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Bad Munki posted:Of course, depending on how quickly you hope to consume them, you may want to cap on foam, so just set the bottle down on the table hard once and that should make enough foam for capping. I don't have a kegging setup so I am out of the loop; why is this? Advantage/disadvantage to capping on foam? This weekend will my first all-grain batch attempt - an oatmeal stout. I have a home-built mash/lauter tun made from a cooler, and I've been told that it may be a good idea until I get the hang of it, to expect lower mash efficiency, maybe somewhere close to 65%. Does this sound right? clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Sep 20, 2011 |
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Sep 20, 2011 22:31
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RiggenBlaque posted:their orders just take too long to get out the door. That honestly doesn't surprise me if they accommodate orders down to the ounce. In bulk quantities, you can have them on hand prepackaged to just ship out. Down to the ounce, I don't see how you can work it out without somebody having to weigh and package each order. edit: My local homebrew store sells online and lets you order by the ounce http://store.homebrewheaven.com/storefront.aspx - I can't vouch for the online experience, but I do like stopping in. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Sep 21, 2011 |
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Sep 21, 2011 16:59
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mintskoal posted:Been thinking about trying out brewing for a long time and I'm ready to get started. One question: would I be better off getting the deluxe kit to start, or is the basic one just fine for now? The cost isn't really an issue, but if I'm going to have an easier time and will be better off in the future just getting better things right now, I'd rather do that. You can always expand a basic kit with whatever you need. If it were me I'd look at getting the basic kit and adding a 6gal glass carboy to the mix. I'd abuse the fermenting bucket to hold my sanitizer (which can be stored for next brew day and/or bottling day if you don't dirty it all up), and ferment in the glass. I'd encourage you to try some simpler extract or partial mash ales to start that don't really need a secondary stage, develop your process. And once you want to move to brews requiring some secondary aging, just pick up another 5 or 6 gal glass. I prefer 6gal for economy and flexibility's sake, so I can use them in a rotation - in my world there isn't really enough head space on a 5gal carboy to turn it around for primary fermentation. The trade off for a 6 gal secondary is the head space which will contain oxygen until the secondary fermentation process purges it out via the airlock. Edit so I don't stack replies: I'm planning my first all-grain batch this weekend. Going to do an oatmeal stout. I cloned one on hopville that looks pretty standard but calls for 1tbsp ginger root in the boil at 5 minutes. Was wondering how much flavor (if any) I can expect from this addition of ginger. Based on what I've read, it is a pretty potent flavor addition, with an ounce imparting noticeable flavor on a 5 gallon batch. Seems like a tbsp is going to be less than an ounce? And at 5 minutes, perhaps it will contribute mostly to the nose? clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 22:05
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I'm brewing an all-grain Oatmeal Stout this weekend and want to spice it up some with ginger root. When would be a good time to add the ginger if I really just want a little flavor but am more after some aroma? The recipe I stole says boil@5min, but I looked around and some recommend in the mash. What do you think?
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Sep 23, 2011 18:08
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Got my oatmeal stout on last night. Made this recipe: http://hopville.com/recipe/896731/oatmeal-stout-recipes/oatmeal-stout It was the trial run of my ice-chest style cooler with a really terrible manifold. Held temperature pretty well over the hour, and I was surprised as hell when I opened the valve and it started rapidly draining motor oil-looking wort that smelled like it should. Last night I learned that the color of the grist isn't exactly indicative of the color of the wort. I was even more surprised when I didn't get a single clog. Took a sample at the end of the boil and its OG weighed in at 1.050 putting my cooler process at about 61% efficiency. I recently inherited a 15.5gal keg, so I am going to get a false bottom and a valve for it and use it to get a better yield, but for now the cooler seems to work pretty ok. Pitched a package of Wyeast 1084 at about 70f and saw almost-instant airlock activity. I almost blew an airlock on a previous batch using 1084 so we fitted this one with a blow off hose. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Sep 25, 2011 |
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Sep 25, 2011 19:45
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hbf posted:after some googling, it turns out green oxidation on copper is really bad, and toxic. However, it looks like a good scrub with hot distilled white vinegar should take care of it thankfully. Prep some StarSan at proper dilution and soak the chiller in it, it shines right up. As for Seattle water, untreated tap water should be A-OK. I always just use straight tap water and never have problems with flavor. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Sep 25, 2011 |
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Sep 25, 2011 19:46
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Lrrr posted:Will the residual heat be enough to make sure 2.5kg DME is fully dissolved and sterilized, or should I add it a bit earlier and let it boil for a few minutes? I figure if its not necessary to bring it to a boil again it will also aid in cooling the worth quickly, but I don't wanna risk ruining my brew over it. Not sure about adding the extract post-boil. In my short partial boil experience, I've gone with pre-boiling and cooling the top-up water while all the extract subsequently gets boiled into a super-concentrated wort, then the two are combined. The cool top-up water helps bring the temp down quickly. As for your specialty grains, I'd steep them. Thing about steeping is you won't be converting the starch into fermentable sugars, but you will be adding flavor and color to the wort. Assuming you have enough extract going in to reach the OG you need, I wouldn't be super concerned with which flavor malts contain enzyme. Doing it this way runs the risk of some cloudiness, but you can use some irish moss or a whirflock tablet to mitigate it.
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Sep 27, 2011 23:07
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Its supposed to sit on the bottom of the keg and the weight of itself, the grain on top of it, and the connection to the valve should keep it well seated on the bottom. If any grist does get through, it has to cup UP through the elbow. This is all theory though, I don't have mine set up yet.
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Sep 29, 2011 03:38
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15 days from brew day to enjoyment, got my oatmeal stout kegged and ready to drink. 30psi overnight, and scaled back to 12psi this morning. Went to watch the Seahawks win [wooooooooooo!] at a friend's and now post-game it's just about perfectly set up. No ginger came through, but it is smooth and tasty with a good dose of Cascade hops. I'm glad I went with fresh whole leaf instead of pellet, it makes a good compliment to the smooth roasty character. I'd rate it 3/5 only because it tastes pretty drat ordinary. 
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Oct 9, 2011 23:37
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I don't know if there's such thing as an "alt-bock" but the wife wants a bock and lagering at proper temp is currently unfeasible for me. I hear a Kolsch style yeast is a good ale yeast to use for something like this. According to Wyeast "Beers will exhibit some of the fruity character of an ale, with a clean lager like profile. It produces low or no detectable levels of diacetyl." - sounds about perfect.5 gal recipe as it currently stands posted:Single infusion, mash-out, batch sparge: I'm thinking this recipe with 14 days primary and 14 secondary should produce something pretty drinkable. What do you think? Also, is it a good idea to condition in the same keg it'll be served from? Seems like it could streamline the process.
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Oct 11, 2011 18:00
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Corbet posted:I did one batch of homebrew a few years ago and I'm looking to start up again. I remember having a ton of issues with boil overs because I was using a 12-quart pot and I want to get something bigger - should I just get a 20-quart or should I opt for something even bigger? I do 5 gallon full boil batches in a 30 quart [7.5gal] turkey fryer kit. Instead of topping up, I opt to boil down to target volume so when it hits boil it's close to the rim. With this setup, the vapor in the boil displacing volume, the foam gets pretty close to the top so I use a spray bottle full of water and squirt it keep the foam down. It's only really an issue before hot break happens and while I'm dialing in the heat for a steady rolling boil - so I only have to tend it for a few minutes. http://thebrownbottle.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/the-basics-needed-for-all-grain-brewing/ The second pic down is pretty much exactly what I use. For a 60 minute boil, I fill it to the rivets and get almost precisely 5 gallons out of it every time.
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Oct 17, 2011 17:56
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I have a pair of converted ball lock kegs with "racetrack" lid. Seems to work fine. Got em from http://cornykeg.com/catalog.asp?prodid=674156 - split the order with a friend for savings on shipping.
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Oct 17, 2011 19:48
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indigi posted:Any English/American/German ale yeast. (I like WLP007, WLP023, Nottingham dry, Wyeast 1450) Wyeast Irish Ale is my fave for stouts. Gives a nice clean dry flavor. In a smallish stout it works well to bring out the character of the roastier grains.
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Oct 18, 2011 23:29
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Wheat beer experiment checking in: Tastes good, strong citrus notes on the finish. Light malt taste, light body. It will be good when its fizzy and cold. Cold crashing for a couple weeks and shooting for killing it in one night for a party. Summary: 5 gal; wheat, pilsner, and crystal malt; 1 oz Cascade; Wyeast Northwest Ale yeast
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Nov 11, 2011 08:20
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Docjowles posted:You take really nice photos, especially that last one. Thanks. I try to make sure I backlight my beer porn to show off the color, but really the camera does most of the work.
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Nov 11, 2011 20:35
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Looks good to me. A 35qt pot should be perfect for 5 gallon batches. Looks like the shape of the pot will help mitigate the risk of boilover. It's got a drain on it, too, which means you can drain the wort easier OR if you upgrade from that pot for boiling, you can add a false bottom and use it as a mash/lauter tun. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Nov 13, 2011 |
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Nov 13, 2011 18:43
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kitten smoothie posted:weird spots floating on top. Looks ok to me, you probably knocked some dried up yeast hulls from the ring at surface when you moved it. If it doesn't smell/taste funky, it's fine. If that's all infection, it should have an obvious aroma.
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Nov 14, 2011 17:38
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clutchpuck posted:
Had to sneak a taste yesterday. It's been in a keg in a cold garage on shady* property for almost a week at 12psi so of course it isn't fizzy enough but it's getting there. I wonder how much of the cloudiness will drop out after another week and a half when we plan to open it. On one hand, I've seen beers clear up miraculously with a good cold crash. On the other hand, I used malted wheat for a majority of the base malt so it should be expected to be cloudy. Any thoughts? VERY light malt flavor. Almost no immediate taste, zesty clean lemony finish. If I read the hydrometer right it has about 4.7% ABV. Pretty much mission accomplished in the flavor department. I really can't wait to drink it. * literally shady, lots of trees keep the sun off and it keeps pretty consistent temp in there.
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Nov 15, 2011 19:05
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clutchpuck posted:
Post-tapping report: Really good stuff. Missed the flavor I was shooting for; wanted more crystal flavor. But it was good enough to drink like 8 pints. Next time maybe less/no pilsner, more crystal. Gravity was fairly close, next batch I'm going to keep some LME around to bump it up if I come out too low. It's small enough to drink all night long without getting drunk but big enough to taste like a proper beer. Could have used a few more weeks conditioning; first gallon was pretty cloudy. Yeah I know it's a wheat but I wanted a clear wheat, and it did clear up nicely after 10 pints or so. All in all, for my first self-written all-grain recipe, this batch came out as good as I could hope for. Very happy I went all-grain and got a kegging setup.
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Nov 28, 2011 18:09
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Prefect Six posted:I'm running into a wall with finding a place to meet. Have you looked at renting a grange hall? Might be a little pricey but if your membership is large enough it could be feasible.
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Nov 28, 2011 19:52
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krushgroove posted:just seeing how much it will cost to try and go all grain with a 1-burner setup I hear BIAB process is good for single-burner all-grain brewing. I'm going to give that a go next batch. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Brew_in_a_Bag
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Nov 30, 2011 05:38
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Been slacking on brewing lately, but I got a IPA "India Pilsner Ale" in the keg and carbonated. Half pilsner malt, half pale LME, 2 ounces of Amarillo, and 2 ounces of Cascade. I rushed the conditioning, in that I cold crashed it in primary for 2 days, kegged it, and gave it another 2 days rest to carbonate. So it came out a little cloudy but that's not a terrible thing. It's good but I should have done a dose of hops at 5 minutes or so; bitter, but a little weak on the nose. 
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Mar 8, 2012 20:26
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If you were really paranoid I suppose you could do that when racking to secondary, in case you got any splashing. But I'd guess the head space is completely displaced with CO2 within the first few hours of primary fermentation, before it can really do any harm.
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Mar 8, 2012 20:56
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Drinking the last of my "India Pilsner Ale". When it was fresh it lacked nose relative to the moderately-hopped flavor. 4 months in the fridge later, it's much more balanced in that the moderately-hopped flavor has faded. The pilsner malt flavor has mellowed too, it tastes like a solid pale now. Much clearer, too. Too bad there was pretty much exactly a pint left in the keg, I should really have finished it and brewed again log ago. If I could cellar, I'd stock up on kegs and let them condition. I am turning the keg today for a California common ale. Tasty!
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Jul 18, 2012 02:30
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clutchpuck posted:Drinking the last of my "India Pilsner Ale".  Looks so nice. I'll do a half-mash BIAB again.
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Jul 18, 2012 17:17
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Xiuhteuctli posted:Question: Did I gently caress up my beer? Nope, sounds like if it carbonates properly you'll have some tasty beverage on your hands. You primed before bottling, right?
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Jul 18, 2012 21:54
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One way to ensure bottle consistency is to stir the primed beer before you start bottling it, being careful not to create any splashes if you can help it - use a big (sanitized) paddle and give it a good swirl. If you just pour in the boiled sugar water into the bottling bucket, it may not distribute evenly. Bottling inconsistency was a big catalyst for my move to kegging though. It's so much easier when it comes to packaging the brew too - I have to wash about 1/50th the vessels I used to. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Jul 18, 2012 |
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Jul 18, 2012 22:53
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Yes, definitely don't fear the foam. When I rack to keg, I try to see how big a foam snake I can make. Stolen from GIS:  These guys are doing it right.
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Jul 19, 2012 00:53
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I got my California common kegged this week and it is coming camping with me and some friends. Red solo cup camping!
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Jul 20, 2012 18:54
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Had a tasty California common cream ale, camping in Eastern Washington last weekend. 2 weeks from brew day to empty keg, that's record time for me. Used 2-row, victory, and crystal malts. Bumped to target OG with some LME. Hopped with 1oz Hallertauer and 1oz Northern Brewer. Pitched Wyeast Northwest Ale yeast. Kegged on Tuesday, put on high pressure for 2 days, and dialed back 1 day prior to camping. Ice bath in collapsible cooler kept everything cool through 80+ degree weather, it was pretty impressive. Also, I solved my fizzy-beer issue with 4x the line length - bought a 12ft beer line on my way out of town - the one that came with the keg setup was WAY too short. 
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Jul 23, 2012 18:30
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I'm thinking I might attempt a fruit beer for my next batch. I made a successful wheat beer last fall - we killed a 5gal batch at a Thanksgiving party - I am thinking this time I could do a batch of that with some pasteurized strawberries thrown in with secondary. The wheat beer I plan to use as a starting point used NW Ale yeast from Wyeast - it gave it a pretty unsubtle citrus character, and I am thinking the tartness from the strawberries might be enough citrusy flavor. So I guess the question is: what type of yeast might work well with a strawberry fruit addition?
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Jul 23, 2012 21:58
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Angry Grimace posted:One think you might look into is making a puree and sterilizing like a wine must with campden. I have no experience doing it, but I did look into it before I ended up finding a cheap-ish can of puree. My plan is to get a couple quarts of whole fresh strawberries, squish them up, pasteurize them at 170f, and quickly cool before racking to secondary on top of them for a couple weeks. Oh and regarding the California common cream ale I did for last weekend's camping trip, it got some pretty high praise from one of the guys I went with: "I haven't tried a whole ton of homebrew, probably from only half a dozen folks, but yours are the only ones I've had that don't taste homebrewed, if that makes any sense." clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jul 23, 2012 |
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Jul 23, 2012 23:11
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I've always brewed without temp control, 68-72f. Most of my stuff comes out good, the only failures I've had were just poor recipe experiments. Do you do extract batches? I've found that my extract beers don't taste as good as all grain or even half mash. They all have "that syrup taste"...
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Jul 24, 2012 03:49
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crazyfish posted:I don't want to seem like a snob, but liquid extract is not good unless you 1) Get it very fresh, 2) Use the lightest extract you can and 3) Use it quickly. This is why on the rare occasions I choose to do extract brews, I go for dried extract only. It keeps far better, it's easier to measure and dole out, and the colour is lighter which gives you more control over the colour of your beer because you can choose what specialty grains to use and in what proportions. I definitely hear you about color control. But I still get "that syrup taste" from the dry stuff when it's the main fermentable. I use the liquid stuff because I tend to have a hard time getting all the powder extract evenly dissolved and I end up making a sticky mess all over myself. But since I moved to AG and half-mash processes, I use little extract at all, mostly just to bump to target OG to correct for poor efficiency.
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Jul 24, 2012 05:13
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My half-mash batches are BIAB. I love the process and I would do AG BIAB if I had a larger pot. Simplifies cleanup, no stuck sparge, etc.
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Jul 24, 2012 05:39
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I usually go from primary to keg. Its so much quicker, and with a whirl floc tab and some careful and un-greedy racking, it will come out pretty clear.
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Jul 25, 2012 02:17
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Angry Grimace posted:I'm still confused about why the keg salesman *always* seem to recommend 5 feet of beverage line. I've seen guys from kegconnection, MoreBeer, etc. all recommend 5 feet as a rule with a bunch of science apparently behind it but I to a rule always get better results and less foam (if a slower pour) with 10 feet of line. Yeah, I was working off a 5ft line and it was always overly foamy. For my last keg I bought a 14ft line for mundane logistical reasons, and it was a perfect pour every time.
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Jul 27, 2012 18:15
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Bondii posted:started at 2.5 gallons of water, was down to 1.5 gallons of wort. Is this amount of evaporation correct? You can control the rate of boil-off by how much heat you give it. Also, a tall/narrow pot will evaporate slower than a short/wide pot. To minimize how much you lose, dial in the burner so you keep it right at a rolling boil. You don't need it bubbling furiously - just get it so it turns over by itself. And you did good to shoot for proper OG rather than volume.
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Jul 31, 2012 21:22
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Alright brew day is coming up, I am doing two for labor day. I plan to do an IPA clone recipe from the LHBS recipe book for one, but I also want to do something a little seasonal - like a blackberry wheat ale. I have a good wheat ale recipe written down and I was thinking I could pasteurize a couple pints of fresh picked blackberry puree on kegging day and strain the juice right into the kegged beer before I close it up and carbonate. I know it will add all sorts of color to an otherwise yellow/clear beer - but I am not sure if this is the right approach to get some blackberry flavor in my wheat ale. I figure it's too late to really do anything with secondary fermentation by labor day, but it's not too late to reconsider and use blackberries in primary. Any pointers?
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Aug 17, 2012 22:02
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ChiTownEddie posted:I haven't tried it myself, but what about blackberry extract? I don't think it'll add nearly as much coloring. I am less concerned with the color as I am with using what's growing in the alley, so I think I will try the pasteurization right in the keg. I can't imagine it will be bad like that but that's what experimentation is for.
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Aug 18, 2012 01:18
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