re: Homebrewing: In-Process Thread

Ok, I was to find the black currants. Those little bastards are expensive, $17 a pound..

I'll probably try the distillers trick for 'wood aging' spirits to infuse some red wine character in french oak cubes to replace the wine barrel chunks.

ETA: Russian River uses 'Zante currants from the Black Corinth Grape' and not actual black currants.

Difference in price between the two is about $12 a pound.

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How long did that clone take y'all?

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~6 months? I don't know it's been a long time.


Just a heads up though is to make sure to re-hydrate the wine yeast that comes with it for bottle conditioning. We cork/caged the bottles only to find all of the dry yeast leftover in the bottom of the bottling bucket.

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Did enough yeast make it into the bottles to carbonate the beer?

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Lightly. I haven't gotten into one in a few months though.

We cracked open a kriek that we brewed I want to say...? 2 years ago now and that bottle was completely flat yet others we've had weren't.

SO... I'd say that I don't quite have the whole sour/buggy bottle conditioning thing down quite yet.

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Why kind of corker did you guys use?

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We borrowed one for our Kriek and Frat and I borrowed a different one for our Consecration clone.

Considering my success with them so far I doubt I'll be buying one anytime soon.

I want to say that one of them looked like this and it worked fairly easily.



The other one was this and it worked OK but I think the metal one seemed easier.

since the recipe thread died, figured I'd put this here, my first stab at all-grain, making a pale ale very similar to my extract pale ale I like so much:

Single Hop Pale Ale
7 gallon batch size
Est Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.7 %
Bitterness: 44.7 IBUs
Est Color: 4.6 SRM

7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 47.5 %
7 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 47.5 %
12.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) 5.1 %
0.75 oz Calypso [13.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min 30.8 IBUs
0.75 oz Calypso [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min 13.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Calypso [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35.49 ml] Yeast
2.50 oz Calypso [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Days

may also take the opportunity to make a yeast starter for the first time, but I don't have a stir plate. Looking for a quick turnaround here to fill a second keg

Recipe calls for a primary fermentation with Abbey Ale II

After primary fermentation is complete, rack beer onto dried cherries, pitch brett, and leave for 2 months.

Pitch Wyeast Roeselare or White Labs Belgian Sour Mix, and leave 3 months or until beer reaches desired level of sourness.

Id say Wyeast Brux Trois or Wueast Brett lambicus. I'd stay away from both wyeast and white labs vanilla brux. That's the Orval funk.

Does anyone have any links to those fancy hop charts? I'm planning an IPA and it's been a long time sonce I've done a regular IPA. I don't know all the newer, hipper high-AA hop varieties.

LINK