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At first I didn't see the little read next post thingy and almost pooped myself. Brew news: Got a regular pump tap from my father-in-law for commercial kegs - not sure what I'm going to do with it... hang it up as an art piece?
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Sep 17, 2011 22:01
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Docjowles posted:Yeah this has been my experience too. Once I got into starters and aeration I found most "average gravity" beers didn't need those 1-2 months to start tasting good. But there's no way someone's doing all that on batch #1 so it's safer to just tell them to wait 3 weeks and was back logged on this thread and noticed this. I've taken a bunch of brew tours and one thing that stuck me in a most recent one was at ShipYard they over pitch like a mother fucker (and said so), open ferment, and their brew only fermenting for three days. Now they, and most places, move the beer to conditioning takes for much much longer. I know they don't make money with a slow ferment, but god drat. Also, I've been growing more and more interested in foraging for brew ingredients and think I may make this my slant on brewing. Get a couple of wildness guides, books on leaves, berries, etc. After moving to Maine and reading Radical Brewing, I'd love to pick some things up on hikes. Hell I've found wild hops growing in a bramble on an Island, there are piles of what I assume is Heather on my bike commute to work. I may have already missed this year's bounty, but I think I'll have a decent amount of time to get a bit more educated on what to look for. Advice?
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Oct 1, 2011 02:51
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But you're right, there's no way Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is sitting in primary for a month for example. I wouldn't be surprised to hear it's less than a week.
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Kegging question. My co2 tank is in the fridge with the beer. With the low temperature, the tank says it's pretty close to being empty after one carb. When I pulled it out of the fridge between brews it was still really full. Should I be leaving my tank outside the fridge to keep it 'full'? Or is it just as 'full' when it's inside the fridge when it's cold?
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Oct 3, 2011 02:17
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Darth Goku Jr posted:Ok, so I'm not exactly the biggest hop head, but my friend wants to... basically overpay for supplies and let me keep the difference if i decided to make an DIPA. Specifically if i made one with a lot of intense citrusy flavor and aroma. So far I know potential hops to use would include amarillo, galaxy, centennial, Nelson Sauvin, citra etc. Does anyone have a go to citrus bomb recipe? I do BIAB partial mashes. Either way, I'd put a decent amount at 0 and dry hopping, it'll be nicely focused. And because this thread needs more photos here is one I took after roller pin-ing my grain but before clean up. 
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Oct 5, 2011 13:20
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From what I read, Candi syrup is pretty much just invert sugar. We make it at work for Gelato, invert sugar is made pretty much the same way as candy but without stirring. Stirring the pot will create crystals, which creates 'candy' but when there is no jarring movement the sucrose bonds so there is nothing for them to grasp onto; making this clear to dark slurry. Reading over the wiki page on inverted sugar, it seems adding acid to accelerate this change is common, but I know at work we pretty much just put a pot of evaporated cane juice (our sugar of choice) on the stove, don't touch it until it hits boiling and then let it sit. I assume then belgian candi syrup is just 'more boiled' depending on the 'L'? Same thing or not the same? *beating a dead horse itt* Jacobey000 fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Oct 7, 2011 |
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Oct 7, 2011 13:48
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clutchpuck posted:I'd rate it 3/5 only because it tastes pretty drat ordinary. I sort of feel the same way about my most recent beer; my Bitter is pretty good, but I'm not in love. 
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Oct 10, 2011 14:45
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So my lady is getting me fresh cranberries from a bog in MA while she's there this weekend for my Cranberry Wheat. Should I be freezing, then thawing them so they are able to leach, or do you think if I just mash them up a bit and toss them in a secondary then rack on top, they'd be all set?
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Oct 13, 2011 12:44
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Hey sup, I bought a Pin-lock keg just to fit in my fridge. Racked my big-ol'-wheat onto the fresh (puree in a bag) cranberries. Made a loving huge mess, lets just say thankfully bleach gets cranberry stain off. I also tossed 4 apples into the mix after rereading the fruit section in Radical Brewing. I also had to break the secondaries in parts. What I did: Realized all the fruit and their juice wasn't going to fit in the 5gal secondary. Racked from primary into bucket with bag and juice, then moved remaining -uncranberried - beer into a temp vessel. Racked the lightly soaked beer all back to the (now clean) bucket and then back into secondary with bag of goop, leaving some juice/beer mix behind. So I've got ~2gal not on the bag, but it's got the fresh juice mixed in with a blanket of co2 I attempted to put on top. Here is to hoping it comes out.
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Oct 17, 2011 19:49
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Plastic Jesus posted:Edit: more astringent than sour, but no off aromas. Still, I probably hosed this batch, didn't I? No, time will cure it if it tastes strange. Just relax, do not worry and have a beer you had made yourself.
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Oct 22, 2011 14:33
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Tasted the cranberry beer a few days ago and it's got a huge gently caress off cranberry flavor. But not the kind I'm exactly looking for, right now it's sort of like chewing on a handful of cranberries - the flavor is there but its kind of 'chewy' instead of sharp. I would like to 'tart' it up a bit when I keg it. I'll double check again on which type of acid to use via Radical Brewing, but is it citric, malic, or ascorbic? The googles says Malic, is this correct?
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Oct 26, 2011 02:39
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mattdev posted:So I think I might try my first double brew day this weekend. I ended up with a poo poo LOAD of pumpkins from my CSA box and I figured I'd make the pumpkin beer from BCS again since it seemed to go over pretty well. What I'd do is prep my pumpkins the day before. It's been said before in this thread or the last, is to roast them for a more 'pumpkin' flavor. Depending on your setup, I'd brew the larger batch first and the smaller one second, because the second brew is going to seem to take much longer. The other thing I'd do is while one is cooling pre-pitch, I'd start the next one going. I also like to clean and sanitize during the boil period because there is a huge window of just standing around otherwise.
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Oct 26, 2011 14:46
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LME goes bad, DME... much longer if at all. Also tasted the cranberry wheat beer I've got sitting on the cranberry mush going on two weeks and the chewy cranberry harshness has relinquished into a tart and tasty fruit beer. Question: How long should I leave it racked on the mush? Because of the surface area I expect there to be a much faster transfer, no? Would I be doing it harm by leaving on there for a couple more weeks?
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Oct 28, 2011 03:43
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tesilential posted:You brew in the dark? Pretty cool. My same thought as well. Brewing... at night. Crazy concept. Seems obvious but I usually brew on days off mid week.
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Nov 2, 2011 12:18
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So my cranberry wheat beer is just sitting in secondary (tertiary?) just hanging out in the back hallway because I don't have any containers to put it in. The base brew is ~8.5% then the cranberries went in, and I didn't measure the added sugar but it was bubbling really well, and even know is slightly active. I'm unsure of how long before I can get something to serve it in, this isn't a problem is it?
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Nov 5, 2011 02:04
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crazyfish posted:Bottled my key lime wit today Got the recipe or a hopville account I can 'follow' you? I'd like to brew this one day. Maybe a cream ale variant...
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Nov 7, 2011 23:56
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Went to keg today and I'm pretty sure my Cranberry Wheat is infected. So my question is, will the fridge slow things down so it doesn't turn into vinegar? Can I just play it off like I meant to sour it with wild yeast, etc?
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Nov 21, 2011 15:52
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rage-saq posted:Taste it and see. That doesn't really look like an infection but probably just some of the particles from the fruit floating to the surface. An infection is bubbling and has all kinds of weird white ropy things on them. Yeah, I mean it tastes okay. Honestly, it tasted much better a week or two ago - now it tastes much more 'sharp' with alcohol. We'll see how a bit of bubbles and some cold does for it. Strangely enough, it seemed to taste better the longer the sample sat. Jacobey000 fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Nov 22, 2011 |
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Nov 22, 2011 03:05
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I've been about the use of Juniper berries and the twigs being used as a filter/false bottom sort of situation. Is there a reason why black birch or maple twigs couldn't be used? Would they attribute any (good) flavors?
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Nov 28, 2011 03:28
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Speaking of Homebrew clubs, I'm planning on going to my first one this weekend. If you are a goon in Maine (Portland area) and just don't post in this thread - please give me the "Stairs" so I know you are out there.
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Nov 29, 2011 01:01
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Hypnolobster posted:No! What state do you live in? (give me ur brewstands)
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Nov 29, 2011 14:50
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mindphlux posted:...it's really grounding to actually get your hands dirty and create/produce a tangible 'thing' from raw materials every now and again. I really should figure out how to make this my job... I can agree with all of this. Question: Is anyone here a BJCP judge? How hard is the test/how required is the required reading? e: I also take back what I said about Homebrew clubs. Haven't even been to a meeting yet and have just been on the email list - dude offered up some flip top bottles and showed at up my door with a truck full of them. 
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Dec 7, 2011 13:31
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Bottling from a keg is a pain. I couldn't get the pressure right, turned it way down (9psi) and it was still just coming out all foam. Tried the picnic tap with bottle filler for a while and that was serious trouble 90%+ foam. Eventually I just used the tube rammed into the regular tap and the pressure finally died down enough to fill the bottles okay.
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Dec 9, 2011 20:18
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mindphlux posted:protip : make everything cold as poo poo, and drop your keg to ~2.5psi. I read everyone else's replies and thanks - I think all of you were on the right track. Bottles were at room temp, Keg wasn't degassed. I bought a party tap just to use for the racking cane trick thingy, but alas I was getting huge head. So next time I will chill and degass. Most likely didn't help that someone from work was over getting the bottles as I filled them and I wanted to be all cool with my keg setup.
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Dec 10, 2011 03:47
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Bass Concert Hall posted:So I am a total newbie brewer and I just made a barleywine that - at least on bottling day - tastes like honeyed ham. While I realize that this is a goon's dream come true, I don't really know what to do with 5 gallons of hambeer. A touch off topic but I found this to be drat funny. Sorry for your loss.
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Dec 11, 2011 03:06
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For those interested: I am revving up my studies and am looking into BJCP cert - so I made a couple of public lists of the books they recommend and their advanced reading.
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Dec 13, 2011 14:44
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I've kept a couple of those 1gal glass Whole Foods apple juice jugs - are there tips or something I need to know about shrinking recipes before going headlong into doing a couple 1gal batches?
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Dec 16, 2011 02:49
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Pretty sure I'll be getting a wort chiller soon. I've been looking around and found pretty decently priced Stainless Steel wort chillers. Is there a performance difference between copper and stainless steel? Am lessening my impact of the chiller with stainless steel?
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Dec 20, 2011 13:46
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^sniped whilst writing...^Ratbones posted:stick on thermometer Ratbones posted:Also, the kit came with C-brite cleaner, but would it be worth waiting and ordering some Starsan to replace it? Will I be okay just going ahead and using the C-brite? Protip on StarSan: buy a plastic spray bottle to create your StarSan sanitizer in. The 1L bottle I've got uses about 4 drops per use. I've been brewing a year now and have yet to run out.
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Dec 29, 2011 03:39
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tesilential posted:I also use a quart spray and I use well over 4 drops. I fill the measuring compartment a mm or 2 up so I pour a small stream into the bottle. gently caress if I know. I never fill the bottle up with water: toss in a few drops, blast water in till foam overflows, shake it to hell, spray a couple times in the sink to get "the good spray," and away I go. I almost always end up dumping a decent amount of left overs anyway. e: Join irc.synirc.net #beer for awesome beer chats as well as "Live help" on your next brew day. Jacobey000 fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Dec 29, 2011 |
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Dec 29, 2011 04:11
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First mini-mash today and missed my og by ten points. Fuuuucking hate trying to mash on the stove in a 5 gallon pot. Going back to speciality grain and extract. Saq made me feel bad about myself by using extract - well, ya gatta do what you gatta do.
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Jan 5, 2012 02:11
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internet celebrity posted:Sorry for being an idiot but what exactly is secondary fermentation if it isn't what I've done? You are pretty much just conditioning the beer when you rack it to "secondary." "Secondary fermentation" would be if you pitched more yeast (ie brett), added honey/fruit/etc when you move it to secondary. Not having any movement at all after racking to secondary and not adding anything in is pretty normal. e: 
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Jan 10, 2012 19:37
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I think that is very true. There a few breweries that I can use as an example. Finch's brewery in Chicago was started by a graphic artist who was looking to 'cash in' on the micro-brew craze - everything in there is shiny and new, I think everything save their bottling line is brand spanking new, down to the forklift. Lakefront brewery in Wisconsin will only bend over backwards to buy anything new, they're still using massive milk tanks from when they opened, the bottling line is out of one of the debunked breweries (iirc), hell - their brew house is all mechanical and in german still. Just because you buy shinny things doesn't exactly mean you aren't "as serious" as anyone else. I've got a 5gal pot, use a $5 bottle filler, do extract brewing still, but I still spend most of my waking hours reading about beer. Just because I don't have money to blow doesn't mean I'm not serious.
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Jan 11, 2012 16:01
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Corbet posted:Does anybody have any pics of their homebrew setup? My jam:  Yeah, it's pretty much one pot with couple buckets.
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Jan 14, 2012 04:38
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Plastic Jesus posted:Thinking of brewing an Imperial Blackberry Wit. I don't really like fruit beers, would someone who does be able to weigh in on the following? Add them to secondary.
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Jan 16, 2012 03:07
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Two part-er Should I replace these poppets?  Is this an infection in my braggot?  I used raw honey and added to fermentor right before pitching the yeast so I'm not shocked if yes.They are conditioning (2nd week in fermentor). The bubble move kinda 'scummy' when container is shifted. When can I bottle then? Should I give them extra time before conditioning them in the bottles? Need I add sugar when bottling even?
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Jan 17, 2012 17:55
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Noghri_ViR posted:Anyone done a IPL? (India Pale Lager) How do they taste? I've got some experimental yeast from Wyeast that I need to get through 6 generations worth of data and I'm having a hard time keeping the variety in my fridge with it. You could always be the first. What about a lagered porter?
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Jan 17, 2012 23:33
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Jacobey000 posted:Two part-er Quoting for a new page - want to know if i need to go to the homebrew store tomorrow for keg supplies
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Jan 18, 2012 02:44
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Hypnolobster posted:I've been tempted for quite a while to do a homebrewing miniseries on Youtube. I have good cameras, decent brewstand setup and I'm not I, too, would like to see goonbrew videos.
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Jan 20, 2012 12:46
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Zakath posted:In the process of cleaning my stuff for brew day tomorrow, my keg of porter ran out, so I cleaned that too. However, the tubing for the beer line is discolored, even after soaking it for an hour in hot water with oxiclean. It still has a smell as well. Should I ditch this tubing? Only used it once, does this sort of thing happen often? I had the same problem, I just kept at it and eventually it went away. I was made a keg of carbed water for my lady and the first 3oz of a pull would always taste like beer - i'd just poor a little, ditch, and fill the rest. It took a bit for it to stop. I'd soak it for an afternoon in hot water/oxy and then run cool water though for a bit.
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Jan 22, 2012 14:28
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Local Yokel posted:That's what I'm talking about. Sparkling water for a refreshing drink, tonic for mixing cocktails. I just don't know that I'd cruise through 5 gallons of tonic water. For flavor, I'd use more, but I steeped the rind from one lemon in a pot for ~15min and only really got a 'trace' of lemon. I had thought about squeezing the juice but did not. As for the water I used our cold as gently caress tap water (~45f), stuck it in the kegerator at 40psi for 2days. Brought it down to 20psi for a week or so, but then the carbonic acid started to get really 'punchy.' So then, I kicked the co2 to ~4psi to not add anymore and just dispense. If I were to do it again (likely) I'd go with at least three lemon rinds and one to juice - carb at 50psi for 48h and drop it down to ~4psi.
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Jan 23, 2012 14:04
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