re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

So i watched a documentary on vimeo a couple days ago called Lambic. It was interesting. I didn't realize, at the time, that a few of the "breweries" over there don't actually brew their lambics, but buy various aged lambics from surrounding breweries and blend. For instance, Tilquin uses 50% of 1 year old lambic, 30% of 2 year old, and 20% of 3 year old lambic. Boon and Lindeman for 1 year old, Lindeman and Girardin for 2 year old, and Girardin and Cantillon as their 3 year old.

ETA: I stand corrected, he buys the post coolship wort from those breweries, then ages in his own cellars for those years with those specific worts.

And Tilquin is one of the very few if any, that serve their lambics in kegs, as well as bottles, which is heretical to the surrounding breweries.

Which brings me to my next point, i think i want to attempt a traditional lambic. Turbid mash and all, just need to find a good turbid mash schedule and calculator for adding x amount of boiling water to x amoutn of mash = rest temperature. I'd also like to get a bunch of dregs from many lambics and build them up in a starter, and use that and some Roselaire blend from Wyeast for the yeast and bugs.

Nice. How do you bulk age that long and keep oxygen out?

I tapped an Irish red this week. Came out darker than intended, but tastes okay. A touch too much roast for the style. Not a bad beer by any means, but not what I intended. I'll still drink the keg without complaint.

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How do you bulk age that long and keep oxygen out?

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It literally sits in the carboy between rackings with an airlock on it. Zero headspace. Takes a few rackings in the beginning to clear the majority of the sediment. But the last racking before this one was a year ago.

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Any of you pros pressure ferment? I ferment in kegs so all I really need is a spunding valve. Any experience with them?

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No, but I also ferment in kegs now. I have thought about just disconnecting the blow off tube after 3 days or so and just let it build up some pressure, but not knowing the PSI has me nervous ... I do connect the keg to the CO2 at like 20PSI when I cold crash, so theoretically its mostly carbonated when I closed-transfer it to the serving keg.

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Have you ever done a wine with the must/juice wine grape packs, like cabernet/pinot, etc...?

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or if it's just sort of "ok"

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I haven't tried a kit wine like you're describing. I have heard from others that it makes a decent wine. I think you're spot on with the just being "OK".
I think part of the allure for me, making these fruit wines, is they're different from anything in a kit, or any mass produced wines. If I want a cab, its much easier to just buy a cab. What I want is a 2-year-old oaked Louisiana blueberry port, and damnit, now I have it.

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bought one, never have used it. i would just hard to have to clean a keg that has been fermented it.

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I’ve only fermented in a keg. I don’t find them too hard to clean. I’ve got a little pressure washer on side of the house and that helps.

Yes it is possible, yes you need a starter. I developed my sour dough starter with mixed fermentation homebrew dregs. After about a mont or more of twice/day feedings it was strong enough to make the dough rise. Need to make another batch of bread.

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the blood orange version of Bug's hefe turned out great. I've almost finished it because my wife and family members like it so much.

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Good to hear!

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I know the cell counts are going to be way down by now, but do you guys think its worth making a starter to see if I can get cells numbers up to brew another batch?

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How old are the cells? I'd make a 2 step starter if you're unsure. Shouldn't be an issue. How was the yeast stored?

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le. I also would like to do an all sabro neipa or apa if anyone has a good recipe that they would care to share. I need to use up some of the lb of sabro I bought a couple months ago.

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My last 2 NEIPA grain bills are below. I've been using oat malt instead of oats, because i read that oats tend to increase your oxidation chances. I forgot the exact verbeage, but it was the reason for the change. The first batch i made with this grain bill and a fully closed transfer was fantastic and never once did the hops fade until the keg was floated. The 2nd batch is currently in the keg. Not as good as the first, but this was an "empty the freezer of my hops" hop bill. Once i order some fresh hops and the keg floats i'll try another batch.

I tend to use a fairly neutral water profile.

OG - 1.058
FG - 1.017

60% 2 row
20% malted oats
20% carafoam/carapils

1 oz. Columbus @ 15 minutes
1 oz. galaxy (30 min. whirlpool @ 180)
1 oz. zappa (30 min. whirlpool @ 180)
4 oz. sabro (biotrans addition 2 days into fermentation)
2 oz. galaxy (biotrans addition 2 days into fermentation)
2 oz. zappa (biotrans addition 2 days into fermentation)
2 oz. sabro (keg hop)
1 oz. galaxy (keg hop)
1 oz. zappa (keg hop)

Yeast -
Bootleg biology Chardonnay or
Wyeast London Ale III or
white labs London Fog or
OYL-200 Tropical IPA or
WLP644 Sach "brux" trois (same yeast as OYL-200)

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I’m going to use 50/50 2-row and Golden promise for the base malt.

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My last NEIPA based on the grain bill above divided the 2 row from 60% to 40% to row and 20% Golden Promise. The latest batch was also higher alcohol content. All that being said, i preferred the first batch to the second batch.

I have an ounce of summit on hand that will be a good sub for columbus, but for the other hop additions in your recipe (whirlpool, bio) I am just going to be using sabro. Do I need to do a one to one sub? Meaning instead of using and oz of two types for whirlpool, I need two oz of sabro in whirlpool. Similarly for biotrans do I want 6oz sabro or 4? I'm not kegging so I just omit that right?

My lhbs also doesn't have malted oats, so the substitute is one to one for flaked correct?