Topics

16

Other Fermentables / First cider questions

« on: May 15, 2012, 08:55:55 pm »

I am attempting my first cider, and haven't been able to find any info on a few questions I had...  Do I need to aerate before adding yeast?  Do I need to add DAP and energizer? If so, how much? Do I need to add them in increments like mead?  Thanks guys...

17

All Grain Brewing / Second attempt at decoction...

« on: May 13, 2012, 02:19:47 pm »

Did my second try at decotion for a hefeweissen beer today. Went much better than the first, since I actually did some research on how to do it properly.  The first time, I kept pulling out the wort and boiling that, and didn't pull enough to hit the temps I wanted, and had to boil more and did like 6 steps.  And I used torrified wheat, not wheat malt, and got a very low OG, totally missed my intended OG by .030...  But now I know to actually pull out the grains from the mash.  Did everything right, hit all my temps right on, (only did a single decoction to raise the final step to 158*) and am amazed at how simple it really was.  Many thanks to everyone on these forums for good advice and spot on info.  Cheers!

18

All Grain Brewing / My first dumper batch...

« on: April 30, 2012, 05:25:59 pm »

I brewed an abbey style ale several months ago, and on the first day, the temp spiked at 78*. I got it back down to 72*  quickly. I didn't think too much of this, as I used the Wyeast 1214 and 3787 yeasts, which are tolerant of higher temps.  By the 3rd day, I smelled a sulfur/solvent odor in the fermentation chamber. Thinking this might have been a temporary deal, I didn't worry too much, figuring it would ferment out.  At bottling time, the odor was gone. But 2 weeks later, I sampled a bottle, and at first, there was no odor/off flavor, but as it warmed up, the smell and flavor became prevalent, and stronger.  It reminded me of the old Testor oils paint thinner, not like nail polish remover or solvent.  I waited about 2 more months, but it has not gone away.  Going through my notes and trying to figure what went wrong, I checked the jaggery sugar I used, and found that one of the main ingredients in it was salt! So either high fermentation temps, salt, or infection? What effect does salt have in a fermenting beer? I guess that after 30 brews, only having one dumper is not bad odds...
Here is the recipe:
10# pilsner
1.12# flaked wheat
1# aromatic
1# biscuit
1/3# special B
3# clover honey  (2 min)
1/2# jaggery sugar (10 min)
1oz hallertau  60 min
1/2 oz saaz 20 min
1/2 oz williamette 0 min
90 min mash at 152*, 90 min boil
200 billion cells 1214, 200 billion cells 3787
Pitched at 62*
OG 1.080
FG 1.006
5 gallon batch

Thanks for any info  and insight...

19

The Pub / Ha ha... so true...

« on: February 15, 2012, 06:24:47 pm »

20

The Pub / For Trappist fans... #8?

« on: February 12, 2012, 08:44:57 am »

http://trappist-beers.com/8th-trappist-beer-coming-from-austria/

21

The Pub / Funny Icelandic beer commercial

« on: January 30, 2012, 12:20:11 pm »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0U9FqhMrjo&feature=autoplay&list=PLC3EF4F5441E7DA0D&lf=results_main&playnext=13

22

Beer Travel / Iceland bound...

« on: January 18, 2012, 10:35:59 pm »

This time tomorrow night, I'll be waiting to board a plane to Iceland!  I plan to visit at least 2 of their breweries, (whose names I can't pronounce, much less spell with an american keyboard!) Olgeroin is one, but I hope to hit at least 2 more in the Rejkyavik area. Anyone heard of any? Suggestions are welcome. Or is Iceland a bit too obscure?  Will post pics and teasers upon my return!  I will miss my AHA friends!

23

The Pub / Feelin' like the king of the world...

« on: January 06, 2012, 06:31:58 pm »

I just gotta say, that this forum is awesome. So much help, info, and just plain fun. I may not post all the time, but I'm here every day just to see what's going on...    Wish I could share a brew with all of you.
Got an ipod for christmas, and been listening to a bunch of podcasts on brewing, especially the beersmith one...  Been nice to put voices to some of the guys I see here...  Denny and Kai don't sound anything like I thought...  And is it just me, or does Brad Smith sound just like Jeff Bridges from "The Big Lebowski"?
And brewer of the week...   Hoo-ahh!  Too cool.  You guys weren't kidding when you say "Welcome to the obsession"! 
Thank you all!

24

Kegging and Bottling / Crash cooling question

« on: December 30, 2011, 05:41:55 pm »

I plan on crash cooling a beer for the first time, and was wondering if I need to let it come back to ambient temps before bottling, or just go with it cold? Thanks guys...

25

General Homebrew Discussion / I just freaked out a little...

« on: December 01, 2011, 10:34:47 pm »

So I was checking the beers I have fermenting right now, (two glass carboys, one oatmeal stout, one amber ale) and noticed that my chest freezer smelled a bit funny. (I have a 7 cu ft freezer)  Tilted one carboy to get a better look at the fermometer on the side, and saw a lot of grey/green fuzzy crud all over the straps of my brew hauler.  Then I noticed that there was a fair amount of this stuff all over the inside of my freezer.  Needless to say, I had a mild heart attack.

Removed both carboys, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized them with starsan, and scrubbed the whole freezer down with a mild bleach solution, then soaked  with some starsan also.  Gonna burn the brew hauler, and buy a new one. Was totally worried that both beers were ruined, but then remembered that I filled the airlocks with starsan. Both beers look fine.  Took a deep breath, drank a home brew, and relaxed a little bit.  Gonna keep a close eye on the beers. The amber is ready for bottling, and the stout has another week or so left before its ready.

Lesson for me: Sanitize fermentation chamber before and after each use...

26

General Homebrew Discussion / sunlight, unfermented beer, and skunking...

« on: November 13, 2011, 02:18:51 pm »

I know that exposure to direct sunlight will skunk a beer in as little as 1 minute, but what about unfermented beer, i.e. wort? I brew outdoors, and when using my IC, my wort is subjected to brief exposure to sunlight. I was wondering if this could skunk the beer before it fermented? I keep it covered as much as possible, but the lid on my kettle with the IC doesn't completely cover the wort. Am I being paranoid? Thanks...
Ben W

27

Other Fermentables / Mead maturation question

« on: October 30, 2011, 07:33:09 am »

I have a mead that's been maturing for about 4 months now, and as it's my first, I am wanting to sample some to know how it's coming along. My question is this: Can I open a bottle, pull a small sample out, and re-cork the bottle without adversely affecting the mead? Or will opening it stop the conditioning process and ultimately ruin the bottle? I can always drink the opened bottle, so it's not wasted...

28

Equipment and Software / Temp control question...

« on: October 21, 2011, 07:59:12 pm »

I just bought a chest freezer to use for fermentation, and had a question on the temp control devices...  I was looking at Ranco and Love temp control units and had a question:  If I buy a 2 stage, can I wire the freezer to cool, and a space heater to warm using the same control? I mainly brew Belgian styles, and higher temps are important to me, so if it drops below a certain temp, the heater kicks on, and if it gets too warm, heater turns off, and freezer turns on. Is this right? or do I need two separate controls? Thanks in advance...

29

Homebrewer Bios / Ben, aka "theantipunk"

« on: October 13, 2011, 09:57:40 pm »

Who Are You Ben Wilder
Home Town (City, State): Colorado Springs, Colorado

Homebrew Club: Been flirting with the Brew Brothers, but not yet a dues-paying member

I've been a homebrewer since: October, 2010 (1 year)

Do you have a homebrewing disaster you'd like to share? Other than the propane tank running empty in the middle of a boil, so far, so good!

What is your favorite style(s) to brew? Tripels, Golden Strongs, and porters

What style(s) will you never brew? I wouldn't say never, but least likely would be american lite lager

What was the first beer you ever brewed?  How did it turn out? A honey brown extract kit. Came out rather good, drinkable

What is your favorite beer recipe? My own version of a golden strong. Sorry, it's proprietary!   Just kidding. Ask me and I'll give it to you.

Do you have a favorite homebrew trick or gadget that you've found to make your beer better/brewing easier, etc? Using a hops bag has made things easier when racking the wort into my fermenter.

Describe your brew system. Mash tun is a red converted cooler (I know, I know, but I only lose 2* in a 90 min mash  ) a turkey fryer, a homemade IC, just the basics.

How frequently do you brew (times/month or /year)?  As often as I can afford to, usually 2x a month. I've done 20 brews in the first year

What is your favorite malt?  Why? Belgian 2-row or pale malt, because that's what I put in my favorite style of beer.

What is your favorite hop? Why? I really like the Tettnang hops, love the aroma they give, and Styrian Goldings have a flavor I like. I'm not really a hop lover, so IPA's are not among my faves...

Do you have a favorite or house yeast? What qualities do you like about that yeast? I like the Wyeast 1388 for my Belgians, I like the fruity flavor it imparts in my golden strongs. I also like the 1056 for my porter and amber ales.

If you could serve your homebrew to someone famous, who would it be and what would you give her/him? Thomas Jefferson, and probably an amber ale. Or Joe Sakic, my golden strong.

What's the most unusual ingredient you've ever used in a brew? I inverted some turbinado sugar in a tripel, just to experiment. Haven't tried anything exotic yet.

Do you have any pets or kids named after beer styles or ingredients? I had 2 cats, Guiness (rip)  and Murphy.

How many medals have you won from homebrew competitions? Have yet to enter a comp, but I took some of my golden strong to a club meeting, which was at a new brewery that had just opened up. The head brewer tried mine, came back for more, and at the end of the night, told me that my beer was the best he'd tried that night. I went home with a much bigger ego!

Do you brew alone, with friends or with someone you live with? Usually alone, though my 13 y/o son likes to pitch in.

Are you an indoor or outdoor brewer? Outdoor. If I fired up the turkey fryer on the carpet, my lady would likely shoot me.

List some of the names you've given your beers. Which is your favorite? Tattooed Grin Tripel, Good God Golden Strong, Absolutely Amazing Amber Ale.

30

Commercial Beer Reviews / Great Divide's "Yeti" imperial stout

« on: July 29, 2011, 04:55:12 pm »

I am a big fan of Great Divide Brewing, and last night tried their Yeti IS for the first time.  It looked like used motor oil pouring into my glass. Dark!  Great malt flavor at first, a little sweet, but then the hops kick in for an awesome flavor.  75 IBU's.  I'm not a big stout fan, but this one truly blew me away.  Has anyone else tried this? What were your thoughts on it?