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I made my first batch of an ale at a friend's house on Saturday. I've had a full kit (I mean literally every single piece I could ever need) for years but I was terrified of improper sterilization. Apparently it involves a spray bottle with Iodophor and that's it, so yeh, this looks easy. We did it at his house since he is way more experienced and he put them in his cool basement. The basement in my house, however, is a loving blast furnace. Something is probably wrong with the ducts because it's easily 80 degrees down there right now. That really means that if I do a batch at home (and honestly now that I've seen how easy it is, I'm itching to go buy some more ingredients and do it myself) I have no place to cool it. The OP recommends a fridge but I can't get one down there. A smaller one seems way too small for a 5 gallon batch. So what do I do? Use the smaller fridge and do a smaller batch?
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Mar 12, 2013 18:28
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ChiTownEddie posted:I use a normal sized mini-fridge to cool my 5 gallon batches (in a bucket or 6gal carboy). It requires cutting out the door beverage holder part but that wasn't hard (didn't mess with the freezer part). For the bucket it is a bit of a tight squeeze but a paper wedge under the bucket gives it just a slight tilt back into the fridge that the door is able to close. The problem is it's not my fridge so I can't start cutting it. Now that I think about it, it might actually be old enough that it doesn't have that nonsense on the front.
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Mar 12, 2013 18:43
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Anywhere else is going to be aboveground and subject to the house temperatures. Our AC is terrible so in the summer it gets astronomically hot (the basement actually isn't too bad then). Right now the basement is very warm but our storage room, which is basically part of an old garage that was just not fully finished, is a little warmer than outside. Even though I can't be certain it won't spike to < 50 or > 70 these days, the weather she be nuts.
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Mar 12, 2013 19:47
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Galler posted:Homebrewers freak out over absolutely everything. 'If a stray beam of light touches my beer for a single millisecond it will literally taste like a skunk!' and all kinds of hypersensitive poo poo. My friend teaching me probably sprayed the fermentation container 3 times total (he had me do it when we first got back from the homebrew store, then at some point during the cooking he went and did it, and right as the cooking stopped he did it again), and he also did most of the solution into the airlock. The stuff is in his basement right now and the 2 clear containers are under thick blankets. According to him, he is considered pretty insane about sanitation. It's funny because the reason I put off getting into this was due to sanitation concerns.
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Mar 13, 2013 06:33
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RagingBoner posted:Since it's an extract kit, your best bet is to make sure you get all the good out of your steeping grains you can by squeezing the bag. That is what really instills most of the hearty flavor (your malt extracts add flavor too, but are mostly a source of sugars for the yeast). (Sorry if I totally blow the terminology on this question) From what I can tell, the Mr Beers work by dumping one thing in, which is a combination of malt and hops extract and grain extracts. I don't think there's much for him to squeeze. However, since the "keg" is just a fermentation vessel, can't he do a simple thing with steeped grains and hops and then malt extracts to make it better than all extract, but not all grain? That's how I just did my first attempt and it seemed to be a good combination of "boil some bags" but not "boil all the bags."
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Mar 19, 2013 14:49
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RagingBoner posted:Man, I didn't know they made extract kits with no steeping grains. No wonder it tasted like crap. Yes, that method should work to make his next batch have more body; just get some milled malt, put it in a muslin bag, steep it at around 170* for 30 minutes before the boil, then add the extracts, and squeeze the mess out of it when you remove the bag. Just get 1/2 lb pale ale malt milled at your local homebrew store. http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/1008/nm/Classic_American_Light1 It's a Bud Lite all-extract clone! edit: Swinging things back to something I said pages ago, looking at the mini-fridge we aren't using right now, I don't think the standard fermentation bucket will fit, and my girlfriend is too nervous about the fullsize fridge from the 60s we have in the basement to let me plug it in and use that, which means that I really have no idea how I am going to brew after this batch unless I keep doing it at my friend's house, which is a bit difficult as he has 3 kids and is insane most days. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 15:53
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Imasalmon posted:I use a mini fridge as a fermentation chamber and it works fine. I had to remove the plastic inside the door, and chisel out some of the foam where the top of the bucket was impacting it, though. Right, I should have said that. I can't do any permanent modifications since it's not mine. edit: Also another random topic veer, my friend recommended I look at this site when I got a headache from looking at hopville and not knowing what the hell any of the varieties are http://beerlegends.com/ Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 16:00
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wattershed posted:To expand on what Grimace said, it's not really so much better or worse to have, say, 90% of the fermentation complete in 2-3 days or 7-10 days unless there's a component of the yeast you're looking to pull out (or not). So as a huge loving newbie could you break down your entire classic IPA process (in a PM if you don't want to spam here)? Really trying to get my head around how vastly different the process is for different types of beer.
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Mar 19, 2013 20:19
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So here's the calculus of the beer I plan to make soon http://hopville.com/recipe/1691994 The Golden Light is going to go in with the hops boil. I'm thinking of splitting up the larger of the hops and doing a dry hopping as well, but I'm concerned that this yeast is apparently Very Fast and there might not be an appreciable benefit unless I do it at something like the second day. Be gentle I am quite 
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Mar 24, 2013 03:08
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zedprime posted:Couple major things. That is a huge amount of Crystal 80. For 5 gallons, 1lb of crystal malt is on the super high end of caramel sweetness. I wouldn't go above that 1lb unless you really like your candy beer. Even 1lb is a ton of caramel malt. Even with the large amount of hops I'm using? Cutting it down wouldn't be hard but is it really going to be that sweet?
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Mar 24, 2013 04:40
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Whoa I goofed, it's only 8 oz of oats. The beer I made before was the same Golden Light, roasted barley, oats, and Northern Brewer hops and some juniper during fermentation; I don't remember the other steeping grain we used. I'm actually really happy with how it came out even before secondary has started, but I wanted to do my new batch with a little more character. I thought a more serious hopping at flameout (and I was told to actually do half at flameout and then half as a dry hop later) and a sweeter note with the Crystal would make it a much more interesting flavor. I might throw in more juniper. You can taste it with the first batch but it's very background. edit: I don't think this is an endgame beer at all, but an ideal beer I want to get "skilled enough" to replicate is 21st Amendment's Black in Black. I love that drat beer. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Mar 24, 2013 |
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Mar 24, 2013 06:17
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Midorka posted:Every ingredient Back in Black uses is listed on their website. I'd imagine it'd be ~80% pale malt, 5-10% munich, 5-10% crystal, and enough debittered black to give it the color. I wanted to get there on my own  I'm so drat new I figured it'd be a way to figure out how things work.
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Mar 24, 2013 18:39
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Well I got mine going. A bit weird in my kitchen because it really has no space but not bad. The biggest problem I found was when I started crushing up the juniper berries I noticed there was a beetle (now ex-beetle) in the mix, and I couldn't just man up and throw it in anyway, so it's going to miss that.
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Mar 25, 2013 00:21
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My airlock isn't moving. There is nothing coming out at all and it's been about 6 hours. However there is definitely very positive pressure because when I press down in the lid in the slightest bubbles explode out the airlock. I have no idea if this is good or bad.
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Mar 25, 2013 04:00
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I'm just really paranoid I hosed up something. The reason I didn't start this for years (I've had equipment for a few) is because I wanted someone to show me IRL the actual way to sterilize and not mess up. As soon as I can be sure somethings growing I can begin to be worried that it's not growing alone 
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Mar 25, 2013 13:31
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zedprime posted:I don't know if this helps or hurts but with all the hops you used its possible to get infected and then never know because you drank it before the secondary fermentation started. Wait, really? I thought the point of hops was that it helped preserve the beer. edit: Yes I'm worrying too much but for all the hobbies I do I'm always super paranoid the first attempt will somehow explode
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Mar 25, 2013 14:24
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Marshmallow Blue posted:Hey Everybody! I bottled my hydromel (yeah its a month old, but it's ready.). And... My honey subscription won't be delivered for 2 more weeks. I cant live in an apartment with an empty carboy for 2 weeks. No way... No how. Is this an experiment or have you done it before? I do have a glass gallon jug, plug, and extra airlock that I was planning on using for cider, but I can't find any real cider yeast at my homebrew store (which seems odd). Though now that I think about it I didn't go into the wine room, crap. edit: VVVVV Let us know, I'm interested in how it'll turn out. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Mar 25, 2013 |
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Mar 25, 2013 15:25
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My friend who works for a brewery says you're all wrong and nuts Seriously though, I'll see how this comes out. I did notice it was a hell of a lot under the malt section. I guess I could have not done the oats and it would have been just fine.
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Mar 25, 2013 17:54
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Bleh sorry to keep spamming and paranoiding up this thread, but I was looking at the yeast spreadsheet and it said ferments 65-68, but right now it's between 70 and 72. What can I expect to happen?
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Mar 25, 2013 20:00
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hellfaucet posted:You might develop some estery flavors, but nothing too crazy. Do you have a way to cool your fermentor down a couple of degrees? Not reliably. It's in a closet in my room since the rest of the house is crazy hot or crazy cold.
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Mar 25, 2013 20:32
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On the floor. I can try to rig a swamp cooler by putting it in a bin with a wet towel around it and pointing a fan at it, but I'd be worried it might get TOO cool since I just want to knock a few degrees off.
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Mar 25, 2013 20:40
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Oh god dammit it's down to about 62 in my room. I've kicked the heater up a few notches to hopefully bring that back up. This is the worst and I really need to figure out a way to keep this temp more reliable. edit: VVV Yeh, sorry, it's the first I'm doing completely alone and in my place. I have no idea what to expect really since before it was more of my friend doing it and me helping and watching while he ran around trying to do 4 beers at once. edit2: Gonna bow out of this thread for a few days, unless it literally catches fire or something. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Mar 25, 2013 |
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Mar 25, 2013 22:59
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I have no doubt that when weed becomes legal in whichever state you may reside in, they will be packaged and sold exactly like hops.
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Mar 26, 2013 04:37
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Marshmallow Blue posted:So with Extract beer-ing. Do you still need to have 5 gallons in one place all at once? Or can you do your extracts and bonus grain steeping, And then combine with the rest of your water and be on your way? The second one. I've seen it done with 2 gallons. It seems better that way because you can add cold cold refrigerated water to the hot hot wort to get it cooler fastest.
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Mar 26, 2013 20:49
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PBCrunch posted:I made a batch of Cream Ale two weekends ago. The plan was to bottle four gallons normal and to add a jalapeno tincture to the last gallon to make it into a pepper beer. I have read that just a couple drops per beer should be all that is needed. Once you figure out how much heat you like you scale it up to the batch size. Jalapenos are the lowest level of "hot pepper" you can find (ok, I'm sure lower exist), and as was said, roasting them kills the heat a lot. If you just want HEAT why not pure capsicum?
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Mar 28, 2013 04:39
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Turds in magma posted:This is not even close to true, even for these genetically engineered monstrosities. The reason not to use capsicum is because jalapenos have a very distinct/delicious flavor, which is what he is looking for along with the heat. Habaneros, which can be stupid-hot, also have a very delicate and almost floral flavor, which you wont get from any capsicum extract. That's why I put a question mark, I literally did not know. edit: Wait, do you mean they're not the least hot? What is a tamer hot pepper one can find at most markets? I'm coming up with a sour red that I want to have a bit of a kick to it, but I don't know what peppers would really be comparable. I think I'll have to investigate via sampling pickled hot peppers to get a sort of an idea?
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Mar 28, 2013 05:56
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Turds in magma posted:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale As usual I am an idiot and didn't realize the others were so far below. Thanks for cracking an egg of knowledge on my head.
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Mar 28, 2013 06:06
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I was at the grocery store and feeling bored, so I bought a gallon of apple juice and some yeast. Boiled the juice with cinnamon sticks and brown sugar and it smelled really good. Cooled it to 100F, threw it in a disinfected glass jug I have, tossed the yeast in, plugged it with an extra airlock I have, and shook the poo poo out of it. Without 2 hours it was bubbling like mad. Very cool. It's shocking that kids haven't figured this out. Related to that, I actually had a friend argue against reforming homebrew laws by saying "then kids will have access to alcohol." It hurt my head because he does not understand how absolutely stupid easy it is to do, legal or not. I don't think he really believes that, but that was his reasoning as to why certain stupid politicians are fighting it so hard in certain states. On the beer front, I was talking with some friends and apparently I missed the "shake the everliving poo poo out of pitching the yeast" part. I did and it exploded with bubbles and was bubbling a good while, but has calmed down to really no bubbles. However while shaking it a noticeable amount of beer came out from under the lid so I assume it's not close to airtight (even though it feels like it should be), so I guess gas is escaping through there. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't find out my hydrometer was shattered yesterday. Back to the HBS!
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Mar 28, 2013 18:04
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When I was 18-19 I did dump yeast in some grape juice. However I literally just put grape juice in a suntea container, dumped yeast in, and put it in the garage. Terrible idea.
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Mar 28, 2013 18:58
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Jo3sh posted:*Real* cider is much, much more work and requires blending of apples and all that good stuff. Apples for apple juice make a pretty bland hard cider by comparison, but it actually is pretty pleasant. My friend says if you get real cider yeast, and a gallon of cider, the usual "yeast in the drink balloon on the top" works really well. edit: On that topic since I couldn't find any on my last trip to the HBS (will be going soon to replace my shattered hydrometer), http://www.amazon.com/packs-KIV-1116-Lalvin-Yeast-Winemaking/dp/B004348K2Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1364518035&sr=8-5&keywords=cider+yeast ? I have a 2 week camping trip coming up in August and I'd like to have at least 4 cases of beer and 10 jugs of cider ready for then (that's not too crazy for 10 people). I know anything I make now probably won't be the best by then but I'd like to get the technique down. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Mar 29, 2013 |
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Mar 29, 2013 01:47
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Jo3sh posted:I have not tried that particular strain, but this poo poo is so easy to make, why not try a bunch of things and see what works for you? White labs makes an English Cider strain (WLP775) and I imagine Wyeast does also. Champagne yeast finishes very dry. I found Lalvin D47 to finish quite sweet in cider. S-04 takes forever to settle but eventually makes a tasty batch. There's a guy on HBT who has tried many many strains and has a good writeup of all of them - check it out. Amazon has 775 for sale but I am reeaaally wary about ordering a yeast that as far as I know needs to be refrigerated until a few hours before use. That's actually what I was looking for at my store but they only had beer yeasts. But I will get a few and do a comparison!
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Mar 29, 2013 03:19
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PBCrunch posted:I took my non-spicy jalapeno vodka and put four roasted Serrano peppers and one roasted habenero pepper in it for two days. I ended up putting about 2 tsp of vodka per beer and it is pleasantly spicy. It doesn't melt your face, but the fruity pepper flavor is strong and there is some heat. Interesting, when I get mine going I will totally do that. So I just replaced my hydrometer and checked my beer and it says (temp corrected) 1.012 FG. According to Hopville that is basically correct (it estimated 1.009 to 1.011). I don't have the OG reading so I can't make sure it's not being crazy. I tested it in the thief after my reading and it tasted kind of weird. I assume that's just because it was a pretty yeasty sample of flat beer from a warm bucket. So of course being an idiot I forgot to get the bottle sterilization pump thing at the store, but I did get caps and I do have bottles, so I'll next day ship something from Amazon and bottle it Monday if I remain convinced it's done. The guy at the HBS said that primaries usually don't actually take more than 2 or 3 days, but it's easier time-wise to just do it on weekends. I didn't know this? edit: I grabbed a few more vials of yeast and stuff to do the first batch that I know is good. I also got champagne yeast to make ginger beer and cider yeast to see how it differs from baking yeast in my TURBO JUICE recipe. Ferment ALL THE THINGS Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Mar 30, 2013 |
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Mar 30, 2013 21:47
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fullroundaction posted:I heard he was a real growler It's got a real grizzly aftertaste.
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Mar 30, 2013 22:41
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Marshmallow Blue posted:It's officially the new trend everybody! Oh Oh my god Oh my loving god Bubbles stopped yesterday so I pulled it out and just tried it. I have thought long and hard about the appropriate emote but all I can come up with is  I can't find an emote of psyduck puking. Holy crap this is bad. This is undrinkable. It's totally alcoholic, but it's bad. It's like someone rubbed a piece of rancid apple on a bunch of slices of moldy bread, then juiced it all and dumped alcohol in it. If I served this to friends I would lose those friends. This reeks of teenage desperation for a buzz. This reeks of natural disaster survivor making alcohol the only way they can just to drink to forget what they've seen. I dumped it. It's gone. I just bought some cider yeast and I'm about to leave for the store to get some cider. We are doing this right proper. Not again. Never again. I'm sorry to let the homebrew thread down. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Mar 31, 2013 |
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Mar 31, 2013 01:50
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Saint Darwins Turbo Juice
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Daedalus Esquire posted:Never dump! drat, well now I know. It was quite terrible and I was heartbroken.
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Mar 31, 2013 02:17
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RagingBoner posted:What kind of juice and yeast did you use, and at what temperature did you ferment? Also, I do my ciders for 2 weeks minimum. Basically, when the sulphur smell goes away, I add a teaspoon of dissolved gelatin, then add potassium metabisulfite, then cold crash it, and rack into a keg. Then I add a cup of dissolved sugar per gallon, then force carbonate. I use store bought apple juice, but only the stuff with no preservatives from the dairy case at the supermarket, and I use whatever beer yeast I have laying around (usually S33 cultures from my stout I like to make all the time). I forgot to check the juice to make sure it had no preservatives, and that may have messed it up. Really I think using a baker's yeast was also a problem. Right now I have some organic cider going (no preservatives, I made sure) and an actual cider yeast, WPL775, along with 2 cups of brown sugar and a bunch of cinnamon sticks. I'll give it way more time before checking. It's in an area I can't keep controlled very precisely so it's going between 65 and 72. edit: This is more to say "I've made something drinkable" than something I want to get into. It's horribly expensive per gallon (I assume if I was pressing my own apples it would be much cheaper and worth it, though) compared to making my own beer. It's going to have to be life-changinly better than premade cider for me to want to do it more often. The reason I got into beer is besides $15 a case for a good quality beer (minus the equipment investment heh) is because I have a lot more control over exactly what I get. With cider I don't really think that I have as much freedom to make interesting and varied final products, so this is more of "being able to say I've done it." But what do I know this is my first attempt. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Mar 31, 2013 |
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Mar 31, 2013 20:33
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Marshmallow Blue posted:Haha, gross. Serve with sharp smoked cheddar to counteract any laxative effects! I eat a ton of cheddar and it just blows through me. I don't think I'm intolerant though.
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Apr 2, 2013 01:53
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 Thank you friends for putting up with my really dumb panicky questions. Gonna give the smaller case a week and the bigger one way more time. For some reason it didn't fit nearly as many as I thought (though one of those loose bottles is a bomber). One question, though, how do I clean grain bags? Apparently somebody put them in a bowl in another room and they're sort of gross but there's a number of small pieces I can't easily dislodge.
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Apr 2, 2013 02:40
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ScaerCroe posted:I have made coffee vodka before. Is this what you are talking about? What did you do with that, and how would you compare it to a cup of coffee made with those beans? Any chance the caffeine survived? My ~girlfriend~ does liquor extracts and I'll hassle her to do some coffee if it's actually an improvement over store-bought coffee vodka which has never, ever impressed me. Midrange would be what, Titos? edit: Ugh gotta bring the coffee thread into this, but a deburrer might be preferable for a more consistent grind. I don't know if it matters after a month of steeping, though 
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Apr 3, 2013 07:07
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Midorka posted:Titos is high end at a mid-shelf price. Grey Goose is low-mid end at a mid-high and price. There's a fascinating article on how the brand is purely marketing. I don't want to derail the beer thread with vodkachat, but any chance you could find it? I already knew they were really just a lot of marketing. I end up with a lot of Titos because when we have a party a friend invariably brings a handle over, but when I get to piI ck my own I prefer Ketel One. I plan to do a habanero vodka infusion for a spicy beer I'm making, someone mentioned the technique a page or so ago, so I'm trying to figure out what works best since a plastic bottle is probably a terrible idea, and not sure it needs an expensive vodka.
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Apr 3, 2013 14:44
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