re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

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I saw you mention previously that you used the liquid out post to fill your keg and reduce oxidation. How did you do that? Do you have pics of the setup?

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I don't have pics of my setup, but it was pretty simple.

I take a sterile siphon starter pictured below (you could probably use a standard transfer wand, but i like this one).



Attach your tubing like you normally do, but instead of dropping the tube in the keg, you connect the tube to your swivel nut that screws onto the liquid disconnect.

Swivel Nut


Liquid Disconnect


Just make sure you have your correct diameter hoses. When i was doing this, i first purged my empty keg and put a blanket of CO2 in the fermenter. Then i allowed a small amount of CO2 in the keg. Too much, and you overpressurize resulting in a stalled transfer. Occasionally i would see the beer slow down, so i would open the relief valve on the keg lid. Towards the end, as i was picking up more trub, i had the relief valve open the entire time. Remember, as the liquid level increases in your keg, the CO2 has nowhere to go but back up through the transfer tube, that's why you need to periodically open up the relief valve on the keg lid.

Pressure relief valve in center

Thanks. So you just use gravity really? That seems simple enough.

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I thought co2 was heavier than o2? Also if it gets oxidized when I open the lid it's surely going to get oxidized when I rack it to the bottling bucket. Also, it's not my equipment and not at my house. It being my first brew I don't feel like it's my place to tell the guy how to avoid oxidizing a beer. Being a first time backseat Brewer didn't seem like the best way to make friends and influence people. I'm open to suggestions on how to hop without oxidizing though

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I was just being a smartass.

But yes, if you're bottling, this beer will get oxidized using a bottling bucket. I would plan to drink these as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about it in that case, and this style is very prone to showing the effects of oxidation.

Doing the oxygen free transfer as described above (pushing from the carboy to a purged keg with CO2) is what I do. Even then, it's not truly oxygen free (gotta get the racking cane in the carboy somehow).

But I would definitely take steps to not expose your beer to the air very long. Have those hops measured out and ready to dump in and seal it back up when you add your next round of dry hops.

Question for the board.

I am brewing a NEIPA today. I have the following hops on hand:
8 oz Sabro
4 oz Medusa
4 oz El Dorado

Should I use the entire pound in a 5 gallon batch? Is that too much? I'm worried the beer might get grassy.

I am planning to use 2 oz Sabro, 1 oz Medusa and 1 oz El Dorado in the whirlpool. What should my dry hopping schedule look like?

Bug, I just tasted a sample of my first long aged sour that was an extra gallon of Imperial Wit wort I had from November. I pitched Brett Clausenii and a bit of some GoodBelly Lacto Plantarum after about 2-3 weeks sitting on the Brett.

HOLY shite. It’s insane. It’s down to 1.010 and tastes like the most moderate level of Brett at the perfect level of acidity. Overripe tropical fruit funk with a moderate tartness. I’m so stoked!

Point being, I am humbly requesting we set up a time where you can come me help me bottle this because I am a sour noob and haven’t bottled significantly in almost 2 years. The more recent brews I’ve pulled a gallon off for bottling have turned out under/overcarbed and I don’t want to mess this one up.

There will be some calculations with how much more the Brett can eat through after 1.010 and how much I can prime it in order to not overcarb and imo ruin the beer.

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Bug, I just tasted a sample of my first long aged sour that was an extra gallon of Imperial Wit wort I had from November. I pitched Brett Clausenii and a bit of some GoodBelly Lacto Plantarum after about 2-3 weeks sitting on the Brett.

HOLY shite. It’s insane. It’s down to 1.010 and tastes like the most moderate level of Brett at the perfect level of acidity. Overripe tropical fruit funk with a moderate tartness. I’m so stoked!

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Nice! I've never used carton'd probiotics for my sours, but i hear they work great.

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Point being, I am humbly requesting we set up a time where you can come me help me bottle this because I am a sour noob and haven’t bottled significantly in almost 2 years. The more recent brews I’ve pulled a gallon off for bottling have turned out under/overcarbed and I don’t want to mess this one up.

There will be some calculations with how much more the Brett can eat through after 1.010 and how much I can prime it in order to not overcarb and imo ruin the beer.

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A few questions:

1) How long has it been in the fermenter?
2) What are you fermenting in?
3) What's your OG/FG?
4) Do you have CO2 setup/ Kegerator?
5) Do you have the right bottles? If not, i have more than enough belgian type bottles.
6) Do you want to bottle with Brett or Champagne/wine yeast? Or do you want to store it long term and naturally carbonate with whatever active yeast is left?

If you are perfectly happy with the beer as is, i'd recommend champagne yeast (lalvin EC-1118). If you want a tad more brett character, but also want to see the beer change in the bottle, then bottling with Brett is the way to go. However, you'll have to resist the urge to drink all of your beer, and reserve a few for drinking several months to a year from now. The changes the beer goes through is really fun.

I'm more than willing to help you, but as far as me getting some free time to come to NOLA to help you bottle, it may be awhile. I have a few work trips scheduled over the next few weeks, so my availability is unknown.

As far as my bottling is concerned, i have a blichmann beergun that i use solely for bottling uncarbonated mixed ferm sours. I need to check my notes back home, but i think i typically bottle sours anywhere from 2.3 - 2.5 volumes of CO2. My process is i get the appropriate amount of carbing sugar. Pour that into a keg. I then purge the keg with CO2. I then rack my sour beer into the keg. I give it a very light swirl. Then i hook up the beergun and bottle that way.

Shoot me an email address and we can talk about meeting up.

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i installed a 50amp 240v outlet in my garage this weekend! Now to actually build my electic system.

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Nice. We are in the process of finalizing plans to build a new house, and one of the things i asked for was a 240 in the garage. I was trying to decide between the garage and outdoor kitchen, but i've decided my brewing will take place in the garage. Too much equipment would have to be moved around if i brewed in the proposed outdoor kitchen.

I just saw that on reddit.... He kept trying to defend himself too. Had to be a troll


On a side note, homebrewing is not for the impatient. I am dying to keg my beer, but I know I should probably give it another week to ferment.