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Has anyone had any experience with Hopshots from Northern Brewer? I just ordered a bunch for an batch that didn't utilize the hops as much as I had hoped. I'm hoping to boil about a pint of water and enough of the Hopshot for an hour and then add it to the ferment (cooled, of course) to give the nearly finished beer a ~30 IBU bump. Is this a terrible idea? Is this product lovely to begin with?
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Feb 16, 2012 22:44
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TenjouUtena posted:I've direct-pitched (Just toss it in after activating) Wyeast packets for OGs up to 1.07 without any problem (Sometimes it just takes an extra day to get started). YMMV of course, depends on yeast and yadda yadda. $67 for stir plate/magnetic bar + 2L Erlenmeyer flask @ http://www.stirstarters.com/ - I've heard enough stories of really fast fermentations and increased yeast efficiency using these things to make it worth my while, and the price (that's with shipping) seems unbeatable.
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Feb 16, 2012 22:56
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Eco RI posted:Has anyone had any experience with Hopshots from Northern Brewer? I just ordered a bunch for an batch that didn't utilize the hops as much as I had hoped. For that application, I like the idea of Isohop better, as it's already isomerized. I have not used it, but it looks like all you do is add it to under-bittered beer. icehawk posted:Wyeast? Starter? At 1.047, you will be okay just pitching the smack pack. Wyeast makes those and sells them for direct pitch into 5 gallons of 1.060 or less. I've done it many many times with good success. Yes, making a starter builds a more correct number of cells and may help to reduce off-flavors, but I have not run into any problems pitching a fresh smack pack of ale yeast into 5 gallons of wort of moderate gravity. Lagers, old or poorly handled yeast, and high gravities definitely want starters. lazerwolf posted:I'm looking for some input on stock pots/brew kettles. Make sure your stove can actually heat the volume you're looking at in a reasonable time. I have a pretty decent range and it took 90 minutes to get 8 gallons of cool water to a boil with the lid on. The lovely stove in a previous kitchen took about an hour to boil 4 gallons. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 00:19
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wattershed posted:$67 for stir plate/magnetic bar + 2L Erlenmeyer flask @ http://www.stirstarters.com/ - I've heard enough stories of really fast fermentations and increased yeast efficiency using these things to make it worth my while, and the price (that's with shipping) seems unbeatable. I was more trying to reassure icehewk that he didn't _need_ to go drop another $70 in order to make good beer.
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Feb 17, 2012 00:58
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TenjouUtena posted:I was more trying to reassure icehewk that he didn't _need_ to go drop another $70 in order to make good beer. Like all hobbies, there's always another $70 to spend, to make better beer if not just because ~*~gadgets~*~.
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Feb 17, 2012 02:28
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Stirplates are pretty loving cool, but this first batch would have bought a ton of six packs. It's just that every time I feel set, there's one more piece. I built a 25' copper chiller, went to the hardware store 3x to figure out that the hose on my kitchen faucet is actually 5/16 and not a 3/8 compression thread. There's no adapter unless I specially order 5/16 thread to 3/8 barb for like $15 shipped. Luckily all my plumbing is also in the kitchen, so I was able to shrink a garden hose to a 3/8 barb. After that fiasco, another homemade gadget seems like it should be better researched. An 8g kettle, two 6.5 buckets w/airlocks, custom chiller, cook's scale up to 17 lb, painter's mesh bag, starsan, pbw, antifoam drops, graduated cylinder, autosiphon later... let's make some brew. edit: And having Northern Brewer 4 blocks away, spottting their used 5g kegs for $45 and being able to select the better looking ones without having to pay shipping makes me really consider creating a kegerator, which could also be switched out for lagering. This is the worst hobby. icehewk fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 02:48
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I just made my home depot shopping list for heat sticks and miscellaneous stuff I need to get my apartment brew ready. Even though ill have everything ready to go I have so much on the docket this weekend I don't actually know if ill get to brewing. I have just about run out of "one more piece". Ill probably make a stirplate sometime in the coming months and I have some breathing room in the kegging stuff I ordered and I've always wanted a mill... oh. poo poo.
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Feb 17, 2012 03:38
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Another thing is a stir plate isn't necessary for a starter. It's more effective, but you can do without it, or occasionally shake the container. I understand the "just one more gadget" feeling though.
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Feb 17, 2012 04:01
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A home brewing store just opened in the little podunk town where I live. I don't know if it's fate or destiny, but I'm going to get poo poo while they're still open.
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Feb 17, 2012 04:20
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Eco RI posted:Has anyone had any experience with Hopshots from Northern Brewer? I talked to the guys at NB as they made an experimental batch using only hopshots. Their conclusion was that they're useful for bittering, but don't add much for aroma or taste. Use them initially, but don't dry hop or anything like that.
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Feb 17, 2012 05:13
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Cointelprofessional posted:I talked to the guys at NB as they made an experimental batch using only hopshots. Their conclusion was that they're useful for bittering, but don't add much for aroma or taste. Use them initially, but don't dry hop or anything like that. So what's the point of them then? Just keeping the beer clear?
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Feb 17, 2012 08:11
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Angry Grimace posted:So what's the point of them then? Just keeping the beer clear? Just a bittering agent.
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Feb 17, 2012 13:49
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Docjowles posted:You really want to use extract because malt contains different, more complex sugars than just straight white sugar or honey. If you get your yeast used to just eating sucrose, they get lazy and refuse to eat other sugars and you end up with a lovely unattenuated beer. There's a bit more to it though. Malt contains nutrients for yeast that are not present in honey. That's why when making mead one needs to add a yeast nutrient as well. So honey/table sugar/other refined sugars are not suitable for making starters.
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Feb 17, 2012 15:23
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Angry Grimace posted:So what's the point of them then? Just keeping the beer clear? Sure, or say 30 minutes into the brew you realized you dumped in some leftover Fuggles hops instead of Magnum for your bittering addition. Or you plugged in 60% efficiency into beersmith and ended up with 80% (pushing the OG up and the IBUs down). Stuff like that has happened to me.
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Feb 17, 2012 17:21
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So what's the best way to control temperature during fermentation? My wife is getting tired of the electric bill on keeping the thermostat at 68 all the time, and the vial on the yeast asks for like 70-74. I was thinking some kind of jury-rigged solution like reptile heat tape wrapped around the fermenter or something.
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Feb 17, 2012 23:30
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Angry Grimace posted:So what's the best way to control temperature during fermentation? My wife is getting tired of the electric bill on keeping the thermostat at 68 all the time, and the vial on the yeast asks for like 70-74. I was thinking some kind of jury-rigged solution like reptile heat tape wrapped around the fermenter or something. To keep the heat up they do make electric heated wraps for carboys, you would have to purchase a thermostat and corresponding probe to keep it at a precise temperature. If you're in an environment where the temperature can swing both above and below your target fermentation the only solution to place the wrapped fermenters inside a fridge with a two-way thermostat, the heating goes to the wrap and cooling to the fridge. What yeast are you using that recommends such a fermentation temp? A great majority of yeast types prefer 68 and below. There are lots of examples of yeast that like it hot, Belgians, Saisons and some american ale yeasts, just curious what you're using.
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Feb 17, 2012 23:48
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Angry Grimace posted:So what's the best way to control temperature during fermentation? Garage sale fridge plus external thermostat is absolutely the best way to do this. You can get a thermostat that can control both a heating circuit and a cooling circuit, so you can get very good control. My thermostat only has one channel, so I just control the fridge itself with it. If I need to add heat, I toss a heating pad or a ceramic reptile heat emitter in there with the fermenter and just monitor the temperature.
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Feb 18, 2012 00:06
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Has anyone used a stickblender for oxygenating the wort? Is the risk of trapped food particles too great?
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Feb 18, 2012 02:06
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Jo3sh posted:Garage sale fridge plus external thermostat is absolutely the best way to do this. You can get a thermostat that can control both a heating circuit and a cooling circuit, so you can get very good control. My thermostat only has one channel, so I just control the fridge itself with it. If I need to add heat, I toss a heating pad or a ceramic reptile heat emitter in there with the fermenter and just monitor the temperature. Would a chest freezer work for that kind of setup? There's a ton of those on craigslist every day - or is a regular refrigerator a better option? (It seems like it would be the same thing, but you never know if a freezer would cost more to run or something) Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 02:06
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Angry Grimace posted:Would a chest freezer work for that kind of setup? There's a ton of those on craigslist every day - or is a regular refrigerator a better option? Chest freezer works great. I use one. Just be sure you have the ability to lift the wort over the edge. Chest freezer is cheap to run. Added maybe 25¢ to my monthly bill. Maybe. Imasalmon fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 02:15
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I ordered a pound of Citra hops online since all the recipes I found that I want to do seemed to use them, but then I opened the package and it's all Chinook instead. I was about to get really sad and irritated since the site said they were out now, but the guy on the phone just said they have a lot of them, but they don't make them available year round. Besides, poo poo was expensive. In fact, hops are expensive everywhere, I've noticed. It was like $4.50/2 oz. for this, and it was significantly more expensive for similarly high demand hops like Simcoe locally.
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Feb 18, 2012 02:40
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Angry Grimace posted:I ordered a pound of Citra hops online since all the recipes I found that I want to do seemed to use them, but then I opened the package and it's all Chinook instead. I was about to get really sad and irritated since the site said they were out now, but the guy on the phone just said they have a lot of them, but they don't make them available year round. As mentioned earlier, hops like Simcoe and Citra are proprietary hops only produced on the farms that developed them or licensed farms, so they sell for more money. Not to mention they are in extremely high demand at the moment, so the market prices them accordingly. PoopShipDestroyer fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 02:55
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I know it isn't a home brew but you guys know it best... so my local bar had a bunch of boulevard chocolate ale sitting in back and gave it to me free. It "expired" according to the label 09-2011 and I was going to ship it to my boss as a birthday gift as he is from KC and is obsessed. Do you guys think the beer is good or should I call it a wash? It was brewed 02-2010.
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Feb 18, 2012 03:44
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RiggenBlaque posted:As mentioned earlier, hops like Simcoe and Citra are proprietary hops only produced on the farms that developed them or licensed farms, so they sell for more money. Not to mention they are in extremely high demand at the moment, so the market prices them accordingly. That was why I got them, even at a fairly high price (in reality the difference between "high price" and low price is like, what a dollar?). At least they're going to send me the rest of the Citra in my order. I'm pretty bad at restraining myself whenever anyone tells me something is limited supply so when the local homebrew store put up a sign saying "omg simcoe/amarillo in stock gonna run out tomorrow" I bought several ounces of both. Scarcity is a bitch of a sales tool. flyboi posted:I know it isn't a home brew but you guys know it best... so my local bar had a bunch of boulevard chocolate ale sitting in back and gave it to me free. It "expired" according to the label 09-2011 and I was going to ship it to my boss as a birthday gift as he is from KC and is obsessed. Do you guys think the beer is good or should I call it a wash? It was brewed 02-2010. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 03:44
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Well the abv of this is 9% so maybe it isn't as bad? I guess I'll ship it and tell him hey I tried I guess.
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Feb 18, 2012 03:51
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flyboi posted:Well the abv of this is 9% so maybe it isn't as bad? I guess I'll ship it and tell him hey I tried I guess. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 03:59
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Angry Grimace posted:Would a chest freezer work for that kind of setup? There's a ton of those on craigslist every day - or is a regular refrigerator a better option? (It seems like it would be the same thing, but you never know if a freezer would cost more to run or something) Yeah, a lot of people use freezers and have great success. I know one guy who keeps talking about putting a harbor freight hoist over his to make it easier to lift fermenters and kegs in and out, but if you're vigorous you can do it - just be careful and lift with good form. Do whatever you find at a price you can live with. I got both of my fridges free, so that's what I use, and it works well for me. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 04:01
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Back to me being a brewing newb, I got my new 10 gallon brewing kettle and assembled the thing. I have no idea why they don't tell you what tools you need or extras (i.e. thread seal tape) you'll need. My brother "borrowed" (i.e. jacked) my wrenches and pliers and I don't want to go get them or buy more, so I just tightened everything by hand as much as I could (a dial thermometer + a valve). I filled it about ~50% with water and it didn't leak from either place over like 10 minutes, so is that fine, or should I go get some wrenches later on?
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Feb 18, 2012 04:04
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Well I'm about ready to label my latest lager another complete failure. My last was a complete loving diacetyl bomb and even though this one isn't nearly as bad, it's definitely still there enough to bother me. Even though I did a diacetyl rest on both when I was about 4 points away from my target FG, I figured this latest lager would be better because I used more than enough yeast. Oh well, live and learn I guess. Maybe I'll bring it back up from lagering temps again for a few days and hope for the best.
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Feb 18, 2012 04:23
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Angry Grimace posted:Back to me being a brewing newb, I got my new 10 gallon brewing kettle and assembled the thing. I have no idea why they don't tell you what tools you need or extras (i.e. thread seal tape) you'll need. My brother "borrowed" (i.e. jacked) my wrenches and pliers and I don't want to go get them or buy more, so I just tightened everything by hand as much as I could (a dial thermometer + a valve). I filled it about ~50% with water and it didn't leak from either place over like 10 minutes, so is that fine, or should I go get some wrenches later on? Leave it over night, sitting on toilet paper. If no leaks, I would call it fine.
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Feb 18, 2012 04:27
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Imasalmon posted:Leave it over night, sitting on toilet paper. If no leaks, I would call it fine. Will do. Glad I got the valve. I can barely lift this thing with 6 gallons of liquid in it.
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Feb 18, 2012 04:31
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Angry Grimace posted:Back to me being a brewing newb, I got my new 10 gallon brewing kettle and assembled the thing. I have no idea why they don't tell you what tools you need or extras (i.e. thread seal tape) you'll need. My brother "borrowed" (i.e. jacked) my wrenches and pliers and I don't want to go get them or buy more, so I just tightened everything by hand as much as I could (a dial thermometer + a valve). I filled it about ~50% with water and it didn't leak from either place over like 10 minutes, so is that fine, or should I go get some wrenches later on? If you have a leak while you're boiling there's pretty much nothing you'll be able to do to fix it until the end of your brewday, so I think it's worth it to do the job right. Honestly if you don't own a wrench and don't know you need to put thread seal tape on a threaded connection that's going to have liquid running through it that's why they sell kettles with preinstalled valves and thermometers.
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Feb 18, 2012 10:21
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After kegging my dunkelweizen I realized I had another gallon or so left in the fermentor. I didn't have time to bottle it, so I tossed some DME in and sealed it back up. Good idea? I guess we'll find out!
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Feb 18, 2012 15:38
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Angry Grimace posted:I ordered a pound of Citra hops online since all the recipes I found that I want to do seemed to use them, but then I opened the package and it's all Chinook instead. I was about to get really sad and irritated since the site said they were out now, but the guy on the phone just said they have a lot of them, but they don't make them available year round. Every recipe? Sheeze. This is like the fourth or fifth harvest year of Citra, Simcone was new in 2000ish I believe. I'm starting to get the feeling they are being overused because they are the fad right now. "All" your recipes were likely just adapted from something else... maybe even Chinook  .Simcone is brilliant in a Pale Ale, but I'm not sure I'd want to use it much elsewhere. I know they call Citra dual purpose, but I feel using it for bittering is just wasting it.
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Feb 18, 2012 16:07
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Angry Grimace posted:Will do. Glad I got the valve. I can barely lift this thing with 6 gallons of liquid in it. Did you buy this online or locally? How much did you pay?
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Feb 18, 2012 17:22
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The red ale extract is in the primary! Ended up at 1.045 OG and about 4.85g, with a starting point of 5.5g preboil. There was about a quarter cup of malt extract I wasn't able to get out of the jug (of 6 pounds). I was able to get a rolling boil (213-214*) on my electric stovetop using two burners. The fermcap seemed to help tremendously. It gurgled a few times similar to a tarpit but then settled back down. If I had a boilover it probably would have happened at those points. Muslin bags for the partial grain+hops worked great. Big bucket O StarSan + spray bottle made sanitation easier than I thought it would be. I cracked the smack pack about 10 hours before using it and it was about as pressurized as it could get. The house smelled like hops and cinnamon, it was great. It took about 14 minutes to get it down to 65 with the chiller. Now fermenting at about 64* with the 3 piece airlock popping every 15-30 seconds. icehewk fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 18:45
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drewhead posted:Every recipe? Sheeze. This is like the fourth or fifth harvest year of Citra, Simcone was new in 2000ish I believe. I'm starting to get the feeling they are being overused because they are the fad right now. "All" your recipes were likely just adapted from something else... maybe even Chinook Josh Wow posted:If you have a leak while you're boiling there's pretty much nothing you'll be able to do to fix it until the end of your brewday, so I think it's worth it to do the job right. Honestly if you don't own a wrench and don't know you need to put thread seal tape on a threaded connection that's going to have liquid running through it that's why they sell kettles with preinstalled valves and thermometers. As far as I can tell they don't actually sell preinstalled valves and thermometers - the valves and thermometers seem to just come with, but not pre-installed on most kettles that are supposed to have them. I supposed you could probably get them to do it at the LHBS, but even there, it just comes in a big box with separate parts. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 19:58
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Saw a few starter questions that I don't think got proper attention. You REALLY want to use dme/lme at minimum if not real wort and its not just because of the sugars. Honey has next to 0 nutrients in it for yeast, whereas dme/lme/wort have tons and tons in comparison. One of the reasons meads can take a long time is because there is almost no nutrients available, and you can definitely speed meads up a lot by doing an aggressive nutrient addition schedule on a continual basis. Getting some cheap yeast nutrient to add to a starter is still a good idea to help saturate the yeast with more nutrients so they pick up strong during fermentation. With regards to stir plates: their positive effects on yeast population really can't be emphasized enough. A good 24-36 hours on a stir plate can yield four to ten times as much yeast compared to no starter or just a standing starter. I don't think your average person "intermittantly shakes" a standing starter enough to get the big population benefits a few scientific studies have shown. This may seem like a lot but its actually not, unless you are brewing 5 gallon low gravity beers you are probably massively underpitching your yeast. The way to tell is that if you aren't getting quick and extremely vigorous fermentation that makes you think you are about to blowover then you probably didn't have enough healthy yeast to start with. Check out this compound yeast growth calculator which helps you figure out populations with steps and such if you don't have a ton of flasks, its the best one out there that I have seen. http://www.yeastcalc.com/ rage-saq fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 20:08
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Angry Grimace posted:Probably. Just realize when I say all, it's like, two recipes. A pound just seemed like a good round number.
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Feb 18, 2012 20:15
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zedprime posted:Not trying to be a dick but for water service you can generally get away with a torquing spec of "until it stops leaking or breaks, whichever comes first." Incidentally I had to use a cheater before my valve stopped leaking. I'm actually not quite sure how it's a dick comment unless the mean part was over my head. I have no qualms about being an out of it clod in many areas. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 20:18
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