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Im brewing a dark wheat beer soon for thanksgiving, I wanted to add some spices. Probably some premade spice mix from the store to be honest (like pumpkin pie spice). How much should I be adding to a 5gallon batch to give it a subtle but there flavor? My biggest worry is adding too much and having it be overwhelming. Recipe is super simple: Wheat LME, Munich, Dark Chocolate Wheat, Hallertau, Weihenstephan wiezen yeast.
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Oct 24, 2012 14:45
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What's the smart way to handle adding cranberry to a beer? One of my housemates really wants a cranberry spin on our cream ale. I'm looking at probably adding cranberry juice (the good thick bitter stuff, not Ocean Spray) to a secondary, and maybe tossing a half-pound of Crystal in to try to balance the extra tartness, but this is new territory for me and I could use advice if anyone's done similar.
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Oct 24, 2012 15:02
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ChiTownEddie posted:Im brewing a dark wheat beer soon for thanksgiving, I wanted to add some spices. Probably some premade spice mix from the store to be honest (like pumpkin pie spice). How much should I be adding to a 5gallon batch to give it a subtle but there flavor? My biggest worry is adding too much and having it be overwhelming. We went apeshit on our pumpkin beer (additions-wise) this year and the least noticeable part of it was the pumpkin pie spice blend that came with the recipe kit (1 tablespoon at flameout). I'd say if you weren't adding ANYTHING else that 1 tablespoon of that stuff would be fine and not overwhelming, but I'd add it earlier in the boil so it's not the only thing hitting your nose when you drink it. I'd probably also add a pinch or two of something hot like cayenne pepper because that'll really brings the flavor forward with that malt blend you've got going. /newbie opinion
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Oct 24, 2012 15:06
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Element1290 posted:Does anyone grow their own hops here? I couldnt seem to find any threads on it. I was just wondering if anyone had some good advice for a beginning hop farmer. I have some experience. My plant was 5 years old this summer, and produces some great hops every year. I'm thinking of re-planting some of the varieties that died on me next spring. I think there were a couple of guys here who were much more experienced than I am, but I'll try to answer any questions you have. Who here recommended TheMadFermentationist.com? Hours of reading on that site, and tons of great ideas. He suggests that you can pitch some brett on some oak plugs, let the beer get innoculated this way, and then save the plugs as a consistent way to pitch some Brett into your other beers, which sounds like an awesome idea. Has anyone done this?
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Oct 24, 2012 15:57
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Docjowles posted:Northern Brewer is doing a buy-one-get-one-free sale on Better Bottles for the next couple days. Pretty sweet deal. I tried to hold out, but I had to jump on this. I guess I can no longer call myself a bucket brewer. Total for two 6-gallon BBs was $35, shipped to SoCal. BTW, for anyone else interested, this ends tonight at midnight. Jump if you are going to. The 6 gallon size is backordered and should ship next week per the website. Go here: http://www.northernbrewer.com/better-bottle-bogo/ Add one to your cart, then use code BETTER5 or BETTER6 depending on which size you choose. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 16:46
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Splizwarf posted:What's the smart way to handle adding cranberry to a beer? One of my housemates really wants a cranberry spin on our cream ale. I'm looking at probably adding cranberry juice (the good thick bitter stuff, not Ocean Spray) to a secondary, and maybe tossing a half-pound of Crystal in to try to balance the extra tartness, but this is new territory for me and I could use advice if anyone's done similar. I would imagine the same as any other addition - get or make some puree and rack the beer on top of it. Jo3sh posted:I tried to hold out, but I had to jump on this. I guess I can no longer call myself a bucket brewer. Total for two 6-gallon BBs was $35, shipped to SoCal.
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Oct 24, 2012 18:01
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Element1290 posted:Does anyone grow their own hops here? I couldnt seem to find any threads on it. I was just wondering if anyone had some good advice for a beginning hop farmer. Homegrown Hops is a decent how-to book. It's a little informal but seems to have all the info you need. I grew some in a container this year and it went alright. The plant was already rootbound when I got it late in the season and it still produced some hops. I hope to do more varieties in the ground next year.
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Oct 24, 2012 21:21
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Element1290 posted:Does anyone grow their own hops here? I couldnt seem to find any threads on it. I was just wondering if anyone had some good advice for a beginning hop farmer. My brewing partner grew hops this year so I can relay any questions to him. As far as first timer advice: 1. Make sure your trellis is strong and secure - he grew 6 rhizomes onto a single piece of PVC pipe (they were all on the same half of the pipe) and the hops eventually snapped it in half. 2. Make sure your hops are getting optimal sun (just take into consideration which side of your house you will be growing them on and how the treliss should be oriented) 3. Keep the hops well watered - they are thirsy mofos 4. Make sure the hop variety(s) you chose matches your latitude - where I live we can only grow the "C"s (Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook) - the sun is too overwhelming for most other varieties. 5. Make sure you harvest only when they're ready. Since the cascade trellis snapped early those hops were harvest only a couple weeks early but the difference in aroma was pretty significant when compared with the columbus hops that were harvested a couple weeks later. The hops produce a yellow sort of pollen/dust - this yellow dust should be visible without having to break a hop cone apart. Other than that hops are basically a weed (and cousins to weed  ) and don't need too much babying.EDIT: I don't even know if there's an alternative but get rhizomes - you only want females unless you're thinking of getting REALLY fancy and cross-breeding. Otherwise males will only get your females pollinated and bearing seeds. Rhizomes are root cuttings from known females and should grow as female 99.9% of the time (sometimes they will go hermaphroditic, possibly in response to lack of surrounding males because nature is awesome like that). Super Rad fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 22:13
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One of my kegs was putting out under carbonated beer. I got impatient with it and blasted it with 25-30 PSI for 5-10 minutes while rolling it before putting it back into the 36F fridge. Tapped it 24 hours later and its all foam. Took apart the Out tap to make sure it wasn't clogged. Did I go too far and over carbonate now? Did I not wait long enough for it to settle? Should I start venting the keg every few hours to let it bleed some CO2? Or just wait a day and re-asses the issue then? e; Seems I just need to be patient, try again in a few hours, and bleed the tank if necessary then. Nephzinho fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 23:42
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After what feels like forever of doing clone brews, I've started playing with making my own recipies in BeerSmith. So far we have a Saison and a pumpkin ale fermenting, and I am thinking ahead to doing a nice, big, hoppy IPA with plenty of citrus and tropical fruit going on. I have come up with the following, and would love input. I'm still doing extract, btw. edit: tweaked it a bit, want it to be more of an IPA than a DIPA. 5 gallon batch 6.4% ABV 62.3 IBUs OG: 1.063 -> 1.015 FG 1.5lb pale 2 row .25lb caramel/crystal 10L .25lb biscuit malt 7lbs Golden Light DME @60m 1oz Centennial @15m 1tsp Irish Moss @15m .5oz Citra @15m .5oz Cascade @10m .5oz Citra @10m .5oz Cascade @5m .5oz Citra @5m .5oz Cascade 1056 WYeast American Ale Ferment 7 days then dry hop with: 2oz Citra (whole leaf) Ferment another 14 days, keg. Wamsutta fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 23:54
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Wamsutta posted:5 gallon batch I assume that FG is a typo.
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Oct 25, 2012 00:08
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Has this been posted? http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/parasitx/the-beerbugtm-digital-hydrometer?ref=category So incredibly tempted to get one.
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Oct 25, 2012 00:31
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crazyfish posted:I assume that FG is a typo. Yes oops corrected thank you
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Oct 25, 2012 00:35
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London ESB took my beer from 1.057 to 1.016 in less than 3 days @ 64*, absolutely incredible. That's the second time in a row an english strain knocked out the beer in only a couple days.
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Oct 25, 2012 02:21
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I know it's a bit late in the season to buy fresh, but does anyone have a good suggestion for where to buy sour cherries for use in a Belgian sour? I think I'd prefer whole fruit rather than puree.
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Oct 25, 2012 02:51
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It's more than a bit late for cherries. You might be able to find them frozen whole. I already dumped mine into a batch of mead that is looking and tasting great.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:02
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So I learned not to use star san in the air lock it bubbled as the co2 was pushed out and woke up today with nothing in it. I hope that the beer didn't get infected or too oxidized... Edit: That beer bug looks amazing in theory, let's hope it works. Midorka fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 03:06
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Acceptableloss posted:I know it's a bit late in the season to buy fresh, but does anyone have a good suggestion for where to buy sour cherries for use in a Belgian sour? I've used frozen pie cherries (tart) for a cherry stout and they worked really well; about 1 pound of cherries per gallon. Not sure what a good balance would be for a sour.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:08
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Midorka posted:So I learned not to use star san in the air lock it bubbled as the co2 was pushed out and woke up today with nothing in it. I hope that the beer didn't get infected or too oxidized... You're probably fine. Fortunately you've got a nice co2/pressure buffer and there's no vacuum action or anything going on (eg when it's empty it's not SUCKING IN the ebola floating around your house or anything). Ya know, I think. I use Starsan on my locks, but I only put them on after the blowoff(rig) is done doing its job. A lot of people seem to use cheap vodka to avoid the situation you described.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:26
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Midorka posted:So I learned not to use star san in the air lock it bubbled as the co2 was pushed out and woke up today with nothing in it. I hope that the beer didn't get infected or too oxidized... It's fine. It's entirely possible to ferment in an open bucket without any problems*. A dry airlock during active fermentation isn't a problem in the slightest. Nothing will have gotten in as you still had positive pressure inside your fermenter. *Since CO2 is more dense than air it will stick around at the top of the bucket and keep out any air. However it won't keep out dust and other poo poo and a drafty space could pull that layer of gas off and leave it exposed. Don't open ferment without doing your research first.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:29
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Midorka posted:So I learned not to use star san in the air lock it bubbled as the co2 was pushed out and woke up today with nothing in it. I hope that the beer didn't get infected or too oxidized. You can use star san in the airlock without an issue, that's what I always use. Even with a super vigorous fermentation I've never had it run completely dry. My guess is you either didn't fill it up all the way to the fill line or you had a temperature drop that cause the liquid to suck back into the fermentor. I'm always wary of using vodka or everclear in the airlock because the alcohol evaporates over time.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:35
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Josh Wow posted:You can use star san in the airlock without an issue, that's what I always use. Even with a super vigorous fermentation I've never had it run completely dry. My guess is you either didn't fill it up all the way to the fill line or you had a temperature drop that cause the liquid to suck back into the fermentor. I'm always wary of using vodka or everclear in the airlock because the alcohol evaporates over time. Worst was when I was using some 160 proof vodka. It really evaporated fast during vigorous fermentation.
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Oct 25, 2012 03:42
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Acceptableloss posted:I know it's a bit late in the season to buy fresh, but does anyone have a good suggestion for where to buy sour cherries for use in a Belgian sour? Not sure about other states, but Michigan's tart cherry crop was completely wrecked - what few cherries made it out okay got snatched up quick, and at high prices.
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Oct 25, 2012 04:03
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Thanks for the words to quell my worries, today we'll see how the ESB is coming, hopefully good. I'm guessing next time we should use boiled water then?
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Oct 25, 2012 13:10
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Midorka posted:Thanks for the words to quell my worries, today we'll see how the ESB is coming, hopefully good. I'm guessing next time we should use boiled water then? For the airlock? Just use star San with tap water, it'll be fine.
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Oct 25, 2012 15:56
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I use a blowoff tube into a container of Star San until fermentation starts to slow down. Then I switch to an airlock filled with Star San. It's been working great so far.
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Oct 25, 2012 16:01
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Tips on adding oak cubes to my carboy? They've been soaking in Maker's Mark for awhile now. I am trying to decide if I should add the bourbon they've been in or not, as it seems a bit gritty from some of the cube residue. Will the cubes themselves (sans bourbon) add perceptible whiskey taste? They seem to be soaking up a fair amount of it. Also, is splashing a major concern when adding the cubes? I'm guessing not, but you never know.
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Oct 25, 2012 16:26
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The trick with starsan is you get far less foam snakes if you are a little more rigorous about dosing. Foamy doses are fun to spray out of a bottle and give a reassuring foam on your surfaces until use but starsan will still do it's thing when it's just soapy. E. Vigorous is the opposite of rigorous. zedprime fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 16:39
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global tetrahedron posted:Tips on adding oak cubes to my carboy? They've been soaking in Maker's Mark for awhile now. I am trying to decide if I should add the bourbon they've been in or not, as it seems a bit gritty from some of the cube residue. Add just the cubes, and save the liquid. You can always add more straight bourbon if you want more bourbon flavor after you give the cubes a few weeks to do their thing. But you can't take that oak/bourbon flavor out once its in.
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Oct 25, 2012 17:25
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global tetrahedron posted:Tips on adding oak cubes to my carboy? They've been soaking in Maker's Mark for awhile now. I am trying to decide if I should add the bourbon they've been in or not, as it seems a bit gritty from some of the cube residue. How long did you soak your cubes? I'm hoping that mine will be ready to add to my KBS clone after about a week.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:16
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What It Dooski posted:For the airlock? Just use star San with tap water, it'll be fine. The problem is that it wasn't, it bubbled all out of the airlock.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:19
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crazyfish posted:How long did you soak your cubes? I'm hoping that mine will be ready to add to my KBS clone after about a week. They've been in for two days, I'm planning to give them another day or two and then pitch em. This is a robust porter, the OG was about 10.60 so not nearly as large as I imagine your KBS clone is. Don't want the taste to be too overpowering.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:22
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global tetrahedron posted:the OG was about 10.60 Haha, served in slices on toast.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:25
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Did a batch last night during the Tigers game and wound up getting a bit too drunk in the process and forgetting to put candi sugar in the flameout. Got all the way to pitching the yeast before I realized that I had forgotten. In a moment of drunken panic I boiled about .25 gallons of water as fast as I could and dissolved the candi sugar at flameout. I then cooled it down to 70 degrees with my wort chiller and dumped it into the already-pitched wort and stirred like mad and recapped the carboy. How bad did I do?
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Oct 25, 2012 18:31
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Splizwarf posted:Haha, served in slices on toast. Like a boozy vegemite. Beer jam.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:36
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hellfaucet posted:How bad did I do? Not a big deal at all. Hell on a big beer like a tripel or DIPA I give the yeast a couple days to chow down on the all-malt wort before adding my sugar. That way they get started in a less insanely high gravity wort and you get better attenuation because they don't just eat all the simple sugars, get lazy and say "maltose? gently caress that, I'm taking a nap".
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Oct 25, 2012 18:37
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Midorka posted:The problem is that it wasn't, it bubbled all out of the airlock. Did you read my post above? You can use star san in your airlocks no problem. It's the best choice.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:39
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Josh Wow posted:Did you read my post above? You can use star san in your airlocks no problem. It's the best choice. I did, I'll make sure to fill it last time, I am pretty sure we did, but we'll see next time.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:43
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global tetrahedron posted:They've been in for two days, I'm planning to give them another day or two and then pitch em. This is a robust porter, the OG was about 10.60 so not nearly as large as I imagine your KBS clone is. Don't want the taste to be too overpowering. Right you are. 1.115 -> 1.044.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:52
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Midorka posted:I did, I'll make sure to fill it last time, I am pretty sure we did, but we'll see next time.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:58
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