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Senior Moment posted:Anyone have experiences to share with oak casks? Do beers always come out super oaky and mellow out with time? How long did it take reach that "just right" level? Depends on a lot of things. Usually used barrels you buy will be either empty of oaky flavor or have very little. Also the size: IE, you'll have less surface area in a 55 gallon barrel than a 5 gallon barrel. So leaving a beer in a new 5 gallon barrel for 6 months might make it taste like woodchips, but leaving a barley wine in a used burbon barrel for same lot of time may give you completely different results. If new to barrel aging, sample early and often. Err on the side of less is more.
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Sep 17, 2012 12:58
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:25 |
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Hobo cider is a proud and storied high school tradition but you should really step up your game in college, make some classy fortified punch if a hairy buffalo is too much for you.
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Sep 17, 2012 13:00
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I'm thinking of making this beer to give away as Christmas presents. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/bourbon-barrel-porter-extract-kit.html It calls for a yeast starter, which is not in the instructions. I get how to make one, but do you add it alone when you normally add yeast or in conjunction with regular yeast?
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Sep 17, 2012 13:01
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BDawg posted:I'm thinking of making this beer to give away as Christmas presents. I've been tempted to pick up that kit mostly b/c I am lazy and want to brew a bourbon barrel brew pretty bad. I'd suggest bombers, maybe two, per person. That'd be nice. Yeast starters: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html Basically, you make a low gravity "beer" or malt slurry and pitch yeast to grow your numbers and decant/pitch said larger growth.
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Sep 17, 2012 15:40
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Starters are usually less important for dry yeasts, since they both have more live cells, and are cheaper so it's easy to just add a second pack if you're making a really strong beer. I do them when I use liquid yeasts, but I wouldn't bother with a dry yeast unless it was supposed to be upward of 8% ABV. When you do make a starter, best shortcut I've found is to get a bottle of malta. Unfermented wort sold as a soda, probably available in the Latin foods section of the supermarket. A 50/50 mix of malta and water poured in a sanitized vessel is probably the easiest way I've found to make a starter.
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Sep 17, 2012 15:53
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BDawg posted:It calls for a yeast starter, which is not in the instructions. I get how to make one, but do you add it alone when you normally add yeast or in conjunction with regular yeast? If you decide to go with a starter, you would make it a day or three ahead of brew day and let your yeast grow in it. The yeast go on a reproductive spree and you end up with more cells to pitch in your eventual beer. The starter is what you pitch and there's no need to ALSO pitch more yeast.
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Sep 17, 2012 16:17
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Josh Wow posted:Not sure why you think it'd get contaminated either, cheap store bought juice will be sanitary straight out of the jug so as long as he has a sanitized vessel to put it in there's not really much risk of infection. I'm not saying bread yeast is terrible or anything, it certainly is appropriate for certain drinks, but yeast has a very significant impact on flavor so if he's going to attempt that he might as well get one that's appropriate and do things correctly. Why make something barely better than prison wine when you can make cider with slightly more effort.
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Sep 17, 2012 16:31
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Hypnolobster posted:Generally, making cider/applewine from juice (and using champagne or wine yeast) needs a solid 5-8 months of sitting around conditioning before it's really tasty. It'll still be extremely dry and tart, though. So basically it will taste like WoodChuck,. I think I might just get some eveclear and call it good enough for halloween. I'll just make a batch for Christmas, that is 3 months which should be enough time for a little something good. Thanks for all the help
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Sep 17, 2012 18:14
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Corvettefisher posted:So basically it will taste like WoodChuck,. I think I might just get some eveclear and call it good enough for halloween. I'll just make a batch for Christmas, that is 3 months which should be enough time for a little something good. Probably more like Hornsby's or Strongbow. Woodchuck (except for "Crisp" and some of the limited releases) is about the least dry hard cider I've ever had. Pretty much the longer you can let it rest, the less it will taste like fuel. Keep your container away from all light (we keep ours in carboy boxes with just the airlocks poking through) and check your airlock weekly to make sure it hasn't dried out.
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Sep 17, 2012 18:33
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I doubt light makes any difference, it's not like it has hops in it.
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Sep 17, 2012 18:39
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You won't get the classic hops+yeast skunking, but UV degrades most foodstuffs that aren't currently alive (dried fruits being the only exception I can think of). I mean, milk doesn't have any hops in it either usually, but UV protection's the reason it's hard to find in clear containers anymore. 
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Sep 17, 2012 19:29
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My first brew was ready to go yesterday. Kegerator is working like a champ and the beer is genuinely good. I am a little shocked at how well it went. So right now I have a batch of APA fermenting. It should be done in 3 weeks or so. That will be the second keg in the kegerator. Have some questions: 1. Is there any issue with force carbonating in the kegerator? I only have one tank and regulator so I am planning on just hooking up the APA and carbonating it there. 2. What is a good choice for my third batch? I can age/lager this one for a while as Ive got 10 gallons done currently. My favorite styles are quads, BSPA, marzen, RIS, DIPA, and american amber if done well. I figure to have months before I will be cracking this next one. I can lager if necessary. 3. Am I stupid to consider trying all grain so soon? I think I can build a mash tun from a picnic cooler pretty easily. Should I try it or hold off until I get more experience?
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Sep 17, 2012 21:04
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I just wanted to say thanks to Splizwarf and his wife for being such awesome people and teaching me a ton about home brewing. I'm really excited to see how the Honey Ale turns out! This goon turned out to be a rad guy. I had a rotating cast for a helper all day and managed to get 4 brews, 2 rackovers, and a bottling done. 8:30-ish AM to 11 PM, and we toasted marshmallows on the banjo burner after it got dark.  Now I've got both White House beers, 2 different cream ale experiments, a chocolate milk stout that we just racked onto a fat pack of cacao nibs, and NB's Saison de Noel in a secondary (we tried this while racking and holy drat is it going to be a good holiday beer). Fermentation keezer's full and man, the satisfaction. Now to scrounge about a billion bottles in two weeks. 
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Sep 17, 2012 21:44
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bewbies posted:2. What is a good choice for my third batch? RIS See, you answered your own question already. A good Imperial Stout will be good fairly soon but will continue to improve through the winter, and will begin to be amazing around Christmastime. Here's my Old Irascible - you can use the whiskey and oak, or leave them out: http://hopville.com/recipe/93555 Which I guess plays into your question about going all-grain. No, I don't think you're nuts. Ambitious, yes. I probably would do something simple for my first batch or two after a major process change like that, but you could just go for it and have some extract around to boost the gravity if you needed to.
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Sep 17, 2012 22:10
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Splizwarf posted:You won't get the classic hops+yeast skunking, but UV degrades most foodstuffs that aren't currently alive (dried fruits being the only exception I can think of).
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Sep 17, 2012 22:36
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bewbies posted:My first brew was ready to go yesterday. Kegerator is working like a champ and the beer is genuinely good. I am a little shocked at how well it went.
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Sep 17, 2012 22:47
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Angry Grimace posted:I went all-grain on my third batch and its gone perfectly fine. It is, however, very expensive and requires a lot of overhead to convert since you need bigger pots and burners unless you want to do AG through BIAB or something, in which case you'll be just fine. This is what the guy at the HB store said (about the batch size, I mean). At present though I'm pretty much locked into 5 gal. batches, so I went looking for alternatives and came up with this. It seems to be ideal for 5 gallon batches (at least according to the internet) and I could get it done for probably less than $50. Anyone tried one of these?
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Sep 17, 2012 23:46
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bewbies posted:This is what the guy at the HB store said (about the batch size, I mean). At present though I'm pretty much locked into 5 gal. batches, so I went looking for alternatives and came up with this. It seems to be ideal for 5 gallon batches (at least according to the internet) and I could get it done for probably less than $50. Anyone tried one of these? Haven't tried that specific one, but converting a cooler into a mash-tun isn't going to be particularly expensive however you do it. The problem again will be getting the equipment to run 7 gallon boils.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:14
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My nb caribou slobber appears to have stopped bubbling, I haven't checked the hydrometer, but it has been in there for 8 days and the krausen is gone in my better bottle. Should I: A. Leave the beer in the better bottle for another 2-3 weeks to condition and clean up. B. move the beer to plastic bucket to clean up for another 2-3 weeks. (not as airtight, right?) Or C. Move the beer to the plastic bucket long enough to clean out the better bottle, then transfer back to the bb to clean up and have a cleared out beer. (so that it is still airtight, but risking a little oxygen uptake) ? I'm thinking of ordering another kit to make up since I've got a few weekends off coming up. Hmmm... What to buy, what to buy.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:27
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LaserWash posted:My nb caribou slobber appears to have stopped bubbling, I haven't checked the hydrometer, but it has been in there for 8 days and the krausen is gone in my better bottle. A. No reason to move it. All the stuff that will settle out will settle out, but you're not going to ger any off-flavors from leaving it where it is for a couple weeks more. I personally think 2 weeks in the fermenter is plenty, but if your schedule or whatever means that 3-4 is more convenient for you, that's good too. No reason you can't start the next batch in the bucket while the current batch settles. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 00:33
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BTW Splizwarf I just bought the banjo burner. I anticipate being able to nuke a turkey in ten seconds.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:46
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:BTW Splizwarf I just bought the banjo burner. I anticipate being able to nuke a turkey in ten seconds. I'm doing two batches tonight (a quick 2 gallon and a normal partial mash 3gal) and goodness I want one of these. I'm not sure if I spend more time waiting on the mash and boil or more time waiting just for the water to get to the right temperature.
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Sep 18, 2012 01:58
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I am in love with the aroma of maris otter and Munich malts when mashing, I want to brew every beer with them.
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Sep 18, 2012 02:47
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How does the malt you'd find in a supermarket (as in a baking/cooking sort of malt I guess) compare to what you'd homebrew with? Is it completely different or just a general paleish blend? Also this thread is a great resource, thanks all
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Sep 18, 2012 13:41
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Around here, anyway, I have never seen malt extract in a grocery store. I have seen it in specialty baking catalogs, though. I would want to read the label pretty closely to make sure it did not have a bunch of crap in it I did not want, but overall, I'm pretty sure it would be fermentable, and it would probably make beer of some kind. I am guessing it's made by the same companies that make extract for brewing, but you're probably right in that there may not be much choice in color or style.
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Sep 18, 2012 14:08
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Nanpa posted:How does the malt you'd find in a supermarket (as in a baking/cooking sort of malt I guess) compare to what you'd homebrew with? Is it completely different or just a general paleish blend? The grocery store malt will probably cost you a shitload more per unit weight than buying it from a brewing store. Those making brewing extracts will probably pay more attention to colour and fermentability than for baking as well.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:05
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poo poo, I just realized that I have seen malt in a grocery store - but it was the lovely Carnation malted milk powder, which has a bunch of other stuff (milk powder, mainly) in it. That stuff is, as crazyfish pointed out, stupid expensive and not actually good for making beer with. Not to mention that regular light DME from the brew store makes far superior ice cream malts. lactose intolerancevvv Word. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 18:19
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DME ice cream malts are the loving BOMB.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:21
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Jo3sh posted:poo poo, I just realized that I have seen malt in a grocery store - but it was the lovely Carnation malted milk powder, which has a bunch of other stuff (milk powder, mainly) in it. That stuff is, as crazyfish pointed out, stupid expensive and not actually good for making beer with. Not to mention that regular light DME from the brew store makes far superior ice cream malts. They used to sell regular old DME at the store, but that stopped in the 70s I think.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:29
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What are these little floaty guys in my homebrew? They aren't all at the top, they seem to be in suspension. The beer tastes good, although I think it may have fermented a bit warm. There are some fruity notes that I didn't expect from a porter.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:49
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What was your recipe?
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Sep 18, 2012 18:57
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Angry Grimace posted:Isn't that just Ovaltine? Not quite, but similar. Back in my grocery-stocking days, it was right next to the Ovaltine. Ovaltine has chocolate and a buttload of sugar in it; Carnation malted milk powder was mostly malt and milk powder, I think. It was not so much sweet as malty (but not near as malty as actual DME).
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Sep 18, 2012 19:22
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Not gonna lie: my favorite part of brewing with DME is tonguing the bag after dumping its contents.
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Sep 18, 2012 19:25
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Munk, I wish you did not live clear across the continent from me; I get the feeling you'd be hilarious to brew with.
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Sep 18, 2012 19:38
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Sure, the first time, but then it's all restraining orders and trespasses. 
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Sep 18, 2012 19:52
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Quick question, most of my stuff is en route to me and I'm trying to make sure I'll have everything I need to start my first batch this weekend. I might have been a little overzealous my first time, as I ordered vials of White Labs yeast with my first two kits: Autumn Amber Ale and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Given my uninformed yeast selection, do I need to get equipment to make a starter before I brew or will the contents of the supplied vials be enough without a starter?
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Sep 18, 2012 19:52
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hellfaucet posted:Quick question, most of my stuff is en route to me and I'm trying to make sure I'll have everything I need to start my first batch this weekend. I might have been a little overzealous my first time, as I ordered vials of White Labs yeast with my first two kits: Autumn Amber Ale and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. You will be fine, both kits only have a SG of 1.042 to 1.046.
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Sep 18, 2012 20:08
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Last weekend I brewed a pumpkin ale and added pumpkin pie type spices at flameout (about 1.5 tsp in a 5 gallon batch) . The guy at LHBS said to think about adding a little more at secondary. I'm not planning on a secondary on this, just about two weeks in primary and then into bottles. Could I add spices to the bottling bucket? Any rules I should follow if I do?
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Sep 19, 2012 05:30
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Oodles of Wootles posted:Last weekend I brewed a pumpkin ale and added pumpkin pie type spices at flameout (about 1.5 tsp in a 5 gallon batch) . The guy at LHBS said to think about adding a little more at secondary. I'm not planning on a secondary on this, just about two weeks in primary and then into bottles. Could I add spices to the bottling bucket? Any rules I should follow if I do? First, taste it after fermentation; it might be exactly where you want it to be But if not, yeah, you can always dose it with more. I haven't done this much, but Jamil recommends taking a good quantity of your desired spice blend and soaking it in vodka to sanitize and extract flavors. Measure out some beer--say a cup--and dose it with small amounts of the tincture til it tastes as spicy as you want. Then do the math to figure out how much you need to add to your 5 gallon batch to get the same beer:spice ratio you put into your sample. You could certainly do that in the bottling bucket as long as you stir thoroughly.
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Sep 19, 2012 05:47
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:25 |
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Has anyone ever tried to culture their own yeast? Googling makes it sound kind of hard. I like the idea of turning home brewing into even more of a science project...
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Sep 19, 2012 13:54
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