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YASD posted:How important is a yeast starter, and what's an easy way to do one at home? I'm curious at what OG you guys start futzing with starters, and what homestyle methods everyone uses. There aren't any hard and fast rules other than as the gravity gets higher a starter is a good idea because you're pitching more healthy yeast. I'm fairly new to brewing but I'd rate the importance of things in this order: sanitation, fresh ingredients, temperature control, pitching enough healthy yeast (not necessarily starters). The Mr.Malty calculator is a good way to see how much yeast you need for a particular gravity. It also lets you compare between different types of starters and dry yeast. I got a stir plate and flask from Stir Starters but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. It's probably the most expensive and nerdy way to do starters at home.
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Sep 28, 2012 00:27
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YASD posted:How important is a yeast starter, and what's an easy way to do one at home? I'm curious at what OG you guys start futzing with starters, and what homestyle methods everyone uses. Dry yeast won't need a starter period. The cell counts in dry yeast are actually very high. I recommend this option if you are making US styles like American IPA, American Pale Ales, etc. because most recipes for such beers call for WLP001 or Wy1056, which is the exact same yeast as US-05. Liquid Yeast will always benefit from a starter even in say, a mild, even though they aren't strictly necessary. If the beer's OG is 1.050, I personally would always make a starter. Beyond 1.060, not having a starter will have a negative impact on fermentation since it will stress the yeast out. Jamil Zainasheff has a yeast pitching calculator called Mr. Malty (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html) which will tell you how many "packages" (i.e. vials or packs) you will need for a given wort gravity, although it is very pessimistic about your yeast viability and will ask for things like the equivalent of 2.5 vials for a 1.064 wort, which is almost assuredly unnecessary. When I make a starter, I use a 1L flask and a stir plate, but most people recommend 2L starters. You don't need to go that expensive. You can make a good starter in a sanitized beer growler by just shaking it as often as you can. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Sep 28, 2012 |
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Sep 28, 2012 00:28
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YASD posted:How important is a yeast starter, and what's an easy way to do one at home? I'm curious at what OG you guys start futzing with starters, and what homestyle methods everyone uses. I use the Mr. Malty calculator for guidance, but it's not gospel. Some styles can benefit from an underpitch to purposely stress the yeast (Belgian styles particularly) but overpitching will generally be better than under.
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Sep 28, 2012 00:28
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I may be the most skeptical here about starters. Wyeast and White Labs both make excellent yeast cultures that are sold in packages intended for direct use (without a starter) in 5 gallons of wort up to 1.060. I have used them that way many many times and have had excellent results. I even did a split batch one time where I took ten gallons of wort and pitched a starter in one half and a direct smack pack in the other - the resulting beers were indistinguishable and took about the same time to ferment out. Dry yeast is really excellent these days, although the selection of strains is somewhat limited. Still, if you are making a beer that can use a dry strain, one packet is pretty much all you will need unless you are doing something really extraordinary. Lagers and old yeast pretty much require starters. Bottom line, I tend not to make starters for most of my batches. I do make starters if: * The yeast is not very fresh or I suspect it has been poorly handled. * I am making big beers (>1.060 for liquid yeast, higher still for dry) * I am making lagers (which almost never happens).
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Sep 28, 2012 00:36
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Awesome, thanks for the help. Going to make a big huge trappist ale and figured I'd need a solid starter for all the goodies I'm throwing into the wort.
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Sep 28, 2012 01:10
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Had my first bottle of my first beer (porter) tonight and its fantastic. Taking 20 to the Wake Forest / Duke game this weekend for family and friends.
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Sep 28, 2012 02:12
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My first non can beer (dried extract, steeping grains, hops) has just about finished fermenting, however there's a tonne of particulate crap in there (it looks mostly like the hops pellets I didn't strain properly. Most of it seems to be suspended to a degree, but since I bottle from the fermenter (it has a tap at the bottom) I'm worried about getting a little bit too much crap in the bottles and whether this would impact the taste too much. Would some plain gelatine clear this up? Would it be better to strain with some fabric? (I'm thinking about cutting up some tea bags or finding some coffee filter paper) Would there be enough yeast to bottle condition if I did that?
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Sep 28, 2012 07:19
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Nanpa posted:My first non can beer (dried extract, steeping grains, hops) has just about finished fermenting, however there's a tonne of particulate crap in there (it looks mostly like the hops pellets I didn't strain properly. Most of it seems to be suspended to a degree, but since I bottle from the fermenter (it has a tap at the bottom) I'm worried about getting a little bit too much crap in the bottles and whether this would impact the taste too much. You using a Mr. Beer? I did this when I first started doing DME batches before getting a bucket/carboy/whatever else. Sanitize a teabag (I emptied a lipton one) and funnel. Put the tea bag in the funnel and pour from the tap into it. It will catch 95% of the crap.
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Sep 28, 2012 07:36
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I'm using a Cooper's ~25L kit, which more or less is a general bucket with some markers on the side and a tap about 40-50mm off the curved bottom, which I think is supposed to help you leave more of the trub on the bottom. The whole problem could have been avoided if I'd just bagged the hops/properly filtered the specialty grains, but I've learnt my lesson now. Good to hear a teabag will be good enough though, thanks
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Sep 28, 2012 08:39
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Gelatin works great as a fining agent. Just be sure to not get the gelatin too hot before adding to the bucket. Dissolve a tablespoon of gelatin in a half cup or so of water at around 80c. Don't boil the gelatin, or it doesn't set right in my experience. Gently stir that into your beer, let it sit for a few days, and you should be good to go. Or use a tea bag. Caveat: I've never added gelatin to the bottling bucket, so I don't know if it will interfere with the spigot at the bottom. You can do a really good job at clearing the beer by fermenting it in another bucket (or carboy if you prefer, but buckets are cheaper), cold crashing it after fermentation, and then siphoning it into the bucket with the tap for bottling. Food grade buckets can be found for less than $10 around my area.
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Sep 28, 2012 10:09
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How much LME should I add to how much water to create a yeast starter? Also how long will LME stay fine to use before it goes bad? My buddy got one of those pre-hopped liquid kits and I figure it would be a good idea to use it for our first batch even if it's only to learn the basic sanitation steps and to learn the bottling/yeast steps. Also for a 6 gallon batch how much sugar should we use for carbonation purposes?
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Sep 28, 2012 14:42
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Midorka posted:How much LME should I add to how much water to create a yeast starter? Also how long will LME stay fine to use before it goes bad? My buddy got one of those pre-hopped liquid kits and I figure it would be a good idea to use it for our first batch even if it's only to learn the basic sanitation steps and to learn the bottling/yeast steps. I know for DME it's a ratio of 10:1 in metric units. So like if you want a 1L starter, you measure out 100g (1000ml / 10) of DME and then add enough water to make a 1L solution. LME's less concentrated than DME so you'll need slightly more... the idea is to have a wort of like 1.030-1.040 so go on Hopville or something like that and it should be able to do the math. Northern Brewer has a nice priming sugar calculator. 2.5 volumes is a good ballpark number to use for many styles. Imasalmon posted:Gelatin works great as a fining agent. Just be sure to not get the gelatin too hot before adding to the bucket. Gelatin does work super well, but it's worth noting it only makes yeast drop out, not haze from other sources.
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Sep 28, 2012 15:10
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How's this look for my first crack at a Tripel: 12 lbs Pilsner malt 2 lbs Turbinado sugar Mash somewhere around 145-150 to try and get it nice and fermentable. 90 minute boil to chase off the DMS boogeyman 2 oz Tettnang - 60 mins 1 oz Saaz - 10 mins WLP530 - Abbey Ale (start it around 65, then let it warm up to ~75? Never used this yeast before) I'm thinking of adding some saffron after fermentation is done, probably make a tea, dump it in the keg, and put the leftover strands in a teaball or something. Got the idea from Radical Brewing.
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Sep 28, 2012 16:07
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I started my first brew two weeks ago using a kit and I need some advice. I'm supposed to separate the beer from the dead yeast "when the fermentation stops" for a second fermentation, but the bubbles in the airlock decreased to maybe once every two-three minutes after just a couple of days and the seller said the fermentation would take 3-4 weeks. It is a pilsner and I have it stored pretty cold, around 13 Celsius (55 F). Also, how sensitive is the beer to oxygen during the fermentation? I'd like to sneak a peek but I'm scared I'll ruin it.
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Sep 28, 2012 17:05
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ClaytonClaw posted:I'm supposed to separate the beer from the dead yeast "when the fermentation stops" for a second fermentation Don't bother with a secondary fermenter, it's not necessary. It's advice leftover from the bad old days when homebrew yeast was really lovely and some shops just never caught up with the times. Just let it sit in primary til you're ready to bottle it. You will not do any harm at all by opening the fermenter to take a quick peek, just don't sneeze into the bucket 
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Sep 28, 2012 17:10
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Docjowles posted:Don't bother with a secondary fermenter, it's not necessary. It's advice leftover from the bad old days when homebrew yeast was really lovely and some shops just never caught up with the times. Just let it sit in primary til you're ready to bottle it. Oh cool. Now I have an extra bucket though, might as well start a second batch.
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Sep 28, 2012 17:19
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ClaytonClaw posted:Now I have an extra bucket though, might as well start a second batch. And so it begins. "Hmm, this freezer has room for 5 buckets, but I only have 3. Better get some more buckets. And kits to go in them." 
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Sep 28, 2012 18:19
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Splizwarf posted:And so it begins. So goddamn true. I have two (two!) beer fridges now, and I just the other day caught myself telling my wife I needed to buy a freezer also.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:21
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I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer?
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Sep 28, 2012 18:24
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LaserWash posted:I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer? If today's YOTJ comes through, You can bet I'll start buying toys and probably won't stop until local brew pub employees come to my house for tours.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:27
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LaserWash posted:I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer? This is much of why I don't brew nearly as much as I did when I was fresh in the hobby. I like what I make, I have some friends that do, but none of us go through it all that rapidly. Trying some dietary cutbacks doesn't help either. Though I do have a couple things sitting in secondary and some plans for what comes next, it's just not "whoo, brew day this week, and week after next, and maybe a cider between!" like a couple years ago.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:29
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Docjowles posted:I know for DME it's a ratio of 10:1 in metric units. So like if you want a 1L starter, you measure out 100g (1000ml / 10) of DME and then add enough water to make a 1L solution. LME's less concentrated than DME so you'll need slightly more... the idea is to have a wort of like 1.030-1.040 so go on Hopville or something like that and it should be able to do the math. I'm an idiot, I was under the assumption DME meant dark malt extract. Sorry, but thanks for the post anyway.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:38
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LaserWash posted:I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer? I have thirsty friends and family, so I give away as much as I drink, I am sure. Even so, I actually brew something like 130 gallons a year, which is much less than some guys I know. 130 gallons is just over 1000 pints. If I give away half of those, that's about 1.5 pints/day for me.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:38
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LaserWash posted:I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer? I think I wind up drinking maybe 33% of what I brew myself and I give the rest away or trade it (most of the time not for other beer - for instance, I often trade beer for some baller homemade soap).
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Sep 28, 2012 18:51
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LaserWash posted:I like beer just like the next guy, but drat, how do you go through so much beer? I live in a house with 4 other craft-liking beer- and cider-drinkers (diverse tastes too, which is nice). We regularly host a rotating cast of roughly 40 of our friends (many of whom appreciate a good beer) every Sunday afternoon for archery, cooking, and so forth. Normal person reasons: I like drinking beer. Gifts, I've got a wedding to take gift beer to tomorrow, and gifted beer and fancy glasses at a baby shower a couple weeks ago to a friend who hasn't been able to drink for 8.5 months.  A self-made sixpack or two (or five) is a great thing to bring along when visiting a friend or relatives. Christmas is going to be awesome this year. Parties/events. etc Like any food, if you do a good job it's not hard to find people to appreciate it.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:51
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Anyone have any experience shipping beer to friends as gifts that he'd like to share? I have some friends who are not local, but who I would like to share my products.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:52
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BDawg posted:Anyone have any experience shipping beer to friends as gifts that he'd like to share? I have some friends who are not local, but who I would like to share my products. About the only experience I have had is packaging beer in 1L PET soda bottles and sending it overseas via checked luggage. That's always worked well for me, and so far none of the couriers have complained about beery clothes.
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Sep 28, 2012 18:56
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So I finally started my internship at a local brewpub on Monday. I was handed a GIANT binder that says "Old Brew Logs" and told to somehow make the information useful using Excel. I just wanted to say, HOLY poo poo THIS IS SO COOL! It got every drat recipe this place has brewed since 2008 and I've already converted their brown ale recipe that has won a poo poo ton of awards to homebrew scale in beersmith. It's so exciting to geek out over these recipes and try to figure out what they were going for.
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Sep 28, 2012 19:21
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Daedalus Esquire posted:So I finally started my internship at a local brewpub on Monday. I was handed a GIANT binder that says "Old Brew Logs" and told to somehow make the information useful using Excel. So... uh... goonlove share?
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Sep 28, 2012 19:59
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BDawg posted:Anyone have any experience shipping beer to friends as gifts that he'd like to share? I have some friends who are not local, but who I would like to share my products. Read rage-saq's Goon Beer eXchange thread here in GWS, it has some tips on shipping in the OP.
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Sep 28, 2012 20:04
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BDawg posted:So... uh... goonlove share? Careful, that's probably a legal issue IP-wise.
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Sep 28, 2012 20:06
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Change the recipe by adding one pound of dog crap and then it's his recipe. Personally, if it were me, I'd take the dog excrement out though.
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Sep 28, 2012 20:27
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Splizwarf posted:Careful, that's probably a legal issue IP-wise. Figured it would be fine if it were for personal consumption and not for resale.
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Sep 28, 2012 20:29
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Pretty likely the brewery considers them trade secrets. It's not a copyright / patent / trademark thing and none of us would be legally restricted from distributing the information, but as an employee he would want to be sure he had permission before sharing them publicly
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Sep 28, 2012 20:35
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It would definitely be good citizenship, if nothing else, to ask before distributing the recipe(s). But a lot of breweries are opening up their recipes lately. If it were me, I'd ask if it would be ok to share with some homebrewer friends. ETA: And I would respect the brewery's wishes. Even though recipes are probably not copyrightable, the brewpub does derive some value from them, and they are arguably trade secrets. I would say that it would be rude to distribute them without permission, and the beer-loving world does not need rudeness, IMO. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Sep 28, 2012 |
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Sep 28, 2012 20:39
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Splizwarf posted:Careful, that's probably a legal issue IP-wise. Recipes are not patentable or copyrightable in any way. That's why Coke is so protective of it - it is a trade secret such that they can't be compelled to disclose it, but they don't actually have any patent or copyright on it. If some executive got drunk and spilled the beans on the recipe at a bar, other companies could legally reproduce it. (But yes, the executive would be liable for damages for exposing trade secrets)
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Sep 28, 2012 22:09
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Yea, I wasn't planning on distributing them. Though I will say if you look for a recipe in BYO called "Kick rear end brown" you might find it. The thing is, I haven't seen that recipe so I don't know how exact it is, and its a new head brewer so I'm not comfortable disclosing it at this point. I just really needed to vent my excitement as I flipped through 4 years of brew logs.
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Sep 28, 2012 23:45
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Cool. Even if it means we here at SA lose out to some degree, I truly do appreciate both your excitement and your ethical reaction. Let's not gently caress anyone here if we can help it.
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Sep 29, 2012 00:04
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Daedalus Esquire posted:Yea, I wasn't planning on distributing them. Though I will say if you look for a recipe in BYO called "Kick rear end brown" you might find it. Your santee this year will likely be a happy camper.
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Sep 29, 2012 00:06
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Wife got me one of those fancy german plastic fermenters for my bday, so I am gonna celebrate by throwing an extract rye p.a. in it. Pretty stoked for the potential to bottle straight from it. Should be getting a bigger pot and a propane burner in the next couple of weeks.
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Sep 29, 2012 01:23
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