Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Dads Day Brew?

« on: June 16, 2013, 09:51:23 am »

I brewed yesterday, a chocolate/coffee porter, for my brew club's Iron brewer competition. Today, band practice, and dinner with the family.
Happy Father's Day to all the brewing dads out there!

2

Equipment and Software / Re: How much pressure?

« on: June 14, 2013, 10:03:43 pm »

Any pressure vessel that hold over 14.9 psi have to be certified.
Do not play with fire.

+100.  An employee at Redhook brewery was killed last year by an over pressurized keg.

3

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

« on: June 14, 2013, 09:34:54 pm »

How much yeast did you pitch? Do you make a starter? I believe that under pitching can lead to slow an/or stuck fermentations.

4

All Grain Brewing / Re: Soapy Flavor in New Zealand Hopped IPA

« on: June 13, 2013, 09:08:46 pm »

From John Palmer's "How To Brew"

Soapy flavors can caused by not washing your glass very well, but they can also be produced by the fermentation conditions. If you leave the beer in the primary fermentor for a relatively long period of time after primary fermentation is over ("long" depends on the style and other fermentation factors), soapy flavors can result from the breakdown of fatty acids in the trub. Soap is, by definition, the salt of a fatty acid; so you are literally tasting soap.

5

All Grain Brewing / Re: mash efficiency question

« on: June 13, 2013, 05:20:27 pm »

The single factor that has the most impact on efficiency is your crush.  If you're getting your grains per-crushed by the homebrew shop, odds are that's your issue.  IN order to avoid getting complaints from customer about stuck sparges, they tend to crush with a larger mill gap.

Options would be to have the shop crush twice, find a friend with a mill, or get your own.

+1
I would also add: Calibrate your thermometer, it may not be reading right. If you're mashing too high, or too low, that could be an issue. When I first started, my thermometer was accurate at room temp, but was 15* off when I got to 150*.

6

The Pub / Re: Good news! Beer bellies are a myth!

« on: June 13, 2013, 05:18:27 pm »

Why bother with a six pack, when you can carry around a pony keg...

7

Equipment and Software / Re: I'm ready to trash my kettle

« on: June 12, 2013, 05:54:45 pm »

Boil for 60 minutes not 90.

If he's using pilsner malt, then a 90 minute boil is a good thing.

As for a measuring stick for volume, I just use an old racking cane that had cracked. I poured water into my kettle at half gallon intervals, and made marks on it using a permanent marker. 45 brews later, I still use the same device. Hit my volumes right on, every time.

8

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: yeast washing

« on: June 08, 2013, 03:44:34 pm »

Nope. I wash my yeast right away. Never had a problem.

Ok, well maybe not right away, but after I'm done bottling or racking to secondary.

9

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Priming sugar

« on: June 08, 2013, 07:44:52 am »

+1 to measure by weight. Much more accurate. 5 ounces of white sugar is a good basic amount for most five gallon batches. You can use any kind of sugar you want, but the may add a little flavor. I have a friend who likes to add honey for priming, and that does add a nice touch to some beers.

10

All Grain Brewing / Re: Mash temp calculation

« on: June 06, 2013, 10:47:03 pm »

An important point to remember, is that the enzymes don't turn off at an exact temp. They may denature a little faster, but beta amylase still works at higher temps. Same for alpha. They have a fairly wide range of temps they work well in, but the optimum temps are what we shoot for.

11

Homebrew Competitions / Re: Flanders Red Carbonation Level

« on: June 06, 2013, 10:40:35 pm »

On a scoresheet, carbonation falls under "mouthfeel" category. That's only 5 points out of 50, and there are several factors for mouthfeel, like Warmth, creaminess, astringency, and body, not just carbonation. A good judge will only ding you a few points, maybe 2 or 3 for over carbonated beer. More important is the aroma, flavor, and over all impression. If you are accurate on these points, you should score fairly well.
However, carbonation does affect other qualities, like body and hop aroma.
But, carbonation only matters for a few points. You may not take gold for an over-carbonated beer, but if it is brewed well, and to style, you should score well.

12

Ingredients / Re: American Spice - Complement to citrus

« on: June 06, 2013, 07:52:08 pm »

Grains of paradise.... Great addition to citrus.

13

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

« on: June 06, 2013, 05:08:11 pm »

I like fuggles and chinook.

14

All Grain Brewing / Re: Mash temp calculation

« on: June 04, 2013, 09:34:49 pm »

It will depend on what you want to get out of a particular brew. Some styles require a drier, lighter body, and others will benefit from a sweeter, fuller body. Most of it will be experimentation, and finding what works for you. Make a beer, and split the mash in two, one high temp, one low temp, and see how different they can be. 

If I want a drier light bodied beer, I mash at 148*, and If i want a fuller bodied beer, I will mash at 156*.
Most of my beers fall in the middle, at 152-153*. My Scottish Wee Heavy is mashed at 160*.

15

Zymurgy / Re: first glance

« on: June 02, 2013, 04:43:42 pm »

The recipes are usually from experienced and proven home brewers, and many of them have placed in competitions.
Zymurgy is the science of fermentation.
I have a membership, and the magazine comes with it. I enjoy reading it, and have learned some valuable things from it. Well worth the price of admission.