Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Zymurgy Top-Ranked Beers

« on: Today at 08:20:13 am »

The 'Derek Jeter' of beers?

If this is a reference to him winning a Gold Glove despite having terrible range, you win the internet!

2

All Grain Brewing / Re: need help converting a recipe to no- sparge

« on: Today at 08:17:17 am »

you will likely have to change the efficiency settings. do you mean no sparge or first runnings? these mean two different things to me at least.

no sparge means that you don't run off, re-fill and run off again. essentially you don't rinse the grain at all. When I do no sparge I include a 'mashout' step that brings my water/grist ratio up really high, like 6-7 liters per kilo (about 3.5 qt/lb) then runoff. I get around 67% brewhouse eff doing this.

First runnings only means to me that you are building a partigyle recipe and not doing a second runnings beer. In that case you mash with your normal water:grist ratio and runoff whatever is there. If I calculate the brewhouse efficiency on the first runnings beer ONLY on a partigyle brew I get ~52-55%.

I don't really see the difference here.  The only reason most partigyle beers use a "normal" water to grist ratio is that the first runnings beer is usually something big like a barleywine.  If you're doing a first runnings beer for something with lower OG, your water to grist ratio is going to be higher but you'll still need about the same amount of total liquor to hit your desired volume (adjusting for absorption differences).  You don't want to go too thin, so the mashout step is a good idea for anything above 2.5 qt/lb or so.

3

All Grain Brewing / Re: Rather than doing a decoction...

« on: June 18, 2013, 05:57:36 pm »

Some boiled down first runnings add great complexity to a Doppelbock.  Don't do it to a Pilsner, though.

4

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Green beer - pellets?

« on: June 17, 2013, 10:21:52 am »

Cold crashing before kegging may help.  It's possible that you have more particulate matter from the pellets that's getting into the keg and takes time to settle out.

5

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: WL Hefe Choices

« on: June 14, 2013, 09:56:41 am »

You'll get varying opinions, but using 380 and fermenting at 62 or so gives a great balance between clove and banana.  There was an epic weiss bier thread years ago and this was one of the keys to replicating that German flavor.

6

The Pub / Re: OnTap Liquid Beer Enchancer - WTF?

« on: June 14, 2013, 07:53:51 am »

Maybe you could just throw a jolly rancher in a Coors lite and chug in an emergency situation.

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: FG and priming sugar

« on: June 10, 2013, 09:54:02 am »

Before - or if you do it after make sure to subtract the effect of the sugar.

On the other hand, it isn't a really significant difference either way. 4 oz in 5 gal would add 0.0023 SG.

That's about what he measured, so the difference was probably due to measuring after adding the sugar.  The standard 5oz that comes with kits is almost exactly 3 points in 5 gallons.

Of course, when you disregard the priming sugar, you're ignoring the extra alcohol produced.  On the other hand, you also have to take into account the dilution when you boil the sugar in some water.  The bottom line is, you're just making an estimate, so relax 

8

The Pub / Re: OnTap Liquid Beer Enchancer - WTF?

« on: June 08, 2013, 05:02:43 pm »

Sounds disgusting.  Might as well just drop one of these in your beer...

9

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Stupid noob question - gas vs liquid posts

« on: June 08, 2013, 04:58:09 pm »

Unless you really used some elbow grease, one won't fit on the other type.

10

Equipment and Software / Re: Therminator

« on: June 05, 2013, 05:06:04 pm »

Search for hop stopper.  Don't recirc; cold break can clog screens and you don't need to with a plate chiller's efficiency

11

Ingredients / Re: Simcoe and Columbus?

« on: June 05, 2013, 05:01:05 pm »

Great combo!  Columbus bittering, Simcoe and Columbus combo for late hops and dry hops.

12

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC final round shipping address

« on: June 05, 2013, 03:00:18 pm »

Delivered today successfully.  So just use the address as-is and ignore the warning.

13

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Air leak in siphon

« on: June 05, 2013, 08:02:51 am »

You need a smaller hose.

(If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that...)

14

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC final round shipping address

« on: June 04, 2013, 10:52:27 am »

Yeah, that's an option.  I just want to make sure there isn't a different zip code or some other small change that's required to get them to deliver correctly.

15

Equipment and Software / Re: Vacuum Sealers? Can I get some recommendations-Need to seal hops

« on: June 04, 2013, 10:00:24 am »

My Seal-a-meal by Rival promptly failed after a couple uses. I've had it's replacement (Foodsaver) for 5 years now.

I love my Foodsaver...I bought it in 1991 (or thereabouts) and have used it for both food and brewing stuff. It still pulls as good a vacuum as ever.  I've had sero issues with it. The only maintenance I've had to perform is to run an ounce or two of a warm, diluted vinegar solution through it to clean it.  One of the best appliance purchases I've ever made.

This is exactly what I was worried about and why I want a FoodSaver. I would rather not buy it twice. As my mom says, only rich people can afford to buy cheap things.

On the other hand, everything is made in China these days and a higher price doesn't necessarily mean quality.  You're going to find bad reviews for almost everything out there if you search for it.  It's cheaper for the manufacturers to offer better warranties and replace lemons than to build something that lasts.

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealer-SmartSeal-Technology/product-reviews/B001E42R8O/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Advanced-Design-Vacuum-Sealer/product-reviews/B000F9PNF8/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0