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I love the idea of a cucumber saison but I don't think I'd have the guts to try making one. What's the goon opinion on protein rests? My first-ever all-grain batch calls for one, but after some research I can't tell if that's a Real Thing or not anymore (if you don't care about clarity). If it is a Real Thing what's the procedure ... just mash at the lower temp and then bring it up to the normal mash temp using much hotter water? Is there any danger in scorching the grains or whatever by doing that? Recipe for reference: http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/allgrain/AG-Witbier.pdf Picked something simple to start.
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Nov 24, 2012 22:32
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I have a batch of cider that's getting dumped soon. It was my laziest ever batch: forgot to write down any notes, no OG reading, probably forgot to sulfite, forgot to do a 2nd nutrient addition and left it in the kitchen where it got some indirect sunlight in a glass carboy. Tasted it yesterday and it was foul, like a skunky beer. So it was either the lack of sulfiting and wild crap infected it or the UV from sun and kitchen lights did something. Oh well, now I know. Today I'm getting ready to do some additions to meads and ciders. I've got a ginger infusion and a mulling spice infusion ready to go into the meads and I just started boiling some medium toast french oak chips to go in a cider. They smell wonderful.
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Nov 24, 2012 23:48
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So I'm moving this weekend and have found five cases of homebrew and a case of mead that I had forgotten about stashed in various places around my tiny little apartment. This is going to require an extra trip to transport it all. On the plus side, my labor force is in a better mood now with a surprise huge pile of beer waiting at the end.
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Nov 25, 2012 01:28
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fullroundaction posted:What's the goon opinion on protein rests? My first-ever all-grain batch calls for one, but after some research I can't tell if that's a Real Thing or not anymore (if you don't care about clarity). I'm not a huge expert in this but if anything, for that recipe, a protein rest seems counter productive. It's supposed to reduce haze, which is the opposite of what you want in a witbier. It can also contribute some body and head retention but with a buttload of wheat and oats those should already be well in hand. I probably wouldn't bother, but if you do, you're right on the technique. BeerSmith (or probably some free program) can calculate exact temps and volumes for you. But the general idea is to dough in with a pretty thick mash and hit 120ish. Then after 15-20 minutes add enough very hot water to get to your desired saccharification rest temp and a normal mash thickness. If you don't have access to some kind of calculator to figure out the temps and volumes I wouldn't gently caress with it as it's not that important.
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Nov 25, 2012 03:37
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Awesome thanks for the heads-up Doc  Currently harvesting a bigass beaker full of dregs from a Westbrook beer that has 3 strains of Brett and some Jolly Pumpkin schmutz that we worked hard to get out of the bottle. I'm determined to have the thickest, funkiest yeast cake possible in a year or so. I successfully resurrected Ommegang's proprietary saison yeast so ... I'mma make some nasty poo poo.
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Nov 25, 2012 04:48
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fullroundaction posted:I love the idea of a cucumber saison but I don't think I'd have the guts to try making one. Usually it's recommended for recipes heavy in pilsner malts but nowadays most pilsner malts are already fully modified and doing a protein rest is counterproductive, if anything. You can actually get "less-modified" pilsner malt and in that case a protein rest is appropriate. I did that once for a 50/50 less modified pils/wheat heff (along with a beta glucan rest and three decoctions). Hate to say it but technically speaking it may be the best beer we ever brewed - once the yeast cleared out it was actually krystal in clarity.
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Nov 25, 2012 06:35
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Docjowles posted:I'm not a huge expert in this but if anything, for that recipe, a protein rest seems counter productive. It's supposed to reduce haze, which is the opposite of what you want in a witbier. It can also contribute some body and head retention but with a buttload of wheat and oats those should already be well in hand.
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Nov 25, 2012 08:23
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Just thought I'd share this pretty awesome Northern Brewer cyber Monday deal. Buy their IPA kit and a 5 gallon kettle and get their starter kit for free.
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Nov 25, 2012 15:33
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I hope that's not the only thing they're going to be doing for Cyber Monday considering they didn't do anything for Black Friday (online). Been waiting all week to place a big order just in case 
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Nov 25, 2012 16:25
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Any opinions on how long I can store yeast slurry in the fridge? I made a starter Friday morning and ended up getting sick today and am not inclined to brew. From googling around it looks like my best bet will be to decant and store the slurry which should last for a week?
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Nov 25, 2012 18:20
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It'll last for way longer than a week. I've restarted yeast after a month or two of just sitting in the back of my fridge with no problems at all. Yeast is very resilient! It doesn't really matter when you decant off the liquid (before going in the fridge or after pulling it out) as long as you do it before making your new starter wort (it's going to be funky).
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Nov 25, 2012 18:25
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fullroundaction posted:It'll last for way longer than a week. I've restarted yeast after a month or two of just sitting in the back of my fridge with no problems at all. Yeast is very resilient! I guess I should note that I'm hoping to just pitch it into my wort once I can brew, which will hopefully be next weekend.
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Nov 25, 2012 18:40
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Starting a brown ale today. Tell me again why I should not do a secondary?
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Nov 25, 2012 19:03
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Starting a brown ale today. Tell me again why I should not do a secondary? Because it doesn't do anything?
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Nov 25, 2012 19:09
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Yeast is better, we routinely pitch more and healthier cells, ingredients in general have better nutrients, we understand the need for healthy fermentations better overall. This results in less stress on the yeast and eliminates autolysis in the short and medium term. In short, the conditions that made transferring to secondary desirable no longer occur.
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Nov 25, 2012 19:10
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Also by not going to secondary you reduce the chance for infection/contamination either in the new vessel or during transfer.
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Nov 25, 2012 19:16
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Very well, I'll try it without a secondary. Thanks!
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Nov 25, 2012 20:10
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Friday before last (the 16th), I brewed an "Texas Bock" from AHS choosing the US05 instead of the recommended American or German styled lager yeasts (mostly since I don't have lagering capability). Is US05 known for taking a long time to completely ferment? That sucker is STILL bubbling like crazy in the bucket I put it in a solid 9-10 days ago!
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Nov 25, 2012 20:58
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I plan on secondarying my beers before cold crashing, but only because we use buckets and it's nice to see where the yeast starts for racking into a bottling bucket. Once we go all carboys I'll not secondary.
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Nov 25, 2012 21:21
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LaserWash posted:Friday before last (the 16th), I brewed an "Texas Bock" from AHS choosing the US05 instead of the recommended American or German styled lager yeasts (mostly since I don't have lagering capability). It depends on a whole lot of things. However, airlock activity is not a good gauge of fermentation. You might just have excess CO2 leaving solution. Take a gravity reading with your hydrometer.
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Nov 25, 2012 21:41
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LaserWash posted:Friday before last (the 16th), I brewed an "Texas Bock" from AHS choosing the US05 instead of the recommended American or German styled lager yeasts (mostly since I don't have lagering capability). I used US-05 in a 1.100 OG imperial stout and it fermented out in 4 days. It's still bubbling a little bit but the gravity has been steady.
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Nov 25, 2012 21:44
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Welp I forgot about my saison and left it in the house while we turned off the heat. Looks like it's been fermenting at lager temperatures (around 50) for four days. We pitched on Sunday. Am I screwed or should things be fine if I just let it ferment a bit longer? It's the White Labs American Farmhouse Ale, WLP670. Here's the info: WLP670 American Farmhouse Blend Inspired by local American brewers crafting semi-traditional Belgian-style ales. This blend creates a complex flavor profile with a moderate level of sourness. It consists of a traditional farmhouse yeast strain and Brettanomyces. Great yeast for farmhouse ales, Saisons, and other Belgian-inspired beers. Attenuation: 75-82% Flocculation: Medium Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 68-72°F (20-22°C) Alcohol Tolerance: 5-10% I'm hoping that getting it cold for four days isn't going to do much beyond slow fermentation and possibly create some interesting flavors.
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Nov 25, 2012 22:12
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Even if you froze it solid the yeast would come back to life once it warmed up. Worst case some of it went dormant and will take a few days to kick back into full gear. I'm very interested to see what kind of flavors you get from fermenting that low though. I'm usually at the funky upper end with my saisons.
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Nov 25, 2012 22:44
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 SA Homebrew Secret Santa!!! Fill out this form here. Lets say a two week reg period, so we'll keep it open until 12/8 at around 10pm pst. I'll send everyone their Santees that night. Last year we had 10 people, none got bad santa'd. Overall I'd say it was a good SASS!
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Nov 25, 2012 23:00
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Midorka posted:Just thought I'd share this pretty awesome Northern Brewer cyber Monday deal. Buy their IPA kit and a 5 gallon kettle and get their starter kit for free.
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Nov 25, 2012 23:01
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fullroundaction posted:Even if you froze it solid the yeast would come back to life once it warmed up. Worst case some of it went dormant and will take a few days to kick back into full gear. I'm very interested to see what kind of flavors you get from fermenting that low though. I'm usually at the funky upper end with my saisons. Should be interesting. The recipe is based on Northern Brewer's Saison de Noel, only with some substitutions for ingredients available from my local homebrew store. Specialty Grain 0.5 lbs Belgian Aromatic Malt 0.25 lbs Weyermann Carafa III 0.25 lbs Crystal 120 Fermentables 6.6 lbs CBW Pilsen Light 1 lbs D-90 Candi Syrup 1 lbs Briss Pilsen DME (15 Minutes) 1 lbs Corn Sugar (15 Minutes) Hops & Flavorings 1 oz US Magnum (60 Minutes) Yeast White Labs WLP670 Farmhouse Ale OG was 1.070, fermentation temperature has been between 68 and 72 for four days, and then around 50F for three days, and now we'll go back to our regularly scheduled temperature. It was bubbling like mad the first day, and actually popped the airlock. I cleaned it up a bit and after the second day things slowed down.
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Nov 25, 2012 23:02
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Hauki posted:So as someone who's never brewed at home but has been considering it for a while, is this a decent way to get started? I say so, you get everything you need including your first batch at the cost of the starter kit. I do highly recommend an auto-siphon though. Midorka fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Nov 26, 2012 |
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Nov 25, 2012 23:38
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Paladine_PSoT posted:SA Homebrew Secret Santa!!! I'm in! Now to figure out what is going to be ready to ship
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Nov 25, 2012 23:39
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Imasalmon posted:It depends on a whole lot of things. However, airlock activity is not a good gauge of fermentation. You might just have excess CO2 leaving solution. Take a gravity reading with your hydrometer. Explain "excess CO2 leaving solution.". I have no idea what that means.
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Nov 25, 2012 23:40
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Yeast produces CO2 during fermentation. All the sugar could have been eaten by the yeast, however, CO2 is still in suspension in the beer and can come out through the airlock. Like when you carry a carboy around, the airlock can still bubble. That doesn't mean the beer is still fermenting. This is why judging just airlock activity isn't a good enough metric to really know what is going on in the bucket/carboy.
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Nov 25, 2012 23:52
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Okay, that makes sense. Is there anything I should do for that or is it taking care of itself?
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Nov 25, 2012 23:58
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Paladine_PSoT posted:
I'll gladly do that! How much are we thinking of sharing in terms of $$$/Quantity of Beer?
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Nov 26, 2012 00:06
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I'll gladly do that! How much are we thinking of sharing in terms of $$$/Quantity of Beer? I think last year the standard was a sixpack?
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Nov 26, 2012 00:18
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Paladine_PSoT posted:SA Homebrew Secret Santa!!! This sounds like fun! I'm assuming it's okay to mix mead/cider in with the packages or are we sticking strictly to beer? Also: Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I'll gladly do that! How much are we thinking of sharing in terms of $$$/Quantity of Beer? --- It looks like the NB starter kit does come with an auto-siphon so you should be good to go. My only reservation would be that if you have a gas stove capable of boiling a full 5 gallons then you're almost immediately going to want to get a bigger kettle to do full boils. If you're stuck on a crappy stove and can only boil 2-3 gallons anyway then the 5 gallon kettle is perfect.
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Nov 26, 2012 00:19
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Docjowles posted:I think last year the standard was a sixpack?
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Nov 26, 2012 03:56
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Daedalus Esquire posted:Last year I sent and received 2 bombers which I was pretty happy with. I sent a 6 pack, and wound up getting four bombers (one of which contained one of the best lagers I've ever had). edit: Signed up!
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Nov 26, 2012 03:57
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LaserWash posted:Okay, that makes sense. Is there anything I should do for that or is it taking care of itself? It is in no way a problem. It's called carbonation. You just can't just fermentation by it. Take a gravity reading, wait 24 hours, then take another gravity reading. If it hasn't moved, and it's in the expected finishing range, bottle it.
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Nov 26, 2012 04:15
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New to homebrewing and new to the thread. I will be brewing mead, so any of you meadmakers out there, I'll sure appreciate tips and help. So the initial investment for all my brewing equipment (I do not live anywhere near home brewing equipment store) ended up being roughly 200 bucks (much of it shipping costs). I followed the initial suggestions and shopping list from 'The Compleat Meadmaker' for his suggested novice must and I grabbed most off Amazon. I tried to pick things that would last a long time, so I shopped quality first. 5 gallon glass carboy (holy gently caress the shipping was over 20 dollars welp) strapped carboy carrier 6.5 gallon plastic fermenter siphoner and tubing 3 drilled stoppers and 3 fermenting locks floating hydrometer and thermometer 1lb bulk yeast nutrient and energizer lalvin 71b 1122 yeast 16 quart stockpot a big loving spoon I will pick up bottling poo poo later on. I was more focused on getting stuff for my first batch. Still need the honey, so if anyone has a "best" place for bulk honey I'd certainly be interested.
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Nov 26, 2012 06:25
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Who Dat posted:I will be brewing mead
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Nov 26, 2012 06:41
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Who Dat posted:if anyone has a "best" place for bulk honey I'd certainly be interested. Like porkface, I went to a local apiarist. Ask around at farmer's markets and such. My first mead is still in the fermenter, but I have basically followed the process outlined in this whitepaper: http://morewinemaking.com/public/pdf/wmead.pdf
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Nov 26, 2012 06:49
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