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nmfree posted:My last 3 or 4 batches have been BIAB and even with not knowing what the hell I'm doing and using the standard LHBS crush size I've been getting over 70% efficiency. As I get better and can be bothered to do a double crush at the LHBS (I don't have my own mill, yet) I bet I can get it near to or even over 80%. Without a sparge I seriously doubt it. BIAB is fine but unless you're sparging you just can't get as much effficiency as a mashing method where you sparge. Most homebrewers that do sparge don't hit 80%+ efficiency, so without one you're really not likely to get there. That being said it's no big deal to throw an extra few pounds of grain in there, but I think it's important to accurately portray the pros/cons of different mashing styles when giving someone information to decide on their all grain setup.
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Mar 14, 2013 14:48
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FWIW I BIAB with a sparge and squeeze the bag and regularly get over 80% efficiency.
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Mar 14, 2013 14:56
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Brewed my Rye IPA this week. Mini-mash like I normally do (giant bag with my grains, typically 3-4lb, in a cooler that I pour my water over and seal up with the top bag hanging out on the sides) and for the first time in aaages I actually hit my target OG hahaha. 1.064 Pretty excited about that and how it smelled. Of course something had to go wrong. My fermenting fridge apparently popped open a bit so the beer (with US-05) was fermenting at about 70 instead of 64 for the first 1.5days. Shrug. Hopefully it doesn't matter too much.
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Mar 14, 2013 15:04
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internet celebrity posted:FWIW I BIAB with a sparge and squeeze the bag and regularly get over 80% efficiency. Tell me if I'm sparging right with BIAB. When my mash is done sometimes I'll do a mash out, then pull out my bag of grain and put it in a bucket that I've drilled a whole bunch of holes in that is itself sitting in another bucket. I'll dump in some water on top of that and after a minute or two will then pull the drain bucket up slowly until it gets to a slow trickle, then dump that into my brewpot. Sometimes I'll squeeze the bag a little to get more liquid out.
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Mar 14, 2013 15:31
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That's probably way better than what I do. I just pull the bag after mashout, rest it on a rack over the pot and squeeze it as much as I can. Then I pour the sparge water through the bag with a pyrex measuring cup and squeeze it again at the end.
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Mar 14, 2013 16:05
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internet celebrity posted:FWIW I BIAB with a sparge and squeeze the bag and regularly get over 80% efficiency. I do the same, really squeezing the poo poo out of it. Yet, my efficiency has been a pretty constant 65-70%. Guess I could go with more of a crush.
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Mar 14, 2013 16:16
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baquerd posted:I do the same, really squeezing the poo poo out of it. Yet, my efficiency has been a pretty constant 65-70%. Guess I could go with more of a crush. Yeah, one of the advantages of BIAB is that you can grind the poo poo out of your grain because you don't have to worry about a stuck sparge. That should more than offset any losses in efficiency from incomplete sparging. Every time I have a really annoying brewday with sparge problems I get closer to saying gently caress it and switching to BIAB...
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Mar 14, 2013 16:29
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Any thoughts on this recipe? I'm sort of going for a halfassed clone of Heady Topper. Trying all late hop additions for the first time, going for a grapefruit-heavy hop character. Maris Otter is a stand-in for Pearl malt, would use all MO but my LBS only sells it in 10 lbs bags and I'm just that lazy. HOME BREW RECIPE: Title: DIPA II Brew Method: All Grain Style Name: Imperial IPA Boil Time: 60 min Batch Size: 4 gallons (fermentor volume) Boil Size: 5 gallons Efficiency: 65% (brew house) STATS: Original Gravity: 1.088 Final Gravity: 1.025 ABV (standard): 8.34% IBU (tinseth): 94.34 SRM (morey): 7.7 FERMENTABLES: 10 lb - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (71.4%) 3 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (21.4%) 8 oz - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (3.6%) 8 oz - Cane Sugar (3.6%) HOPS: 1 oz - Simcoe for 15 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 12.7, IBU: 24.89) 1 oz - Columbus for 15 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 15, IBU: 29.39) 1 oz - Chinook for 10 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 13, IBU: 18.61) 1 oz - Cascade for 10 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 7, IBU: 10.02) 1 oz - Chinook for 5 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 13, IBU: 10.23) 1 oz - Cascade for 1 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil (AA 7, IBU: 1.19) 1 oz - Chinook for 7 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop (AA 13) 1 oz - Cascade for 7 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop (AA 7) MASH STEPS: 1) Infusion, Temp: 149 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 15.5 qt, Water Temp: 165 2) Sparge, Temp: 170 F, Amount: 17.5 qt, Water Temp: 192 YEAST: Fermentis / Safale - Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05 Starter: Yes Form: Dry Attenuation (avg): 72% Flocculation: Medium Optimum Temp: 59 - 75 F Fermentation Temp: 68 F Pitch Rate: 1.0 (M cells / ml / deg P) NOTES: 2 L Starter Primary @ 68 Secondary @ 68 for 1 week, 34 for 1 week Dry hop in secondary
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Mar 14, 2013 16:58
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Is the desired FG really 1.025? That seems extremely high for a DIPA, maybe even high for a barleywine / imperial stout. Though I've never had Heady Topper so maybe it's real syrupy, I dunno.
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Mar 14, 2013 17:37
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Docjowles posted:Is the desired FG really 1.025? That seems extremely high for a DIPA, maybe even high for a barleywine / imperial stout. Though I've never had Heady Topper so maybe it's real syrupy, I dunno. You know I didn't even look at that, I'm not sure why brewersfriend thinks it will be that high. The S-05 yeast is listed at 72% which I guess is why, but it seems like every fermentation I do I wind up well over 80%. Should I back off on the OG a little?
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Mar 14, 2013 17:50
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Up to you and your experiences with that yeast, but I'd say yeah. Back off the OG a bit, maybe even swap in a little more table sugar to stack the deck towards a dry finish since that's kind of a hallmark of most DIPA's.
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Mar 14, 2013 18:49
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At very least I would mash on the low end to make a nice fermentable wort. And I might ditch the Carapils also - it's not adding much color, and you don't need the dextrins at that OG.
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Mar 14, 2013 18:55
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crazyfish posted:Quoting this from a bit back, but I didn't see anyone mention is that the reason a brett infection can be noticeable compared to other yeast types is that they can eat sugars that regular sacc yeast can't, so unless your beer is exceptionally high ABV, brett can take hold eventually. Yeah that might happen. My point was more that Brett isn't special / doesn't have any superpowers when it comes to surviving proper sanitation. It's just yeast. e: Actually my point was about the fearmongering / infection hyperbole, but yeah. bewbies posted:You know I didn't even look at that, I'm not sure why brewersfriend thinks it will be that high. For some reason BrewersFriend always calcs my recipe FG way higher than it should (by A LOT), and I can't really figure out why.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:15
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You guys have any dunkel recipes that can be fermented around 68-72 degrees? Probably a tall order, but thats the temp range we have to work with and would love to make a dunkel if possible.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:21
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That's the temp I would want to ferment a dunkel around anyway, assuming you don't mean ambient temps.
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Mar 14, 2013 19:33
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Jo3sh posted:At very least I would mash on the low end to make a nice fermentable wort. And I might ditch the Carapils also - it's not adding much color, and you don't need the dextrins at that OG. I've been putting it in all my recipes for head purposes, what OG does it become unnecessary at?
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Mar 14, 2013 19:35
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Crunkjuice posted:You guys have any dunkel recipes that can be fermented around 68-72 degrees? Probably a tall order, but thats the temp range we have to work with and would love to make a dunkel if possible. I'm gonna assume you mean Munich Dunkel and not a Dunkelweizen. Just use US-05 at that temp, or set up a swamp cooler to keep it in the low-mid 60s and use Cali Lager or German Ale yeast. Here's a good recipe I just made: 40% Weyermann munich I 55% Weyermann munich II 2.5% caramunich II 2.5% melanoidin 1oz Hallertau at 60 min 1oz Hallertau at 15 min Mash at 154*
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Mar 14, 2013 20:02
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Midorka posted:That's the temp I would want to ferment a dunkel around anyway, assuming you don't mean ambient temps. Munich dunkel is a lager. You're probably thinking of dunkelweizen. (Actually, dunkelweizen is one of my least favorite styles of beer. I've never had one I cared for in the least). Without looking it up, I would bet the most traditional of traditional Munich Dunkels are probably just Munich Malt with a double or triple decoction mash and some Mittelfruh or Tettnanger to bitter. Angry Grimace fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Mar 14, 2013 |
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Mar 14, 2013 20:31
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I was thinking dunkelweizen, dunno why I defaulted to that.
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Mar 14, 2013 20:42
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Midorka posted:I was thinking dunkelweizen, dunno why I defaulted to that. Munich dunkel is a pretty uncommon style in the US, and there are a few craft brewers that do dunkelweizen, so its not that surprising.
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Mar 14, 2013 20:57
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bewbies posted:I've been putting it in all my recipes for head purposes, what OG does it become unnecessary at? "Necessary" is such a strong word. It's really down to preference, and I don't think there's any kind of hard-and-fast rule. And I'll note, to keep myself honest, that the last big IPA I did had C40 in it, but that was mainly for color and because the base malt was all American, which I think tastes thin anyway. Let me back off what I said a bit... it's worth thinking about taking the Carapils out, but if you're happy with the beers you've been making with it in, then a mash on the low end and the kettle sugar should help to keep it fermentable. On the other hand, if you find this batch finishes too sweet, maybe try leaving it out of the next big beer you make.
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Mar 14, 2013 21:11
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Josh Wow posted:I'm gonna assume you mean Munich Dunkel and not a Dunkelweizen. Just use US-05 at that temp, or set up a swamp cooler to keep it in the low-mid 60s and use Cali Lager or German Ale yeast. Here's a good recipe I just made: Can you go into what the combination of Munich I and II gives you vs all I or all II? My dunkels (which are really good) are almost entirely Munich I with a hit of carafa for color and some acidulated for pH. I've had good results with a Hochkurz mash for non-decoction or a double decoction. Morebeer only carries I so I don't have any experince with II. Have you done an all II dunkel?
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Mar 14, 2013 21:24
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Jo3sh posted:"Necessary" is such a strong word. It's really down to preference, and I don't think there's any kind of hard-and-fast rule. And I'll note, to keep myself honest, that the last big IPA I did had C40 in it, but that was mainly for color and because the base malt was all American, which I think tastes thin anyway. I like to sub a pound of wheat malt into a lot of my recipes for purposes of head retention, but I've never done a side by side comparison to see how much of a difference it really makes. I'd heard that it's got a higher protein content than barley and is therefore good for head, without contributing body or residual sugars like CaraPils.
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Mar 14, 2013 21:34
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I'm having this weird problem with a long-term cyser that's now in the tertiary. My airlocks keep draining into the carboy... First time around I noticed a crack in the side of the airlock that was on my secondary, I bought a couple new airlocks and it seemed like problem solved. Last night while bottling I noticed half the StarSan was gone, it had been awhile so I figured maybe just evaporation? Just came home from work, it was half gone again. Inspected the airlock, new and legit, no cracks. Why is my cyser eating my airlock juice?
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Mar 14, 2013 22:05
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Usually suction happens when there's big changes in ambient temperature, which changes the pressure inside the carboy.
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Mar 14, 2013 22:12
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I guess that's a possibility. The cyser is chilling in my basement, it's been warming up here significantly and the ground is starting to get soft again so maybe that has something to do with it. By the way, I opened your tripel for the first time the other night and it was overcarbed, but tasted very nice. Really fruity and intense, not hot though, and not unpleasantly phenolic. The color was spot on and it certainly gave me a decent buzz! I kind of wished I had given it even more time to hang.
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Mar 14, 2013 22:25
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I went back to the recycling center looking for some cases to store my beer in. I found such a case and in were twelve empty Boulevard Smokestack Series 750mL bottles. I was pretty stoked until I got home to find out that my bottle caps are too small to fit. I did some looking around and it seems that I have to get some bigger caps and an adapter for my capper to be able to use these. No big deal, I love new hardware. I also found a couple of empty Brother Thelonious 750mL bottles. These have a different style lip on them. Will these need to be corked? If so they are getting recycled because that sounds like a pain in the rear end. The lip looked like this: 
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Mar 15, 2013 04:39
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PBCrunch posted:Will these need to be corked? Pretty much. You might be able to work out some sort of crazy crown cap and wax setup, but the bottle is designed to be corked.
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Mar 15, 2013 05:11
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Bruinator posted:Can you go into what the combination of Munich I and II gives you vs all I or all II? My dunkels (which are really good) are almost entirely Munich I with a hit of carafa for color and some acidulated for pH. I've had good results with a Hochkurz mash for non-decoction or a double decoction. Morebeer only carries I so I don't have any experince with II. Have you done an all II dunkel? I just did a combo because I wanted it a bit on the lighter side, but I thought all munich I would be a bit too light. I'm sure you can make a great dunkel with all I or II and any combo inbetween, depending on the flavor profile you're going for. What is a Hochkurz mash?
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Mar 15, 2013 06:43
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Josh Wow posted:I just did a combo because I wanted it a bit on the lighter side, but I thought all munich I would be a bit too light. I'm sure you can make a great dunkel with all I or II and any combo inbetween, depending on the flavor profile you're going for. A "low-high" step infusion mash with a rest at 144-146 and a second step at 158. A lot of German breweries have gone to it as a decoction replacement.
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Mar 15, 2013 06:44
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RagingBoner posted:Well, if you think about the money you save in not buying commercial beer, and how much better homebrew is anyway, then you... Wait: If you make wine/fruit alcohol rather than beer, it's amazingly cheaper then buying, as well as tasting a dozen times better. You pretty much need a fermentation vessel, a food processor and your ingredients.
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Mar 15, 2013 09:21
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I experimented in doing a batch sparge with a "double crush," meaning I ran it through the LHBS grain mill twice. I certainly got good efficiency - I used way too much sparge water and still came out a point up on where I was expecting, but goddamn if that was a slow loving lauter. I suppose its worth the extra 15 minutes of lautering to get higher numbers though.
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Mar 15, 2013 19:06
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I think I may have mentioned that a new FLHBS opened a few miles from me. The owner special-ordered a sack of Briess Ashburne Mild malt for me, and today I am brewing a Best Bitter with it. I have Thames Valley going on the stir plate. The thing is, I have been missing this malt/yeast combination for a few years - the other shop (4x as far away) used to carry it, but then stopped because I may have been the only person that purchased it regularly, and the shop where I have been buying my bulk malt never carried it at all, and won't. The moral of the story is, make friends and become regulars at your local shop, if only so you can ask favors of them. I buy malt in bulk about once, maybe twice, a year, and if I can keep the new place in business, I will have improved not only the shop owner's life, but also my own.
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Mar 15, 2013 22:38
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Jo3sh posted:I think I may have mentioned that a new FLHBS opened a few miles from me. The owner special-ordered a sack of Briess Ashburne Mild malt for me, and today I am brewing a Best Bitter with it. I have Thames Valley going on the stir plate. Yeah, the brick and mortar store I typically use has virtually any malt and will custom order anything you want. Its awesome (although they stock Ashburne Mild in a giant bin as it is).
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Mar 15, 2013 23:43
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I made a KBS clone a few months ago, kegged it about 3-4 weeks ago. But, it seems like its not getting a any head on it and has low carbonation. I'm pretty sure my keg and CO2 setup is fine. Could the semi-sweet chocolate, coco nibs, and coffee that I used in the recipe be the cause?
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Mar 16, 2013 00:46
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Raveen posted:I made a KBS clone a few months ago, kegged it about 3-4 weeks ago. But, it seems like its not getting a any head on it and has low carbonation. I'm pretty sure my keg and CO2 setup is fine. Could it be your glassware? Anecdotally, I cranked my co2 up to 16psi for my stout, it just wasn't producing the right head at 12.
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Mar 16, 2013 02:41
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Raveen posted:I made a KBS clone a few months ago, kegged it about 3-4 weeks ago. But, it seems like its not getting a any head on it and has low carbonation. I'm pretty sure my keg and CO2 setup is fine. If you used chocolate with a lot of fat in it you'll probably have head retention problems
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Mar 16, 2013 02:58
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Turning my CO2 up to 16 definitely helped, thanks. For glassware, with a quick search it says I should not use commercial soap and rise with cold water, is that correct? I've been washing them with the rest of the dishes with dishsoap by hand. The chocolate was 2.5 oz of ghirardelli 60% semi sweet and 1.5 oz of chocolate nibs, I have no clue if that's enough to have an impact. Thanks again for the help.
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Mar 16, 2013 05:13
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Question time: 1: Is it normal for two beers of similar gravity and volume with the same yeast in the exact same temperatures to have varying fermentation activity strength? I have two pale ales of 1.055-1.060 gravities sitting next to each other both using Wyeast American Ale yeast. The one with a slightly higher gravity has a much stronger fermentation, it's actually pushing krausen into the air lock! I've changed the air lock today, 2 days after fermentation, and it is still pushing through slightly. 2: Is it better to dry hop cold beer or fermentation temperature beer? I was thinking of throwing the hop bag in while I cold crash them, obviously with the string on the bag kept on the outside so it doesn't sink. This article would have me think that higher temperatures increase extraction and that keeping the hops in suspension does as well. Would I be better then just cold crashing for a day to drop some yeast out, put the anchored hop bag in and wait 3-4 days at 70F? I guess I kind of answered my own question #2, but it's worth asking about dry hopping techniques I suppose. Raveen posted:For glassware, with a quick search it says I should not use commercial soap and rise with cold water, is that correct? I've been washing them with the rest of the dishes with dishsoap by hand. Just use an unscented dish soap and rinse well. I use Palmolive with Oxy and after cleaning I re-rinse before drying. I have a two section sink so the right side I wash then move it to the left side. I'll wash my glasses and leave the clean ones in the left standing up. I'll re-rinse them with cold water when I'm fully down washing, rinsing in the order they were cleaned in. I then drip dry them. No problems with retention or head formation, but I also make sure to rinse with cold water before I use them too, but that's because of dust. I'm a nut with cleaning though. Midorka fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Mar 16, 2013 |
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Mar 16, 2013 18:17
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Midorka posted:1: Is it normal for two beers of similar gravity and volume with the same yeast in the exact same temperatures to have varying fermentation activity strength? Gravity isn't everything, there are varying degrees of fermentability. A 1.060 juice based cider will drop much further than a 1.060 milk stout for example.
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Mar 16, 2013 20:03
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