when I can buy a 50# sack of malted rye for $110 down the road at the maltster. I'll leave it to the people with the machines already set up to do it right.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 23:49
|
|
|
Hey I have a bunch of old homebrew stuff. PM my if you're around Austin and am interested in a cheap-rear end grain mill, $5 carboys, a fridge temperature controller, and a box of random bungs, caps, cappers, whatever fun.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 06:38
|
|
|
Apparently the glass bottles I’ve been storing my beer in are not good bottles for holding carbonation.  I’m reading reports of breakage and exploding on Amazon and now I’m very glad I’ve been burping them daily. How do I make sure the bottles aren’t being overprimed, or are durable enough to handle it in the first place?Mine are the “YEBODA Clear Glass Bottles with Stopper”, if anyone’s curious.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2022 23:17
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:Apparently the glass bottles I’ve been storing my beer in are not good bottles for holding carbonation. You start by taking a pair of gravity readings with a hydrometer at the end of fermentation. If it doesn't change over a couple days, then it's as far as it'll go. Then you add a specific amount of sugar to the beer when you bottle. This can vary slightly depending on how fizzy you want it, but it's generally around 4oz of dextrose for 5 gallons of beer. This will produce a specific amount of pressure. Brown beer bottles are rated for this amount of pressure, and so are many other bottles out there. The specific ones you posted should be rated fine for 3.5vol like a normal beer bottle would be. With beer you're coming in at 2.3-2.6vol, so you have wiggle room. Kombucha makers in my experience don't have a clue about bottle pressures or how much pressure putting X amount of sugar into their kombucha will make. So it really doesn't surprise me that they'd blow these up. I have a bunch of clear glass ones recycled from bottled sparkling mineral water like this that I put ginger beer into (and even kombucha), but if you followed the instructions on the kit for how much sugar goes in at bottling, then you should be fine. Don't burp them or it'll be under carbed and possibly oxidized.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2022 00:17
|
|
|
Picked up a few things to try and improve my brewing setup. Ordered a small 24" stainless steel table so I have a good work surface, along with some fittings, custom bag, and a pump to convert my 45 qt cooler to a BIAB mash tun. Even on warm days I get a lot of temperature swings while mashing in the brew kettle, so I'm pretty excited to try this out. Plan is to boil the water up to strike temp, pump it up to the cooler above the brew kettle, and then let it gravity drain back out into the kettle once the wort is ready. Figure since I'm incorporating a pump, might as well try out a counterflow chiller to cut down my chill time. So I wound up getting a jaded cyclone chiller and whirly mammoth arm to whirlpool in the kettle. Once I get everything in, I think the next batch is going to be a saison. Anyone have any recipes they'd recommend?
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2022 21:53
|
|
|
Once it warms up a bit more I make my cucumber saison. I find it very refreshing http://redtidebrewing.com/beers/hendrick/ I'm trying to decide what to do for my brewery setup. I think I'm going to learn welding and weld all of my brew stands etc.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2022 22:07
|
|
|
OSU_Matthew posted:Picked up a few things to try and improve my brewing setup. Ordered a small 24" stainless steel table so I have a good work surface, along with some fittings, custom bag, and a pump to convert my 45 qt cooler to a BIAB mash tun. Even on warm days I get a lot of temperature swings while mashing in the brew kettle, so I'm pretty excited to try this out. Plan is to boil the water up to strike temp, pump it up to the cooler above the brew kettle, and then let it gravity drain back out into the kettle once the wort is ready. Figure since I'm incorporating a pump, might as well try out a counterflow chiller to cut down my chill time. So I wound up getting a jaded cyclone chiller and whirly mammoth arm to whirlpool in the kettle. I have two basic Saison recipes that I riff from depending on my mood. I used to make them complicated, but I've discovered that simpler seems to be better. I no longer add Munich or Vienna, and the only thing I'd use is acidulated if I weren't adjusting my mash pH with Lactic Acid already. I prefer to carb to 2.8vol or more as well. The Rye version I make once or twice a year. The base version I've made 3-4 times a year for the last few. Rye Saison: 1.058sg 10# Pilsner or Pale malt 2# Malted Rye Willamette to 30ibu (usually about 1oz at 60 and 1oz at 20) Striesselspalt 1oz at flameout (I change this part often) French Saison yeast (Wyeast 3711) Base Saison: 1.056sg 11# Pilsner or Pale malt (sometimes I replace with 2# of malted wheat or spelt) Bittering hops to 25. I most often use Yakima Gold or Willamette. Any noble-like works great. More hops near flameout. My current favorites are HBC472, Cashmere, and Loral. This works great with Wyeast 3724 or 3726 (Dupont or Blaugies, take your pick they're both great).
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2022 00:57
|
|
|
And with Saison fermentation, don't be afraid to let it get warm. Those esters are what make that beer style.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2022 06:40
|
|
|
One can definitely go too warm with saison. It depends on your yeast, the gravity of the beer, whether or not you will be adding Brett at any point and your personal taste. I feel like the phenol forward saison yeasts (like dupont) do better with higher temperatures, especially with low to medium gravities, but if you are making a strong saison or using a very estery yeast (like Blaugies) you don't want to exceed the mid to high 70s. If you're adding Brett it is better to err on the side of caution; there will be plenty of character regardless.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2022 09:28
|
|
|
I get why but trimming back my hops felt wrong. 2nd year so first shoots got it once already and today was picking the best looking ones and then wrecking a bush worth of the others.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2022 00:35
|
|
|
honda whisperer posted:I get why but trimming back my hops felt wrong. 2nd year so first shoots got it once already and today was picking the best looking ones and then wrecking a bush worth of the others. Just remember to keep an eye on the bigger runners (purple ones for most if not all varieties) that will explode every now and again. Those typically have little to no cone production and suck a ton of energy from the crown. Supposedly, they taste like asparagus if you harvest them really small, and sauté in butter, but I’ve never done it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2022 16:06
|
|
|
hello thread, it's been a while. I find I need to set up different PSI levels going to kegs in a 4 keg system. The taprite 4-way manifold with regulators looks cool, but also looks like it's expensive I've been thinking about maybe grabbing several of the Duotight inline regulators and using those instead with my existing manifold. Has anyone used these, or does anyone have any opinion on either solution (or any alternatives I should consider)?
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2022 03:08
|
|
|
JawKnee posted:hello thread, it's been a while. There’s a duo tight manifold platform for just this purpose. The homebrewfinds site has a good write up with links. https://www.homebrewfinds.com/2019/07/build-a-duotight-co2-manifold-for-kegland-evabarrier-tubing.html I’ve used the previous version of their regulator and it works great.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2022 03:17
|
|
|
I have duotight on everything and it's a great system. I wish my glycol setup was a bit different so I could use it on my lines. Extremely easy to setup but can be a bit pricey to get going.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2022 04:52
|
|
|
I really want to get into kegging but it seems like a big outlay, and I often bottle so then I need a counter pressure bottle filler. I think my next thing since I now brew outside is a pump and a chller.. I"ve been doing no chill but I feel that may be impacting my brews a little.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2022 14:07
|
|
|
Tangentially related, but I just completed an academic research project on storage conditions and bittering potential of a local craft brewery's inventory. Turns out Cascade and Centennial from 2018 lose pretty much all of their alpha acids in that length of time, even when nitrogen blanketed and vacuum packed in mylar bags. On the flip side, the aged batch of CTZ mellowed out a bit and lost most of the onion/garlic aroma they had while fresh. Interesting project overall - kind of honed in the importance of using fresh ingredients, especially in hop-forward beers.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2022 14:18
|
|
|
Pillow Armadillo posted:Tangentially related, but I just completed an academic research project on storage conditions and bittering potential of a local craft brewery's inventory. yeah I had a guy give me a crapload (2 gallons) of magnum / mix of magnum/cascade hops that I dind't vac seal but promptly tossed in my freezer.. I think I gotta toss em as they've been there for almost a year
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2022 14:30
|
|
|
We tested 2018 Cascade under two conditions - open bag under cold storage (40F) and sealed in foil with nitrogen blanketing. Fresh Cascade alpha percentages usually average between 7-12% (think Sierra Nevada's pale ale), however, we ran them through a spectrophotometer and discovered both batches were now measuring 0-1% alpha with near total conversion into beta acids. Long story short, they made a really nice English Pale recipe taste flat, muted and imparted a harsh bitterness in the finished beer compared to the freshest available batch.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2022 14:41
|
|
|
You aren’t freezing your hops?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2022 03:13
|
|
|
LaserWash posted:You aren’t freezing your hops? 30-41F is fine for T90 hops pellets. We weren't handling fresh cones or anything like that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2022 03:50
|
|
|
tater_salad posted:yeah I had a guy give me a crapload (2 gallons) of magnum / mix of magnum/cascade hops that I dind't vac seal but promptly tossed in my freezer.. I think I gotta toss em as they've been there for almost a year Put them in a paper bag and leave them out in room temp somewhere for a year. Then brew sour beer with em.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2022 10:18
|
|
|
Looking to start brewing again after moving. My new place doesn't have a convenient place for me to hook up my immersion chiller--the kitchen faucets are all pulldowns, so I'd basically have to go outside and no thanks. Replacing one of the faucets is...well I'll do it if I have do but I'd rather not, so I'm looking at maybe doing a submersible pump, that way I can also recirculate iced water once I'm down around 100F to get the last bit done faster. Something like the 400GPM model for this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UXBGTI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_DupVxbFYVEHY1?th=1 looks like it'd be about 2GPM at a ~4ft rise, which is not necessarily relevant since it'll be pumping back to the same elevation eventually, and I would just need a threaded adapter to connect the hose thread. Anyone else do this, and does that seem about right?
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2022 06:27
|
|
|
gwrtheyrn posted:Looking to start brewing again after moving. My new place doesn't have a convenient place for me to hook up my immersion chiller--the kitchen faucets are all pulldowns, so I'd basically have to go outside and no thanks. Replacing one of the faucets is...well I'll do it if I have do but I'd rather not, so I'm looking at maybe doing a submersible pump, that way I can also recirculate iced water once I'm down around 100F to get the last bit done faster. Something like the 400GPM model for this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UXBGTI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_DupVxbFYVEHY1?th=1 looks like it'd be about 2GPM at a ~4ft rise, which is not necessarily relevant since it'll be pumping back to the same elevation eventually, and I would just need a threaded adapter to connect the hose thread. Anyone else do this, and does that seem about right? I'm using something exactly like that right now. I think my pump is 550 GPH/5ft rise, but I don't know that the speed is necessarily going to matter all that much. I have a bigger tote that usually has about 15-17 gallons in it and I don't need to use much ice at all to get it down to near ambient. As long as it can lift the water high enough then it should work okay. Works great for me and I don't have to deal with where to put the water.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2022 06:52
|
|
|
 Made a mead. Allspice, cinnamon, orange zest, cloves, raisins, mountain honey, lalvin 71b. Turned out very nice and spiced. Clear as water straight from fermentation. Gonna store some bottles a year for more goodness. Also am making beer again for the first time this year, a basic american cream ale for summer. Inkbird and heater mat in a freezer doing very well tempwise.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2022 14:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 16:23 |
|
|
Jhet posted:I'm using something exactly like that right now. I think my pump is 550 GPH/5ft rise, but I don't know that the speed is necessarily going to matter all that much. I have a bigger tote that usually has about 15-17 gallons in it and I don't need to use much ice at all to get it down to near ambient. As long as it can lift the water high enough then it should work okay. Works great for me and I don't have to deal with where to put the water. I bought a Utilitech 1/6hp from Home Depot for that use case, it works great. No idea on the lift, but I haven't had issues. The city water used to be pretty warm in the summer, so I'd just have a cooler full of ice water since the grocery store was pretty cheap for the big bags of ice, and it worked great. A couple minutes of tap water to take off the huge heat hit, then ice water.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2022 14:41
|
|