re: Homebrewing: In-Process Thread

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From my experience with wood chips, you get a heavy dose of flavor at the very beginning and then it mellows out after some time.

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I may scratch the wood chips idea, or maybe only use .3 oz rather than .5 . I don't want to overdue it. The saison tastes great already.

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Do what you want. You will definitely get oak flavor in the beer with chips at that time frame. I'd add them and then check back in at 3-4 days to see what you're up against.

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Actually, this is a great idea. I believe i'll add them tomorrow night after work, and check in at 2 days and see how it's fairing, then another 2.

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I try to use Sierra Nevada bottles since they seem to be a bit heavier than other bottles. I've never actually weighed them but they do feel "heavier" to me

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You should get your hands on the Green Flash Rayon vert bottles. They're insanely heavy.

Question: I'm formulating a Honey Kolsch for 2 brews ahead. I have everything down except for the yeast.

In designing great beers, it said that highest amount of 2nd round NHBC used Wyeast 1007, German Ale Yeast. Here is the description for that yeast.

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robable origin: Dusseldorf, Germany
Beer Style: Alt beer, American style wheat beers
Commercial examples may include: St. Stan Alt, Schlosser Alt, Frankenheim Alt, and Pinkus Alt
Unique properties: This is a true top cropping yeast with low ester formation. This yeast's broad temperature range affects styles. It will ferment cold in the 55 F (13 C) range, producing lager characteristics including sulfur production. This style is noted for its dry, crisp characteristics. Fermentation at higher temperatures (70-75 F, 21-24 C) may produce some mild fruitiness. This is an extremely poor flocculating yeast; it generally remains significantly in suspension without treatment or filtration. Pad filtration is often difficult. Brewers benefit from DE filtration or centrifuging. Beers mature fairly rapidly, even when cold fermentation is used. There is low or no detectable diacetyl.

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I've also been looking at German Ale/Kolsch Yeast such as Wyeast Kolsch Ale 2565

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Probable origin: Cologne, Germany
Beer Styles: Kolsch, Fruit beers, Light pseudo lagers
Commercial examples may include: Kess, Paffgen, Muhlen
Unique properties: A true top cropping yeast similar to Alt strains, this yeast produces slightly more fruity/winey characteristics. Fruitiness increases when the temperature increases. There is low or no detectable diacetyl production. It also ferments well in the cold 55-60 F range (13-16 C). The yeast can be used to produce quick-conditioning pseudo-lager beers. Its poor flocculation requires either filtration or additional settling time to produce bright beers.

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and White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch Ale

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Originating from a small brewpub in Cologne, Germany, this yeast works well in Kölsch and Alt-style beers. It is also good for light beers like blondes and honey beers. It accentuates hop flavors, similar to WLP001 (California Ale). The slight sulfur produced during fermentation will disappear with age and leave a super clean, lager-like ale.

Attenuation: 72-78%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-69 F (18-20.5)
Does not ferment well less than 62 F (16.7 C), unless during active fermentation.
Alcohol Tolerance: 5-10%

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Both the WLP029 and Wyeast German ale describe sulfur smell when fermenting that will diminish with time. What kind of time frame are we talking here? Will it diminish at the fermenting stage, or at the bottling stage, and should i bottle condition longer than usual?

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In designing great beers, it said that highest amount of 2nd round NHBC used Wyeast 1007, German Ale Yeast. Here is the description for that yeast.

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I use Wyeast 2565 when brewing a Kolsch and always thought they turned out pretty well. Nice and clean with a slight hint of fruitiness.

When looking at those NHC numbers from Designing Great Beers you have to remember that it was written in like 1998.

The average brewer in 1998 didn't have near the access to quality ingredients and liquid yeast that we do today. They just brewed with whatever they could get their hands on.

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Not many available at the time.

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We have a member who won silver at NHC in 93 with an amber kolsch. People just didn't have access to that style of beer at the time.

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I've never lagered before so a few questions. For this yeast, i've read you need to start fermenting around 62 and slowly raise the temps to no higher then 68. Once primary ferm is done, do i then lager it in the mid to lower 50's?

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Sorry, when I say lager I mean cold age. Using lager yeast you want to ferment in the mid-low 50's, but then you "lager" at near freezing temps for 2 weeks to a few months. The cold aging clears the beer and everything kind of drops out of it.

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The cold aging clears the beer and everything kind of drops out of it.

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I got you. Cold age in the bottles or secondary?

Water Question: Do y'all add anything to your mash water? I typically use 5.2 ph stabilizer, and according to the brasseur website, we have a ph of 8.8, but pretty outstanding water, comparatively speaking, around the country.

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pH 8.8 
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 196 
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.33 
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.3 / 3.5 
ppm 
Sodium, Na         75 
Potassium, K      < 1 
Calcium, Ca       1 
Magnesium, Mg     < 1 
Total Hardness, CaCO3    3 
Nitrate, NO3-N      0.1 (SAFE) 
Sulfate, SO4-S       3 
Chloride, Cl       6 
Carbonate, CO3       21 
Bicarbonate, HCO3     145 
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 154

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Unless i was doing a pilsner or lager, I wouldn't consider adding to our water other than 5.2. I've read that acid malt is typically used for this type of application. Your thoughts?