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I am going to keg my Saison with brewed with Danstar saison yeast this week, so I should have some tasting notes (on flat, warm beer!) this week.
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Jul 2, 2013 04:21
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Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system?
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Jul 2, 2013 04:45
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? Whatever room happens to be the coolest, or in the case of saisons, the room that is the hottest. Keep in mind, I don't make great beer.
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Jul 2, 2013 04:59
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Big bathtub with ice, shower at my mom's house for a week. PM me if you need more details (or shower pics). bengy81 posted:> Home Brewing Thread IV: Keep in mind, I don't make great beer.
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Jul 2, 2013 05:02
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9 year old mini fridge. I took off the door shelving and rubber seal and cut off the beverage holder part and then reattached the frame + seal to the door. Then bought the http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html temp controller (probably off somewhere else...) After that it is as simple as plug it in and set the temp.
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Jul 2, 2013 05:22
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Hi Brewgoons, I forget if I've ever posted in here before, but I, too don't make great beer! I actually have a quick question that's been on my mind for a while now. I'm in the fermenting stage of a knock-off/from-scratch version of the Brewer's Best Cream ale [~4.8% abv] (brewed it from the box last summer and it was a big hit; now I'm brewing up a batch for my friend's wedding as a gift since he loved it so much, complete with ~fancy blue bottles and labels~). Everything's going great so far; my little 5 gallon bucket's bubbling away. I usually leave my brew in the fermenter for about a week after it stops bubbling, but I've never been quite sure if this is okay or if this is actually harming the beer. tl;dr: How long should I let my Cream Ale sit in the fermenter before bottling? Also, re: temperature control: The deepest, darkest, coolest part of my basement. I'm toying with the idea of gutting an old refrigerator in my garage so I can finally try lagering something.
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Jul 2, 2013 05:41
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? Big brule garbage can, 1 foot of cold tap water, frozen water-bottles
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Jul 2, 2013 11:03
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I'm interested in all of this,since I'm starting to get paranoid about my fermentation temps. As for the cream ale,if you have the time,leave it sit just like you did the last time. Don't experiment with yeast rates and cleanup right before its going to be drunk at a wedding
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Jul 2, 2013 11:10
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? I have an old cooler that will just hold my 6.5 gallon bucket. Fill that with water and ice packs, drop the bucket in, and swap ice packs twice a day. Now that I'm used to the setup it's not too difficult to hold temps where I need them (mostly somewhere in the 60s for my creations during the summer).
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Jul 2, 2013 13:24
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? For beers where it matters (lagers, hybrids, super high gravity ales) I use my keezer with the temperature probe taped to the bucket. In the winter my house seems to stay around 66-68 so I just put it somewhere out of the way. In the summer I put the fermenter next to the AC vent in my spare room with a box over it. Seems to hold steady around 65 with this method.
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Jul 2, 2013 14:16
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I bought this to hold 2x 6gal carboys at a time: http://www.sears.com/kenmore-8.8-cu-ft-chest-freezer-1694/p-04616949000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3 And this to control the temperature: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html
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Jul 2, 2013 14:59
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? When we moved to this house a few years ago, we ended up with an extra fridge. I use the fridge we used to use in our old kitchen as a ferment area. It's big enough inside that I can get three buckets or Better Bottles in it without issue. It's the type with the freezer on the bottom, so the floor of the refrigerator area is flat (no compressor hump) and the carboys are raised about a Corny keg's height above the floor, making racking easy. I use the Johnson analog controller to manage temperatures, but I will eventually upgrade to a digital one once I get off my tuchus and do it.
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Jul 2, 2013 15:01
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Isn't it necessary to have a fan to circulate air in a chest freezer?
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Jul 2, 2013 16:03
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Midorka posted:Isn't it necessary to have a fan to circulate air in a chest freezer? I would think that as long as your temp sensor is closer to the top (since cold sinks), you wouldn't need to, but I don't have one.
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Jul 2, 2013 16:07
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I would think that as long as your temp sensor is closer to the top (since cold sinks), you wouldn't need to, but I don't have one. Well that's the problem, if it's up top you're going to get inaccurate temperatures since it will be unevenly distributed.
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Jul 2, 2013 16:08
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Midorka posted:Well that's the problem, if it's up top you're going to get inaccurate temperatures since it will be unevenly distributed. You're already inaccurate because the sensor is in air instead of beer. And the thermal response of the probe. Etc. ad absurdum. One of the most important things you can learn about making things is consistently inaccurate can still be as useful as consistently accurate. You're ultimately reliant on that dial or pushbutton so as long as you have the probe in the same place every time you'll figure out what you really need to set it to.
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Jul 2, 2013 16:45
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? For most ales: Rubbermaid bin filled so that the water level is fairly high on the carboy, check temp 2-3x daily (morning, after work, before bed) and rotate frozen water bottles as needed to maintain 64-66 degrees. My rye IPA that's in primary right now was actually brewed while my cold water tap was reading 77 degrees. With the immersion chiller, i got my wort to 80, pitched (livin on the edge), and then immediately transferred the carboy to the swap cooler @58 degrees. It equalized around 65 after 6-7 hours and fermentation seems 100% normal, no giant kaussen (which has happened when I get up close to 70 or above with US-05). My concerns with this brew are more about the distinct lack of bitterness from my admittedly sketchy hop bill (trying to hit 70IBU+ w/ late additions of high alpha aroma hops).
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Jul 2, 2013 16:54
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zedprime posted:You're already inaccurate because the sensor is in air instead of beer. And the thermal response of the probe. Etc. ad absurdum. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive to fix the problems that you can. There have been others that have said something about PC fans being good solutions. I don't see why one wouldn't at least take the measures that they can to keep the temperatures consistent throughout.
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Jul 2, 2013 17:32
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I made a thread about it, and someone suggested I ask the homebrewers. Do you know of any submersible stirrers/agitators? More info here http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3557643&pagenumber=1#lastpost A guy suggested a magnetic stirring plate like those used for yeast starters. However I need something that can be submersed in the liquid itself. Have you guys seen anything like that?
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Jul 2, 2013 17:46
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I the other thread, you said you can't put anything under the vessel, but how about in through the neck? Does it have to be sealed, or can you get a rod in through a stopper or a hole in the lid? How fast does this need to be stirred? You said that the liquid is "thick." How thick? Molasses? Cream? How big is the vessel? I'm thinking electric ice cream dasher.
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Jul 2, 2013 17:56
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Midorka posted:That doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive to fix the problems that you can. There have been others that have said something about PC fans being good solutions. I don't see why one wouldn't at least take the measures that they can to keep the temperatures consistent throughout. Noone is stopping anyone from fixing all the problems they don't have but figure they do. This is the basis for all the funniest homebrew tricks to laugh at and I encourage anyone not convinced to continue experimenting with stuff they don't need to. But seriously there is a 5 degree pressure differential on the analog JC and a settable differential in any digital model which means there is plenty of time for natural convection to give you an actual accurate reading in this setting. You can get a Arduino and learn to tune a PID. You can get a thermowell. A million better solutions that actually address the problem.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:05
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You have a very condescending attitude, either that or I'm confusing a defeatist attitude for you being condescending. Either way, yeah you can make good beer without being very detailed, but the best beer in the world is the best because they focus on the specifics. I would like to make the best beer that I possibly can and consistent temperature throughout will certainly make a difference. I know someone in this thread mentioned that they use PC fans in their chest freezer for fermenting. I hope that they see this so I can get some ideas of how to set this up in mine. Edit: It seems that having the probe inside of water inside of the chest freezer will allow for the best consistency of temperatures inside of the freezer since water isn't as susceptible to changes as air is.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:15
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That's what I do. Old chest freezer kegerator with an analog temp controller. The probe is in a bottle of water on top of the compressor hump. It's also my serving kegerator so I can really only have 1 beer in there at a time, it's one of the reasons I do a lot of sours, like saisons, high temps aren't the end of the world. Oh and they're delicious, that's another reason I do them.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:24
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Turds in magma posted:Could everyone please describe, in detail, their temperature-control system? Mid-size chest freezer that fits two buckets with room to spare. Dual-stage temperature controller. Heating stage connected to a seed germination mat (like a heating pad). Temperature probe is submerged in a glass bottle filled with water. It's been on the floor but I think I'll move it to the compressor hump. Also on the hump is an Eva-dry dehumidifier unit. Probe and heat mat wires are just taped inside with blue painters tape with no special holes in the gasket or anything like that. In retrospect I should have just got a single-stage controller that I wired up myself and a smaller, used chest freezer off Craigslist, but  hellfaucet posted:Somehow not being phased by this totally retarded snafu at what was now 6:00pm, I said "hey let's make that mead after I make dinner." I grilled for about 2 hours and then went back at it. 9:00pm rolls around and me and 2 buddies are in the garage mixing up a mead batch with 100 degree water. It takes about an hour to finish getting everything in the carboy and it's only dropped 10 degrees. The yeast needs a mid-60s fermentation so we stick it in my keezer hoping it will drop down within an hour or so. Fast forward to 2am, I've fallen asleep in my easy chair and all my buddies are gone. I wake my wife up and ask her very, very apologetically to help me lift the carboy out of the keezer and into my fermenation spot. She begrudgingly agrees and helps me pitch the yeast at only 72 degrees. I hope you put some yeast nutrient in that mead. If not, it's still not too late.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:25
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I proceed to sleep half the day on Sunday.
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Cpt.Wacky posted:
Should be plenty of time before the 1/3 sugar break. I've never known a mead to finish fermenting with (or especially without) nutrients in 3 days. Just put half in today and the other half at the 1/3 break. If you're already at the 1/3 break when you check gravity today, then go full on.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:35
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Midorka posted:You have a very condescending attitude, either that or I'm confusing a defeatist attitude for you being condescending. Either way, yeah you can make good beer without being very detailed, but the best beer in the world is the best because they focus on the specifics. I would like to make the best beer that I possibly can and consistent temperature throughout will certainly make a difference. I know someone in this thread mentioned that they use PC fans in their chest freezer for fermenting. I hope that they see this so I can get some ideas of how to set this up in mine. The cup of water thing depends on the differential of the controller but at least its not a fan costing you valuable 9V batteries because who keeps those around anymore. There is a difference between making the best beer you can and having the most control in an effort to do the former. For accuracy there's no replacement for a low differential controller with a probe in a thermowell except for an arduino and tuning a PID to work in exactly your set up. These don't even really cost anymore than the other solutions if you are all about no compromise in the temperature of your primary. Its not even about being less detailed. You are ultimately concerned with the temperature of the beer. You can control this with high enough precision just jamming the JC analog probe into the bulk air of the fermenter. Or get a digital, set it at 2-3, and insulate it against the vessel with some pipe freeze protection insulation cut in half. Or set it to 3-4 and put it in a small glass of water. None of these are really better or worse for precision of beer temp although their accuracy of what they are physically measuring goes down as you now count on the differential to keep things under control.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:44
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Is there a particular model of minifridge you can get in a store that would be suitable for a 6 gallon better bottle? I don't have the space for a big chest freezer or a second full size fridge, but I could make a mini fridge work. Purchaseable in a store is crucial; I don't have the time to chase down a fridge on craigslist and hope that it will fit a carboy and I'd rather spend a little money than wonder.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:54
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Cpt.Wacky posted:I hope you put some yeast nutrient in that mead. If not, it's still not too late. Yep! Luckily I remembered to add nutrient and energizer before fermentation. I've done a staggered addition each night since so far, will probably do my last one tonight. It took off much better than my last mead, which finished way high.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:58
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yeah SNA plays a huge role in meads and how they'll come out. Not using nutrients I'd say 80% of the time ends up in a stalled batch.
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Jul 2, 2013 19:08
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Save me from beer articles in general: Im fermenting at a pretty solid 72 (measured on the carboy) ambient temp 68-70 I didnt add any nutrient to my 5 gal cider + 2 lbs honey. and i have a porter (now vanilla burbon barrel porter) just sitting there as well. Im going to try a swamp cooler meathod to get temps lower for my honey porter in the near future.. ... but im I looking forward to stalled cider / off tasting beer and cider with dangerous levels of Fusel alcohol that will kill all but the bravest? I really am getting a bit paranoid i just 'went for it' without meticulous planning and careful temp control.
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Jul 2, 2013 19:23
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^^All depends on the yeast you use. Some are ok at that temps, some don't like it. Check this to know for sure.crazyfish posted:Is there a particular model of minifridge you can get in a store that would be suitable for a 6 gallon better bottle? I don't have the space for a big chest freezer or a second full size fridge, but I could make a mini fridge work. Purchaseable in a store is crucial; I don't have the time to chase down a fridge on craigslist and hope that it will fit a carboy and I'd rather spend a little money than wonder. When I get home I'll check the actual size of mine, but I think I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Danby-DCR122B...nby+mini+fridge I had to bend down the cooler plate that makes up the 'freezer' section, took out the plastic crap in the door and had to carve out a bit of the foam but it fits a 6.5gal bucket/6gal carboy no problem. There is a 4.4cu ft model too which is significantly cheaper, looks like the cooler plate is already at the back too though I'm not sure how much room there is in front of the compressor hump. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Jul 2, 2013 |
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Jul 2, 2013 19:27
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Sirotan posted:^^All depends on the yeast you use. Some are ok at that temps, some don't like it. Check this to know for sure. Temperature is part of it but nutrients is the other. Some yeasts do better than others in low-nutrient conditions. Chances are the fortified cider will have some jet-fuel characteristics that mellow out over time.
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Jul 2, 2013 19:34
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Anyone have a recommendation on the best place to buy vanilla beans (and type, if that matters?) for adding to beer?
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Jul 2, 2013 19:38
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Angry Grimace posted:Anyone have a recommendation on the best place to buy vanilla beans (and type, if that matters?) for adding to beer? A decent price compared to stores for sure. http://www.beanilla.com/ (Also a big selection) Grade B beans, are "extract beans" which is essentially what you're doing but Grade A isn't "bad" (you're just paying more because they are used for cooking and are prettier). Amazon also has some good bulky deals. http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Madagascar-Vanilla-JR-Mushrooms/dp/B000CR1ELU/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1372790537&sr=1-1
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Jul 2, 2013 19:42
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Sirotan posted:^^All depends on the yeast you use. Some are ok at that temps, some don't like it. Check this to know for sure. My cider is prob okay, but i see that the yeast for my next batch tops out @ 70, so a cooler is needed. Angry Grimace posted:Anyone have a recommendation on the best place to buy vanilla beans (and type, if that matters?) for adding to beer? My LHBS buys them in bulk and repackages for $1.85 a bean. best price i ever found so those links given are some pretty good prices. Just dont use whole foods or some other grocery store.
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Jul 2, 2013 20:52
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Roundboy posted:Just dont use whole foods or some other grocery store. pretty much this unless you're made of.  I think the McCormick crap beans run $12.45 for one or two dried up nasty crap beans.
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Jul 2, 2013 20:56
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Angry Grimace posted:Anyone have a recommendation on the best place to buy vanilla beans (and type, if that matters?) for adding to beer? eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-LB-Gourmet-Madagascar-Bourbon-Vanilla-Beans-6-7-/230688786572?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b61f888c A half pound of beans (somewhere around 50) runs you about 25 to 30 bucks.
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Jul 2, 2013 20:57
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Yeah, I just bought a pack of 10 on Amazon because I wanted to use my Prime shipping since I'd like to get the beer on the beans tomorrow or Thursday as opposed to next week sometime. I really only needed like 4, but that was the lowest order I could do and still get them this week.
Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Jul 2, 2013 |
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Jul 2, 2013 20:58
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Angry Grimace posted:Yeah, I just bought a pack of 10 on Amazon because I wanted to use my Prime shipping since I'd like to get the beer on the beans tomorrow or Thursday as opposed to next week sometime. I really only needed like 4, but that was the lowest order I could do and still get them this week. prime shipping today is going to get it to you friday. As all my other prime stuff i ordered today has said . Stupid holidays!
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Jul 2, 2013 21:02
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Roundboy posted:prime shipping today is going to get it to you friday. As all my other prime stuff i ordered today has said . Stupid holidays! Not if I paid the $4 to get it tomorrow (which I totally did because gently caress waiting)
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Jul 2, 2013 21:04
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