Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[kaisersozei]

Im brewing a Centennial Blonde tonight in order to have on hand for the family at 4th of July. Perfect for the BudLight crowd, yet good enough for the microbrew crowd.
Here is the Very Easy & Simple extract recipe:

5.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 83.3 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 16.7 %
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (45 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (20 min) Hops 5.1 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (10 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

Been a long time since I used dry yeast, but Nottingham gives great results for a no/low-profile yeast. I think I'll be making a stop at my HBS this weekend! :tu

[BlackDog]

I recently brewed Midwest Supply's "Liberty Cream Ale" kit, and it would be another good one for folks who typically drink "Big 3" beers. Very similar to BA's recipe above, with a bit more hops. After a few weeks conditioning in the bottle it really tastes excellent. This is one I can see keeping around pretty regularly.

6 lbs Light LME
.5 lbs Carapils
1 oz Cascade - 60 mins
1 0z Cascade - 2 mins

SG: 1.042-1.046
FG: 1.010-1.012
IBUs ≈ 33.4

[BlackDog]

I'm just finishing up a batch of Best Bitter. I fiddled with a recipe I found on line. I want this to be an "authentic" Bitter. Here's the recipe I made:

3.3 lbs Light LME
3 lbs Munton & Fisson Light DME

Mini mash:
1 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Crystal 40
.5 lbs Oat Malt

1 oz Challenger - 60 mins
1 oz UK Fuggles - 20 mins
1 oz Kent Goldings - 5 mins

1/2 teaspoon Burton salts
1 Whirlflock tablet
Wyeast British II 1335

The calculator on BYO says this should clock in at 4.7% abv, 35 IBU's, and a color of 14.7 SRM. But I messed up somewhere, because the OG = 1.056. BYO's calculator says it should have had an OG of 1.049. So I'm either going to have a higher abv, or a sweeter beer. Any ideas where I might have gone wrong?

[BeerAdvocate]

Im in the middle of making some Bavarian Hefeweizen from AHS.
I love a good Hefe in the middle of summer!

[kenstogie]

Hefe's are great anytime but especially in ths summer.

Bottled my wheat stout and cracked open one after a day and it's developing nicely. Don't see much wheat body smmoothness more of a stout but good stuff.anyway Might have to do with the extra grains and DME I threw in because they were collecting "dust"

This is the batch that I had to re pitch. It started at 1.060 and ended at 1.018.after gettin stuck at 1.030 So if U do the calculations that makes it about 6 prcnt ABV and yielded 2 cases and a 6'r.
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[kenstogie]

http://media.lunch.com/d/d7/298883.jpg

[ashtonlady]

That is really neat. Thank you for posting it.

[kenstogie]

anything for the ladies ;)

[kenstogie]

Always looking for a good way to lug around my homebrews and had an empty banana box lying around. They fit 7 6-packs very neatly just have your friends save their 6pack holders. Not quite an entire batch but almost and thay're cheap and readily available too.
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[BeerAdvocate]

I brewed a Bells Two Hearted Ale clone, yesterday for Fathers Day.
Also kegged a Bavarian Hefe, should be ready to go for 4th of July!!!

[Mindflux]

This thread makes me sad. I sold all my home brew equipment last year in favor of family. :(

[kenstogie]

Always looking for a good way to lug around my homebrews and had an empty banana box lying around. They fit 7 6-packs very neatly just have your friends save their 6pack holders. Not quite an entire batch but almost and thay're cheap and readily available too.
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I would reinforce the bottome with some packing tape (the stuff with fiberglass fiber in it) or just hold the bottom when your carrying it. ;)

[BeerAdvocate]

Last night I racked a basic Blonde on a Hefe yeast cake.
I have never reused a yeast cake before, hopefully it will turn out good.
This morning it was bubbling away.

[kenstogie]

Wow, my Local B+M manager gave me his beer brewing kit. SWEET! Now I can brew even more beer!

[kaisersozei]

Last night I racked a basic Blonde on a Hefe yeast cake.
I have never reused a yeast cake before, hopefully it will turn out good.
This morning it was bubbling away.

Okay, hang on, I'm trying to understand what you did--did you just rack a new batch of wort onto the leftover yeast & trub sitting in the bottom of a fermenter? And it worked? That's genius!

I've been brewing for a lot of years, and I've salvaged/washed a lot of yeast--in fact, I have about 6 bottles of re-used California ale yeast sitting in my fridge, waiting to be pitched into something. But I've never just started a new batch off of a completely spent yeast cake. Sure would save me a lot of effort!

[kenstogie]

I heard of this, reusing/repitching yeast but...
How is this done?

[BeerAdvocate]

I heard of this, reusing/repitching yeast but...
How is this done?

Very simple!
You usually only want to do this if the next brew you are brewing is similar(in color) to the one that is done fermenting.
All you do is rack your beer to your keg or bottle like you normally do, then simply pour your wort in from your new beer you just brewed and shake like hell.
You dont have to worry about cleaning your carboy or sanitizing or anything.
And all the sediment and used hops still drop to the bottom.
You have to do this within 24hrs of racking your beer from the carboy. You cant let the yeast cake sit in there too long before you put the new wort in.
I currently have a Bells Two Hearted Ale clone in primary right now, that I used some WL California Ale yeast, the day that I keg it, I am going to brew a PaleAle and pitch it right on the Two Hearted Ale yeast cake.
I have been reading about this for awhile now and have always been scared to do it, but alot of people on Homebrewtalk.com do it.
Some people use the same yeast cake up to 3 times!
I want to start washing too, but if I am going to be brewing something that uses the same yeast that I just used previously, why not just rack it on top of that yeast cake!

[kenstogie]

Very simple!
You usually only want to do this if the next brew you are brewing is similar(in color) to the one that is done fermenting.
All you do is rack your beer to your keg or bottle like you normally do, then simply pour your wort in from your new beer you just brewed and shake like hell.
You dont have to worry about cleaning your carboy or sanitizing or anything.
And all the sediment and used hops still drop to the bottom.
You have to do this within 24hrs of racking your beer from the carboy. You cant let the yeast cake sit in there too long before you put the new wort in.
I currently have a Bells Two Hearted Ale clone in primary right now, that I used some WL California Ale yeast, the day that I keg it, I am going to brew a PaleAle and pitch it right on the Two Hearted Ale yeast cake.
I have been reading about this for awhile now and have always been scared to do it, but alot of people on Homebrewtalk.com do it.
Some people use the same yeast cake up to 3 times!
I want to start washing too, but if I am going to be brewing something that uses the same yeast that I just used previously, why not just rack it on top of that yeast cake!
That's pretty easy, Thanks!

[kaisersozei]

I want to start washing too, but if I am going to be brewing something that uses the same yeast that I just used previously, why not just rack it on top of that yeast cake!

Travis:

Here's the basic method that I use to harvest & wash yeast, I think Papazian has a write up in one of his books, too:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

The only difference is that I don't use mason jars to store my yeast, I use beer bottles topped with an airlock. They take up less room in the frig and I can keep them in a 6-pack holder. The advantage of this method is that the yeast goes dormant but stays fresh for up to...6?...months, I think. I've re-used yeast that was 12-18 months old before, it just takes the starter longer to get going.

[BlackDog]

I re-used yeast recently for the first time. I washed it and put it in a bomber-sized beer bottle, capped it with a bottle cap, and stored it in the refrigerator. I used it within a month. A couple days before I brewed I made a starter and put the yeast in to get it "rejuvenated" again.

I want to make a Belgian Trippel, and may make a batch of lower abv saison first, so I can use the entire yeast cake for the higher abv trippel.

[kenstogie]

How do you "wash" yeast. Isn't it just mixed up with the trub?

[WyGuy]

Just bottled my first home brew last weekend, it was from the Brewer's Best kit, German Oktoberfest, cracked open a bottle last night to test it out....not bad at all! Not sure what I plan on brewing next, any recommendations? I'll probably just stick with the Brewer's Best kits for now though.

[BlackDog]

FWIW, the Midwest Supply kits are excellent, and right here in the Twin Cities. I've done several of their extract kits with good success. I'm drinking their Ferocious - a Surly Furious clone - right now. The clone was made with the help of Todd Haug, the head brewer at Surly.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

[WyGuy]

I'll have to stop by the next time I'm up there, looks like they have some good stuff! Thanks for the link.

[BeerAdvocate]

I kegged a BlondeHefe and Bells Two Hearted Ale clone today. And also brewed a Pale Ale.
Im getting a nice pipeline going!

[St. Lou Stu]

Completed the new setup today!
http://picasaweb.google.com/timlael/Homebrew?feat=directlink

Next Sunday is the first brewday with it.

[BeerAdvocate]

Very nice setup! Congrats!

[Scimmia]

Completed the new setup today!
http://picasaweb.google.com/timlael/Homebrew?feat=directlink

Next Sunday is the first brewday with it.

Wow, talk about jumping in with both feet. What are you using for a MLT?

[St. Lou Stu]

Wow, talk about jumping in with both feet. What are you using for a MLT?

Thanks Travis and Doug!

I have a 54qt Igloo that I'm planning on converting soon.
For now, I'm sticking with extract/kits until I get that done.

Do you think the 54qt would be suitable for a MLT?

How about that 7.5 gallon pony for the HLT? Should I keep that or convert another 1/2 barrel? I have one sitting around.

[Scimmia]

Sorry, I guess when I see a setup like that, I just assume all grain. Not many people go that far for extract setups.

The 54 qt should be fine for 5 gallon batches, and even 10 gallon batches of most beers. I run a 52 qt Coleman Xtreme.

7.5 gallons at 1.25 qt/lb is enough strike water for 24 lb of grain, which is quite a bit. I usually mash thinner than that, but 7.5 gallons should cover you in most cases. A 1/2 barrel would simplify things, as you could just heat everything at once, though. I just use a 5 gallon pot and heat my strike water in two batches if I need to, and heat the sparge water during the mash rest.

[St. Lou Stu]

Sorry, I guess when I see a setup like that, I just assume all grain. Not many people go that far for extract setups.
Oh, All grain is coming, but I'm taking baby steps (big fat babies) and didn't want to make an extract setup only to have to make the AG setup later.

The 54 qt should be fine for 5 gallon batches, and even 10 gallon batches of most beers. I run a 52 qt Coleman Xtreme.
Good to know! Thanks.

7.5 gallons at 1.25 qt/lb is enough strike water for 24 lb of grain, which is quite a bit. I usually mash thinner than that, but 7.5 gallons should cover you in most cases. A 1/2 barrel would simplify things, as you could just heat everything at once, though. I just use a 5 gallon pot and heat my strike water in two batches if I need to, and heat the sparge water during the mash rest.
I'll just plan on making the 1/2bbl when I convert the cooler. I also want to make a nice stand and pump setup for when I do go all grain... for simplicity, ya know?:rolleyes:


Thanks Doug... I knew I could count on you for a few cents of know how!:tu

[Scimmia]

The 54 qt should be fine for 5 gallon batches, and even 10 gallon batches of most beers. I run a 52 qt Coleman Xtreme.
Good to know! Thanks.


I should probably specify, it's fine if you're batch sparging. For fly sparging, it could cause some issues with grain bed depth, and is tougher to deal with the shape.

Baby steps my ass. I've been brewing all grain for a while now and your setup is already fancier than mine. :banger

[St. Lou Stu]

Finally!!!!!!
I got a batch of Honey Wheat (1.0545 OG) in the primary, where it will finish.
I gotta have this done for shack... wish me luck!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=193874&id=656354560

[kaisersozei]

Brewed up an Imperial IPA yesterday at the inaugural CohiBrew!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13580&id=100000413197924&l=c52e59eb96

With more than 12 lbs of malt (specialty + extract,) I was surprised to hit the target OG perfectly = 1.082. IBUs calculated at 93. Pitched it with about a quart of British ale starter last night, and this morning had the most vigorous fermentation I've had in a long time. Had to replace the airlock with a blowoff tube all day. Finally settled down. Hopefully this will be a good one!

[kenstogie]

Thought this would be of interest here.....

Aged 9,000 Years, Ancient Beer Finally Hits Stores


Dogfish Head brewery is known for making exotic beer with ingredients like crystallized ginger or water from Antarctica, so it might not sound surprising that one of its recent creations is a brew flavored simply by grapes and flowers. It's not the recipe that makes this beer so special; it's where that recipe was found: a Neolithic burial site in China.

Chateau Jiahu is a time capsule from 7,000 B.C., but to hear Dogfish Head owner Sam Calagione talk about what beer was actually like back then, it's not the kind of thing that makes you say "Hey, pass me another ice-cold ancient ale!"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128587208&ps=cprs

[landhoney]

Thinking of brewing a Mojito IPA.

Basic IPA with lime zest, mint, and citrusy hops (Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade,etc.) added to the boil. Then maybe some dark rum soaked oak cubes added to secondary.

All the additions would be minor, so just a hint of mint and lime, and oak and rum. I bascially want a great IPA that suggests Mojito in the flavor.

Thoughts?

[kaisersozei]

Thinking of brewing a Mojito IPA.

Basic IPA with lime zest, mint, and citrusy hops (Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade,etc.) added to the boil. Then maybe some dark rum soaked oak cubes added to secondary.

All the additions would be minor, so just a hint of mint and lime, and oak and rum. I bascially want a great IPA that suggests Mojito in the flavor.

Thoughts?

Interesting idea...! :hm

I'm wondering if the lime zest would get overpowered by the hops? I'd probably stick to the citrusy hops for the boil, but go light on the aroma additions. I'd think you'd want some of the lime flavor to come through the beer--have you thought about maybe adding some Rose's lime juice to the secondary? It would ferment down and still preserve the flavor, maybe also "dry hop" with the lime zest & mint, too? For that matter, you could probably just add some lime extract to the bottling bucket.

I like the idea of rum soaked wood chips.

I'm just throwing out ideas, not sure how to make it work--very intriguing, though :tu

[landhoney]

maybe also "dry hop" with the lime zest & mint,

I think this is a great idea, and will likely do this. :tu Thanks for the input.

[JHinc]

Perhaps take a look into yeast cultures. There are many different types that can add some sort of flavour to your beer. Adding syrups can affect your foam stability.

Adding cestes with the boiling is more likely to have a lesser affect on the foam stability. Might give a bitter taste to the beer. Dont know during the yeasting, you might want to be carefull not to lower the ph during the fermantation to much cause this will have a negative effect on the yeast...

Sounds like an intresting plan tho keep us informed on what you did and how it turns out!

[Scimmia]

What post are you referring to, JHinc? I haven't seen any reference to syrup, and I'm not sure what cestes is. Either way, it would take quite a bit to lower the pH too much, brewers yeast likes an acidic environment; the yeast itself will lower the pH into the low 4s, or even high 3s.

Edit, to stay on topic, I have a Belgian Dark Strong in the fermenter. First shot at this style.

[BeerAdvocate]

Brewing a German Alt tonight. Should make a nice fall beer!

[JHinc]

What post are you referring to, JHinc? I haven't seen any reference to syrup, and I'm not sure what cestes is. Either way, it would take quite a bit to lower the pH too much, brewers yeast likes an acidic environment; the yeast itself will lower the pH into the low 4s, or even high 3s.

Edit, to stay on topic, I have a Belgian Dark Strong in the fermenter. First shot at this style.

Basically on yours with the diea of making a mojita IPA and kaisersozei's reply.

The syrup i mean is the Rose's lime juice mentioned by kaisersozei. Cestes are (not sure if it is the correct english word, im Dutch ) scrapings of the peel of a lemon.

I wouldent go down into the the high 3's for the yeasting part tho a steady drop from around 5 to around 4.2 is a much healthier enviroment for most yeast cultures.

What yeast are you planning on usng Bottom fermenting or top fermenting?

[Scimmia]

Ah, I guess I didn't realise that Rose's lime juice was a syrup, I was assuming it was juice. Shows how many mixed drinks I make, I guess.

The english word you're looking for is "zest". That's what landhoney originally talked about using.

Beer finishing in the high 3s pH isn't uncommon, but my point is that it would take a whole lot of zest to get enough citric acid to make the wort too acidic for the yeast.

Being that he's talking about an India Pale Ale, one can safely assume he's talking about an ale yeast, or top fermenting. With the citricy hops, it'll be more american style, so the default choice would be Fermentis US-05/Wyeast 1056/White WLP001. It's a relatively clean, neutral yeast.

[JHinc]

Ah, I guess I didn't realise that Rose's lime juice was a syrup, I was assuming it was juice. Shows how many mixed drinks I make, I guess.

Im not sure it is a syrup either i assumed so much.


Beer finishing in the high 3s pH isn't uncommon, but my point is that it would take a whole lot of zest to get enough citric acid to make the wort too acidic for the yeast.

Might not be uncommon but it cant be good influence on the end product.
Foam stability, protein binding ..

But then again it could easily be me thinking to pure, i mainly deal with pilseners and the standards we use for that.


Still sounds like an intresting brew!

[Scimmia]

Might not be uncommon but it cant be good influence on the end product.
Foam stability, protein binding ..

But then again it could easily be me thinking to pure, i mainly deal with pilseners and the standards we use for that.

Yeah, coming from a large brewery standpoint, I can understand. Lagers tend to be higher pH than ales. Hell, some of the sours will get down close to 3.0. I don't tend to think in large brewery terms, just the fact that you make such a clean product and make it so consistently is mind boggling.

[kaisersozei]

Racked the CohiBrew DIPA into the secondary last week, SG right at about 1.019 so it fermented down quite a bit.

Yesterday I brewed up my 2010 Christmas ale, this year going for a Belgian Specialty using Trappist yeast and adding some cinnamon, orange peel, cardamon and ginger. Have a question for the group on calculating OG. I plan on adding dark Belgian candy sugar to the primary a few days after fermentation begins. I'm trying to determine how much to use, based on the impact it will have on the starting gravity. From what I've read, the sugar has a gravity of 1.036 OG/lb/gal.

I measured OG this morning (without the sugar) at 1.060, a few points lower than target. Is it safe to say that 16 oz would bring that to 1.067 (1.036/5) and 8 oz to 1.064 (50% of 1.036/5)? This is in a 5 gallon batch.

[Scimmia]

Kaisersozei, assuming the 36 points potential is correct and that you have exactly 5 gallons in the fermenter, then yes, your math is correct.

[kaisersozei]

Great, thanks :tu

[St. Lou Stu]

Great, thanks :tu

Not a lot of information out there on exactly what sugars will do what from what I can see.

I did find this in an old thread on HBT...

1 pound of sugar will add .046 points per gallon.

so 1 pound will add .0092 points to a five gallon batch.
Formula:
(.046 * "lbs of sugar") / "batch size in gallons" = "total extra points per batch"

This question is still unanswered though:
"Does this apply for any kind of sugar or is this just white sugar? I know some folks use turbinado cane, corn sugar, honey, etc."


** EDIT** Beersmith is giving me .044-.048/lb. if I'm looking at that correctly (looks like .046 falls right in there)**

[Scimmia]

This question is still unanswered though:
"Does this apply for any kind of sugar or is this just white sugar? I know some folks use turbinado cane, corn sugar, honey, etc."


That is a very loaded question. Sucrose is easy, as it's pretty constant, but others are tougher. Even corn sugar (D-glucose) that gets used a lot in homebrewing can vary quite a bit as it's hygroscopic. The belgian candi sugar is inverted, I believe, so you're dealing with a combination of sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Any guesses how much water you're dealing with? I made some dark candi syrup, and knowing how much sucrose I started with, I was estimating around 37pppg, which ended up pretty close. That's higher than the sugar that kaisersozei's dealing with.:confused:

[kaisersozei]

Well, I got some good news this morning!

Two years ago I used a DFH 90m IPA clone recipe to brew a beer that came out more like DFH Burton Baton (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=580372&postcount=1002). After two years in the bottle, it was probably more like a barleywine than a DIPA but I thought the ABV was a bit off. I decided to enter it in this year's Dominion Cup (a pretty sizeable homebrew competition in Virginia that draws entries from all over.)

The results came out today and Asylum Imperial IPA placed second in the "IIPA, Barleywines, Old Ales" category!

http://dominioncup.jrhb.org/DomCupWinners2010.php

:wo :banger :wo

Should be getting the score sheets back this week, will be interested to see the judges' notes!

[landhoney]

The results came out today and Asylum Imperial IPA placed second in the "IIPA, Barleywines, Old Ales" category!


That's awesome, congrats!:tu

Brewed 10 gallons of Oktoberfest on Sunday, 5 gal regular and 5 gal with pumpkin (canned and baked) and spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg) for a fall/halloween/thanksgiving Pumpkin Beer.

This is my second batch of Oktoberfest this year for our Oktoberfest party at the end of October (figure this batch will be done at the end of the month, and then two months of lagering will be fine). The first one I brewed towards the end of April is awesome, and still a lot left for the party.

[BlackDog]

I'm just wrapping up brewing a hefeweizen.

6 lbs wheat LME
.5 lbs carapils
.5 lbs cara 20
1 oz Tettnaner 60 mins
1 oz Amarillo 15 mins
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephaner

IBU's = 30
SRM = 7
abv = 4.7%

I'll tell you in a few weeks how it turned out! :tu

[kaisersozei]

Bottled "CohiBrew" on Saturday, my latest DIPA recipe, and racked my Belgian Christmas Ale to the secondary yesterday. Added some Saaz hops, whole cloves & cinnamon, will get a little vanilla extract in a few weeks at bottling time. Tasted pretty darn good right out of the primary, so this one should be :al :tu

[BlackDog]

I've got some water warming up right now for a partial mash "big" vanilla porter I'm making. Drinking some Surly Cynic Ale and listening to the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

9 lbs gold LME
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb Chocolate
1 lb Brown Malt
.5 lb Aromatic
.5 Oat Malt
** 1.084 OG

1 oz Tettnanger 60 mins
.5 oz columbus 15 mins

Wyeast 1028 London Ale

The "Brew Your Own" calculator says this should come in at 1.028 FG, 8.1 abv, and 42 IBU's. I'll add some madagascar vanilla beans to the secondary.

[BlackDog]

My porter seems to be chugging away nicely tonight. The OG came in a bit high at 1.088. My temp went a little high when I did my mini-mash, so I think that caused my OG to run a little high as well. Hopefully it won't be too tannic.

[ODLS1]

20 gallons of Kentucky Common. I may or may not brew this weekend since all of them are still bubbling.

[Salvelinus]

Just harvested some inspiration to get a batch of homebrew going. Chinooks on the right, magnums on the left. I think it's IPA time :banger

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae250/NEKvt/DSC_0031.jpg

[BeerAdvocate]

Those look great. Nice job!!!

[ODLS1]

Nice! I can't wait to grow some.

[St. Lou Stu]

Dude, those pics made my mouth water.... no ****!

[landhoney]

Brewed a Christmas (spiced) Barleywine last night. :tu Hopefully is will be drinkable by Christmas.

[kaisersozei]

Well, I got some good news this morning!

Two years ago I used a DFH 90m IPA clone recipe to brew a beer that came out more like DFH Burton Baton (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=580372&postcount=1002). After two years in the bottle, it was probably more like a barleywine than a DIPA but I thought the ABV was a bit off. I decided to enter it in this year's Dominion Cup (a pretty sizeable homebrew competition in Virginia that draws entries from all over.)

The results came out today and Asylum Imperial IPA placed second in the "IIPA, Barleywines, Old Ales" category!

http://dominioncup.jrhb.org/DomCupWinners2010.php

Should be getting the score sheets back this week, will be interested to see the judges' notes!

I got the scores yesterday and I know everyone's been anxiously waiting this followup :D The principle judge on the panel for my beer was BJCP Master qualified and a professional brewer--which makes me :xxx his comments.

He loved it, scoring 46/50!

On flavor he said: "Great hop character, suspect burst hopping (which I did :tu) nice 'juicy' hop flavor. Good malt backbone, tail is hop flavor but not overly bitter, slight smoke note." His overall impression was "Awesome IPA, great hop profile, commercial quality brew, similar to Hopslam!"

:dance:

I'd be happy to share the recipe (partial mash) if anyone wants to try it out.

Gerard

[landhoney]

I'd be happy to share the recipe (partial mash) if anyone wants to try it out.


Let's hear it. :tu

[St. Lou Stu]

Yeast should be arriving tomorrow for Saturday Brewday.
My stab at a KBS Clone (Extract Style):

Amount-- Item-- Type-- % or IBU
12.00 lb-- LME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM)-- Extract-- 73.85 %
1.25 lb-- Oats, Malted (1.0 SRM)-- Grain-- 7.69 %
1.00 lb-- Special B Malt (180.0 SRM)-- Grain-- 6.15 %
0.50 lb-- Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)-- Grain-- 3.08 %
0.25 lb-- Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)-- Grain-- 1.54 %
0.25 lb-- Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)-- Grain-- 1.54 %
1.50 oz-- Chinook [10.90 %] (90 min)-- Hops-- 48.9 IBU
0.50 oz-- Challenger [7.00 %] (30 min)-- Hops-- 7.5 IBU
0.50 oz-- Challenger [7.00 %] (15 min)-- Hops-- 4.9 IBU
0.50 tsp-- Yeast Nutrient (Primary 10.0 days)-- Misc
0.75 oz-- Oak Chips (Secondary 14.0 days)-- Misc
1.00 items-- Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)-- Misc
2.00 oz-- Ground Coffee (Boil 0.0 min)-- Misc
3.00 oz-- Bittersweet Baker's Chocolate (Boil 10.0 min)-- Misc
1.00 lb-- Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM)-- Sugar-- 6.15 %
1 Pkgs-- Scottish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1728)-- Yeast-Ale

[St. Lou Stu]

The patient has been stabilized...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/THnAVMikh9I/AAAAAAAAQSM/8ERL9zjCYPw/s800/P1030026.JPG

[BeerAdvocate]

Brewing my Pumpkin beer today

[Salvelinus]

Love to hear the recipe Gerard

going to be brewing a pale ale twice tomorrow. One batch with the chinook another with the magnums. Have some Mt. Hoods from a pal I will use at the end of the boil. Trying to get a feel for what the different hop types add to the brew.

[landhoney]

Just ordered 4.5 lbs of hops last week, not all for one batch (obviously?;)), but I'm definitely brewing an IPA and a IIPA. :tu I like mostly late hop additions, more of the aroma and flavor versus bitterness. I also like seeing/tasting the evolution of the beer as the hop flavor/aroma fade over the weeks.

[Mikey202]

Dark and Stormy Night Irish Stout

[BeerAdvocate]

Samual Smith Oatmeal Stout clone and I added chocolate

[St. Lou Stu]

Racking the Imperial Stout to secondary (Bourbon/Oak aging) Friday and I will be brewing an American Light Lager for the wife. :rolleyes:

[landhoney]

English IPA is blowing off like crazy as we speak(type?). :tu Thames Valley yeast (which is supposedly Cigar City's 'house' strain), Millenium for bittering addition and the rest EKG for flavor and aroma additions (and will dry hope with EKG also).

[ODLS1]

Was going to brew a Belgian Dark Strong Ale but couldn't find any Trappist yeast around here. Ended up collaborating with the GF on a recipe and brewing - Spiced Sorghum Autumn Brown Ale. Kentucky Sweet Sorghum Syrup, Cinnamon Stick, Vanilla Bean, and Nutmeg. Smells awesome.

[landhoney]

Bottled more Oktoberfest, and my Pumpkin and Spice Steam Beer this weekend.

The 'Pumpkin Steam' as I call it is reaaaalllyyy good. Tasted it before bottling and realized it needed more spice (barely detectable). Also decided to add some lactose as it was pretty dry, the lactose increasing sweetness and creamy taste/mouthfeel which are obvious characteristics of pumpkin pie. So I added more spice and lacotse to the bottling bucket, and it tasted perfect. The spice was maybe a little strong, but it was not cold and carb'd, and the spice should settle down in a few weeks (when it's time to drink). :tu Pumpkin pie in a glass hopefully.

Brewed a standard hefe' as well, which is fermenting away on the cool side to minimize the banana (which wife does not enjoy).

[ODLS1]

Irish Red was brewed last weekend, Extra Stout brewing today.

[Killian]

Ive got a 2.5G experimental batch of Graf getting ready to go to secondary in a few days. I used Sterling and S-04. Should be interesting. I love a good cider in the fall.


(For those of you not familiar with HBT....Graf is a slightly hopped/malted cider.)

[BeerAdvocate]

Kegged my pumpkin ale last night and racked my Chocolate Oatmeal Stout to Secondary and added 1 whole split vanilla bean

[BlackDog]

I'm going to brew a nut brown ale this weekend. Here's the recipe I plan to use:


6 lbs pale LME
1 lb marris otter
.5 lb malted oats (I'm going to toast the oats in the oven to bring out their nuttiness.)
.5 lb brown malt
.5 lb pale chocolate malt
.5 lb crystal 40

1 oz Willamette 60 mins
1 oz Willamette 20 mins

Wyeast 1968

The BYO calulator says this should have an OG of 1.058, color of 26.5 srm, 27.5 ibu, and 5.2% abv.

[bigswol2]

I've got Peach wine in the secondary coming in at 11.6% A few more rackings and bulk aging to go.

[BeerAdvocate]

Im brewing a chocolate chili porter today. Made with chocolate, cayenne pepper and vanilla beans

[BlackDog]

I made a Belgian blonde ale this afternoon. I'll rack it onto raspberries and a split vanilla bean in a week or so. I hope to have it ready for Xmas. Should have probably made it a couple weeks ago to be sure, but I think it should be ready in time.

3.5 lbs light DME
3 lbs wheat DME
.5 lb flaked wheat
.5 lb crystal 10
.5 lb crystal 40
.25 lb caravienne
.25 lb table sugar
1.5 oz Willamette
Wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbier - 1 liter starter pitched at 66 degrees F.
5.5 gallon boil

OG 1.062, SRM 5, IBU = 17, planned FG = 1.014, planned ABV = 6.3%

[St. Lou Stu]

American Lager is still lagering away @35F.

Tech Support IIPA should be brewed up this weekend.
The name came to me after a pesky Oracle sales call a few weeks ago.

[kaisersozei]

I brewed up a DFH60 clone (parital mash) at yesterday's Brewherf, but I'm thinking this thing is going to be one all-powerful IPA. OG clocked in at 1.084 and fermentation started in about 6 hours--withOUT a starter! So we'll see what eventually happens here.

[St. Lou Stu]

Look what goodness showed up today!!!!
It's IIPA time!!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMYOfJJ8LhI/AAAAAAAAQXY/DJCjxqjrKcI/s800/P1030034.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMYOfRk5GwI/AAAAAAAAQXc/SIX-1cRa1KQ/s800/P1030037.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMYOf9jB2aI/AAAAAAAAQXg/-77ajnvThyM/s800/P1030038.JPG

[ODLS1]

I need to get an order in to them asap. Waiting on them to release the pellets. I got 6lbs last year. I'll probably do the same this year.

[Salvelinus]

Can we do a sanitizer roundup? What are you guys using.

I started with a powder called one-step but I hated the powder I got it all over the place. Last night I used some Star-san and the amount of foaming drove me nuts. I know you don't need to rinse it but I hate the idea of sanitizer in my beer. Took me 4x longer to rinse growlers than it took to fill them.

Bottled a magnum filled pale ale, brewing up a porter for winter shortly.

[SUOrangeGuy]

Anybody homebrew using the 5 gallon soda kegs? I have a minifridge I've been thinking of turning into a kegerator. I think that could be fun and I understand bottling to be tedious.

[St. Lou Stu]

Can we do a sanitizer roundup? What are you guys using.

I started with a powder called one-step but I hated the powder I got it all over the place. Last night I used some Star-san and the amount of foaming drove me nuts. I know you don't need to rinse it but I hate the idea of sanitizer in my beer. Took me 4x longer to rinse growlers than it took to fill them.

Bottled a magnum filled pale ale, brewing up a porter for winter shortly.

Star-san is some awesome stuff.
Don't worry about the foam. I will let the left over liquid drip out using a carboy drier (or just drip dry bottles) and the foam usually stays in the carboy or whatever. I then rack right onto it and let the beer push the foam out. Never had an off taste.

That said, I do get all of the liquid out. I've heard that yeasties actually like munching on the foam.

Star-san rocks. All I use.
Besides steam heat for clean bottle sanitization.

Edit - Rinsing is actually counter-productive.

[NickyTeen]

Anybody homebrew using the 5 gallon soda kegs? I have a minifridge I've been thinking of turning into a kegerator. I think that could be fun and I understand bottling to be tedious.

I converted a chest freezer to hold 4 corny kegs a Co2 bottle and reg and still have enough room for a case or so. I'm extremely busy so kegging was the way to go for me.

Currently in the fermentation chamber is a Belgian Quad, coffee chocolate stout and today brewed a red ale.

[BeerAdvocate]

Anybody homebrew using the 5 gallon soda kegs? I have a minifridge I've been thinking of turning into a kegerator. I think that could be fun and I understand bottling to be tedious.

I have two 5gallon soda kegs in this Sanyo minifridge that I converted.
What model of minifridge do you have? You have to be very careful, as some of them have the coolant lines running across the top. If you cut one of those, your fridge is ruined. There are a few tricks to find out where the coolant line runs. Let me know if you have any questions.

[BeerAdvocate]

Can we do a sanitizer roundup? What are you guys using.

I started with a powder called one-step but I hated the powder I got it all over the place. Last night I used some Star-san and the amount of foaming drove me nuts. I know you don't need to rinse it but I hate the idea of sanitizer in my beer. Took me 4x longer to rinse growlers than it took to fill them.

Bottled a magnum filled pale ale, brewing up a porter for winter shortly.

Star San is the only way to go. Tons of people use it with no complaints.
Dont Fear the Foam!

[kaisersozei]

I converted a chest freezer to hold 4 corny kegs a Co2 bottle and reg and still have enough room for a case or so. I'm extremely busy so kegging was the way to go for me.

Currently in the fermentation chamber is a Belgian Quad, coffee chocolate stout and today brewed a red ale.

This is exactly what I intend to do once I finish my garage/mancave renovation next month. Can't wait to keg! :noon

[kaisersozei]

Can we do a sanitizer roundup? What are you guys using.

I started with a powder called one-step but I hated the powder I got it all over the place. Last night I used some Star-san and the amount of foaming drove me nuts. I know you don't need to rinse it but I hate the idea of sanitizer in my beer. Took me 4x longer to rinse growlers than it took to fill them.

Bottled a magnum filled pale ale, brewing up a porter for winter shortly.

I use One-step without too many issues. Typically I make a big 4-5 gallon batch in my fermenting bucket, where I soak all my gear and then transfer it to the secondary. When that's done, I move it to a bucket where I soak any beer/wine bottles I've accumulated to remove labels.

It's a process.

[icantbejon]

I use One-step without too many issues. Typically I make a big 4-5 gallon batch in my fermenting bucket, where I soak all my gear and then transfer it to the secondary. When that's done, I move it to a bucket where I soak any beer/wine bottles I've accumulated to remove labels.

It's a process.

I forgot to delabel my last batch of bottles, so now my oktoberfest is sitting in a bunch of Sam Winter Lager bottles. I gotta remember to take off labels before bottling the winter ale.

[BeerAdvocate]

Brewing a Chocolate Pumpkin Porter - I hope it will be ready for Turkey Day

[SUOrangeGuy]

Its currently in storage so I'm gonna check when I get home for thanksgiving. Thanks for the pic.

[Salvelinus]

Thanks for the sanitizer info guys. Must not fear foam

[Tristan]

Man, this is a great thread! I've got a nice Kolsch and Chocolate Oatmeal Coffee Stout in the fermenter. I've got an Octoberfest, Dortmunder, German Pils, Wet Hop Pale Ale, Roggenbier and Munich Dunkel in the kegerator. Got to work on making some room for those beers in the fermenter!

Who's going to participate in "Teach a Friend How to Homebrew" day? It's November 6th. I'm thinking of doing a Black IPA or a Cream Ale. I've never done either of those before. Cheers!

[St. Lou Stu]

Today's progress towards tomorrow's brew session.

IIPA tomorrow... I'll use a portion of this:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMtujzDQRuI/AAAAAAAAQZ0/LaL_zC4hGPY/s800/P1030041.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMtuqHrFnRI/AAAAAAAAQZA/TORUb9rLN4I/s800/P1030044.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TMtusN7XuqI/AAAAAAAAQZI/mLi14SvLyMQ/s800/P1030045.JPG


Woot!! Hop Goodness!!:banger

[BlackDog]

Who's going to participate in "Teach a Friend How to Homebrew" day? It's November 6th.
I had no idea that Nov 6th is "Teach a Friend to Brew" day, but cooincidentally I'm having a couple guys over to make a nut brown ale and sample various beers. Sort of a "guy's day."

Last night I added 3 lbs of raspberries to my Belgian Blonde, and tomorrow or Sunday I'll bottle my Imperial Vanilla Bourbon Porter.

[St. Lou Stu]

Just got the IPA in the fermenter. It was a train wreck. It'll still probably be good, but not exactly what I wanted.

IPA - Primary
American Lager - Secondary (Lagering)

[Resipsa]

I need to start brewing again

[duckmanco]

Star San is the only way to go. Tons of people use it with no complaints.
Dont Fear the Foam!

+1 here as well, NEVER ever fear the foam and don't rinse, I read somewhere, probably homebrewtalk that the president of the company that makes star san stated the foam actually becomes yeast food when the beer is racked on to it. Also rinsing could possibly bring in more bugs than you might have just cleaned. Something to think about anyway. Go with the foam, let it be.

Anyhow, I got northern brewer's bourbon barrel porter in the secondary with 2 oz. of toasted American Oak soaking in a pint of Evan Williams Single Barrel that will go in on Tues and sit for another few weeks, then bottling.

After tomorrow, Northern Brewer's Three Hearted Ale kit will be in the fermentor waiting for a dry hop of 1oz. each of Centennial, Amarillo, and Citra.... I'm hoping it comes off really West Coast.

[Tristan]

Today's progress towards tomorrow's brew session.

Holy Crap Tim! What have you turned into? :banger

[duckmanco]

just put a Two Hearted ale clone (NB's Three Hearted) in the primary an hour ago, dry hopping on day 5 of primary fermentation. Whole house smells of Centennial hops and pale malt. :chr

[Tristan]

just put a Two Hearted ale clone (NB's Three Hearted) in the primary an hour ago, dry hopping on day 5 of primary fermentation. Whole house smells of Centennial hops and pale malt. :chr

Just my :2. You might want to wait to dry hop until primary fermentation is totally complete. I'd rack to a secondary and then dry hop; while raising the temp slightly. c02 will carry most of the aroma from dry hopping while fermentation is still active. Yeast are the enemy of aroma! I've tried dry hopping in the primary and didn't have good luck with that method.

[BeerAdvocate]

Just my :2. You might want to wait to dry hop until primary fermentation is totally complete. I'd rack to a secondary and then dry hop; while raising the temp slightly. c02 will carry most of the aroma from dry hopping while fermentation is still active. Yeast are the enemy of aroma! I've tried dry hopping in the primary and didn't have good luck with that method.

:tpd:

[BlackDog]

I had a pretty big brewing day today. I had a couple buddies over and we brewed a nut brown ale, and we bottled my Bourbon Vanilla Porter. It finished with a gravity of 1.020, so it's 8.5% abv. Tasted really nice. I added about 8 oz of bourbon that had been infused with 2 vanilla beans.


9 lbs gold LME
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb Chocolate
1 lb Brown Malt
.5 lb Aromatic
.5 Oat Malt
** 1.084 OG

1 oz Tettnanger 60 mins
.5 oz columbus 15 mins

Wyeast 1028 London Ale

The "Brew Your Own" calculator says this should come in at 1.028 FG, 8.1 abv, and 42 IBU's. I'll add some madagascar vanilla beans to the secondary.

[Salvelinus]

I'm going to give this recipe a shot this week Warren. Thanks!

[St. Lou Stu]

Fermenters are all empty now!
Bottled a Lager Saturday and an AIPA tonight.
Both tasted great un-carbonated. It's always a good sign when flat beer tastes good!

[St. Lou Stu]

Holy Crap Tim! What have you turned into? :banger

I had a great mentor!:r

[cricky101]

Just placed my order for this: http://www.groupon.com/deals/midwest-homebrewing for $42.


Figure it will be a better way to test the beer-brewing waters than some of the other options I've seen for similar prices (Mr Beer, etc ...)

[potlimit]

Just placed my order for this: http://www.groupon.com/deals/midwest-homebrewing for $42.


Figure it will be a better way to test the beer-brewing waters than some of the other options I've seen for similar prices (Mr Beer, etc ...)

Dang, that looks like a purdy good deal right thur.

[kaisersozei]

I couldn't see what equipment was included in that kit, Chris?

[St. Lou Stu]

I couldn't see what equipment was included in that kit, Chris?

Didn't momma tell ya that you'd go blind from that? ;)

Brewing Basics Equipment List:

• Instructional Homebrewing DVD
• 71 page instructional book
• 6.5 Gallon Fermenter and Lid
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot
• 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter)
• Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content)
• Bottle Brush
• Twin Lever Red Baron Bottle Capper
• Bottle Caps
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Bottle Filler
• Racking Tube with Bucket Clip
• Siphon Tubing
• Recipe kit (included). Choose between Irish Red Ale, Amber Ale and Irish Stout.

[kaisersozei]

Didn't momma tell ya that you'd go blind from that? ;)

Brewing Basics Equipment List:

• Instructional Homebrewing DVD
• 71 page instructional book
• 6.5 Gallon Fermenter and Lid
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot
• 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter)
• Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content)
• Bottle Brush
• Twin Lever Red Baron Bottle Capper
• Bottle Caps
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Bottle Filler
• Racking Tube with Bucket Clip
• Siphon Tubing
• Recipe kit (included). Choose between Irish Red Ale, Amber Ale and Irish Stout.

That IS a purty good deal right thur!


Tim, I wonder if I can get a braille LCD display?

[cricky101]

I couldn't see what equipment was included in that kit, Chris?

Sorry 'bout that. I wasn't thinking, but it would make sense that a deal-a-day link may change when the deal's over :o
I can't even find that list now Tim was nice enough to post, but did find a pic I attempted to post below.

I do have a question, though -- I can order it anytime through mid-May, and it comes with an ingredient kit (I can choose from three: a stout, an Irish red ale, or an autumn ale, I think).

I am going to save up bottles for a while, so should I wait to order everything until I'm ready to brew? Or will the ingredient kit be OK sitting around for a while?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/g/r/groupon_deal-2.jpg

[BeerAdvocate]

Hit up your friends for some bottles. Its going to take a little over a month for your beer to ferment then carb up, so you should have enough bottles in no time.
If you do want to wait to brew, just put the ingredient kit in the fridge

[cricky101]

Hit up your friends for some bottles. Its going to take a little over a month for your beer to ferment then carb up, so you should have enough bottles in no time.
If you do want to wait to brew, just put the ingredient kit in the fridge

Awesome. Thanks! I'll be able to collect more than enough bottles in a month:D

[BeerAdvocate]

It will be ok to leave your beer in Primary for up to 3 weeks

[St. Lou Stu]

Awesome. Thanks! I'll be able to collect more than enough bottles in a month:D

Also... give the local breweries a call.
Schlafly, here in STL, will allow you to come in and pick through their bad bottle bin. I am clueless as to why they are considered bad. You can walk out with cases and cases.

You'd be surprised how few bottles you can come up with by your own consumption and still hold down a job. :D
Figure you need 50-60 per batch, 3 weeks to carb. So... if you brew 3 weekends in a row, you'd need 180 bottles before you could crack any of the stuff you have bottled open. Once you get rolling (if you decide to stick with bottling rather than kegging) you'd have about 300 bottles on hand (empty or full) at any given time.

I love bottling!

[St. Lou Stu]

I brewed up a simple little Blonde Ale yesterday.
#10 2-Row (60 min. mash @154.5°F) (~80% eff., OG to boiler 1.054, fermenter 1.043)(7.33 gallons into kettle, 5.25 into fermenter)
5 drops fermcap @ start of boil
1oz Cascade 60 min.
.5oz Cascade 15 min
1 Whirlfloc tab @ 5 min.
1oz Cascade 2 min.
WLP007

[MarkinAZ]

I brewed up a simple little Blonde Ale yesterday...


Looks like that will turn out to be a nice Blonde Ale Tim:tu

[kaisersozei]

On Sunday I dry hopped "Winston's Lot" IIPA with Simcoe, Cascades & Willamette. :xxx Will probably bottle this weekend.

[BeerAdvocate]

Tonight I am brewing a clone of Deschutes Black Butte Porter

[ashtonlady]

Tonight I am brewing a clone of Deschutes Black Butte Porter

YUMMY:dr

[kaisersozei]

A smoked porter, boosted with Shiraz wine juice and spiced with juniper, black peppercorns, coriander & cucumbers, then aged in brandy barrels.

Not mine, but sounds interesting. It's from these guys, of course:

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blogfish/members/bryan/super-team-action-brew.htm

[BeerAdvocate]

A smoked porter, boosted with Shiraz wine juice and spiced with juniper, black peppercorns, coriander & cucumbers, then aged in brandy barrels.

Not mine, but sounds interesting. It's from these guys, of course:

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blogfish/members/bryan/super-team-action-brew.htm

You are making this or drinking it?
If you are homebrewing it, Im curious how you do the cucumbers???

[kaisersozei]

You are making this or drinking it?
If you are homebrewing it, Im curious how you do the cucumbers???

I think I may concoct a recipe like the one I linked. For the spice & cucumber blend, I think it's probably something that goes in the secondary? I'd think the cucumbers would have to be juiced.

[BeerAdvocate]

I would think you would have to use alot of cucumbers in a 5gallon batch in order to get much flavor out of them.
This is the funpart about brewing! Good luck!!!

[cricky101]

Hit up your friends for some bottles. Its going to take a little over a month for your beer to ferment then carb up, so you should have enough bottles in no time.
If you do want to wait to brew, just put the ingredient kit in the fridge

Just set up a time to meet a guy on Craig's List selling a bunch of label-free empties for $4/case - he said he's got 10 cases. Apparently he moved to kegging and doesn't need the bottles anymore.

[potlimit]

Well there it is... my first one. Wanted to take a sec to thank you guys for your input. I can almost guarantee you it's infected as there were multiple opportunities for that to happen, but I'm not really concerned about it. Just happy I got it under my belt and already thinking about the next one.

Again, thanks guys, much appreciated.

[kaisersozei]

Well there it is... my first one. Wanted to take a sec to thank you guys for your input. I can almost guarantee you it's infected as there were multiple opportunities for that to happen, but I'm not really concerned about it. Just happy I got it under my belt and already thinking about the next one.

Again, thanks guys, much appreciated.

Great job! I wouldn't worry too much about whether it's infected. Beer is pretty resilient, and as long as you were "passably clean," you'll probably be fine. :2

[St. Lou Stu]

Well there it is... my first one. Wanted to take a sec to thank you guys for your input. I can almost guarantee you it's infected as there were multiple opportunities for that to happen, but I'm not really concerned about it. Just happy I got it under my belt and already thinking about the next one.

Again, thanks guys, much appreciated.

Nice!!
You'll be fine. Especially with first time use equipment... it's hard to infect.
Is that the Brown Ale you talked about? Should be good for a Christmas drink!

[potlimit]

Nice!!
You'll be fine. Especially with first time use equipment... it's hard to infect.
Is that the Brown Ale you talked about? Should be good for a Christmas drink!

It sure is Tim! I think I'll be alright, I was pretty anal about sanitizing. Only problem I encountered resulted from the fact I couldn't find the lid to the pot and so some of the tin foil I had covering it in the ice bath plopped in a bit for a minute (but it was still around 125 degrees at that point anyway).

Already on Midwest's site trying to figure out what to brew next. And SERIOUSLY considering a wort chiller... it was excrutiating waiting for it to cool.

[BeerAdvocate]

It sure is Tim! I think I'll be alright, I was pretty anal about sanitizing. Only problem I encountered resulted from the fact I couldn't find the lid to the pot and so some of the tin foil I had covering it in the ice bath plopped in a bit for a minute (but it was still around 125 degrees at that point anyway).

Already on Midwest's site trying to figure out what to brew next. And SERIOUSLY considering a wort chiller... it was excrutiating waiting for it to cool.

The two best kits from Midwest that I have done are Hanks Hefe and the HopHead IPA.
I use mostly Austin Homebrew supply now. You cant beat their selection!

[MarkinAZ]

Already on Midwest's site trying to figure out what to brew next. And SERIOUSLY considering a wort chiller... it was excrutiating waiting for it to cool...

I hear you there Mason. When I would finish my boil, I would then transfer the pot into a large utility sink in the wash room and pack a couple of bags of ice around it. Then fill up the basin with some cold water. This would reduce the wait time down a bit prior to transferring into my 6 gallon glass fermenter.

When we moved to another house that didn't have a utility sink, I brought out my daughters wading pool, placed a couple of bricks in the bottom and filled with water. At the end of the boil, I would transfer the pot onto the bricks and then turn on the hose, causing circulation within the wading pool. 60 degree water circulating again brought down the temperature inside the pot.

A good wort chiller is key though:tu

[BeerAdvocate]

I brewed an Alaskan Amber clone last night

[BlackDog]

I work about 5 minutes from Midwest Supply, which can be dangerous. I've made several of their kits and have been pleased. If you like big IPA's you should try their Ferocious, which is a clone of Surly Furious, and was made with the help of Surly's head brewer, Todd Haug.

FWIW, I used to cool my wort in an ice bath (20 lbs ice) mixed with water softener salt. That brings the temp down below 32 degrees to help cool the wort faster.

I recently bought a wort chiller from these guys. As much as I like Midwest, I need to stretch my dollars like most people do these days. Even with shipping it was $15 cheaper than MW. I received it withiin a few days, got regular UPS shipment updates, and it's just great. I got the "basic" 3/8" 25' copper model. http://www.nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php

[BeerAdvocate]

Those are good prices, thanks!

[St. Lou Stu]

It sure is Tim! I think I'll be alright, I was pretty anal about sanitizing. Only problem I encountered resulted from the fact I couldn't find the lid to the pot and so some of the tin foil I had covering it in the ice bath plopped in a bit for a minute (but it was still around 125 degrees at that point anyway).

Already on Midwest's site trying to figure out what to brew next. And SERIOUSLY considering a wort chiller... it was excrutiating waiting for it to cool.

Cooling IS a PITA... you especially want to look into a chiller if you decide to make some IPA or AIPAs... cooling the wort quickly is critical in saving late hop addition aromas.

Glad everything worked out well. Cheers, heres to speeding head first down another slope!:noon

[potlimit]

I work about 5 minutes from Midwest Supply, which can be dangerous. I've made several of their kits and have been pleased. If you like big IPA's you should try their Ferocious, which is a clone of Surly Furious, and was made with the help of Surly's head brewer, Todd Haug.

FWIW, I used to cool my wort in an ice bath (20 lbs ice) mixed with water softener salt. That brings the temp down below 32 degrees to help cool the wort faster.

I recently bought a wort chiller from these guys. As much as I like Midwest, I need to stretch my dollars like most people do these days. Even with shipping it was $15 cheaper than MW. I received it withiin a few days, got regular UPS shipment updates, and it's just great. I got the "basic" 3/8" 25' copper model. http://www.nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php

LOL, thanks a lot Warren, how was I NOT supposed to order that once you put it up. Wort chiller: check. Next up, a new fermenter and kit.

[St. Lou Stu]

LOL, thanks a lot Warren, how was I NOT supposed to order that once you put it up. Wort chiller: check. Next up, a new fermenter and kit.

Quick word of advice on immersion chillers... moderate your flow through the chiller. Allow the cool water to work, don't just turn it on full bore.
I've always had much better/quicker results by running mine at about 1/4 throttle.

[BlackDog]

I racked over two beers to carboys tonight. First is a Belgian raspberry ale, and the second is a nut brown ale. The colors in the picture aren't so great. The raspeberry ale is quite red, and the nut brown isn't so dark. They both taste really good.

[potlimit]

Quick word of advice on immersion chillers... moderate your flow through the chiller. Allow the cool water to work, don't just turn it on full bore.
I've always had much better/quicker results by running mine at about 1/4 throttle.

Thanks Tim, good to know.

[kaisersozei]

Quick word of advice on immersion chillers... moderate your flow through the chiller. Allow the cool water to work, don't just turn it on full bore.
I've always had much better/quicker results by running mine at about 1/4 throttle.

Yea, but I like the way my outflow tube whips around the driveway when I have my spigot cranked all the way open :D

[BlackDog]

I felt like brewing today, but only had a smack pack of Wyeast 1968 London ESB that I hadn't made a starter with. So I used Mr. Malty's pitch calculator to back into the quantity that I could make of a 1.045 beer. Three gallons worked out about perfect. I used 3 lbs of golden light DME, and steeped a large handful of some grain that I lost the grain bill for, and don't remember what it is. For sure there is some oat malt and some dark crytal, and probably either chocolate or brown, or both, but I don't remember. I hopped it to 25 ibu's with Magnum and Willamette. It's cooling now, and I'll pitch the yeast when it gets down to about 62 degrees.

Who knows, maybe I'll invent something wonderful and have no idea how to reproduce it. That would be my luck. :r

[CasaDooley]

I racked over two beers to carboys tonight. First is a Belgian raspberry ale, and the second is a nut brown ale. The colors in the picture aren't so great. The raspberry ale is quite red, and the nut brown isn't so dark. They both taste really good.

That Belgian raspberry ale looks and sounds awesome Warren!:tu

[BlackDog]

I saw this on BA and wanted to pass it along.

*****************

Hops Poisonous to Dogs

I had no idea about this. An email got forwarded to me about a guy's dog who ate some hops during a homebrewing event and died that day.

I've never seen this discussed before, but thought I'd pass it on for the many dog owners out there.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/hops.html

Canine Toxin Alert-Hops:

As more people start to brew beer in their homes, veterinarians have seen an increase in cases of hops toxicity in dogs. Unfortunately, not much is known about this toxin, although one study as well as anecdotal evidence has confirmed that hops consumption, even in small amounts, can, in some dogs, cause malignant hyperthermia (severe, rapid overheating), panting, vomiting, abdominal pain and seizures followed by death. Some breeds and individuals seem to be particularly sensitive, including, most notably, Greyhounds and Labradors.

This is a severe condition that can cause death within a very short time period. There is no effective treatment available at this time, and it appears that only a couple of ounces of hops can kill a medium to large dog. Although not all dogs are predisposed to this condition, and may not be affected at all, home brewers should be aware of the possibility of poisoning and keep hops pellets and spent hops in sealed containers, high up and out of reach. Do not compost spent hops anywhere that a dog might have access to, as hops flavored with malt may be particularly attractive to dogs. By the time overheating begins and symptoms manifest, progression to death is rapid and untreatable. Be aware: hops can kill dogs quickly and painfully.

[cricky101]

Just finished putting my first ever home brew into the primary fermenter. Now, I wait. :banger

It's an Irish stout extract kit.

And I'm already planning what to make next :D

[Salvelinus]

Brewed a stove top all grain brown ale yesterday. Had the recipe with me when I went to school and somehow lost it between there and the home brew supply. Pulled together the basics but forgot the biscuit malt. I think it will still be ok. Bubbling away in primary now.

Homebrewing makes my wife happy in the winter because it gives me a reason to keep the house at 68 instead of my normal 60-65.

[Eleven]

My son asked for a Home Brew kit for Christmas, any pointers on where I should look?

[Salvelinus]

http://midwestsupplies.com/ or http://northernbrewer.com/ have homebrew kits, or better yet check out your local home brew supply. One suggestion I would make is to get a kit with a glass secondary.

[BeerAdvocate]

My son asked for a Home Brew kit for Christmas, any pointers on where I should look?

Midwest has the best prices. This is what I started out with
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit.html
I called them and for a little more money I upgraded the bucket to another glass carboy. I agree, that glass is the way to go!
And its nice to have two carboys, that way you can have two beers going at once!

[Mikes]

Midwest has the best prices. This is what I started out with
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit.html
I called them and for a little more money I upgraded the bucket to another glass carboy. I agree, that glass is the way to go!
And its nice to have two carboys, that way you can have two beers going at once!

Dont forget about Austin Homebrew supply


http://www.austinhomebrew.com/


Pukin Spice in the kegorator now with a Red IPA carbonating in the keezer ;o) Thinking of a Honkers Ale Clone next!

[hammondc]

Just reading through. Wifey-Claus is getting me a gift certificate for a homebrew shop here in SA and I am going to start brewing in 2011. Woooohooooo!!!! How many of you here do Extract vs MiniMash vs all grain?

[kaisersozei]

Sounds like a great gift, Chip! :al :tu

I'm about 50% extract (always with a specialty grain step,) and 50% partial-mash. Been doing that for years & years, and have been perfectly happy with the results! As soon as I finish renovating my garage/workspace, I'll make the jump to all grain.

[Zeuceone]

Frist brew is an English Brown Ale.bottling next week.

[cricky101]

Bottling my Irish stout this weekend. Hopefully I'll have part of a day on Sunday to myself after the Christmas rush to get it done.

Then it's on to a Bell's Three-Hearted clone.

[BeerAdvocate]

Last night a brewed a batch of Austin Homebrew supplies Green Belt Pale Ale with their special GreenBelt yeast. It has my two favorite hops Simcoe & Amarillo in it, so I am curious how much more the yeast brings them out.
I plan on washing this yeast a few times, so hopefully is a good one!

[awsmith4]

Matt (matt-n-ga) and My first batch, we made an Irish Stout and this picture was taken last night after we racked it to the secondary (did I get the lingo right?:D) Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/awsmith4/IMG00037-20101221-1953.jpg

We tasted a sample and it tasted like flat, warm stout so we took this as a good sign. We plan on bottling New Years Day.

[kaisersozei]

Matt (matt-n-ga) and My first batch, we made an Irish Stout and this picture was taken last night after we racked it to the secondary (did I get the lingo right?:D)

:tu

Lookin' good, brutha!

[St. Lou Stu]

Nice Albert!!
Enjoy!

[Salvelinus]

Grabbing stuff for a brown ale tomorrow.

Tonight I am soaking about 100 bottles that I have had in my basement for a while. I think stripping the labels off of bottles is possibly the worst part of brewing, but I can't stand drinking homebrew from a bottle with someone elses label on it.

[cricky101]

Got a Surly Furious extract clone from Midwest (called Ferocious) I'm going to try this weekend.

[Matt-N-Ga]

Hey Albert, I don't have the bottling pics, have you got them ? post em if you do.

We (awsmith4 and I) bottle our first brew on New Years Eve. It is now comfortably resting in the aging cellar (garage refridgerator)

[Steve]

Hey Albert, I don't have the bottling pics, have you got them ? post em if you do.

We (awsmith4 and I) bottle our first brew on New Years Eve. It is now comfortably resting in the aging cellar (garage refridgerator)

:tu:tu :dr

[kaisersozei]

Hey Albert, I don't have the bottling pics, have you got them ? post em if you do.

We (awsmith4 and I) bottle our first brew on New Years Eve. It is now comfortably resting in the aging cellar (garage refridgerator)

:chr :noon :chr

[St. Lou Stu]

I did a nice, tame little RIS on 02-JAN. :D

OG was 1.115 when I pitched.

I'm experimenting with White Labs WLP099 this time to see how it does.
Fermenting like a ***** right now at 59°F.
My calcs say this yeast is capable of taking it all the way down to 1.011!
It may end up being a 13.7% ABV monster if it does!

Everything looks excessive here... but I did a no-sparge mash and planned on 50% efficiency and only got 54%. My planning worked for once! I need to get a fly sparge setup.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 45.45 %
2.00 lb Special B (Dingemans) (147.5 SRM) Grain 9.09 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (Briess) (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 lb Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 lb Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0
SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2.27 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.27 %
60 min 2.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract
45 min 2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (45 min) Hops
35 min 1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (35 min) Hops
30 min 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops
15 min 2.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract
15 min 1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (15 min) Hops
15 min 1.00 lb Brown Sugar, Dark [Boil for 15 min] Sugar
15 min 1.00 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar
15 min 1.10 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
10 min 4.00 oz Bittersweet Baker's Chocolate (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
5 min 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops


**Edit.... that isn't the hop schedule I used though... :confused:
I also used 2.75oz of Challenger somewhere and reduced and swapped some of the others... that must be on my other 'puter.

[kaisersozei]

I did a nice, tame little RIS on 02-JAN. :D

OG was 1.115 when I pitched.

I'm experimenting with White Labs WLP099 this time to see how it does.
Fermenting like a ***** right now at 59°F.
My calcs say this yeast is capable of taking it all the way down to 1.011!
It may end up being a 13.7% ABV monster if it does!


:jd

Holy crap, that's a lot of specialty malt!

I've never used this yeast, interesting strain. Did you have to add any nutrients or do anything different when you pitched to avoid a stuck fermentation?

[St. Lou Stu]

:jd

Holy crap, that's a lot of specialty malt!

I've never used this yeast, interesting strain. Did you have to add any nutrients or do anything different when you pitched to avoid a stuck fermentation?

Yeah, I took the last competition note of "not malty enough" seriously.

I aerated like there was no tomorrow and added slightly more nutrient than I normally do.

I was worried at first (like I always do) 'cause it took a full 48 hours before any visible signs of fermentation arrived.
The White Labs site says to add wort in steps with the higher gravity coming after fermentation has begun, but I just pitched.
Hell, I didn't even make a starter. I do, however , have an inline aerator in my pump line that I use to transfer from the kettle to the carboy. It was a nice, frothy transfer.... looked yummy!:tu
I also aerated again after transfer.

I didn't even eff around with this one either... the blow off went on right away... and within 6 hours of visible fermentation it was using it!

[Springsman]

I haven't brewed in 10 years...but just recently came across all my stuff in the basement...I've got it all up into the kitchen now trying to sanitize it all...much to my wife's chagrin... ;) I've got some reading here to do it looks like 22 pages worth lol.

[ODLS1]

DIPA is about to go in the fermenter.

Then:

Black IIPA
IPA
Extra Stout
Irish Red
Witbier
Kentucky Common

Then a massive RIS. Then a bunch of sours/lambics. Plan to blend a Gueze in a few years. Going to replicate everything as close as possible. Oak dowels with a surface area to liquid volume ratio similar to what the big oak barrel fermenters are. I'm going to try different fermentations too. One will be cherries added for spontaneous fermentation. I'm pretty pumped. Too bad they won't be ready for a looong time.

Then a Belgian Dark Strong when it gets warmer, since I want to start at 68*F and ramp up to 84*F and then back down. Also an Imperial Smoked Porter and Saison at some point. Soooooo much to brew.


Also I just helped my girl friend brew a Belgian Golden Strong Ale that is bubbling away like crazy in my room. I'm kind of excited to try it. Used a tiny bit of late hop additions of Challenger and Centennial - not to style, but who gives a ****. Sounds good to us. Belgian Strong Ale yeast, trying to keep it at 70*F.

[BeerAdvocate]

I brewed a very hoppy Imperial Winter Ale last night

[hammondc]

Wooooooop! First brew is in process. just dropped my grain bag in @ 160*.

It is a English Brown Ale.

[Tristan]

Just did a Classic American Pilsner on Friday, a Schwartzbier the Monday before and a APA the Wednesday before that which is waiting for dry hops. Transfered my Cal Common from dry hop to the keg today and have a Helles Bock that is at the end of diacetyl rest to keg in the next few days.

I promised my wife I wouldn't brew again this month. :D

I love home brew!

[rack04]

5.25 gallons of Bavarian Hefeweizen.

[cricky101]

Surly Furious extract clone went into the fermenter on Saturday. Nearly a full-boil on the stove. Definitely need to look into a wort chiller if I'm going to keep boiling the larger volume of water ...

Unfortunately I didn't find out until after that going from the partial boil to full boil, I should have reduced the amount of bittering hops included in the kit, but hopefully it will be OK.

[rack04]

Surly Furious extract clone went into the fermenter on Saturday. Nearly a full-boil on the stove. Definitely need to look into a wort chiller if I'm going to keep boiling the larger volume of water ...

Unfortunately I didn't find out until after that going from the partial boil to full boil, I should have reduced the amount of bittering hops included in the kit, but hopefully it will be OK.

I just completed a wort chiller. I found 50' of 3/8" ACR cooper at the metal scrap yard for $27. I will be using a submersible pump to recirculate ice water. I'm working on a stir plate for my yeast starters.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a199/rack04/b8d0666e.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a199/rack04/42b4f83f.jpg

[awsmith4]

I just completed a wort chiller. I found 50' of 3/8" ACR cooper at the metal scrap yard for $27. I will be using a submersible pump to recirculate ice water. I'm working on a stir plate for my yeast starters.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a199/rack04/b8d0666e.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a199/rack04/42b4f83f.jpg

I need one of those, luckily (or unluckily depending how you look at it) it was 27* the first time Matt and I brewed so cooling down with the ice in a bucket took only like 30mins. While that was fine and all, I don't think that I'll only be brewing in the winter. Great idea to check the scrap yards, I have three or four near me that I'll call.

BTW I liked your post at HBT, I made many of the same observations after our first brew day.

[rack04]

I need one of those, luckily (or unluckily depending how you look at it) it was 27* the first time Matt and I brewed so cooling down with the ice in a bucket took only like 30mins. While that was fine and all, I don't think that I'll only be brewing in the winter. Great idea to check the scrap yards, I have three or four near me that I'll call.

BTW I liked your post at HBT, I made many of the same observations after our first brew day.

Since I posted about my observations I have had many more. Always learning and spending more money.

The 50' roll of 3/8" weighed 6 pounds and their price was $4.50/pound.

BTW, the reason I left the supply side a little longer was because I wanted to use the "slinky" like behavior of the coil to stir the wort while keeping the lid on reducing the chances of contamination. I'm still trying to find a good way to switch between hose fitting and recirculating pump since I don't want to be recirculating ice water when the wort temperature is still high.

[b0rderman]

I don't want to be recirculating ice water when the wort temperature is still high.

Level 1 Noob here.

Why is this? Wort can be cooled too rapidly? Cold break issues?

Thanks

Stefan

[rack04]

Level 1 Noob here.

Why is this? Wort can be cooled too rapidly? Cold break issues?

Thanks

Stefan

You're thinking too much. ;) My only reason is because I would have to purchase large amounts of ice.

[b0rderman]

Purchase wholesale? Crushed? Blocked? Cash? Credit?

[rack04]

Does anyone have a 9V-12V AC/DC wall power adapter laying around collecting dust? If so, I could really use it for a stir plate I'm building. I have looked high and low around my house and I can't find one that I'm not actually using.

[St. Lou Stu]

Does anyone have a 9V-12V AC/DC wall power adapter laying around collecting dust? If so, I could really use it for a stir plate I'm building. I have looked high and low around my house and I can't find one that I'm not actually using.

Sorry, but I had to chuckle here... You are now 'officially' assholes and elbows tumbling full speed down this slope! :tu

[rack04]

Sorry, but I had to chuckle here... You are now 'officially' assholes and elbows tumbling full speed down this slope! :tu

My wife isn't smiling. :sl :sh

[St. Lou Stu]

My wife isn't smiling. :sl :sh

If she's anything like mine (God Help You), I have some advice to keep her happy...
Wit Beer, Berliner Weisse, and Light Lager...
Yeah, difficult women demand difficult beer... go figure! :D

[BeerAdvocate]

Does anyone have a 9V-12V AC/DC wall power adapter laying around collecting dust? If so, I could really use it for a stir plate I'm building. I have looked high and low around my house and I can't find one that I'm not actually using.

I got you covered. PM Sent

[rack04]

If she's anything like mine (God Help You), I have some advice to keep her happy...
Wit Beer, Berliner Weisse, and Light Lager...
Yeah, difficult women demand difficult beer... go figure! :D

She's real excited about the Hefe that I'm brewing now.

[BlackDog]

I love the DIY wort chiller. Great job! I looked into buying copper to do it, but ended up buying THIS ONE (http://www.nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php?gclid=CMfoiaO31KYCFUS8KgodrDurIQ#c38 25), and am happy with it. It was basically the same price as the copper would have been at Home Depot.

[BlackDog]

I brewed a sour Robust Porter on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday night I boiled a gallon of water and then let it cool to 170. Then I added 4 oz of acidulated malt and a pound of light DME. Then I set it on top of the furnace and let it sit for 18 hours. On Sunday I did a regular extract/steep with the balance of the ingredients, and added the sour wort into the rest of the wort for the boil. If tasting the finished wort is any indicator, the souring process seems to have worked. It's bubbling away in the bucket now, and I'll be interested to see how this turns out. If I had more time before the warm weather arrives I think I would have added some Brett Brux for that horse blanket-y flavor, but I read where that takes about 6 months to develop. If this sour porter works I may try it with the Brett Brux in the spring for next fall/winter.

6 lbs amber LME
1 lb light DME
.5 lbs crystal 80
.5 lbs chocolate malt
.5 lbs special roast
.5 lbs brown malt
.25 lbs black patent
.25 lbs acidulated malt

.5 oz Yakima Warrior - 60 mins
1 oz Willamette 30 - mins
.5 oz Willamette - 10 mins

Lallemand Nottingham dry yeast

OG = 1.056
SRM = 31
IBU = 28
Plan FG = 1.014
Plan ABV = 5.8%

[rack04]

I love the DIY wort chiller. Great job! I looked into buying copper to do it, but ended up buying THIS ONE (http://www.nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php?gclid=CMfoiaO31KYCFUS8KgodrDurIQ#c38 25), and am happy with it. It was basically the same price as the copper would have been at Home Depot.

When I priced the copper at the big box stores it was higher than the price at NY Brew Supply. However, after finding the 50' roll at the metal scrap yard I have less than $50 invested for a recirculating system.

(50) 3/8" ACR Tubing $27
(1) Spring Bender Tool Set $9.48
(1) 1/2" FIP x 3/8" FIP Brass Reducing Coupling for Pump $4.37
(1) 3/8" Barb x 3/8" MIP Brass fitting for Pump $2.48
(4) #4 Adjustable Clamp $1.82
(2) Rubber Gromment $1.04
(10) 3/8" x 5/8" Braided Vinyl Tubing $0.00
(1) SmartPond DP560 560 GPM 14.3' Head Pond Pump $0.00

[cricky101]

I love the DIY wort chiller. Great job! I looked into buying copper to do it, but ended up buying THIS ONE (http://www.nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php?gclid=CMfoiaO31KYCFUS8KgodrDurIQ#c38 25), and am happy with it. It was basically the same price as the copper would have been at Home Depot.

I've been looking at getting a wort chiller, but have read that I can't attach it to my kitchen sink faucet because I have a sprayer installed with the fixture -- something about that makes it not work with the faucet .?.?.?

[rack04]

I've been looking at getting a wort chiller, but have read that I can't attach it to my kitchen sink faucet because I have a sprayer installed with the fixture -- something about that makes it not work with the faucet .?.?.?

I have the same type of faucet but I do my brewing outside. You can attach a barbed x female garden hose adapter to connect to a garden hose.

[kaisersozei]

I'm with Justin--all my brews are outside, and I have a cut off portion of hose (with the female end intact) clamped to the intake on my chiller. Easy enough to attach a garden hose & run the water through. Once I finish building out my brew garage, I'll have a laundry sink next to my 3-tier system.

[Mikes]

In the brew closet:

10 gal of sommersault clone in the fermenters.

In the Keezer:

(1) 5 gal keg of SamSmith Nut Brown
(2) 5 gal keg of Honekers ALe
(1) 5 gal keg of Red IPA

In the kegerator:
(1) 5 gal keg of Broken Arrow NBB
(1) 5 gal keg of SamSmith Nut Brown

So 30 gal of beer ready to drink/conditioning and 10 almost ready to keg ;o)

[Mikes]

Last night a brewed a batch of Austin Homebrew supplies Green Belt Pale Ale with their special GreenBelt yeast. It has my two favorite hops Simcoe & Amarillo in it, so I am curious how much more the yeast brings them out.
I plan on washing this yeast a few times, so hopefully is a good one!

I was in the store the other day and saw this...How did the kit turn out? You have any left?

Mikes

[cricky101]

I'm with Justin--all my brews are outside, and I have a cut off portion of hose (with the female end intact) clamped to the intake on my chiller. Easy enough to attach a garden hose & run the water through. Once I finish building out my brew garage, I'll have a laundry sink next to my 3-tier system.

I do have the propane burner and setup to brew outside, but haven't tried it yet. The problem for me brewing outside is that when I brewed my last batch on the stove this past weekend, it was -15F outside. (and I've got the water to my outside spigots turned off for the winter).

I'll have to take a closer look at my faucet and see what I can figure out ...

[rack04]

I do have the propane burner and setup to brew outside, but haven't tried it yet. The problem for me brewing outside is that when I brewed my last batch on the stove this past weekend, it was -15F outside. (and I've got the water to my outside spigots turned off for the winter).

I'll have to take a closer look at my faucet and see what I can figure out ...

What about just buying a cheap pump and setting up a recirculation system?

[rack04]

I was in the store the other day and saw this...How did the kit turn out? You have any left?

Mikes

Next time I'm in Austin I'll have to visit the store. Is it pretty nice? I'm brewing their Bavarian Hefeweizen.

[Mikes]

Next time I'm in Austin I'll have to visit the store. Is it pretty nice? I'm brewing their Bavarian Hefeweizen.

Ya it is HUGE compaired to the old location. I would say only a 1/4 of the warehouse is the store front with the other part being storage for all of the mail order biz that they do. Place is ALWAYS packed. I think you would like it....

[BeerAdvocate]

Im brewing my 1st Barleywine (American style) today. I will report back in a year to let you know how it turned out!

[kaisersozei]

It hit 50 degrees here yesterday, so I ventured out for my first brew session of 2011. I put together a "light American Ale" recipe to plan on sharing with friends & people from work who aren't much into craft beers.

3# Briess Pilsen Light DME
1# Rice Extract Syrup
8 oz 10L Crystal Malt
8 oz Malto-Dextrin

¾ oz Willamette (20 min)
¼ oz Willamette (10 min)
¼ oz Cascades (10 min)
¼ oz Hallertauer (flame out + 10 min)

Nottingham dry ale yeast

OG = 1.041, IBU = 13

I'm hoping the Nottingham will give it a lager-like quality. This will no doubt be the lightest beer I have ever brewed.

Drank some good homebrew & smoked a nice cigar while doing it :tu

[cricky101]

Picked up Northern Brewer's cream ale kit this morning and brewed it this afternoon. My girlfriend doesn't like dark or hoppy beers, and the guys at NB said this should be good. And, I'm sure I'll have one or two too :D

[kaisersozei]

I put together a "light American Ale" recipe to plan on sharing with friends & people from work who aren't much into craft beers.
.
<snip>
.
OG = 1.041, IBU = 13

I'm hoping the Nottingham will give it a lager-like quality. This will no doubt be the lightest beer I have ever brewed.



Primary fermentation started in less than 12 hours and finished in two days. Damn. :=: I've had good results previously with Nottingham, so I'm hoping it just quickly ate up the minimal sugars that were there and that it's not stuck. Won't find out until I rack it this weekend.

[Salvelinus]

Racked a sierra pale ale clone over to secondary on Sunday. I tasted the beer and it was very "fruity", probably esters. I hope this subsides a bit in secondary.

[kaisersozei]

Primary fermentation started in less than 12 hours and finished in two days. Damn. :=: I've had good results previously with Nottingham, so I'm hoping it just quickly ate up the minimal sugars that were there and that it's not stuck. Won't find out until I rack it this weekend.

Just racked it SG = 1.013, so I guess we're on track. Tasted like Budweiser. I know, I know, but it is kinda what I was going for.

I think I may use this for my boss's daughter's wedding brew. :tu

[St. Lou Stu]

I have a Imperial Stout that has been fermenting for 3-4 weeks now,,, Started at 1.115 and I measured it last weekend @ 1.060... still going though.
In the mean time I made this...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TUw5I0KpCzI/AAAAAAAAReo/jBs_qLm0VOI/s640/1000000034.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TUw43xvm_hI/AAAAAAAAReY/K2qhS60Cfos/s640/1000000037.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TUw47ojpXbI/AAAAAAAAReg/fi3Z2tNuVA8/s640/1000000036.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_5U7D5eivx-c/TUxs5gPVGZI/AAAAAAAARfU/bNx4GZoTTZg/s640/1000000038.JPG

[potlimit]

Wow Tim, awesome... looks like it works like a charm too.

[kaisersozei]

Wow Tim, awesome... looks like it works like a charm too.

Cool!


Now, what is it, and how do you use it? :D

[Zeuceone]

Wooooooop! First brew is in process. just dropped my grain bag in @ 160*.

It is a English Brown Ale.

have you sampled any yet?

[rack04]

Cool!


Now, what is it, and how do you use it? :D

It's a stir plate for yeast starters.

http://www.brewmorebeer.com/building-a-stir-plate-for-brewing/

[kaisersozei]

It's a stir plate for yeast starters.

http://www.brewmorebeer.com/building-a-stir-plate-for-brewing/

Interesting :hm For years I've just done the old manual labor version!



You kids these days and your newfangled toys.

[rack04]

This weekend I'll be brewing an Irish Red Ale. Hopefully I'll be able to sample my Bavarian Hefeweizen by then. It will be bottled 2 weeks on the scheduled brew day.

[cricky101]

Bottling my Surly Furious clone this weekend. Gonna try a hefeweizen next, but not sure when I'll get to it. Looking at the Paulaner Hefe clone from Austin Homebrew Supply.

[earnold25]

Started my first batch last week. An Irish stout. Fermentation has slowed considerably. Wondering when to start taking gravity readings. (tapping my foot impatiently)

[St. Lou Stu]

It's a stir plate for yeast starters.

http://www.brewmorebeer.com/building-a-stir-plate-for-brewing/

Interesting :hm For years I've just done the old manual labor version!



You kids these days and your newfangled toys.

Credit where credit is due... I was inspired by Justin's build.
I've put this off forever. Hell, I have a full electronics lab capable of building ANYTHING electronic right outside my office door.

My total cost... $0.
I'll look into the actual cost of the individual pieces and possibly build up a handful to a dozen more.
I expect that I can make these for $20-30 or less.
Stay tuned.
Time and motivation will be my limiting factors.

[St. Lou Stu]

Started my first batch last week. An Irish stout. Fermentation has slowed considerably. Wondering when to start taking gravity readings. (tapping my foot impatiently)

I usually wait 3 weeks before taking gravity readings now.
In my impatient times, I started measuring after 10 days.

[earnold25]

I usually wait 3 weeks before taking gravity readings now.
In my impatient times, I started measuring after 10 days.

Cool. One other thing in my OG was higher then the recipe stated it should be. (I'm guessing not enough water?). Do I need to adjust the FG to know when I'm done or use what the recipe states for that?

[St. Lou Stu]

Cool. One other thing in my OG was higher then the recipe stated it should be. (I'm guessing not enough water?). Do I need to adjust the FG to know when I'm done or use what the recipe states for that?

What was your starting gravity?
What yeast did you use?
What temperature have you been fermenting at?
Was this an extract batch? Did it have steeping grains?

Answer those and I can give you a target range for Final Gravity... and the method for figuring it out. :tu

[earnold25]

What was your starting gravity? 1.065 ( recipe said 1.046 - 1.050)
What yeast did you use? Wyeast Irish ale prop. ( on a starter)
What temperature have you been fermenting at? Around 68 - 70
Was this an extract batch? Did it have steeping grains? Yes and yes ( steeped at 150)

Answer those and I can give you a target range for Final Gravity... and the method for figuring it out. :tu

Thanks!

[Salvelinus]

I'm surprised at the three weeks wait time, that is pretty brew dependent right? I just bottled my SNPA clone after two weeks, one primary, one secondary and it was dead on for the expected final gravity (1.016 FG, 1.058 OG). I know I am impatient, but am I missing something?

[St. Lou Stu]

What was your starting gravity? 1.065 ( recipe said 1.046 - 1.050)
What yeast did you use? Wyeast Irish ale prop. ( on a starter)
What temperature have you been fermenting at? Around 68 - 70
Was this an extract batch? Did it have steeping grains? Yes and yes ( steeped at 150)

Answer those and I can give you a target range for Final Gravity... and the method for figuring it out. :tu

Thanks!

mkay, Wyeast 1084 will have 71-75% attenuation and all of your conditions look great for that yeast so you could expect a 1.019-1.016 final. I would lean towards the higher side of middle since it is extract with steeped grains. If you hadn't done a starter, I would say the high end.

Here's how I came up with that:
FG = -(((A%/100)(SG-1))-SG)

Note the negative symbol in front of the parens. it'll work without, but yield a negative number.

FG is the final gravity for a given starting gravity (SG) and a given attenuation (A%).
Yeast strain attenuations can be found on their respective manufacturer sites. I always plug in the high (75% in this case) and low (71%) to get the min/max and make judgments based off of conditions.

What did the recipe say final would be? 1.012-1.015?

[St. Lou Stu]

I'm surprised at the three weeks wait time, that is pretty brew dependent right? I just bottled my SNPA clone after two weeks, one primary, one secondary and it was dead on for the expected final gravity (1.016 FG, 1.058 OG). I know I am impatient, but am I missing something?
Nope, not missing anything. I just wait 3. Normal beers may be done at 10 days to two weeks, but the additional week wait isn't going to hurt anything.
I have a beer now that is going on 4-5 weeks fermenting... and it still isn't done... but it started stoopid high gravity.

[earnold25]

What did the recipe say final would be? 1.012-1.015?

close. 1.011-1.014 :)

thanks for the help. i'll keep ya posted :)

was i correct in assuming that the OG was off due to not enough water in the final wort? i.e. too much boiled off?

[St. Lou Stu]

close. 1.011-1.014 :)

thanks for the help. i'll keep ya posted :)

was i correct in assuming that the OG was off due to not enough water in the final wort? i.e. too much boiled off?

Funny, I rounded up and they truncated. My actual calcs were 1.0115 and 1.0145.

That is the most likely thing that coulda done it. Although, you woulda had to have lost quite a bit due to boil off to get that high. Cold break and trub in the sample can also give false high gravity readings. I always manage to screw up temperature factors on warm readings too (calculation error?).
If you run short again you can always add plain, boiled water to the wort to top off prior to fermentation and after the boil.
Regardless, it'll be fine.

[earnold25]

That is the most likely thing that coulda done it. Although, you woulda had to have lost quite a bit due to boil off to get that high. Cold break and trub in the sample can also give false high gravity readings. I always manage to screw up temperature factors on warm readings too (calculation error?).
If you run short again you can always add plain, boiled water to the wort to top off prior to fermentation and after the boil.
Regardless, it'll be fine.

gotcha. i did add some, but i wasn't sure how much liquid i was dealing with and didn't want to bring to total over 5 gallons.

[CasaDooley]

It's a stir plate for yeast starters.

http://www.brewmorebeer.com/building-a-stir-plate-for-brewing/

Heres another one I thought was cool.:D

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cigar-box-stir-plate-46130/

[kaisersozei]

gotcha. i did add some, but i wasn't sure how much liquid i was dealing with and didn't want to bring to total over 5 gallons.

I put gallon markings on the sides of my fermenter, so I can pretty much estimate how much wort I'm dealing with. I also do full boils, starting with about 6-7 gallons of wort. By the time I'm done, something under 6 gallons is usually in the primary and I'll eventually end up racking 5 into the bottling bucket.

As for gravity readings, I used to take a lot of them. But then I realized it was more of a pain in the ass than it was worth, so I just wait and eyeball fermentation activity at the airlock. I take three readings: O.G. before pitching, when I rack to the secondary, and F.G. after adding priming sugar to the bottling bucket. I've never had a stuck fermentation, so I suppose I'm lucky in that regard--it might make me change my technique.

[earnold25]

I put gallon markings on the sides of my fermenter, so I can pretty much estimate how much wort I'm dealing with. .

that's a great idea. i may have to steal it :) what'd you use to measure a gallon? I guess I could use the 1000mL flask i have but that'd take a while to fill.

[kaisersozei]

that's a great idea. i may have to steal it :) what'd you use to measure a gallon? I guess I could use the 1000mL flask i have but that'd take a while to fill.

A plastic gallon-sized water bottle, or a milk jug would work--I sometimes use spring water or distilled water in my brews and had one laying around. I just put some painters tape right below each gallon line as I filled, and numbered it on the tape. I had to shine a flashlight through the backside of the plastic fermenter, to make sure of the level.

Your homebrew shop might carry clear vinyl stickers that work well on glass carboys. I think they're numbered 1 - 6, with plain line sticker for half-gallon increments.

[rack04]

that's a great idea. i may have to steal it :) what'd you use to measure a gallon? I guess I could use the 1000mL flask i have but that'd take a while to fill.

I used weight to calibrate the volume in my fermenters. I wanted 1/4 gallon marks so I built an excel spreadsheet that calculates the weight of 1/4, 1/2, and 1 gallon of water based on the temperature of the water.

For example:

1/4 gallon of 60 degree F water will weigh 2 pounds 1.4 ounces
1/2 gallon of 60 degree F water will weigh 4 pounds 2.7 ounces
1 gallon of 60 degree F water will weigh 8 pounds 5.4 ounces

[awsmith4]

Guess I got lucky and the buckets that came with my kit had markings on the side. To fix our boil kettle measuring issue Matt and I just marked our mash paddle by scarring it with a knife.


Coffee question: I have a porter in primary and I'm going to add bourbon chips at secondary. If I wanted to add coffee should I add this at secondary as well? I have read that some folks actually brew the coffee and add it at bottling but I feel for some reason it would be better if fresh ground beans were added.

[kaisersozei]

Albert, I've done this three different ways

1. The first time was with a stout: I brewed an entire pot of Sulawesi coffee, cooled it, and added to the secondary. The result was bitter, oily and lacked head retention. It took years before that beer came around, fortunately it was high ABV. I still have 3 bottles left (from 1995...! :tu) The last time I had one, it was really good. After 15 years in the bottle, it's hard for me to open these--like that really expensive or rare cigar sitting in the back of your humi. One day.... ;)
2. The next two times were with a porter. Instead of hot brewing, I let some Sumatra coffee steep overnight in a French press. I added this at bottling and the result was much better than the first batch--good aroma & flavor, no problems with bitterness although I still had head problems. Maybe it's just a coffee thing, I dunno.
3. Last time, I cracked about 1/2 pound of whole beans inside a ziploc bag using a rolling pin, put them into a hop bag and dropped it into the secondary. Kinda like dry hopping with coffee. That did really well for aroma, but nothing really special in flavor. Probably have better results just mashing some roasted malt.

In any event, I would recommend sticking with a low-acidity coffee. Good luck!

[awsmith4]

Albert, I've done this three different ways

1. The first time was with a stout: I brewed an entire pot of Sulawesi coffee, cooled it, and added to the secondary. The result was bitter, oily and lacked head retention. It took years before that beer came around, fortunately it was high ABV. I still have 3 bottles left (from 1995...! :tu) The last time I had one, it was really good. After 15 years in the bottle, it's hard for me to open these--like that really expensive or rare cigar sitting in the back of your humi. One day.... ;)
2. The next two times were with a porter. Instead of hot brewing, I let some Sumatra coffee steep overnight in a French press. I added this at bottling and the result was much better than the first batch--good aroma & flavor, no problems with bitterness although I still had head problems. Maybe it's just a coffee thing, I dunno.
3. Last time, I cracked about 1/2 pound of whole beans inside a ziploc bag using a rolling pin, put them into a hop bag and dropped it into the secondary. Kinda like dry hopping with coffee. That did really well for aroma, but nothing really special in flavor. Probably have better results just mashing some roasted malt.

In any event, I would recommend sticking with a low-acidity coffee. Good luck!

Maybe I'll try a combination of 2 and 3 for extra aroma :hm

Thanks Gerard

[Salvelinus]

Lack of head retention was probably due to the oils in the coffee. I have read that using oats will soak up oil and maintain head. Is most of the coffee flavor in the oils? Soaking them up might be a problem if it is.

[St. Lou Stu]

I used yet another method for coffee in my Imperial stouts:

I cold pressed coffee and added it at flame out and it sat through the primary and secondary stages. No coffee aroma due to primary fermentation results, but decent subtle flavor.

[devkat]

I went a bit mad last weekend...
Creme Brulee Milk Stout
Flanders Brown
And
Nut brown ale with rum.

60 liters all up, exhausting but I can't wait to keg them all!!

[b0rderman]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5439711347_76e811f2b0.jpg

well I can finally post in here...first batch ever...went for a mini-mash right off the bat...5.5lbs grain bill + 3lbs LME. It was a lot of fun, deathbrewer's mini-mash technique worked like a charm and my mash only lost 2ºF over the course of an hour.

I'm hooked...can't wait to get this one out of primary and have another go!

[kaisersozei]

It was a lot of fun, deathbrewer's mini-mash technique worked like a charm and my mash only lost 2ºF over the course of an hour.

I'm hooked...can't wait to get this one out of primary and have another go!

Lookin' good, Stefan! :tu

Today I'm going for my Hopslam clone, using yeast I cultured from the bottle newcigarz bombed me:

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii88/kaisersozei/Beer/HopslamYeast.jpg

It's a partial mash, too, so I better get started!

[Salvelinus]

Bottled a Sierra Nevada Pale clone 9 days ago. This morning I was walking up the stairs past the rubbermaid tote I keep my filled bottles in and all of the sudden I want a beer. Open the top and there is a shattered growler. I've bottled my last two batches with unrefined raw sugar to get a little molasses flavor. First batch was undercarbonated so I added a 1/4 cup more. Guess that was too much. I cracked all the growlers to let some pressure out. Hopefully that saves the rest of the beer.

[cricky101]

Bottled a Surly Furious clone yesterday morning. It smelled really good. It looked a little cloudy racking into the bottling bucket, but hopefully it tastes as good as it smells.

I think the next brew will be a hefeweizen. I really like Paulaner hefe, so may need to shoot for something similar.

[kaisersozei]

Got the Hopslam clone in the fermenter yesterday around 6, and pitched the yeast starter. Already had airlock activity this morning, and it smelled pretty good :noon Here's what I'm going with:

6# LME
3# 2-row pale malt, U.S.
1# 40L crystal
8oz Cara-Pils
4oz Aromatic
4oz Honey malt
8oz malto-dextrine
24oz clover honey

Did a multirest mash on the grains (110/30min-140/20min-158/40min), and hit a gravity of 1.036, a bit higher than expected. I'll add the clover honey either to the primary after 3 days, or in the secondary.

Hop schedule:

Centennial 1/2 oz at 55min & 20min
Citra 1/2 oz at 45min & 10min
Simcoe 1/2 oz at 30min & 15min
Amarillo 1/2 oz at 5min

Will dry hop with 1/2oz Amarillo + 1.5oz Simcoe. IBUs = 72, which is in the ballpark for what Bell's reports is in Hopslam. They say that they use high-alpha US strains, and I figured they used a burst technique so hopefully I got it close. Except for the Amarillo, all the hops are 11-13% AA. It smelled and tasted great out of the kettle, so I think I'll be happy even if it's not a match!

OG = 1.076 without the honey, which is on target exactly for 1.087.

Fingers crossed that it goes well. I thought about splitting the batch and pitching half with WLP1 California ale, but I didn't. No guts no glory.

[rack04]

My next project is building a cooler mash tun and hopefully upgrading to a 10 gallon brew kettle. If/when I get a new brew kettle I will probably install a weldless bulkhead with valve to drain the wort.

[BlackDog]

It doesn't look like much now, but in a few months (with a little luck) this will be the beer we serve at my daughter's wedding. It's a Belgian Golden Ale. I used Wyeast's Trappist Blend, which includes Brettanomyces. This is my first time brewing with belgian funk. This should come out along the lines of Orval, which is liquid beauty in a bottle. I'm going to call it "Wedding Bells Belgian Ale."

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh29/blackdog1101/WeddingBell-gianAle.jpg

[St. Lou Stu]

My crazy ass RIS is almost ready for secondary. I'll move it next weekend.
I brewed it on 01/02/2011 and it weighed in at 1.121. I added an additional pound of honey after fermentation hit full bore.
Yesterday I took another SG reading and it is sitting at 1.035.
I'm going to secondary it for 3 months before bottling and letting it condition until Christmas.

I hope it turns out. :p

[b0rderman]

Whipped together my second batch yesterday, I did a partial mash version of this recipe from HBT:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f73/belgian-trippel-2006-world-beer-cup-gold-medal-dragonmead-final-absolution-clone-137219/

Hit 1.087 OG...did a 24hr starter and 9 hours after pitch this thing was crankin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkRBs3MF4I

That's probably 95% sanitizer...just some golden goodness burped down the tube into it.

[St. Lou Stu]

Whipped together my second batch yesterday, I did a partial mash version of this recipe from HBT:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f73/belgian-trippel-2006-world-beer-cup-gold-medal-dragonmead-final-absolution-clone-137219/

Hit 1.087 OG...did a 24hr starter and 9 hours after pitch this thing was crankin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkRBs3MF4I

That's probably 95% sanitizer...just some golden goodness burped down the tube into it.

Did you use the WLP 500?
This yeast sounds pretty damned interesting.
Let us know how this turns out please.