|
baquerd posted:14 pounds of smoked malt. Let us know if it's drinkable, I'm curious because I've done 15% of the grist and that lent a pronounced and noticeable smokiness. I made this one before. It is delicious. But I really enjoy rauchbiers. To the point that I have plans to experiment with smoking my own malt.
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 19:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 12:45 |
|
|
Paladine_PSoT posted:Anyone know a good resource for types of hops, descriptions, styles, complimenting hop flavors, et. cetera? 100 gallon limit be damned! I just picked up grains to brew 8 more gallons. I'm doing a sort of pale ale where all 7oz of hops (Amarillo and Centennial) are added over the last 20 minutes to see how that affects flavors and aroma. CapnBry fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Jan 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 20:42
|
|
|
Can anyone provide some good resources to explain the different types of cooling solutions that are out there and what the requirements of each are? I am probably just going to end up getting a copper immersion cooler since it seems to be the simplest and most straightforward, but I want to understand how counter flow and plate chillers work before pulling the trigger.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 20:47
|
|
|
CapnBry posted:Surprisingly, Wikipedia has a good list of hop varieties which is a good place to start. For some reason every list of hop strains is nearly verbatim what is on that page. You brewed 100 gallons in 15 days?! You ser, are awesome, and I applaud your drive. Edit: If you lock a hobo in your house and feed him your table scraps you can make another 100 gallons!
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 20:47
|
|
|
Mikey Purp posted:Can anyone provide some good resources to explain the different types of cooling solutions that are out there and what the requirements of each are? I am probably just going to end up getting a copper immersion cooler since it seems to be the simplest and most straightforward, but I want to understand how counter flow and plate chillers work before pulling the trigger. There's only three practical ones - an Ice Bath, an immersion chiller and a counterflow chiller. Ice Baths are just putting the pot in ice water and stirring the wort so it touches the cool sides. This is not only inefficient, its completely impractical for anything bigger than partial boils of a couple gallons. Immersion chillers use a coil of either steel or more commonly copper to exchange heat from the colder water circulating through the chiller and work much better due to the greater surface area. It works a lot better if you stir the wort or have a method to continually agitate the wort. A counterflow chiller is yet another heat exchanger that has either a series of plates (a plate chiller) or a tube within another tube that has the water moving across each other in the opposite direction. The problem with counterflow chillers is that they generally don't work so great when gravity fed (some do it just fine) and they can get clogged with debris. They also need to be meticulously cleaned after use and sanitized before use. You generally want a pump to use one, although some people get away with gravity feeding them.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 23:06
|
|
|
Angry Grimace posted:Immersion chillers use a coil of either steel or more commonly copper to exchange heat from the colder water circulating through the chiller and work much better due to the greater surface area. It works a lot better if you stir the wort or have a method to continually agitate the wort. My favorite method being to lift and dunk the chiller quickly rapidly for 10-15 seconds every few minutes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 23:17
|
|
|
Angry Grimace posted:Immersion chillers work[] a lot better if you stir the wort or have a method to continually agitate the wort. I use a pump to recirc wort in my kettle. The return fitting has an elbow on it, so it tends to make the wort go round in a circle and past the coils.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 23:40
|
|
|
It might be because I have a monster 40' immersion chiller for 5 gallons but I only ever really have problems that stirring helps my impatience when the waters >70-75, ie when it isn't going to do enough for me anyway.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2013 23:48
|
|
|
Cointelprofessional posted:That doesn't matter. I keep all my sours and regular beers right next to each other. An IPA would kill most bacteria due to the hops. Plus it's unlikely for the sour to infect the other with the bacteria going in and out two air locks. I had some airlock issues with my stout that led to the IPA having to go a little longer than expected without an airlock while I moved things around. It also turns out that the lovely airlock wasn't making a seal, but it's since been replaced. I was able to get a new wine thief also and sample it before figuring out dry hops, and it's fine: lots of hop flavor, good bitterness, good balance. I love Galaxy hops, and I just dumped a bunch on for a dry hop along with the last of my amarillo whole leafs (that I got for free from a local yet-to-release brewery!) e: Also, someone give me a quick education on bottling sour homebrew: I'm debating bottle carb vs. force carb and bottle gun. With either, am I going to be good with crown caps (and/or for how long), or do I need to worry about corks? ChickenArise fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Jan 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 04:06
|
|
|
Anyone else wishing they started their beers a bit earlier to have a couple bottles for the Super Bowl? My Octoberfest won't be bottled until the week after hopefully, and that's not even including conditioning.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 04:23
|
|
|
Marshmallow Blue posted:Anyone else wishing they started their beers a bit earlier to have a couple bottles for the Super Bowl? My Octoberfest won't be bottled until the week after hopefully, and that's not even including conditioning. My german wheat was at it's prime at 14 days after brewing!
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 04:26
|
|
|
It hasn't even been 3-4 months since I was last in this thread asking for opinions on thermometers. Well, I just broke down and bought a Thermapen after I ruined yet another probe thermometer in my New Year's Day batch of beer thanks to testimonials I've read in this thread and elsewhere. For the amount I spent I am expecting great things. Oh and it's pink. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 04:49
|
|
|
As long as you're just expecting it to give you very accurate readings very quickly, you won't be disappointed.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 05:29
|
|
|
I love my thermapen, I just wish it had like attachments for measuring in-oven meat temps and such.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 05:42
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:It hasn't even been 3-4 months since I was last in this thread asking for opinions on thermometers. Well, I just broke down and bought a Thermapen after I ruined yet another probe thermometer in my New Year's Day batch of beer thanks to testimonials I've read in this thread and elsewhere. For the amount I spent I am expecting great things. If it's just reading super high temperatures all the time, there's a chance the probe is still saveable. Put the probe (minus the jack that plugs into the display unit) in a cold oven and heat said oven to 350. Wait about 20 minutes, pull the probe out, and let it cool to room temp. It should work again. This has saved my probes at least three different times, so it might help you.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 07:16
|
|
|
crazyfish posted:If it's just reading super high temperatures all the time, there's a chance the probe is still saveable. Put the probe (minus the jack that plugs into the display unit) in a cold oven and heat said oven to 350. Wait about 20 minutes, pull the probe out, and let it cool to room temp. It should work again. This has saved my probes at least three different times, so it might help you. Thanks, I will give that a try because that's exactly what it's doing. I did order a new probe ($8) with the Thermapen because having the probe-style thermometer is really nice for certain tasks and losing the ability to leave the thermometer in something and walking away was the one reason I kept buying different cheap thermometers over and over instead of something instant-read and handheld. I should probably get one that floats to leave in my brewpot when I do BIAB too instead of using (and then submerging) the probe-style over and over.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 07:43
|
|
|
.
almost fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Dec 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 08:58
|
|
|
.
almost fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Dec 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 09:05
|
|
|
almost posted:
I do. What I do is just fill a couple spray bottles whenever I make the 5 gallons for a big brew to sanitize all my stuff. And I use the spray bottles for racking, bottling,many 1 gal mead experiments.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 13:58
|
|
|
ChickenArise posted:e: Also, someone give me a quick education on bottling sour homebrew: I'm debating bottle carb vs. force carb and bottle gun. With either, am I going to be good with crown caps (and/or for how long), or do I need to worry about corks? I bottled my last sour with just the good old bottling bucket and priming sugar and it came out perfectly. It's now a sour-only bucket but for ~$10 I am ok with that. There's no need to jack with cork-and-cage unless you just want to look fancy  If you plan to carbonate to a really high level (like 3.5+ volumes) then you will want the thick-walled bottles that Belgian beer or champagne tends to come in, but I think crown caps are plenty strong enough to handle that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 16:18
|
|
|
almost posted:Can anyone tell me the volume of the glass carboy on the right? Use a known amount of liquid and fill it up. EG: an empty 2 liter bottle of soda -> fill with water -> dump in -> see how many it takes. almost posted:If I'm bottling a still cider at 14%, and my bottles are 1.5L with screw-on caps, how much headspace should I leave? Are these bottles/caps ok? Will my cider go bad earlier than if I used corks? Those bottles are fine (because the cider is still) and use a couple fingers of headspace. Either way if you bottle with corks or screwtops you're going to want to drink the contents of the bottle fairly quickly after it's been re-opened for drinking. Just like wine during pouring etc you're introducing lots of air/oxygen and it's going to go bad fast.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 16:22
|
|
|
almost posted:I'm racking it into the carboy hoping that it will help the cider clear up, and also because I'm afraid if I bottle from the primary I'll end up stirring up the trub. Is this reasonable? Maybe instead of racking it onto the campden/sorbate, I should put those chemicals directly into the primary, and then rack a day later? I've done a few ciders where I only racked once and ended up getting some fine debris settling out while it was in the bottle. It doesn't look very attractive when giving the bottles as a gift. I'd go with at least 2 rackings. You probably only need to wait 2 weeks in between but more is better. You can also move the carboy to where you're racking it from a day or three early so it isn't disturbed by moving right before racking. Just be sure to protect it from light. I usually cover it up with a t-shirt or towel. I don't know much about degassing in ciders. You won't have to worry about oxidation too much though because the sulfite in the campden tablets will protect the cider from it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 17:04
|
|
|
I had a conversation with my wife last night about how much I love cheap fermenting buckets and how much carboys are a pain the rear end. I should buy more of them given how much they cost.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 17:30
|
|
|
Angry Grimace posted:I had a conversation with my wife last night about how much I love cheap fermenting buckets and how much carboys are a pain the rear end. I should buy more of them given how much they cost. No kidding. I got rid of one of my two glass carboys in favour of Better Bottles and buckets (and the only reason I still have the other is that there's a sour in it right now). I like BBs because I like seeing fermentation going on and for their lower oxygen permeability for bulk aging.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 18:08
|
|
|
I think between BB and buckets its a matter of personal preference. I hate having to pick up and move BB's, but being able to see the fermentation is worth it for me. I cannot understand anyone using glass carboys, they have all the same pros and cons as BB's, but are heavy, dangerous and more expensive to boot. It's every week on the homebrew subreddit you see someone who smashed theirs and every couple months you see someone who was seriously injured.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 19:41
|
|
|
RiggenBlaque posted:I think between BB and buckets its a matter of personal preference. I hate having to pick up and move BB's, but being able to see the fermentation is worth it for me. I cannot understand anyone using glass carboys, they have all the same pros and cons as BB's, but are heavy, dangerous and more expensive to boot. It's every week on the homebrew subreddit you see someone who smashed theirs and every couple months you see someone who was seriously injured. A guy who works for a local brewery in my area recently had his arm seriously eviscerated by a glass carboy. Casting aside the fact that you wasted 5 gallons of beer, slashing open an artery just does not seem worth it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 19:59
|
|
|
I just keep mine in a milk crate 24/7, makes it pretty easy to handle and I'm lucky that I don't really ever have to move beer up or down stairs.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 20:14
|
|
|
I still use glass sometimes, but prefer not to. Messed up my foot dropping one a year or two ago. Buckets are cheap and scratch, and have a giant vector for infection and oxygen thanks to the giant surface area, and the lids are annoying. Better Bottles are expensive and scratch, but I always have problems getting corks to fit and not pop out, and they're not big enough. Speidel fermenters are really expensive and 
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 20:32
|
|
|
.
almost fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Dec 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:09
|
|
|
I used a BB carboy for my first time and I'm not looking forward to the clean up involved. I'm planning on a soak with Oxy after I spray as much as I can out with a hose then soaking with Starsan after another rinse. I'm hoping that will clean everything up.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:12
|
|
|
I use a small shotglass to measure Oxiclean and TSP into mine - 1 ounce of each, then fill to the very lip with cool water. 12-24 hours later dump and rinse. Done, no scrubbing needed.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:18
|
|
|
Mr. Wiggles posted:So this morning I'm stumbling around my kitchen half awake getting ready to pitch the yeast for yesterday's brew of a Belgian Red, and my dumb rear end opens the top of the smack pack before I, you know, smack the pack. Bubbling fantastically, by the way. I'm hoping to get a nice table beer out of this one.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:38
|
|
|
I love BB carboys except for the fact that they flex and draw in air when you pick them up. The easiest solution I found was just to get a stopper for them that hasn't been drilled yet and stick that in when I'm moving it. Northern Brewer hosed up one of my orders and I ended up with a carboy handle. It's not made for BB but I made it work by using a bunch of washers to make it tighten down correctly. This works great for moving it around when full (one hand under the bottle always!). Midorka posted:I used a BB carboy for my first time and I'm not looking forward to the clean up involved. I'm planning on a soak with Oxy after I spray as much as I can out with a hose then soaking with Starsan after another rinse. I'm hoping that will clean everything up. PBW and warm water will clean up even the most nasty of fermentations with minimal if any effort besides filling up the container. Galler fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Jan 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:43
|
|
|
Hypnolobster posted:Speidel fermenters are really expensive and http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/01/speidel-fermenters-32-gallon-35-in.html I have a mix of 5 gallon glass, 5 gallon buckets, and a single 7.5 gallon stainless steel conical. Would love to have a few additional of each if I had the room.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:53
|
|
|
I looked back 20 pages and didn't see this question, even though I know people were talking about it fairly recently. If I'm looking to add some oak + bourbon flavor to an imperial stout, my understanding is I should soak some chips in the bourbon for a while and then drain the bourbon and add the chips. Can anyone give me any insight into how long I should soak the chips? I'm trying to get my timeline in place for making the beer. Also, does anyone have any brand suggestions for bourbon? I never drink the stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 21:59
|
|
|
RiggenBlaque posted:I looked back 20 pages and didn't see this question, even though I know people were talking about it fairly recently. If I'm looking to add some oak + bourbon flavor to an imperial stout, my understanding is I should soak some chips in the bourbon for a while and then drain the bourbon and add the chips. Can anyone give me any insight into how long I should soak the chips? I'm trying to get my timeline in place for making the beer. I can't speak for a good brand of bourbon. Different wood shapes will produce different levels of flavor; more surface area means more flavor. I believe cubes take just a few days to soak, chips probably even less so. And why drain the bourbon? Beer4TheBeerGod fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Jan 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 22:03
|
|
|
Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I can't speak for a good brand of bourbon. Different wood shapes will produce different levels of flavor; more surface area means more flavor. I believe cubes take just a few days to soak, chips probably even less so. And why drain the bourbon? I suppose my reasoning was that if I add only the cubes, I can rack off of them when I determine that the oak and bourbon have approached levels I'm happy with. I assume if I dumped in the entire thing of bourbon, I'd be poo poo out of luck if it was too much. I suppose I could add a little at a time...
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 22:10
|
|
|
I used 1 ounce of medium+ toasted oak "beans" (cubes) which I soaked for a couple of weeks in 4 ounces of Jack Daniels (which might or might not be bourbon depending on who you ask) in five gallons, and was satisfied with the results. JD is inexpensive enough and widely available while not being completely terrible for drinking if people want to. Honestly, I am not sold on the utility of the oak itself in that scenario, though - I've had wonderful beers that were just dosed with bourbon. Since bourbon is white spirit aged in new charred oak barrels, it is itself oak tincture. Maybe I will just add some JD to the keg of strong porter I have just for fun.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 22:15
|
|
|
.
almost fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Dec 15, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 22:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 12:45 |
|
|
Jo3sh posted:I used 1 ounce of medium+ toasted oak "beans" (cubes) which I soaked for a couple of weeks in 4 ounces of Jack Daniels (which might or might not be bourbon depending on who you ask) in five gallons, and was satisfied with the results. JD is inexpensive enough and widely available while not being completely terrible for drinking if people want to. The most reproducible method in my head of bourbon barreling at home: Optional: Soak your oak in vodka for a few weeks to take the edge off and more approximate used oak. Save for grossing friends out with cheap 2 week whiskey. 1. Add oak to beer. 2. Pull samples until it tastes oakey enough 3. Rack off 4. Boilermake until it tastes bourbony enough 5. Package The only time I'd understand bringing bourbon back into the picture directly onto oak is if you have a legitimate used barrel or stave that has dried out and even that seems like an iffy proposition of what its actually doing.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2013 23:50
|
|