re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

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before i have surgery

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Hope everything goes well!

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Any recommendations for online grain supplier?

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I've used several different ones and they are all about the same. More Beer, Northern Brewer, Austin Homebrew Supply, Midwest Supplies, Adventure in Homebrewing. I usually order from the one with the cheapest shipping, some are free once you reach a certain dollar amount. Make sure you choose milled or not milled depending on if you have a mill. If you do much brewing a mill is great to have.

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I've always relied on LA Homebrew for my grains. I like supporting them, and its pretty easy and cheap to just go pick up the pre-packaged bag of grains... However, they have really struggled to keep an inventory. It is starting to become a real problem for me. Its affecting every single recipe I create. I don't know how much longer I can keep going there.

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Same here. I usually order what i can from there, and whatever isn't in stock, i order from Austin Homebrew (which is owned by Northern Brewer). LA Homebrew doesn't have a problem with me bringing over unmilled grains to get milled if i bought them from somewhere else as long as i buy what i can from there.

The only issue with AHB is you need to give yourself at least 5-7 days before brew day to account for shipping. It does give me access to new grains i can't usually find, however.

Oh, and you have to order grains at these larger suppliers in 1 lb. increments. It's not a big deal, but i end up buying more than i need and vacuum sealing. Hopefully i get to use the leftovers on another batch, but i brew a wide array of beers, so most of the specialty malts may sit unused for awhile.

I think the effects of Covid politics is still affecting many small businesses and we're going to see a lot of businesses struggle this year. Support local when you can!

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think the effects of Covid politics is still affecting many small businesses and we're going to see a lot of businesses struggle this year. Support local when you can!

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Both of my LHBS always have plenty of inventory

I'm kind of spoiled. My closest one is 200 yards from my work. He's technically a local delivery-only shop with no retail front, but I text him what I need and he walks it over. It's kind of like the old days before I could buy pot in stores

Mashing tonight, Sip O' Sunshine kinda clone

Tree House brewing seems to have hired a youtube marketer and has put out a couple really cool videos. Sounds like there are more in the works. A decent way to kill an hour.

Brewhouse tour
Celar tour

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I've been having pretty good luck lately by starting my stater right before the brew and pitching 5-6 hours later.

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I brew 8 gallon batches so I usually need a starter to bump up the yeast cell count. So I need the starter to ferment.

And we have a successful starter

Anyone do decoction mashes for their lagers? I've done turbid mashes for my lambics, but have been wanting to improve my lagers. Now i'm fairly certain, my lagers would bump up a notch if i wasn't impatient, and i should just let them lager a full 6-8 weeks, but the longest i've ever held out was about 5-6 weeks.

But outside of being patient, i've been reading up on decoction mashes. The homebrew community pretty much agrees that decoction is not necessary (not step mashing) given how well modified grains are now. They also recommend adding melanoidin malt to replicate a decoction. And while i agree with that to some point, i can't help but wonder, if true, why do the great lager breweries in this country, utilize a decoction mash? And why do many German breweries recommend decoction?

So with that, my next beer is going to be a helles. I've had some fantastic examples with Grimm's Invisible Touch, and BlueJacket's For the People. I've been researching a Hochkurz mash, which is essentially, a quick decoction and it's getting a lot of praise in articles. I've figured out how to make the mash profile in beersmith, so just have to see how close i can come to hitting the numbers.

For those unaware, a decoction is taking a portion of the mash, both grain and liquid (usually about 1/3) and boiling it, then returning it to the mash to increase the temperature (turbid mash is removing a portion of the liquid, only, not the grains). For a hochkurz, the first infusion is @ around 145 for 30-45 minutes. Then you decoct the mash (boil for anywhere from 5-20 minutes, then add back and your final rest should be about 160 for another 30-45 minutes. Also calls for a mashout, but i'm skipping that step.