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   Hey is this mold or is this normal? Moving forward into the second fermentation; not sure if I need to toss everything and start over or not.
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Aug 17, 2023 05:36
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That kind of discoloration within/between layers looks normal to me. Mold will generally be on the surface, white to green to bluish, and usually fuzzy.
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Aug 17, 2023 16:37
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Moved my second ferment into the fridge. There's poo poo floating in there that looks like gyudon beef. hosed up but that's what strainers are for I suppose.
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Aug 20, 2023 01:09
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That's yeast, mostly. Leave the brown stuff alone, most of it will settle and you'll be racking off it anyway. A pristine gelatinous scoby is generally not what fermenting kombucha looks like despite internet pictures.
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Aug 20, 2023 01:14
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Rozzbot posted:Had a bit of Mr Magoo moment during my latest brew where I triped over the dogs water bowl and I'm pretty sure some of it splashed into my freshly cooled wort so it'll be interesting to see how this batch turns out Yeah, something definitely went wrong with this one and I'm blaming the dog water. Was sour but in a gross way and had a kind of mildew smell aftertaste. Unpleasant and not recommend.
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Aug 21, 2023 10:27
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About three years ago I started making an orange wine. It was last racked a bit over a year ago, and I was thinking it's probably ready for bottling. Had a look and found this: Are these "wine diamonds" / tartrates? I just moved the carboy so they might have been stirred up a bit, but it looks like a lot! There were no lees at the bottom after the last racking. e: I didn't add any acids to this wine, looks like I used the second Jack Keller recipe here: https://web.archive.org/web/20200112160234/http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques33.asp
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Sep 26, 2023 00:36
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It looks possible. I wouldn't be surprised if it was citric acid precipitating from the oranges in the wine instead of tartaric acid that tends to precipitate from the grapes. If you added grape tannin like the recipe it could be that too. Either way it doesn't look like anything worrisome.
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Sep 26, 2023 00:59
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I did add some tannins as well. I was reasonably confident it was nothing too bad but it's always nice to get a second opinion, thanks! Unfortunately my lingonberry wine seems to have made friends with some acetobacter. I think the airlock dried out at some point and it was a while before I noticed. Still, it's probably going to be a nice vinegar.
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Sep 26, 2023 01:22
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big scary monsters posted:I did add some tannins as well. I was reasonably confident it was nothing too bad but it's always nice to get a second opinion, thanks! If you want it to be nice vinegar dilute it down to about 5% ABV.
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Sep 26, 2023 07:08
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Should I bother getting ingredients (malt, yeast, etc.) online, or will I just get screwed by shipping costs? I completely bungled an attempt at brewing mead a couple days ago, and now I’m out of yeast and other stuff. I’d rather not pay like $25 dollars for a one-gallon kit just to stock up, it’d be cool if I could just order malt extract and stuff in bulk.
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Oct 3, 2023 03:10
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I'm not sure I understand the question. Would it be easier and cheaper to drive somewhere locally to buy them? Then obviously do that?
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Oct 3, 2023 03:21
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I guess I’m really asking where most people get supplies these days. There used to be a local place near me, but it closed down.
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Oct 3, 2023 03:24
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My local also closed so there's no choice but to get stuff online. The shipping is not terrible.
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Oct 3, 2023 04:07
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For liquid yeast, it's best to order during the colder months, and if they have an option to add ice packs, do it for cheap insurance. You also may want to make a quick vitality starter if you're not making a full starter. Hops and malt should be fine. One hack I've found for malt: 50lb/25kg sacks are usually not included in free/flat rate shipping, but 10lb bags usually are.
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Oct 3, 2023 14:55
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thotsky posted:My local also closed so there's no choice but to get stuff online. The shipping is not terrible. Figures. Any reputable malt/add-ins/kit online retailers not named Amazon I should hit up? Can’t tell if places like Northern Brewer or Brewer’s Best are overdone or not.
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Oct 4, 2023 02:48
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Pollyanna posted:Figures. Any reputable malt/add-ins/kit online retailers not named Amazon I should hit up? Can’t tell if places like Northern Brewer or Brewer’s Best are overdone or not. Morebeer.com is a pretty good supplier. They have warehouses on both coasts, and seem to do decent volume of business to have as fresh as can be expected ingredients. No idea if they're owned by crazy fascists or whatever but I've been using them for years with no complaints.
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Oct 4, 2023 03:56
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This is my go to list: MoreBeer for malt (free shipping above $60) Hops Direct (crazy shipping, but super cheap by the pound) or Yakima Valley Hops for hops. RiteBrew for small stuff - keg and tubing stuff LabelPeelers does free shipping on dry yeast and the prices aren't outrageous.
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Oct 4, 2023 16:32
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There are a number of local homebrew shops that also do online orders. When my local doesn’t have a yeast I want I tend to order from Great Fermentations since they’re both relatively close and seem good. https://shop.greatfermentations.com
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Oct 4, 2023 17:15
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Guess what time it is?  No, I don’t know what I’m doing. 
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Oct 13, 2023 17:04
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Happy to see there's still some activity here. I am still brewing, just not posting so much. Just finished kegging an American porter. Gonna brew an English dark mild tomorrow.
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Oct 13, 2023 18:25
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Pollyanna posted:Guess what time it is? Disagree, you do look like you know what you are doing (date mead?). You've got good quality honey, you are pasteurizing your fruit (and honey?) and you've got lalvin 71 B. I'd say you're doing great! I prefer 420 grams of honey per liter must for lalvin 71 b. That's about 3,5 lbs per gallon.
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Oct 13, 2023 20:03
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Ended up with a little under 3lbs of honey, but the dates + date extract are plenty sweet so eh, they’ll make up the difference. I’m curious how yeast will take to dates. I also haven’t been homebrewing until recently, cuz my new place has a basement and it made me want to keep stuff down there. Also nice to have a hobby ‘n all  Speaking of keeping stuff, I need to find a solution for long-term storage (i.e. a few months~year). How much of a problem is it if I use plastic buckets and carboys instead of glass? As far as I can tell, they’re about the same in the short term, but the long term is murkier.
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Oct 13, 2023 21:28
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PET carboys work just fine. Negligible oxygen ingress.
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Oct 13, 2023 23:23
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Hey team, Checking in for the first time in a long time. Last November I bought a 10.5 Gallon Foundry, wired up 220V coming from the dryer connection (and GFCI inline) wired to the kitchen of our house. A little background - got a 2, 4, and 6 year old - and wow does this not improve the odds that I can brew on a Friday night - or really any night. Coming off of propane, sous vide/cooler... outside... in sweaty balls Houston - these all in ones are amazing for the dad that just wants to knock out a brew that has been kicking around recipes while bored at work. I don't even mind making smaller batches (4.5'ish gallons that I ferment in corny kegs). Coming off of a 15 gallon kettle, I used to convince myself to do 10 gallon batches... for myself... which is kind of ridiculous considering how little I actually drink. I've brewed (and tinkered with recipes and whims) more in the last few months because of the foundry than I have been able to do in the other 6 years of being super dad, than I ever have because of the ease of setting up a brew day. Just set up a grain bill, chemicals, hops, etc. a few weeks before, get a starter going a few days before, and then crushing brew day from 6'ish pm to 10pm on brew day. Made a Kölsch tonight with 8'ish pounds FM Weyermann Pils, .75 pounds Vienna and .5 pound of Wheat, 2565 which is kind of my go to Kölsch yeast - the twist is trying Hüell Melon for the hop at 60, 30 and 3 minutes.
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Oct 14, 2023 04:28
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Chiming in on shipping ingredients: If you have Amazon Prime, there's a good amount (though seemingly random) stuff that's eligible for free shipping that I buy fairly often, mostly wide-market dry yeast (US-05) and 10lb bags of specialty malts. Next Day free shipping 3x US-05 for $10 has saved my butt a few times.
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Oct 19, 2023 15:40
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Double Post time: I found a local, reliable, cheap source for honey. I picked up 6lb for $27 and put this into a 3gal Carboy, coming out at about 6.8%. I've done this mead before with blackberry and carbonated it and it was absolutely killer so this is round two. This time I used Lavlin Dry Mead Yeast (I think I used the sweet version last time?) but I have some leftover honey water to backsweeten this batch. I'm taking this to a fairly BIG DEAL beer festival in Indiana in February called Shelf Ice Festival 24 in Michigan City, IN if you're in the area! This is step two after taking it off the primary yeast cake and I will pull this off again probably this weekend for final clarification.  This is just pellicle porn. I've been making these sour wheat beers for a few years now with some input from Milk the Funk and got a really pretty pellicle this time that was worth sharing. This batch is my Margarita Gose made with a really light malt bill ~5%, a carton of Goodbelly Mango, some Lactobacillus Plantarum pills cracked into primary, and some lime peel in secondary. To keep up the flavor profile I threw in a slug of Triple Sec and a good amount of Resposado Tequila. This is a fan favorite that goes crazy and I'm gonna serve it on Saturday at a local beer festival with an optional salted rim. If you're in the Northern Indiana Area, come see me! 
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Oct 20, 2023 04:20
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I washed out the remaining lees from the fermenter l after siphoning off all the beer, and kept the wash in a mason jar. What can I do with this? Can I make a yeast starter from it somehow?
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Oct 26, 2023 03:26
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If you have been careful about cleanliness you can store and make a starter from it, although there's probably so much yeast you can just pitch it directly if you are brewing sometime soon. Some people like to "wash" their lees by adding it and cold sterile water to another container, swirling it up, waiting about 30 minutes for the trub and less active yeast to fall to the bottom and then decanting from the top, but this is generally unnecessary and makes for a less optimal storage medium for your yeast.
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Oct 26, 2023 06:51
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Hmm, I wasn’t quite that careful when washing it - I used tap water. I have a mason jar full of differentiated yeast water and lees now, but I’m a little afraid to do anything with it if it’s infected with anything other than yeast.
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Oct 26, 2023 13:21
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I overbuild starters and keep the overbuilt part for the next time. Then you don't have to "wash" and do all the sterile water stuff.
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Oct 26, 2023 14:24
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Pollyanna posted:Hmm, I wasn’t quite that careful when washing it - I used tap water. I have a mason jar full of differentiated yeast water and lees now, but I’m a little afraid to do anything with it if it’s infected with anything other than yeast. Yeah, I would not brew with it, but some people are less careful about that kind of stuff. I guess you could dry it and use it as yeast nutrients?
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Oct 26, 2023 16:11
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Welp, after 5 years of brewing I had my first bottle bombs. Do most of my brewing with the same three yeasts and I've long stopped bothering to measure OG/FG. Made a saison with Wyeast 3724, bottled it after a month in primary and after 2 months they gushed like crazy. 3 cases down the drain - got distracted and didnt do the last case until a week later and 5 bottles broke on opening. Pity as it was a solid beer. Saved enough to start some saison vinegar though, which is already looking like it's gonna come out great.
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Oct 26, 2023 19:50
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boba fetacheese posted:Welp, after 5 years of brewing I had my first bottle bombs. Do most of my brewing with the same three yeasts and I've long stopped bothering to measure OG/FG. Made a saison with Wyeast 3724, bottled it after a month in primary and after 2 months they gushed like crazy. Time for a deep clean and replacing plastics/gaskets. I've managed to avoid exploding bottles, but I did have one batch that turned gushers. Saison vinegar sounds really good too.
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Oct 26, 2023 20:02
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It's bottling day, and going through the dark and cobwebbed recesses of my beer dungeon looking for bottles I discovered in a crate of empties 8 full but unlabelled flip-top bottles. Going by taste and my notes I believe they're a pale ale I made in June 2021. Pretty good, and a nice accompaniment to the tedious cleaning and bottling. Thanks 2021 me.
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Oct 28, 2023 20:43
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I have just gotten into homebrewing, got a few ciders, a mead under my belt and enjoying my first batch of beer today. A fresh wort kit from Kegland, a single hop Galaxy ale which is delicious. Spent the weekend fixing up the backyard and poured a pint when I was done. I have never been super adventurous with my beer, happy with my macro brew stuff but really enjoying trying different styles. Any suggestions for something to brew for a newbie to craft beer in general?
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Oct 29, 2023 06:44
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I'd just browse whatever ingredient kits you can get delivered to you and pick what sounds good. I don't know any in australia/nz, which I've assumed is where you are given that's where kegland is from. The only thing I'd say is, probably don't bother with ipas for now. Not because you won't be able to make one that turns out well, but if you don't know what you want for those, then you'd be better off trying a bunch of ones from local, or not so local, breweries. There are just far more choices for things like hops and style of IPA that make a bigger difference than like...your choice of stout recipe. This isn't to say you can't make significant variations on stouts, but you're much less likely to make something you don't enjoy if you make stout recipe X if you know you like stouts. Or just go for it, just realize if you're brewing like 18L of it, you're going to have to drink it all whether you like it or not. or dump it I guess
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Oct 29, 2023 09:45
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KTS posted:Any suggestions for something to brew for a newbie to craft beer in general? Saisons are forgiving and delicious. You can experiment with grain bills or keep them extremely simple, yeast choice, modern or traditional hops, warm or standard fermentation temperatures, even some spice additions if that is what appeals to you. It's hard to go wrong.
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Oct 29, 2023 11:59
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Anyone got any input on an outdoor fermentation chamber over the winter? I rent, but I have a decent sized deck with outdoor GFCI and was thinking of making an insulated box and adding in a 120v ceramic heating bulb thru an inkbird (and maybe a small 120v fan?) for the purposes of lagering. I don't know much about how well something like that would hold heat if it were properly insulated. Alternative strategy is to just set it by the front door which is horribly insulated itself and just let it be cool in the foyer. I got some LalBrew Novalager on the advice of my LHBS and that allegedly makes great lagers in the 50-68(!) range. robotsinmyhead fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Nov 7, 2023 21:01
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You could get some insulation foam, the thick pink kind. I know back in the day that's how people made DIY fermentation chambers before things like Inkbird came cheaper.
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Nov 8, 2023 00:10
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robotsinmyhead posted:Anyone got any input on an outdoor fermentation chamber over the winter? I rent, but I have a decent sized deck with outdoor GFCI and was thinking of making an insulated box and adding in a 120v ceramic heating bulb thru an inkbird (and maybe a small 120v fan?) for the purposes of lagering. I don't know much about how well something like that would hold heat if it were properly insulated. If you have a kegerator, mini fridge or even cooler it would work- insulation works both ways! I've found these work well for warming fermentors in colder spots: https://www.morebeer.com/products/fermwrap-heater.html
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Nov 8, 2023 04:20
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