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Sirotan posted:Speaking of moving beers, I'm probably going to be moving in a month or so and I've got a RR Consecration clone in my closet that's ~4mo along. I don't think there's any way to not jostle it while moving it, is babbys first sour going to be ruined? I wouldn't sweat it, if its in glass or a better bottle it should have enough CO2 on top that as long as you're air locked it shouldn't be a problem. You probably need a shot of oxygen by now if anything. Transporting beer is probably not a real cause as you're probably offgassing enough that even if your airlocks out you probably aren't getting a ton of exposure.
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Apr 5, 2013 15:38
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Is there anything prettier than a perfect head on a porter that you have made, poured from a kegerator that you have built, on a sunny, beautiful spring day? Nope. Edit: Well... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Uf1uN8haI RagingBoner fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 16:27
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I opened up my last Mr Beer Oktoberfest that I brewed back in January, that I almost lost to cherry esters. This one had the best head retention I've ever gotten from a MB, but it wasn't the "best" of the batch (the bottle before was). Such is the end of my Mr. Beer era of home brewing. It had a good 4 batch run but as you know I've moved on in life to mead and extract beer. The Mr. Beer fermenter is now a Star San dispensary.
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Apr 5, 2013 16:34
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Midorka posted:Okay, that's a lot of hate for a comment someone made. Either way I don't know how my beer got oxidized but I'm guessing it was a combination of having a 3% beer sit for 3-4 months then transporting it in a car having it swish around a lot. I have no idea, it's my first oxidized beer, but either way it won't be happening again. No offense intended. I was discussing it genuinely. Chill talk: while counterflow seems like it would chill in one pass, coiled copper tubing isn't incredibly conductive. It's probably the best option, but not great. I've take to whirl pooling with an immersion chiller w a recirculating ice water flow. Doesn't take long and is much cheaper than plate chiller. Also you can whirlpool flameout hops to good effect. LeeMajors fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 16:38
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I opened up my last Mr Beer Oktoberfest that I brewed back in January, that I almost lost to cherry esters. This one had the best head retention I've ever gotten from a MB, but it wasn't the "best" of the batch (the bottle before was). Such is the end of my Mr. Beer era of home brewing. It had a good 4 batch run but as you know I've moved on in life to mead and extract beer. I'm going to do maybe 2 more extract based beers but then I'm seriously going to look at doing a full boil. Welcome to non extract hopping, though! I hear that the problem with extracts is they don't let the beer have any really outstanding characteristics, is this accurate? Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 16:43
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Saint Darwin posted:I'm going to do maybe 2 more extract based beers but then I'm seriously going to look at doing a full boil. Welcome to non extra hopping, though! I'm sure it varies from extract to extract. The Mr. Beer I did before this one, was a nut brown ale that came out decent actually. So when you Boil hops, is there a serious foam up? Right now I still don't have a large capacity pot but would like to maybe at least boil some of my own hops in addition to the hopped extract kits. The one thing I have noticed is a lack of hoppyness.
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Apr 5, 2013 16:49
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LeeMajors posted:No offense intended. I was discussing it genuinely. Copper has a very high thermal conductivity, so I'm not sure what you're saying here. Personally I just use a immersion chiller that I rigged up myself, but if I had more money I would definitely consider the counterflow chiller. Marshmallow Blue posted:I'm sure it varies from extract to extract. The Mr. Beer I did before this one, was a nut brown ale that came out decent actually. Whenever I boil hops I have to worry about boil-over. Depending on the size of your pot you can mitigate the problem by stirring rapidly and spraying the foam head with cold water. It helps to have a friend when you do this.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:01
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Saint Darwin posted:I hear that the problem with extracts is they don't let the beer have any really outstanding characteristics, is this accurate? You can make fantastic beer with extracts, and a high percentage of the beers that make it to the final rounds of competitions usually contain extracts as some or all of their fermentables. The problem with extracts is that you have no control over anything but "boiling the extract". You don't get to play with all of the variables and fine-tuning that you do with partial/all-grain.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:02
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Whenever I boil hops I have to worry about boil-over. Depending on the size of your pot you can mitigate the problem by stirring rapidly and spraying the foam head with cold water. It helps to have a friend when you do this. All I have is spaghetti pots so this is out of my realm haha.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:03
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You can get all sorta of fantastic extracts including with adjuncts these days. It really has a bad wrap because back in the day all they had was lovely bakers malt extract. There's not a huge driving need to move on to mashing until you can articulate exactly what you want to do differently in a mash than is available with extract, and often the answer is doable with a mini mash.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:16
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I agree there's not necessarily a need to move to mashing these days and that excellent beer can be made from extract, but I am so in love with the process that it would take a big shift in my schedule to drive me back to extract brewing.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:21
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Copper has a very high thermal conductivity, so I'm not sure what you're saying here. Personally I just use a immersion chiller that I rigged up myself, but if I had more money I would definitely consider the counterflow chiller. Remember though, plate chillers and counterflow chillers are a bitch-and-a-half to get sanitized and clean, and all the added work of cleaning only reduces cool-down by about 25-40%. I can run the garden hose for another 5 minutes if it avoids putting ookey beer leftovers from the previous batch into my current bitch.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:23
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RagingBoner posted:I can run the garden hose for another 5 minutes if it avoids putting ookey beer leftovers from the previous batch into my current bitch. I always feed my bitches the ookiest beer leftovers around.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:30
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You can make extract beer of every style and ingredients at your whim if you learn to do partial mashing (which is basically just mini-BIAB these days). Then just top up the missing base malt with light extract.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:47
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Huh, well thanks for setting me straight on extracts. The beer I just made is very similar to my first beer and I was kind of worried it was because I used the same extract, but honestly they also use pretty similar grains (one change, one addition, and a shitload more hops) so I shouldn't be too surprised. I think I need to look into exactly what each extract contributes to a recipe. I've used the same one twice and I was planning on using it at least 2 more times, but I haven't even looked at the other offerings. Not sure what would be best for a red.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:49
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Questions about yeast harvesting: If I'm harvesting WY1056 from a 4.4% cream ale, do I really need to wash it? Couldn't I just refrigerate the wort/beer/yeast slurry? I have already dumped the trub.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:50
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I opened up my last Mr Beer Oktoberfest that I brewed back in January, that I almost lost to cherry esters. This one had the best head retention I've ever gotten from a MB, but it wasn't the "best" of the batch (the bottle before was). Such is the end of my Mr. Beer era of home brewing. It had a good 4 batch run but as you know I've moved on in life to mead and extract beer. The seasonals and "premium" kits from Mr. Beer are actually pretty good. I just opened my first Winter Dark Ale from their premium kit, it's been conditioning for about a month and is really very nice. 2 gallon partial grain batches are not difficult to do either and some stores even sell recipe kits for the LBK and/or 3gal Better Bottle.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:52
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hellfaucet posted:Questions about yeast harvesting: If I'm harvesting WY1056 from a 4.4% cream ale, do I really need to wash it? Couldn't I just refrigerate the wort/beer/yeast slurry? I have already dumped the trub. That's all I do, and I have 4-5 strains I've been recycling forever. It'll separate out further once you get it in the fridge and you can just pour off the beer that floats to the top. The only other thing I do is fill up my jars with clean water so that there's not a whole bunch of air in them.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:53
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fullroundaction posted:That's all I do, and I have 4-5 strains I've been recycling forever. It'll separate out further once you get it in the fridge and you can just pour off the beer that floats to the top. OK, word. It seemed trivial to me to try to wash it with such a neutral, low ABV base beer.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:55
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Syrinxx posted:I brew in Mr. Beer "little brown kegs" because I like the convenience and size of 2.25 gallon batches. 1 case of beer is fine since I'm the only one drinking it (wife isn't a beer person) and in the warmer months I can put the fermenter entirely inside a cooler and control the temperature with those blue ice things. I wasn't trying to knock MB or anything, I've made some decent stuff in my experience. I know it wont hold my star san forever as I have plans for it as a  Turbo Juice dispenser. I may even make a new sticker to go over the mr beer one! Plus my To be parent in laws always buy me MB kits for christmas without me asking so when in Rom I guess.
Marshmallow Blue fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 17:59
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I wasn't trying to knock MB or anything, I've made some decent stuff in my experience. I know it wont hold my star san forever as I have plans for it as a Speaking of said Turbo Juice when are you crackin that sucker open? I really really want to check mine tonight because if it's any good I want to bring it to a party tomorrow. It's been 6 days, last time I checked it a few days ago it was still bubbling away.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:05
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bewbies posted:I have a pilsner that I racked to secondary earlier this week. It in primary @ 50 degrees for 3 weeks, then @ 34 for a week before I moved it to secondary. Two questions on this: is "autolysis" from leaving beer on the yeast actually a thing, or has that been pretty much debunked? Also, how long should I lager this for? It tasted really, really good when I tried it during racking. Don't think these really got addressed, sorry if I missed it. 1) Autolysis is "a thing" but you have to really work to achieve it. If beer sits on yeast for an entire year or you're using the shittiest, oldest yeast ever that sat out in the desert for a month, it can happen. If you're using fresh ingredients and the beer's not sitting on yeast for 6+ months just pretend autolysis doesn't exist. 2) People already covered the "if it tastes how you want, who cares?" angle. But have you verified that your thermometer is accurate (assuming you're mashing)? It's possible you're actually mashing at 140 instead of 155 or something if your thermometer is out of whack.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:07
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Saint Darwin posted:Speaking of said Smell it. If it smells bad, wait. If it smells of apples, it is ready to sweeten and keg.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:09
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Copper has a very high thermal conductivity, so I'm not sure what you're saying here. Personally I just use a immersion chiller that I rigged up myself, but if I had more money I would definitely consider the counterflow chiller. I'm not saying that it isn't conductive, but it isn't so conductive that a single pass through a counterflow chiller will completely cool your beer. This of course depends on length and flow rates, but a commercial one won't generally do this unless you really really work at it. The thickness of the walls and the surface area isn't great enough. I've never used one myself, so your mileage may vary, but I have a friend that had to make 3 or 4 passes w his march pump to make it work.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:19
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My honey is coming today allegedly, even though it shipped yesterday. I still need to pick up grapes which I might not be able to do until Sunday, So I'll be bottle conditioning this when I get the grapes for my cheese-mongers reserve mead. I'll let it go in the bottles for a week or so, and then put them in the fridge for consumption. Edit: If it tastes super hot, just make sure everybody has had a few other drinks before you whip it out. You'll get rave comments about how smooooooooth it is.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:23
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LeeMajors posted:I'm not saying that it isn't conductive, but it isn't so conductive that a single pass through a counterflow chiller will completely cool your beer. I know a guy who gets it with a single pass - he feeds through it by gravity and throttles the outflow from his boiler to make sure he gets the right temperature. The newer ones are using convoluted tubing for the wort to get less thermal jacketing and better cooling.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:28
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I opened up my last Mr Beer Oktoberfest that I brewed back in January, that I almost lost to cherry esters. This one had the best head retention I've ever gotten from a MB, but it wasn't the "best" of the batch (the bottle before was). Such is the end of my Mr. Beer era of home brewing. It had a good 4 batch run but as you know I've moved on in life to mead and extract beer. I've got 2 Mr Beer fermenters that I've been using to ferment apfelwein, or experiment batches .. they seem to work ok for things like that or any other small batch work as well.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:32
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Jo3sh posted:I know a guy who gets it with a single pass - he feeds through it by gravity and throttles the outflow from his boiler to make sure he gets the right temperature. The newer ones are using convoluted tubing for the wort to get less thermal jacketing and better cooling. My knowledge is outdated then. My bad. Immersion has worked well for me. Almost bought a plate chiller, but sanitation concerns made me decide to whirlpool instead.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:32
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Anyone have a basic technique for making hop water/hop tea? Have about 1.5 oz of hops lying about I don't have plans for.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:35
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LeeMajors posted:My knowledge is outdated then. My bad. No worries, none of us have complete knowledge of every possible configuration. I've gone back to an immersion chiller and whirlpool after ditching my plate chiller due to cleaning issues.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:36
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Jo3sh posted:No worries, none of us have complete knowledge of every possible configuration. Even on a commercial level, the variation in process is astounding. A local head brewer here does a partial "decoction," but without boiling--because that's the way he learned at a brewery in CO. Another buddy of mine just started up his brewhouse, and asked what the positive effects were--and he couldn't answer. I think he was only partially heating the grist to mash-out temps before returning to lauter tun and sparging (2 vessel system).  I guess a cottage industry is going to have its share of conventional wisdom in spite of scientific evidence. Edit: Forgot quotes for accuracy. LeeMajors fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 19:12
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Ice bath  . This is the best and only way to chill your wort.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:18
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Saint Darwin posted:Huh, well thanks for setting me straight on extracts. The beer I just made is very similar to my first beer and I was kind of worried it was because I used the same extract, but honestly they also use pretty similar grains (one change, one addition, and a shitload more hops) so I shouldn't be too surprised. Use the lightest extract you can find to substitute for base malt. There's no real reason to use "dark" or "amber" type extracts unless you need a mashable malt that comes in extract form, e.g. Munich extract, rye extract or Maris Otter extract Everything else can be steeped or partial mashed.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:18
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I think I was reading somewhere that there are "hopped dry malt extracts" Is this a thing? And how would you pick them out over the others?
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Apr 5, 2013 19:32
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I think I was reading somewhere that there are "hopped dry malt extracts" Is this a thing? And how would you pick them out over the others? That's the stuff that comes with Mr. Beer kits and cheap pre-made kits.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:33
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Angry Grimace posted:That's the stuff that comes with Mr. Beer kits and cheap pre-made kits. Mr. Beer comes with hopped liquid malt extract, I was referring to dry extract. I was asking because as previously suggested when using the liquid extracts to replace the sugar to be added with dry malt extract. I guess the solution would just be to use more liquid Extract.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:44
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Angry Grimace posted:Use the lightest extract you can find to substitute for base malt. There's no real reason to use "dark" or "amber" type extracts unless you need a mashable malt that comes in extract form, e.g. Munich extract, rye extract or Maris Otter extract Everything else can be steeped or partial mashed. Another key to extract, unless you trust the supply chain to be speedy all the way back to the producer, don't use liquid extract. It goes varying amounts of darkened to outright bad over time.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:47
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LeeMajors posted:My knowledge is outdated then. My bad. I figured we're all coming from different perspectives, and IMO the fact that we can have a respectful conversation about this stuff without diving into acronyms and hissy fits is the thing I appreciate th emost about this thread. Personally I feel that whirlpooling and immersion seems like the best combination of effort, cost, and effectiveness.
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Apr 5, 2013 19:52
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The guys in my homebrew club are all way too serious about homebrewing which is both good/bad. They win a lot of medals, but aren't the best people to give out advice to newcomers who are genuinely curious and ignorant about the insane details surrounding brewing. I really do appreciate this thread more than anything brewing-related I've found. I'll keep rocking it with my 1x/month homebrew club w/ group brews, but you guys are my day-to-day club.
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Apr 5, 2013 20:01
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Marshmallow Blue posted:I think I was reading somewhere that there are "hopped dry malt extracts" Is this a thing? And how would you pick them out over the others?
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Apr 5, 2013 20:04
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