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Weekly Homebrewing Thread - Waiting for BCS Edition
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:20 am
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:20 am
So I am bored at work so I figured I would start a homebrewing thread. Anyone brew over the weekend?
I brewed a slightly smoked robust porter. Only used 1 lb of smoked malt for a 13 lb grain bill, so I don't expect a lot of smoke. I have high expectations for this beer though. I made a small yeast starter the day before and fermentation exploded. Haven't had to use a blow off tube in my 6.5 gal carboys in a long time but this one was necessary.
At the same time my pops brewed an extract Maple Brown Ale, that is fermenting great as well. I think he was happy with the brew process. He is new at it and nothing went wrong, so that is a great day in my book. I was busy with my brew day so I didn't get to smell the beer when he put the maple syrup in, I was hoping to be able to witness that.
On Sunday I had the itch to brew a cider. I brewed a cider last year that was terrible for at least 6 months. The bottles are great now, but more like champagne than cider. So i went a different route and brewed a graff cider. I made a one gallon batch of beer with specialty grains (Special B and wheat) and about 2.5 lbs of LME and .5 oz of Saaz hops. I then mixed in 4 gallons of cider. I pitched S-05 yeast and it was fermenting well this morning. It tasted really good going into the fermenter so I am really interested in this method. Apparently you do not have to age this forever, it is ready and balanced within a month.
I brewed a slightly smoked robust porter. Only used 1 lb of smoked malt for a 13 lb grain bill, so I don't expect a lot of smoke. I have high expectations for this beer though. I made a small yeast starter the day before and fermentation exploded. Haven't had to use a blow off tube in my 6.5 gal carboys in a long time but this one was necessary.
At the same time my pops brewed an extract Maple Brown Ale, that is fermenting great as well. I think he was happy with the brew process. He is new at it and nothing went wrong, so that is a great day in my book. I was busy with my brew day so I didn't get to smell the beer when he put the maple syrup in, I was hoping to be able to witness that.
On Sunday I had the itch to brew a cider. I brewed a cider last year that was terrible for at least 6 months. The bottles are great now, but more like champagne than cider. So i went a different route and brewed a graff cider. I made a one gallon batch of beer with specialty grains (Special B and wheat) and about 2.5 lbs of LME and .5 oz of Saaz hops. I then mixed in 4 gallons of cider. I pitched S-05 yeast and it was fermenting well this morning. It tasted really good going into the fermenter so I am really interested in this method. Apparently you do not have to age this forever, it is ready and balanced within a month.
3
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:28 am to Fratastic423
My brew day will be this Saturday. I will be double pitching White Labs WLP500 with 13 pounds of grain and lots of sugar (2lb candi sugar). Im expecting it to just get up and walk out of my fermentation chamber.
This post was edited on 1/9/12 at 10:30 am
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:29 am to Fratastic423
just started homebrewing here
what advantages does the carboy have over a bucket for primary? from what i've read it doesn't matter and the carboy is a pain in the arse to clean
and when bottling, do you just dump all your sugar into a bottling bucket and bottle straight from there or add your sugar separately in each bottle?
what advantages does the carboy have over a bucket for primary? from what i've read it doesn't matter and the carboy is a pain in the arse to clean
and when bottling, do you just dump all your sugar into a bottling bucket and bottle straight from there or add your sugar separately in each bottle?
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:32 am to Cosmo
Well you can see what is going on for starters. Been a while since I have used a carboy or a bucket though. But the biggest advantage is that a plastic bucket can get scratched and allow bacteria into your fermentation area. Glass Carboy wont do that.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:35 am to Cosmo
quote:
what advantages does the carboy have over a bucket for primary? from what i've read it doesn't matter and the carboy is a pain in the arse to clean
I actually feel that carboys are easier to keep clean than buckets but that's JMO. The main differences between buckets and carboys are the design and material. Buckets are significantly liter than carboys (at least the glass ones) since they are plastic. However if you scratch the plastic you cannot expect it to be cleanable. Also i found that plastic may start to discolor. Granted that may take a while. The glass has its advantages though. I am able to see fermentation happening rather than relying on the airlock and bucket seal. Also glass cannot scratch so sanitizing the carboy is easier in my opinion.
quote:
and when bottling, do you just dump all your sugar into a bottling bucket and bottle straight from there or add your sugar separately in each bottle?
If you are using the packet of sugar that comes with the kit, i would recommend making a simple syrup and adding that to the bottom of the bottling bucket then adding the beer on top. Make sure that you mix it well. Adding sugar to the bottle would be virtually impossible to get the right amount. Now I have success with carbonation tabs that I just place in the bottle. Brewers on this board though seem to have terrible luck with them.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:38 am to Fratastic423
quote:
i would recommend making a simple syrup and adding that to the bottom of the bottling bucket then adding the beer on top. Make sure that you mix it well
i thought you didn't want to mix a lot at that point as oxygen can screw it up?
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:40 am to Cosmo
When you rack the beer into the bottling bucket you would have the racking hose at the bottom of the other bucket the flow of the liqud will stir it for you with currents it creates rather than allow oxygen to enter the mix.
This post was edited on 1/9/12 at 10:41 am
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:42 am to Cosmo
quote:
i thought you didn't want to mix a lot at that point as oxygen can screw it up?
Don't give it a good shake or anything but ensure that the syrup or sugar is evenly mixed through. You do not want long exposures to O2 after fermentation has started. A slight stir or during transfer really is not going to have that significant of an effect on the beer.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:55 am to Fratastic423
Brewing a simple extract amber ale in a bit, and racking #1 on the annual mead.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 10:56 am to Fratastic423
quote:
So i went a different route and brewed a graff cider
That's the way to do it. My recipe involves a mini-mash with 4 lbs. Munich and 1/2 lb. of Crytal 120 and .2-.3 oz of whatever hops I have in my freezer. Top up to 5 gallons with apple juice and use S-05. Ready to drink in a few weeks.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 11:00 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
That's the way to do it
Posted on 1/9/12 at 11:33 am to Fratastic423
I like this thread. I just started as well.
I have a Extract amber that I will be priming and bottling this friday. Next purchase is a proper boil tub and a way to cool it down faster than what I did. Used all the damn ice in the house and my wife was pissed we had no ice that night.
I have a Extract amber that I will be priming and bottling this friday. Next purchase is a proper boil tub and a way to cool it down faster than what I did. Used all the damn ice in the house and my wife was pissed we had no ice that night.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 11:36 am to McKinneyttu97
You can easily build a wort chiller. I just went to home depot and purchased some copper tubing and wrapped it around a bucket and used to tubing to put an outflow and inflow on it.
For about 90 dollars you can get a plate chiller that doesnt take up a lot of space and it would cool your wort down in about 5 minutes.
With extract though it shouldnt be too hard to get to temp though.. Much easier than AG brewing.
For about 90 dollars you can get a plate chiller that doesnt take up a lot of space and it would cool your wort down in about 5 minutes.
With extract though it shouldnt be too hard to get to temp though.. Much easier than AG brewing.
This post was edited on 1/9/12 at 11:38 am
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:04 pm to Catman88
Or go no-chill. That's what I've been doing for a while now and I'm a huge fan of it. If you're able to do full boils it's something to consider.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:06 pm to Catman88
quote:
You can easily build a wort chiller. I just went to home depot and purchased some copper tubing and wrapped it around a bucket and used to tubing to put an outflow and inflow on it.
I checked at Lowe's for copper tubing and everything and with the price they charge it was easier just to order one already built
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:07 pm to Catman88
i planned on keeping a couple gallons of cold water in the fridge and dump that in my wort in the fermenter to bring it down to temp quickly
won't that work?
won't that work?
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:11 pm to Cosmo
quote:
won't that work?
Yeah. I did that some when brewing extract and partial-mash. You'll get people say it's no good as there's a higher chance for infection, but in 20 some odd extract batches I never had a problem with it. Another thing I would do is fill a tupperware container with water and freeze it the day before. Cool the wort down to about 120 using the sink and then drop the ice block in.
This post was edited on 1/9/12 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:15 pm to BottomlandBrew
I have not tried it or looked much into it but I thought you still had to cool the wort down quickly before storage?
Posted on 1/9/12 at 12:32 pm to Catman88
If you use good sanitation techniques it would be fine, however you wouldn't get the cold protein break so the beer won't be as clear.
Posted on 1/9/12 at 1:06 pm to Fratastic423
quote:
I have not tried it or looked much into it but I thought you still had to cool the wort down quickly before storage?
I open the valve on my pot and let flow in to the container. No cooling necessary. I use this container to store the hot wort in.
quote:
If you use good sanitation techniques it would be fine, however you wouldn't get the cold protein break so the beer won't be as clear.
To be honest I have never really cared about beer clarity, and yet my beers are always relatively clear. A good cold crash before kegging and a couple weeks in the kegerator turn most beers clear. A good cold break never hurts, but for me it's not necessary.
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