Home Brewing Thread III: Return of the Son of Home Brewing Thread

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j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

My brother recently gave me his old beer fridge, so after a quick online order from kegconnection and following the guide at http://bit.ly/7KMZTm here is the end result:

I picked up co2 this morning at the local welding supply shop and am looking forward to kegging both my Hef and Pumpkin Ale tonight!

Anybody have any tips on bottling from the kegs after the beer is carbed?

# ¿ Sep 20, 2011 20:37

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:43

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Thanks everyone for the bottling from a keg tips on the previous page.

Got my hef and :spooky:

ale kegged last night, but when I checked the fridge temp this morning it was 60* and the compressor was really hot to the touch :ohdear:

I hope it simply was too close to the wall, I've unplugged it and will try plugging it in again when I get home from work.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2011 16:29

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

indigi posted:

Can't go wrong with an ESB!

Hey there ESB buddy :hfive:

I'll be brewing this tomorrow:

code:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal      
Boil Size: 7.18 gal
Estimated OG: 1.064 SG
Estimated Color: 16.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
10.00 lb      Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)          Grain        86.96 %       
1.00 lb       Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)    Grain        8.70 %        
0.50 lb       Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)     Grain        4.35 %        
2.00 oz       Fuggles [4.50 %]  (90 min) (First Wort HopHops         35.2 IBU      
1.00 oz       Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %]  (3 min)     Hops         2.1 IBU       
0.50 items    Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)          Misc                       
1 Pkgs        Thames Valley Ale (Wyeast Labs #1275) [StaYeast-Ale                  


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 11.50 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
60 min        Mash In            Add 2.88 gal of water at 173.3 F    154.0 F

# ¿ Sep 24, 2011 20:05

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Here's some crazy airlock activity for the Imperial IPA (1.093) I brewed on Saturday, fermenting with Wyeast 1056. In the background you can hear the ESB (1.068) fermenting with Wyeast 1275.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekUkp4tK1-o

My last couple beers had an off taste (Diacetyl probably) at the beginning and I think it was because I was lax in the aeration. I made sure to shake the fermentors well this time and I think it's paying off :cheers:

j3rkstore fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Sep 27, 2011

# ¿ Sep 27, 2011 03:40

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I'm not sure hopsdirect put their crop up for sale yet, i've been watching for a couple of days and their site hasn't changed.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2011 23:30

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I've been checking the pellet section

# ¿ Oct 6, 2011 00:42

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Here's some :words:

on sugar I found in HBT2 from our friend, Aajarg.

Aajarg posted:

A brief history of sugar

In the beginning there was glucose. glucose is what every carbon based life form uses for energy. It gives a lot of ATP and is simple to process. There is also fructose, which is chemically almost the same as fructose, but not as cool. Fructose is also very sweet, and glucose is not so sweet. Sometimes glucose is called dextrose because the food industry is dumb.

Then there are "double sugars" or "disaccharides." Some examples of dischaccharides are sucrose (what you laymans would call "table sugar," a glucose and a fructose mooshed together) and maltose (two glucoses, the single most important sugar in the production of beer, because it is an intermediate stage of the breakdown of starch). Sucrose is fairly sweet (obviously), maltose is not as sweet but has a unique flavor which is why they use it in poo poo like malted milkshakes which people were all a twitter about in 1949.

Disacchardides may be easily broken by a simple enzyme. The one that breaks down sucrose is called invertase. Yeast have this enzyme, they can chillax on sucrose all day long. Yeast can also split up maltose, obviously.

In summation, here is the relative fermentability of various sugars without additional chemistry:

glucose: 100%
fructose: 100%
sucrose: 100%
maltose: 100%

Now, what does it mean for your beer when a sugar is advertised as "inverted"? Well, on the one hand it means poo poo. On the other hand, it means dick. For as I have explained, yeast will digest fructose and glucose as well as they will digest sucrose.

When you buy an "invert sugar" like that british syrup that has a lion on it being eaten by bees, or those thick black belgian syrups, they taste real good 1) because much of the "other poo poo" has been left in it during the purification process and 2) because the sugar has undergone a browning reaction called caramelization, which only occurs at stupid high heats in high sugar concentrations with very little water.

That requires explanation.

When you take a simple sugar rich plant, like a sugar beet or a sugar cane, you're looking at some percentage of fructose, glucose, and sucrose, a bunch of water, and some cellulose and some other bullshit. To get sugar out of it, they first mill it up, to separate the liquid and sugar from the lovely plant poo poo. From there, they have several choices. If it's sugar cane, at its simplest they will separate the rest of the lovely plant poo poo with a turbine and let the water evaporate and the sugar crystallize and blah blah blah SUGAR IN THE RAW (aka turbinado).

If you want more pure sucrose, you don't let the water evaporate, and you have a gloop of fructose, glucose, sucrose, water, and a bunch of other poo poo. Boil gloop. Boiling causes water to evaporate. Heat causes maillard browning reactions. More water evaporates. Eventually enough watever evaporates such that sugars begin to caramelize and crap out all sorts of weird chemicals that actually taste pretty good. At this point, you can dip strings or whatever into this boiling gloop, and the sucrose will crystallize on the strings. Yank out the strings and you will have nearly pure sucrose. The darkness of the crystallized sugar depends on the level to which that sugary gloop was allowed to caramelize.

In this case the heat is only a catalyst for the reaction. It makes the whole thing go faster. If you take strings and suspend them in sugar water and just let it sit, the sugar will crystallize on the strings and voila, you have that dumb 4th grade science experiment where you make rock candy.

Belgians will scrape the rocks off the strings and sell them as "candi rocks" or whatever. It's purified crystal sugar, that's all. The left over gloop will be some parts sucrose, some parts fructose, some parts glucose. You can keep dippin strings into this poo poo to get progressively less and less sugar.

After two or three dippings, everyone pretty much gives up and sells the left over gloop as "molasses." Because sugar beet molasses is pretty much inedible, Belgians used this "candi syrup" as extra fermentables in beer (because, as you will remember, sucrose, fructose, and glucose are all 100% fermentable). In recent times they've begun selling "candi sugar" in both rock and syrup forms to homebrewers in America at seriously inflated prices. Probably because it makes them money, and also I imagine it's hilarious for them.

Modern white sugar is usually refined using enzymes and some super complicated industrial machinery, but the principle is largely the same: get the sucrose to crytalize and take it out of the gloop, sell the gloop as molasses.

Here's the important part you've been reading this entire bullshit post so far: clear candi syrup/inverted syrup is nothing more than the sucrose/glucose/fructose gloop purified from the plant matter and other hoo-ha. What's the taste difference between a simple syrup of glucose, fructose, sucrose and water and an inverted syrup? Absolutely none. They are also equally fermentable. Most Belgian brewers who historically used clear candi syrups or sugars just use sucrose or even dextrose at this point (see also: brew like a monk). It's just extra fermentables with no added protein, so it will make no taste difference if you use sugar from beets or cane (or even corn).

But dark candi syrup gets its flavor from the chemicals produced in the browning, and also the left over garbage from the purification process, so it's not the same. It's easy to duplicate home, but you cannot start with purified sugar and hope to get same flavor. Also you can't make beet sugar syrup unless you can find minimally processed beet sugar. Since we are in the americas, cane is what you'll find.

You need to start with a minimally processed "raw" sugar ("sugar in the raw"). What's commonly sold as brown sugar in the US (light or dark) is actually white sugar with molasses added back, so you might as well just cut out the middleman and just start with turbinado (I don't actually buy anything but raw sugar because refined sugar is dumb). Make a simple syrup, boil the poo poo out of it until the water starts to evaporate, at which point it will expand to several times its size (and get to well over 212 degrees). It'll darken QUICKLY, so be watchful. Also, it will tend to harden and crystallize, especially if you stick anything in it (strings or spoons or whatever). Once you reach the desired color, you can add warm water and dissolve the sugar back out to help prevent this. The resulting syrup will actually be more fermentable than "candi syrup," since no sucrose was removed, and will be no less fermentable than the sugar you started with (in any practical terms). Also you don't need to add acid.

Pro tip: I also use this caramelized syrup in place of things that call for simple syrup, like daiquiris. It'll blow peoples minds, and give them real bad hangovers.

science is dumb but sometimes it tastes pretty good, if you ignore the blogosphere. hope that helps

# ¿ Oct 7, 2011 16:57

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I just found 9lbs of milled Vienna malt sitting in my unused picnic cooler; Its probably a few months old but it the cooler was sealed and the grain is bagged. I gave it a smell and it didn't seem rotten or anything, should I make a brew with it or toss it?

# ¿ Oct 7, 2011 17:19

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Hypnolobster posted:

Maybe pilsner and wheat and some dark wheat (mostly I want to play with dark wheat, I've never used it before) and a double decoction because decoctions are fun.

Yeah they are, I'm going to attempt a triple decoction vienna lager on Sunday :whatup:

# ¿ Oct 14, 2011 14:05

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

My only experience is with ales so far and I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it is unnecessary to rack a lager to secondary?

I've read that you should rack it to secondary when the krausen starts to fall and before lagering but I'm fermenting in an opaque bucket. It also seems like a lot of :effort:

.

My intended fermentation schedule is 7 days at 54*, 7 days at 66*, and 28 days at 42*.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2011 21:25

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I was thinking that I'd like to try different yeasts with the same wort.

If I take a single 5 gallon batch and rack it to five 1-gallon carboys, what would be the better option for pitching into each 1-gallon; a wyeast propagator (25 billion cells) or activator (100 billion cells)?

# ¿ Oct 31, 2011 16:44

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

So its just Activator packs from here on out?

That's a bummer because I think I'd be risking over-pitching since by myJamil's :science:

formula I'd need 43.5 billion cells for a gallon of 1.060 wort.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2011 17:03

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Yeah I've got a chest freezer with a temperature controller on it.

If i got a six pack from each fermetor I'd be fine as its just for testing but your two gallon batch suggestion would be a nice compromise that I might look into.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2011 19:05

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

easy single infusion pumpkin ale going down tonight :neckbeard:

# ¿ Nov 2, 2011 00:29

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I prefer to brew on the weekends but as my chest freezer is coming up to ale temps for a diacetyl rest its a perfect time to get an ale going that will tide me over until the lager is ready.

I got a little impatient and pitched a little hot so hopefully its not terrible.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2011 14:17

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Just kegged my first lager, a triple decoction vienna il serpente turned me on to before he disappeared.

It's so clear and deliciously malty :3:

j3rkstore fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Nov 29, 2011

# ¿ Nov 29, 2011 03:51

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Magua posted:

Is this the thread to discuss the Homebrew Secret Santa?

How many beers are we supposed to send?

I wasn't sure either so I'll be sending 3 beers (22oz bottles) to my HSS person. I'm just waiting for my Hef to finish so I can bottle it and send the package on its way.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2011 19:27

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Jacobey000 posted:

Bottling from a keg is a pain. I couldn't get the pressure right, turned it way down (9psi) and it was still just coming out all foam. Tried the picnic tap with bottle filler for a while and that was serious trouble 90%+ foam. Eventually I just used the tube rammed into the regular tap and the pressure finally died down enough to fill the bottles okay.

I just started bottling from a keg and used 5psi, it came out a little slow but I didn't have any foaming problems. Remember to degas the keg a bit after you adjust the regulator pressure, I forgot :downs:

# ¿ Dec 9, 2011 20:29

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Got my SS package today, thanks drewhead! German Altbier, Steam Beer, Cider, Braggot, Belgian Triple, Holiday Spice, and Witbier. Also pictured, honey bear filled with the take from his beehives :3:

They're all chilling in the fridge now and start in on them tomorrow!

# ¿ Dec 20, 2011 04:24

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Sent out my SS as well today. Should arrive there Friday :cheers:

# ¿ Dec 22, 2011 03:12

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Looking forward to hearing if you like them or think they are crap and I should stop brewing forever.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 06:17

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Brewing outside today, its about 40*.

Anyone know what to do about this? The propane flow has really decreased and it was a "full" tank.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 20:51

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I just poured myself a half-litre of that same lager :hfive:

# ¿ Jan 7, 2012 21:04

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

This seems relevant since we're talking about reusing spent grain, I have it in my notes from previous HBthreads:

quote:

It took several tries before silver97232 and I got it right, but this is the final version we came up with:
750g of bread flour
12g instant yeast
~325g water (varies from time to time, this last batch I used about 300g)
185g spent grains
15g salt
30g sugar
Prepare as usual, let rise in a bowl for about 30 minutes (until it doubles in size), punch the bread down and form into two separate loaves. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Check it at 20, but I've found 30 is about perfect.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2012 21:46

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I usually do my brewing on my back patio under ye-olde popup canopy. Brewing two batches next weekend, its going to be cold

# ¿ Jan 14, 2012 17:29

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

RiggenBlaque posted:

In my experience, cider and any sort of yeast always yields extremely dry hard cider. I've gotten under 1.000 using both champagne yeast and US-05 and this year I tried WYeast's sweet mead and that still brought it down to .998. Cider must be nothing but fermentable sugars.

I used Nottingham this year and it finished sweet.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2012 22:51

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Funny you should ask. Its 14* out and snowing today.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2012 20:06

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Super Rad posted:

Can any one help me plan out a decoction/mash schedule?

I would advise you not skip the protein rest, or the beta-glucanase rest. You might also want to add rice hulls to prevent a stuck sparge. I personally haven't had a stuck sparge when using up to 7lbs of wheat in a Hef, but the sperglords at the LHBS try to mock me every time.

Here's what I got from il serpente:

il serpente cosmico posted:

Try to keep a quart or two of boiling water handy for when you pull the first decoction--you don't want the temperature from the main mash to drop much from 128, or it'll dick up the body/mouthfeel. Just take the temp after you pull the decoction, readjust to 128F with boiling water, and then leave it alone.

Decoction process:

Add grain and 10 quarts water to mash tun to hit 100*. This is the beta glucanase rest, which will make the mash less gummy, and runoff easier. Allow mash to rest for 15 minutes.

Next, add enough boiling water (usually over 5 quarts) to raise temperature to 128*. This is the protein rest, which will improve body and head retention, as well as increase the efficiency of the mash. Allow mash to rest for 15 minutes.

Now begin the first decoction. Pull about 33-40% of the mash (easily calculated with a ruler)�you want get the thickest part of the mash. Raise the heat of this portion to 149* and allow to rest for 20 minutes for saccharification. Next, heat to 162* to convert most of the remaining starches to dextrins. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Now raise to boiling, stirring often in order to prevent scorching. Try to mark where the water line is, and periodically add water during the boil to maintain the water level. Boil for 30 minutes, and add the entire portion back into the mash tun.

This should have raised the temperature of the entire mash to 149*. If it did not, add some cold water (a little bit goes a long way) to bring the temperature down, or pull some of the mash, add heat, and add it back in to hit the target. Try not to pull too much, or you�ll screw up the diastic power. It�s better to overshoot your temp and adjust down, so plan accordingly when you pull the decoction. Boiling water can also be added to raise the heat. This is the main saccharification rest. Allow the mash to rest for 45 minutes.

Now begin the second decoction. Once again, pull about 40% of the mash (maybe a little bit more), getting the thickest part. Heat to 162* to build dextrins. Rest here for 10-15 minutes. Try to mark where the water line is, and periodically add water during the boil to maintain the water level. Bring to boil once again for 30 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching. Add this back into the mash. The goal this time is to hit 162-168*. If temp is too high, use cold water to correct. If it�s too low, heat a portion of the mash and add it back in (don�t worry about pulling too much, as saccharification is already complete). This is �mash-out� rest. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Now begin the sparge. Run off all the liquid from the mash tun into a bucket. Run-off slowly, as the high wheat content can cause problems. After runoff is complete, add the batch sparge water (3.5 gallons @ 175*). Let it sit for a couple minutes, and run off again.

Boil the liquid for a total of at least 90 minutes (this is more important for the hefe, as pilsner malt will create more DMS). Add hops as usual. Cool as usual. Strain into carboy and pitch the yeast. WLP380 seems to do best when pitched at a high rate. Ferment in a cool place, as high temperatures will result in a banana runtz taste.

Effeciency is typically around 77%. OG is typically 1.056. FG is typically 1.013.

Expect the entire process to take nearly 7 hours.

Good luck, I'll be using this decoction schedule this weekend :cheers:

# ¿ Feb 3, 2012 03:58

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Double-decoction-and-polka brewday made possible by Shoutcast

# ¿ Feb 4, 2012 20:46

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I would rinse them out well with hot water and give them a good soak in starsan.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2012 21:17

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

beetlo posted:

So yeah this decoction mashing... Saving it for REALLY special beers on rare occasions. 8 and a half hour brew day. gently caress that noise. Infusion mash FTW.

Just wait until till you taste it to make that call :swoon:

I don't use it every brewday, maybe once every month or two.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2012 14:53

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I leave the lid on halfway :colbert:

# ¿ Feb 5, 2012 15:36

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I just realized I forgot to aerate my most recent wort, most likely due to waiting till the following morning to pitch the starter :smith:

# ¿ Feb 7, 2012 01:21

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Hypnolobster posted:

If you're going to bail on that company and just try for a return and not a replacement, these guys make badass chillers.
http://www.nybrewsupply.com/wort-chillers.html

Oh wow, I'm loving their counterflow chiller. I might be picking that up soon.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2012 17:15

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

DrBouvenstein posted:

drat it! Northern Brewery sent me a thermometer in my kit instead of a hydrometer! I was going to brew tomorrow, now I have to decide to wait until they can send me the hydrometer, or saw "gently caress it" and go to the local brew store and buy one...

Go to the LHBS and buy two. You'll be glad you did when you shatter one on the kitchen floor along with your dreams.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2012 16:29

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I started with two 5gal coolers and quickly upgraded to a 5gal and a 10gal. Its nice having one of each size, and I use the extra 5 gal to store extra grain.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2012 01:08

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Super Rad posted:

Yes, but it's highly unlikely that you should need more than 5gal sparge water.

Yeah, this. Also I noticed that the 10gal cooler loses heat faster than the 5gal, so when im brewing small or medium beers that don't require a ton of infusions I use the 5gal as the MLT.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2012 01:31

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

I always say "none of your loving business" real serious-like.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2012 21:30

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Super Rad posted:

Has anyone used both a Blichmann beer gun and a traditional counterpressure filler? If so can you comment on how well each works?

I appreciate the principle behind the Blichmann beer gun, but while it might look dandy on paper the question remains as to how well it actually works. Process-wise I'd definitely much prefer it to a counter-pressure filler.

I've got a Blichmann and it works great. I just recently bottled 30 gallons for a wedding with no problems.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2012 00:44

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:43

j3rkstore: Jan 28, 2009; L'esprit d'escalier

Super Rad posted:

Awesome! Do you know if there's anything unique in either of the accessory kits that I couldn't just piece together at my LHBS for cheaper?

Probably. To me it seemed like :effort:

so I just forked over my hard-earned cash.

Also be sure to get an extra rubber stopper or two for the bottom, losing it in the middle of your bottling sucks and leads to loss of product!

# ¿ Mar 22, 2012 20:25

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Home Brewing Thread III: Return of the Son of Home Brewing Thread

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