Messages

1

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: WY3724 How long does this take?

« on: June 14, 2013, 04:51:14 pm »

Interesting info. I've pitched it high before, but never at anything close to 90. I'll have to experiment with temps that high. As finicky as it is, your patience is well-rewarded with the final results.

2

Ingredients / Re: Re: Too dry. How to correct.

« on: June 14, 2013, 04:43:50 pm »

You could be right duboman.  Maybe some of the real dry flavors will be masked with dry hopping. I don't know.

This was the first AIPA where I really boosted the sodium to around 250 ppm to enhance the hop qualities.

I'm assuming you meant to say sulfate, not sodium. Getting the sulfate up to that level will enhance the dry/crisp/bitter impression of the beer. Let it carb up and then see what you think.

3

Beer Travel / Re: Chicago in October?

« on: June 14, 2013, 06:21:10 am »

Straight west at Halsted and Randolph is Haymarket. In addition to their own beers, which are great, they usually have other local breweries on tap too. You could probably walk there in 15-20 minutes, or it would be a short cab ride.

4

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Bottle not carbonating

« on: June 09, 2013, 07:06:41 am »

A big portion of the sugar was probably consumed by the yeast before you bottled. Wait a few more days and check again, but my guess us they'll still be under-carbed. If that's the case, you have two options. Drink them slightly flat. Or reprime the bottles individually.

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Priming sugar

« on: June 08, 2013, 07:13:53 am »

Plain old cane sugar works just as well as corn sugar and it's what I have in the pantry already. There are priming sugar calculators all over the internet. Use one of those to get an accurate amount. Measure by weight, not volume for best results.

6

Equipment and Software / Re: Re: Hydrometer Conspiracy

« on: June 04, 2013, 11:35:13 am »

I realize I'm shooting myself in the foot here, but am I really the only one who's never broken a hydrometer?

No, I'm just afraid to say it out of fear that I will be struck down by the hydrometer gods.

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Who's going to NHC?

« on: May 31, 2013, 02:21:43 pm »

I'll be there. And my club, Northern Illinois Homebrewers Collective, will be pouring at club night.

8

Beer Recipes / Re: Recipe fun

« on: May 30, 2013, 06:47:07 am »

If you're looking to decide which base malt you like better, I'd leave out any specialty grains for now. Maybe mash even higher to add some body of you're worried about that. My house APA is 90% MO, 10% Vienna, mashed at 160F.

9

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale

« on: May 28, 2013, 03:20:52 pm »

Haven't seen it at any grocery stores, but then again, I haven't really looked there. Binny's should have it for sure, or most other local liquor stores.

10

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale

« on: May 28, 2013, 01:59:15 pm »

It's a delicious ESB. Drink it at cellar temp and it really shines. Get it while you can, it won't last.

11

The Pub / Re: A Free Kindle Book

« on: May 14, 2013, 06:23:42 am »

Great book for entertainment. I don't think Dr. Bamforth intended it to be a brewing textbook.

12

Ingredients / Re: It's SPRING!!!!

« on: May 14, 2013, 06:17:37 am »

Good to hear from you again Oscar. Unless you want to get them analyzed at a lab, bittering will be an educated guess. You can start with using the average AA% for the variety and use trial and error from there. I just use store-bought hops for bittering, and then toss a @#&$load of homegrown in at flame-out.

13

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Outdoor draft system

« on: May 06, 2013, 07:11:20 am »

Sounds like a fantastic idea. Couple things that come to mind... Keep the lines cold. I'm not sure just insulating the lines will be enough, but maybe. No idea what a small glycol system would run you in France. You could run the lines inside PVC pipe with a small fan circulating cold air through it as an alternative. Secondly, don't forget to take into account the vertical rise in calculating the resistance of your system. You'll probably need to go with 1/4 inch lines.

Congrats on the new house, and good luck with the outdoor taps!

14

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Hydrometer reading for first extract

« on: May 05, 2013, 07:30:01 am »

Yes, you should, but it's not completely necessary if you're trying to keep your first brew day simple. With an extract kit, as long as your volume measurements are accurate, your OG will be on target since all you're doing is dissolving a known quantity of sugars in a know quantity of water.

15

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: When to add Honey?

« on: May 02, 2013, 06:21:36 am »

I like to add it to the primary as the fermentation starts to slow down. Yes, it's a contamination risk, though slight, but it will give you the most honey character.