Messages

1

Ingredients / Re: What's the strangest ingredient you've ever used?

« on: March 18, 2013, 05:05:31 AM »

Dollarweed in a blonde ale (named One Dollar Whore). If you live in the southeast, you know what I mean. Added at flameout, which was a mistake. The beer tasted like cooked asparagus. I would like to try it again "dry" in the secondary as I can't help thinking the spicy aroma when I try to pull the stuff out of the landscaping would work well in a beer if done right. And in case anybody is wondering, it IS edible.

2

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Rehydrating Dry Yeast

« on: February 14, 2013, 08:37:19 PM »

Here's a nice article on the topic from Northern Brewer:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2010/06/the-importance-of-being-hydrated/

3

All Grain Brewing / Re: Will clear / decolorized iodine work for the starch / full conversion test?

« on: February 14, 2013, 08:18:29 PM »

Braukaiser has some really nice scientific info on the iodine starch test here:

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Iodine_Test

4

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: 100% Brettanomyces (or similar) fermentation

« on: November 11, 2012, 07:41:38 PM »

I've made a number of 100% Brett beers, and I love them. I pitch a big starter and aerate the wort. Most are done in 3 weeks or so, and get to 80-90% attenuation. The beers tend to have a lot of tropical fruit and a light tartness that is very appealing. I've mainly used Brett c. One character I've noted consistently is a brilliant clarity in the finished beer that is hard to achieve in a Sacc fermentation.

5

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Corn Sugar vs Table Sugar

« on: November 11, 2012, 07:30:12 PM »

Here's another great resource on bottle priming.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/AdvancedBottleConditioning.pdf

6

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: August 01, 2012, 03:34:13 PM »

I don't think this topic has come up yet. I've read in numerous places (don't have sources handy) that cooling to secondary lagering temps after a diacetyl rest (or not) should be slow (4 degrees F per day? Don't have the number handy.). How crucial is this? Has anyone compared a "fast cold crash" lager to a slow cooling to lager temps? For those that cool slowly to lager temps, how do you do it? The freezer portion of my lager fridge stores meat and other frozen foods, so I can't raise the temp in the fridge above ~40 without spoiling food (I'm in Florida). I do my best to insulate my fermenter when starting the lager stage, but I'm sure it's cooling a lot faster than what I've read is ideal. However my lagers seem to be just fine. Thoughts?
Cheers!

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brett and phenols?

« on: July 31, 2012, 04:57:39 PM »

What Brett strain did you use? Was it all Brett, or Brett in secondary? I recently did an all Brett clausenii Saison that started out with a lot of smoky/rubber phenolics. Over time the phenols faded and it turned into a nice beer with lots of tropical fruit and very low phenols. There's hope...

8

Ingredients / Re: New Hop Varieties

« on: March 01, 2012, 08:03:10 PM »

I've just tapped a keg of single hop pale ale using Zythos. Lots of citrus with some tropical fruit, with background notes of pine and wood. Complex and interesting - I like this blend.

9

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP Exam Question

« on: December 15, 2011, 06:59:44 PM »

I've graded many BJCP exams, and here's my advice for the tasting portion. The scoresheet gives crucial hints. In the "aroma" section for example, the scoresheet says "comment of malt, hops, esters, and other aromatics". It's important to hit all those features, even if you don't detect them (no diacetyl, no DMS). Similar hints are part of every section - hit all these highlights! I'm amazed at how many scoresheets make no mention of hop bitterness levels, etc. Another suggestion is to use as much descriptive terminology as possible. To (correctly) state that a beer has medium to high malt flavor is good. To describe (again, correctly) that the malt flavor is bready, or toasty, biscuity, caramel, roasty, etc. is MUCH better. Oh, and don't forget to check the boxes on the stylistic accuracy table at the bottom of the scoresheet! Cheers, and good luck on the exam!

10

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Mixing Yeast?

« on: September 16, 2011, 06:00:37 PM »

Just tapped a Saison fermented with a blend of White Labs 550, 565, and 570. It's dry, fruity, and spicy; couldn't be happier with the outcome.

11

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 9/16 Edition

« on: September 16, 2011, 05:41:30 PM »

Imperial black rye saison on Sunday!

12

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: How much homebrew do you drink while brewing?

« on: April 11, 2011, 06:41:51 PM »

I love decoction mashing for malty European styles, but I go crazy stirring the boiling mash for even 15 minutes. Having a beer makes the decoction go faster, at least in my mind. It's my timing mechanism. Other than that, usually not until the boil.

13

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Glass or Plastic

« on: April 11, 2011, 06:35:20 PM »

I'm gradually making the move to better bottles. I've got two primaries and really like them. Cleaning is not an issue. A good soak in oxyclean has never failed. I secondary in glass, but a gift certificate to my LHBS will get me a couple of 5 gallon BB (thanks Mom & Dad!). While I never use a brush etc. on BB, I do all sour/funky beers in glass. The risk of bugs hiding out in my BB is too great to risk it. I move glass fermenters in milk crates like others have posted above. Cheers!

14

All Grain Brewing / Re: Thanks Everyone

« on: March 31, 2011, 05:51:41 PM »

Congrats, and keep on brewing!

15

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Pitchable Dregs

« on: February 21, 2011, 08:20:29 PM »

Here's a good list of beers with viable sour and wild dregs: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2010/06/harvesting-sour-beer-bottle-dregs.html