Messages

1

Ingredients / Re: Cacao Nibs

« on: June 14, 2013, 06:55:53 am »

Rhoobarb - care to share that recipe?

I brew a Chocolate Stout that calls for 8oz. of nibs in secondary.  I leave them for 14 days b/c I'm looking for a good chocolate aroma and taste profile. I'd recommend half of that for the same amount of days or, as Gordon suggests, check it.

2

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What Hops for Imperial Porter?

« on: June 06, 2013, 04:41:11 pm »

Denny - I was actually thinking about using the hops from your Vanilla Imperial Porter

Magnum Hops (60 min) & Goldings (10 min) to get up to 40 IBU.

If you are suggesting Tettnanger and Cascade, what rate at schedule?

3

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What Hops for Imperial Porter?

« on: June 06, 2013, 11:12:15 am »

erockrph - it's a strong coffee and cacao nib porter, heavy on both, around 6 to 8 ounces each.

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General Homebrew Discussion / What Hops for Imperial Porter?

« on: June 05, 2013, 08:37:52 pm »

Looking for suggestions on which hops, and at what schedule, for an imperial porter. It will be in the 1.080 starting gravity range.

The recipe I have suggests Phoenix @ 90 minutes and First Gold @ 30 minutes. Maybe a decent substitute?

5

Equipment and Software / Re: Blichmann floor burner review

« on: May 26, 2013, 04:09:31 pm »

I have the Blichmann burner with the leg extensions and natural gas orifice. If you can go NG, it works really well.

6

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Over Attenuating Yeast - How is it Possible?

« on: May 17, 2013, 07:01:36 am »

I got the DDGA recipe from Rogue, John himself, and used Pacman, as Rogue does. Theirs doesn't drop to 1.010 and they hit the target of 5 Plato.

??

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Yeast and Fermentation / Over Attenuating Yeast - How is it Possible?

« on: May 17, 2013, 06:56:32 am »

Confused ... :confused:

I brewed a Rogue Double Dead Guy clone, mashed at 152F - it started at 1.084 and finished at 1.010, fermented with Wyeast Pacman. No mash out.

Beersmith calculates that as a 82.7% attenuation. OG measured with a refractometer and FG measured with two hydrometers.

Wyeast's stats are 72-78% attenuation for this strain.

The yeast was about 11 months old, smelled and tasted good, and pretty creamy white. I made a 2L starter with the decanted slurry and it took off in about 4 to 6 hours.

I hit the wort with O2 and pitched the decanted starter. Within 4 to 8 hours it began to show signs of fermentation.

The beer fermented @ 65F in a refrigerator (measured by a thermowell) for about 3 weeks. I let it sit on the yeast cake @ 45F for another three weeks. Approximately 6 weeks total.

This recipe should have finished around 1.018 - 1.020, mine however continued to 1.010. As a result, it is much drier with an alcohol bite. At 6 weeks old, it's not so green anymore.

With that being said, what in your opinion might account for the higher attenuation?

If anything, I suspect old/aged yeast would be less attenuating, unless it mutated.

What about sitting on the yeast cake for an extended period? After three weeks @ 65F, the yeast should have been entirely done, and at 45F, the yeast should be dormant and inactive.

Would over pitching push it lower?

Would no mash out increase attenuation?

Any ideas?

8

Ingredients / Re: Interesting Hop Article

« on: April 23, 2013, 06:28:49 am »

mtnrockhopper - what are your thoughts on 1/2 pound of coffee cold steeped & added to an imperial porter?

How much water do you use for 1/2 pound and how much of that ends up in the beer? Do you adjust your batch size to accommodate the volume increase?

9

Ingredients / Re: Java beans in coffee porter

« on: April 22, 2013, 02:59:44 pm »

aschecte - does your brewer friend draw wort off the batch to cold press the coffee or is the crushed beans added to the secondary for a while?

10

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: WTK: Proper IBU Range for Imperial Porter

« on: April 20, 2013, 12:04:40 pm »

Denny, it is balanced, not too sweet and very porterish. The coffee and cacao is very present. It's been a while since I had a sample (live in LAs Vegas - Pizza Port is in Oceanside, CA) but I don't it recall being hoppy or bitter.

It calls for 50% Peruvian / 50% Indian coffee with the cacao nibs post fermentation (bagged in the bright tank) while cold and being carbonated for 48 to 72 hours.

The recipe is missing the coffee amounts also (although I am asking for it via email). I planned on 6 ounces of coffee but need a little advice on the cacao.

I've read here about soaking the nibs in vodka for a few days. I may do the same, and add the coffee slurry trough a cold press.

Your thoughts?

11

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: WTK: Proper IBU Range for Imperial Porter

« on: April 20, 2013, 11:29:01 am »

All - thanks for the quick replies!

To add to the discussion, it is a imperial porter with coffee and cacao nibs.

Has anyone had Pizza Port's Coffee Monster? This is a clone of Coffee Monster. Unfortunately, the IBU isn't disclosed on their website.

The recipe calls for "any good attenuating, malt accentuating, low ester producing, ale strain. Perhaps WLP001/WY1056 would do.

12

General Homebrew Discussion / WTK: Proper IBU Range for Imperial Porter

« on: April 20, 2013, 08:45:45 am »

I plan on brewing an imperial porter (derived from an incomplete recipe) with a starting gravity of 1.086 to 1.088 that should terminate around 1.016 to 1.018 for an ABV of 9%.

The recipe calls for Phoenix @ 90 minutes and First Gold @ 30 minutes.

What I don't know is the IBU target of the recipe.

So ... with an imperial porter starting at 1.088, what should the IBU target be?

13

All Things Food / Re: My new Love affair with Pho

« on: March 25, 2013, 07:04:27 pm »

I too love Pho and often make it myself, no oxtail or bones though, just a good cut of beef from Sam's Club. I usually get a roast that's marked down for quick sale, hack it up into a few chunks, salt & pepper it before broiling it a bit.

I throw in cinnamon, clove, star anise, onion and ginger into the boil. I also supplement it which chicken stock. Yeah, chicken stock in beef Pho sounds odd but many restaurants do the same, so does my Laotian mother-in-law. Depending on the batch size, I also add a few beef bouillon to richen the flavor.

There are a ton of great recipes to start with, then like our beer, jump into it and add your own flair. I really dig a lot of cinnamon (stick), clove, and star anise in my batch. It really adds fragrance and a wonderful taste.

http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pho-beef-noodle-soup.html

14

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Expected lifespan of O2 canister

« on: March 11, 2013, 07:13:36 am »

I have a red O2 bottle from Home Depot and push it through a 2 micron stone. The bottle "felt" empty when I bought it and it feels the same today after 5 or 6 batches. I always trickle the flow and keep the regulator off when not in use.

There is no way to gauge the volume left. Maybe a spare bottle would be handy.

15

All Grain Brewing / Re: Wanted; Pizza Port Coffee Monster Imperial Porter Recipe

« on: February 13, 2013, 11:28:26 pm »

Has anyone worked-up a clone yet?