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Hi brewgoons! Made up my first (malt extract) batch yesterday and this morning it was bubbling away. I guess the yeast was pretty active, because all the sanitizer I'd put in the one-piece airlock had bubbled out, and there was a bit of beer in the airlock and on top of the bucket lid. There was still movement in the liquid in the airlock (right at the lowest bend), so I guess it wasn't totally exposed to air, but to get the seal back I topped it up with water. So I guess I have the usual 'is my brew screwed?' question...
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Nov 14, 2011 09:40
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 09:31 |
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Cool, thanks, I didn't think of the outward pressure. I guess if it was at the end of the fermentation it would be a bigger problem. Would a 2-piece airlock prevent all the water getting pushed out by the pressure?
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Nov 14, 2011 12:59
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So, we all know about the 'winter warmer' beers (my first extract brew is waiting a couple of weeks to clear as I type), but what are the 'seasonal beer' time periods throughout the year? Is there a 'time of the year' for lager, oatmeal, chocolate, oak, etc., brews? Or is it more down to just local water conditions, traditions, type of hops available locally, that sort of thing? I just imagine that it's similar to eating seasonal vegetables, like the autumn is when you expect to have pumpkin pie, that sort of thing.
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Nov 25, 2011 20:46
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Trying to price up things on a budget in the UK is difficult with turkey fryers kind of hard to find. I've found 10 gallon stew pots from France for about 50 euros, shipped, but where can I find a gas burner I can use outside that will boil 7 or 8 gallons of water? (about to try my first extract brew this weekend, but just seeing how much it will cost to try and go all grain with a 1-burner setup) e: try as in drink! krushgroove fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Nov 30, 2011 |
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Nov 30, 2011 01:00
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Toebone posted:Amazon.co.uk seems to have a couple outdoor propane burners. Ah, my search-fu wasn't strong enough, I wasn't typing in the right thing. I was just trying 'turkey fryer' and variations. So like this one (one-piece cast iron) or this one (with detachable legs)? I'm guessing the cast-iron one will be the better one, as it's probably able to handle 120+ pounds of weight on it (a US gallon of water is 16 lbs IIRC)?
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Nov 30, 2011 01:45
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Imasalmon posted:I am not sure that either of those will have the grunt to do the job efficiently. I also will echo the comment about going electric. Yeah I was trying to harken back to my days in architectural engineering classes...you can see why I dropped out of it. So to go electric I'm looking for electric hobs like these? I'm guessing a double would do the job? Or just do it on the electric hob I already have in the kitchen as a gravity setup? e: So I've looked around, apparently some of the Brits like to put electric tea kettle heating elements in the bottom of a plastic fermenting bucket: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9899 And there's a German company who makes stainless steel and plastic boilers for brewing, so it's not that crazy of an idea... http://www.brupaks.com/boilers%20mashtuns.htm krushgroove fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Nov 30, 2011 |
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Nov 30, 2011 13:29
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I have a question about bottling: I sterilized some bottles with Star San (first time using it) this morning and left them to air dry. There were webs of bubbles inside the bottles when I left them upside down (like when you pour out soapy water from a bottle)...if any of those bubbles are still in the bottles when I get home, would it be OK to bottle the brew? The Star San directions say not to rinse but I want to be sure.
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May 11, 2012 15:28
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I'm in the UK also and I ordered it from a US site...the shipping wasn't hugely expensive, it's probably cheaper to get it that way than to buy it from a UK site, but at the time I hadn't found anywhere in the UK that had it. Anyway, I'd googled about your question before and it seems that properly diluted there's no need to wear gloves for normal handling. There's even a homebrewing podcast that covered the proper use of Star San a few years ago with the owner of the company that makes Star San (found during my search): http://hw.libsyn.com/p/3/9/0/390da9...02841727d4c44ed (skip to about 10:30 for the interview)
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May 11, 2012 15:54
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Another question: Doing some more reading just now I realize I'm a dumbass and didn't dilute the Star San enough (did 1 ounce per gallon instead of 1 ounce per 5 gallons - I blame converting to metric for this) - so I suppose I was using it as 10x strength, this probably explains the suds, I guess. So should I rinse out the bottles with boiling water before filling them? I realize it's probably not necessary but don't want to affect any flavors.
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May 11, 2012 16:13
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Alright, good stuff! Thanks for the info.
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May 11, 2012 16:27
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Owithey posted:If you want to get Star-san in the Uk, they sell it at http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/ Excellent, bookmarked. I usually order as much as I can from home-brew-online.co.uk, they have an eBay store and do shipping for I think £5 at the most, no matter how much you order, but their selection can leave something to be desired sometimes. The home-brew-shop site has a much better selection.
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May 13, 2012 16:20
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Kaiho posted:For UK homebrewers, I'd just like to recommend http://www.brewuk.co.uk . Well that is really good - now I have a lot more variety I can look for! It's really weird that I can't find any homebrew shops in the Burton area (since it's historically been such a brewing town) - I know there's at least one club in the area but I don't have time for that unfortunately.
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May 13, 2012 22:01
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Looks like I've found a possible source for keg-pots: a local car salvager/breaker says he might be able to get me some 50-liter kegs, cut the top off them and weld on some handles. Oh dear, what am I getting into? I'm only just about to do my second extract kit brew so jumping into full mash will be a big change. I'll still have to find a big burner & stand to do it outdoors though.
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May 25, 2012 13:32
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Ghetto fabulous time: to have a constant 23-25 degrees Celsius for the fermenter, can I just use a fan heater that has a built-in temperature control? I have an unused wardrobe I can stick it in. Since I already have the heater, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than paying £32 for a heating belt type of thing I was thinking about, and actually it's more exact as well.
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May 25, 2012 15:22
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Jo3sh posted:That's pretty warm. If you're brewing a saison or a quad or something, then yes, that would probably work as long as you are careful not to set anything alight. If you're brewing almost anything else, you'll be a lot better off without the heater. For most ales, I would be looking for 15-17 C ambient. Thanks - I'm just going to be brewing from a kit again, from memory the first batch I did in the winter had to keep a temperature of about 23 C during the first week or so. I put the fermenter in the airing/hot water cupboard and kept the hot water turned on, but I was thinking it would be more controlled in a wardrobe up in the loft. This next batch will be 'European lager', which may very well call for a lower ambient temp, I won't know until I get the kit in my hands. I'm pretty sure it won't call for actual lagering.
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May 25, 2012 16:45
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Jo3sh posted:If you have a room or area that is cool enough that you want a light sweater while you're in it, that would be a good place. Unfortunately I'm in a rented house with no basement, but I could set up an ice bucket or something to keep things cool if I have to.
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May 26, 2012 11:09
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This might interest some of you stout guys: Irish researchers (naturally) think they've figured out why the bubbles in drinks like Guinness, etc., rise and fall simultaneously: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18247680 Direct link to the study: http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.5233 quote:Stout beers show the counter-intuitive phenomena of sinking bubbles while the beer is settling. Previous research suggests that this phenomena is due the small size of the bubbles in these beers and the presence of a circulatory current, directed downwards near the side of the wall and upwards in the interior of the glass. The mechanism by which such a circulation is established and the conditions under which it will occur has not been clarified. In this paper, we demonstrate using simulations and experiment that the flow in a glass of stout depends on the shape of the glass. If it narrows downwards (as the traditional stout glass, the pint, does), the flow is directed downwards near the wall and upwards in the interior and sinking bubbles will be observed. If the container widens downwards, the flow is opposite to that described above and only rising bubbles will be seen.
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May 29, 2012 15:14
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So I've got 2 kegs, picking them up tomorrow. One of them will have the top cut off to be a big boiling pot, what should I do with the other one?
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May 29, 2012 20:24
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internet celebrity posted:Cut the top off, put in a false bottom and ball valve and make a mash tun? I've looked up what some folks have done and wow. That's probably a step or two ahead of where I'm at right now (just started another extract batch last night) but I'll have the top cut off of both and look around for a big burner to use outside. I was thinking I'd step up to BIAB next and then think about doing the full mash process after a while, but having two massive boiling pots can't hurt anything.
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May 30, 2012 15:28
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Super Rad posted:I know it seems daunting but the jump to all grain is actually pretty simple. Definitely get the hang of everything before jumping in, but if you already have a mashing vessel and the space for it all, I'm not sure what the advantage to doing BIAB is. Usually people do BIAB because they don't have the space for extra vessels, or they really don't have any extra money, but in your case you already have what should eventually become your mashing vessel so I'd say skip BIAB entirely! Thanks for the vote of confidence - I'm just a bit flustered by the amount of work that's gone into some of the mash tuns...this one with a braided steel hose looks pretty simple: https://charlottesvillehomebrew.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/converting-a-cooler-into-a-mash-tun/ but this is the first one I looked at, which seemed very involved: http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/equipment.htm According to this page http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Cooling,_Racking,_and_Aerating I don't need separate vessels for cooling just yet (I can deal with ice baths for a while) so I guess the mash tun is the next piece of the puzzle for me. I guess I'll just need to drill the right sized hole and find a spigot to get started on the mash tun. I take it that it doesn't matter if the kegs are stainless steel or aluminum?
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May 30, 2012 16:41
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Jo3sh posted:Don't use dish soap to clean it, use OxiClean or PBW. Sanitize with Star-San or iodophor. If neither OxiClean or PBW are available, could I use any oxygenated cleaner to clean equipment?
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May 31, 2012 16:18
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OK, yeah, I'm asking about the generic 'oxy' type clothes detergents or 'laundry boosters' you can get. This is one, for example: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hg-Oxi-Stain-Wonder-500G/dp/B001OMMJ70/ref=sr_1_19?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1338478444&sr=1-19 I could probably fine PBW or OxiClean at a UK online shop but the laundry boosters are pretty cheap in discount supermarkets.
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May 31, 2012 16:39
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OK, good stuff - I usually only get unscented laundry stuff anyway so that's not a problem.
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May 31, 2012 18:16
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Sorry about the confusion  Anyway, here's my future brew kettle and mash tun:  All the videos I've seen on YouTube of people making keggles show a lip from 1-3 inches, I guess this is alright? The guy who's cutting the kegs open for me is planning to make the lip as small as possible.
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May 31, 2012 20:11
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Thanks, I'll make sure the top holes are small enough for a large pot lid and drill a few extra holes in the bottom ring. I've been watching a bunch of videos and am wondering if I should insulate the mash tun at all? Most folks seem to use the big coolers (which are impossible to find in the UK, unless you want to pay a stupidly high £125+ ($195) for one). Should I just wrap a blanket around it? Might I need another keggle, also? One to boil the hot liquor and sparge water, one to mash and one to drain the wort into?
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May 31, 2012 21:11
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It's a great way to make friends Jo3sh posted:I bought a cheap blanket and cut it up and sewed it into a triple-layer bag that I use to insulate my keg-based tun. Once I am all doughed in, I put a lid on it and put the bag over it. Works great. Works for me! Will I be alright with just the 2 keggles?
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May 31, 2012 21:28
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Jo3sh posted:I use three - hot liquor tank, mash tun, and boiler. If you have another pot you can heat sparge water in, you'll be fine with the two. Or you can heat sparge water and transfer to a cooler for later use. OK cool - I ask because of all the kitchen setups I've seen online, as well as this video and the related videos I've been watching for the last couple of hours. I'm sure I can get another keg, it's just convincing the guy doing the cutting to do it. I've got plenty of time to wait because my current extract batch has just started, plus I'm going to have to source a big burner, propane tank, valve stuff and mash tun stuff.
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May 31, 2012 21:58
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Yeah I'm just starting to get my head around how the all-grain method works (in the UK I believe it's called 'full grain mash') so although I've seen pictures of people's setups on this and other forums it's never hit home really. In the winter I might have trouble with not having an insulated keggle if I do everything outside but I'll worry about that when I'm there.
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May 31, 2012 22:49
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Follow up to the keggle quest: I went to visit the guy who's cutting the kegs for me, unfortunately I wasn't able to get in touch with him to tell him about leaving a lip around the edge so I can use a saucepan lid, and he'd already cut the top off one of them. He even cut a big pour hole and hammered in a sort of a spout, which is great and probably makes that my boil kettle. I told him about how a full grain mash setup works, with a hot liquor tank, mash tun and boil kettle, and we settled on the following, please tell me if this is any good: - source another keg - leave a 30cm (about a foot) hole at the top of the 2 remaining kegs, so I can use a pot lid to retain heat (the one that's already cut open I'll use as the wort tank) - welding a stainless steel pipe near the bottom edge of all 3 kegs - he'll find me brass compression fittings so I can put threaded ends on the outside of each keg, so ball valves can fit on all the kegs - the mash tun keg will have pipe leading to the inside as well, so I can put a compression fitting on that, with a barbed hose connector for a braided steel hose filter How does that sound? He has to get a friend to do the welding on the stainless steel and because of the thin, curved walls of the kegs he's not confident that using o-rings and nuts to hold on a double-sided threaded nipple would be a good thing. We were talking about bolting in a double-sided nipple and making it watertight with silicone, but welding it will make it easier to clean I think. He'll even give me some leftover 3" or so thick insulation he uses for his homemade diesel operation (made from used chip/French fry oil), so the hot liquor tank and mash tun will be able to hold in a lot of the heat. The kegs are 50 liter (13.2 US gallons), stainless steel, so that should be big enough to handle boilovers Once I get the kegs, I'll have to find a burner and stand big enough! The Bayou KAB6 (or whatever the model is) seems fine but it's WAY too expensive in the UK. And I've just discovered high temperature pumps from YouTube videos...that seems a good way to move the wort around eventually.Kaiho posted:Has anyone else used a pressure barrel? Here I was thinking the soda fountain co2 injector valve also functioned as a safety... Only once, with my first brew, and I did about 20 bottles to give them to friends and take around, the rest went in the pressure barrel. Unfortunately I don't have any tips on it for you, sorry. I just know it's a pain to clean since you can't get an arm inside the opening. I probably should have used the barrel for doing the extract cider 'brew' I bottled last week, since the cider's meant to be poured over ice and warm(er) weather is here, but I got carried away and bottled all 23 liters or so. So now I have to drink it all before I can do my next extract beer brew, so I can bottle that. I might need to try to find a 5-gallon keg, but then I'll definitely need a beer fridge.
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Jun 14, 2012 22:14
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I need to extract brew some basic lager for a Halloween party...and I didn't realize my Cooper's European Lager recommends 12 weeks to bottle condition! Can anyone recommend an extract brew that will make a drinkable lager by the end of the month? (My keggles and whatnot aren't complete, the guy who was cutting & welding them has gone AWOL so I'm still on extracts. I'm also doing an extract cider for the party, but that only takes a week or so to condition, so that's second priority.)
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Oct 2, 2012 10:42
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zedprime posted:Lagers whole schtick is low and slow. You can use whatever extract you were thinking and get a clean American ale yeast fermented around 60f to make a close enough version. California common yeast is made for this sort of thing, otherwise chico is nearly as clean. I appreciate the answer but am trying to fully understand what you mean - you're saying I can change the yeast that is used and try fermenting it around 60* F to get a quick(ish) ferment? These are the sorts of extract kits I'm looking at (actually these are just 'refills' since I already have the gear): http://home-brew-online.myshopify.com/collections/beer-making/lager and http://www.dorsethomebrew.co.uk/shop/399-lager-kits There's no info on the web pages about how long the beer is supposed to ferment or bottle condition, you only get that info when you get the cans of extract.
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Oct 2, 2012 16:52
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zedprime posted:To make a literal lager with proper lager yeast you do a weekish long primary and then condition at cold temp for a long while. That's what a kit will be expecting you to do. Thanks for the help - I'll have a look and see what kind of yeast I can find (I'm not in a club so I'd have to shop online somewhere) but if it comes down to it I'll just tell everyone to BYOB and offer my cider and wine brews to anyone who asks.
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Oct 2, 2012 23:54
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I've got a bit of a crisis - apparently I can't read a calendar, my Halloween party is next Friday and I should have done my cider extract brew a week earlier but I started fermentation yesterday. The instructions say it needs to ferment for 6 to 7 days, then you bottle or barrel it for about 5 days while it settles. Is there anything I can do to speed up fermentation? Right now it's in a hot water cupboard where the temp is about 23 Celsius and I'm hoping fermentation will finish by Wednesday and I can put it in ten-liter bladders similar to a large wine-in-a-box bag, where it can settle while it's in the fridge. I'm hoping any yeasty taste will be masked by the berry flavoring that will be added before barreling. Is this a lost cause, or can I be helped?
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Oct 20, 2012 20:24
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Sorry to repost this, but I am pretty worried:krushgroove posted:I've got a bit of a crisis - apparently I can't read a calendar, my Halloween party is next Friday and I should have done my cider extract brew a week earlier but I started fermentation yesterday. The instructions say it needs to ferment for 6 to 7 days, then you bottle or barrel it for about 5 days while it settles.
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Oct 21, 2012 15:37
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Jo3sh posted:23C ~= 73F. Fermenting warm will speed things up, but may contribute to off-flavors depending on the yeast you are using. Remember that the actual liquid will be warmer than ambient because of the heat generated by the yeast's metabolism, so could be as high as say 25C / 77F which is pretty drat warm for anything other than Saisons. I think you are going to have a product that is not as good as it could be. The last couple of cider extract brews I made did get better the longer I left them, though. quote:I don't have any experience with the bags you are using, so I can't comment on that aspect of your question.
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Oct 21, 2012 17:34
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Update on my rushed berry cider extract: very slow airlock activity yesterday (it's been 7 days, just as the instructions say), and today I transferred it from the fermentation bucket to the bottling bucket, mixed in sugar and the berry additive and put it in two 10-liter bags (like wine-in-a-box). Tried it, and it's not carbonated hardly at all, but there's no yeasty or off taste at all. There was a slight yeast coating at the bottom of the glass, but the pouring spigots are raised about an inch off the bottom of the bag so that should keep the heaviest of the particles from getting in what we actually drink. The instructions say to let it condition for a few days, then put it somewhere cool to clear, but I basically have less than 24 hours until folks get here - what's the thoughts on putting the cider back in the hot water closet (temp about 23C) for nearly a day, then putting it in the fridge? Is there any chance that will give it some quick carbonation?
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Oct 25, 2012 21:11
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 09:31 |
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Speaking of mini kegs, decided to search for some on ebay (UK) and found these for £5: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&actionType=singinformore&item=300801398714 The description has details on how to use them, and the guy even sells spare bungs to go into the top. Apart from having World Cup 2010 design on them, do these look alright? I might get a few...
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Oct 31, 2012 14:51
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