Messages

1

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Bottles Bursting with Flavor

« on: June 04, 2013, 06:33:51 AM »

I have been brewing for +/- 10 yrs and have bottle conditioned every batch. There are many forms of fermentable sugars that can and have been used for priming. There also is a very slight flavor contribution from each to consider. I use table sugar in a Pale ale or IPA where the main flavor is hops, but I use DME in a Munich Helles or Kolsch where the flavors are more delicate and consider molasses or maple syrup in a Porter or Belgian Double. Another important factor to consider when priming a batch is "How much do I use?", I use this calculator to help guide my additions: http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/  Remember that volume and beer temp at the time of bottling are very influential factors and that measuring the priming sugar/DME by weight is much more accurate than measuring by volume. Cheers and Good Luck!

2

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Priming Sugar or DME

« on: June 03, 2013, 05:25:35 AM »

I have been brewing for +/- 10 yrs and have bottle conditioned every batch. There are many forms of fermentable sugars that can and have been used for priming. There also is a very slight flavor contribution from each to consider. I use table sugar in a Pale ale or IPA where the main flavor is hops, but I use DME in a Munich Helles or Kolsch where the flavors are more delicate and consider molasses or maple syrup in a Porter or Belgian Double. Another important factor to consider when priming a batch is "How much do I use?", I use this calculator to help guide my additions: http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/  Remember that volume and beer temp at the time of bottling are very influential factors and that measuring the priming sugar/DME by weight is much more accurate than measuring by volume. Cheers and Good Luck!

3

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: star san and pbw question

« on: September 06, 2012, 04:39:13 AM »

You can also reduce the initial foaming during mixing by adding water to your container first and then adding the appropriate amount of star san.  Careful rocking will mix the solution completely.  The maker of star san said in an interview on The BN to always add the chemical to water, never add water to the chemical.  Then you can reduce the foaming again when you empty the container by either racking (which also sanitizes the racking cane and tubing) or pouring SLOWLY. Don't fear the foam, yes, but also play nice with star san and there won't be as much foam.

4

Other Fermentables / Bottling Cider

« on: December 22, 2011, 05:31:49 AM »

This is the first time that I have made cider.  I used pasteurized organic cider and made two batches to compare yeasts. In one I used WLP775 English Cider and in the other I used Safale04.  My question is: After I move it to a secondary, how long can I hold it there and still have enough yeast in suspension for bottle conditioning? 

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Test your beer smarts!

« on: October 20, 2011, 05:29:34 AM »

14/15, Whats PBR?

6

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Late additions for partial boils

« on: October 12, 2011, 01:43:46 PM »

Jamil Z and J Palmer also mentioned in a podcast that some/more of the proteins that work for head retention will fall out with the hot and cold break in a concentrated boil, this is another benefit to late malt additions.

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Fruit beer questions

« on: October 12, 2011, 01:34:51 PM »

When you do rack on to the fruit, be prepared for/leave a little room for the additional fermentation when the yeast get a hold of the new sugars.  Two weeks sounds like a good amount to complete fermentation and absorb the baked peach goodness.  Yes, I would rack again to get away from the settement, just be extra careful to stay clean and add a blanket of CO2 for protection.  Just let it sit in the final long enough to clear some then package and enjoy!

8

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Poured out that old Belgian

« on: July 22, 2011, 04:53:01 AM »

For more on fermenting temps and desired profiles for various yeasts check out this pdf from whitelabs.com

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/belgianchart.pdf

I wish there were something like this for other yeasts!!!

9

Ingredients / Re: nuts

« on: June 01, 2011, 08:22:00 PM »

I remember listening to a "Can You Brew It" as they discussed the Macadamia Porter in Australia and the brewer there said he got his adding nuts info from Lazy Magnolia.  I also spoke to Lazy Magnolia about using nuts. I followed his advice and made a Dunkel Weisen with Black Walnuts, it tasted just like liquid banana nut bread.  It was great for a holiday beer.  What I did was to finely chop about a pound of nuts and roast them @ 350 on a cookie sheet until it started to brown, then I added them to the mash.  This was early in my brewing life so I don't know how well if at all they converted, but the flavor was definitely there.  

I would recommend emailing Lazy Magnolia, they were very helpful.

10

All Grain Brewing / Re: Boil time

« on: May 31, 2011, 06:55:05 PM »

The other issue to consider other than DMS is hot break.  I have heard that if your first hopping is @ 60 min, you may want to consider boiling for approx 10 - 15 min to allow your hot break to form before adding hops to insure expected utilization, so this would give you a total of about a 75 min boil.

This brings up another related question that I just came across.  I was listening to Brew Strong and read in Brewing Better Beer about late hop additions.  I made an APA with my earliest addition being @ 20 min.  The beer was GREAT!!!  My question is since it has no Pils and I am not too concerned about DMS, could I just do a 35 min boil?

11

Ingredients / Matching Falconer's Flight Hop Blend

« on: May 27, 2011, 01:06:22 PM »

I primarily brew German and English beers, so I am not very familiar with the West Coast Hops.

I got a 4 oz package of Falconer's Flight Blend from Hop Union at an AHA Rally.  I brewed an APA for the Memorial Day Block Party with it.  WOW this stuff is sooooo good!  Not too piney, not too citrusy, fresh and fruity!

Since I think Hop Union did this as a one off, I now need to come close to a blend of my own. 

If anyone else has used this blend, can you please help me decide what would be close?  If I remember, it ended up being about 10.3 AAU.

12

Ingredients / Melinoidan Malt vs Munich 10L

« on: March 30, 2011, 01:18:21 PM »

I am going to make a Helles Bock (I know it will be too late for May Day) with an infusion mash rather than a traditional decoction.  I want to use about 20% Munich 10L and was going to use about 1/4 lb Melanoidan Malt to make up for the lack of decoction, but it is 20L.  I want to keep this beer as light in color as possible. 

How much more Munich 10L would I have to add to get the same amount of melanoidan flavor as the melanoidan malt?

13

Kegging and Bottling / Looking for priming sugar

« on: February 03, 2011, 04:08:47 PM »

I want to continue to support my LHBS and do with grain, hops, yeast and some equipment, but I can't help thinking that the mark up on priming sugar is too high.  It is corn sugar (Dextrose) pre packaged by the distributor in 5 oz ($1.00) and 4 lb packages. I know that powdered sugar from the supermarket won't work because it has corn starch included.  What is a suitable alternative for priming and/or where can I get corn sugar at a more reasonable price?

I have used LHBS Priming Sugar, DME, Honey, and Molasses to prime with and understand when to use each one to it's best advantage.

14

Yeast and Fermentation / Zinc for your yeast

« on: January 22, 2011, 06:39:32 AM »

So, I read in Chris and Jamil's Yeast book that Zinc is important for my yeast and that it is not included as a by-product of the mash.  Is it included in the yeast nutrient that we get at our LHBS? (mine carries Crosby and Baker) I remember listening to a Brew Strong pod cast where they mentioned putting a penny in the boil, but I can't remember what that was for.

15

General Homebrew Discussion / My Wit is too clear!

« on: January 15, 2011, 03:31:25 PM »

I have a recipe for a great tasting wit beer.  The only problem is that it clears up very fast and very clear.  I use 40% wheat, oats, (w/no protein rest) and I use WLP 0400 Belgian Wit yeast fermented @ 62*. I also used Irish moss and I have transferred to a secondary for one week.  Obviously I should lose the Irish Moss and skip the secondary.

I would love to have a more cloudy beer, but don't know what aspect affects the clarity the most. What is the best wheat to use and would a protein rest help the oats?