Messages

31

Ingredients / Re: Carbon filtered water

« on: July 04, 2012, 11:31:43 AM »

So what would you do?  My water in Fort Worth has 89-142 Calcium, 99-123 bicarb, 16-33 Chlorine, sulfate 23-36, total alk 99-123.  Do I add gypsum?  Do I even bother carbon filtering?  Do I buy spring water and add gypsum?  I'm really not sure

32

Ingredients / Carbon filtered water

« on: July 03, 2012, 03:04:19 PM »

Zymurgy's Two Hearted Ale recipe in 2011 called for carbon filtered water with 4g Gypsum added to it.  What is the purpose of carbon filtered water?  Isn't that just Brita filtered water?  If so, wouldn't I need to know Bell's water report to know if I need to add gypsum to it? 

33

General Homebrew Discussion / Apples

« on: April 20, 2012, 03:23:22 PM »

Hey.  Why does my friend's beer continue to have an apply smell/flavor?  He's made several beers in the past with similar results.  The last beer, an oatmeal stout, he brewed with me at my house.  He then transported the cooled wort back to his house for fermentation and later carbonation.  I read that acetaldehyde can cause it???

34

Kegging and Bottling / Re: high alcohol bottling

« on: December 09, 2011, 01:05:36 PM »

Ok....Panic sets in.......Tried my Belgian quad after two and half weeks in the bottle at around 70 degrees.  I bottled from the secondary with about 4oz of priming sugar and did not add any additional yeast, such as cuvee.  It's dead flat!!!  I was planning on using it in a blind tasting of belgian quads on Dec 17, but that obviously ain't happening.  What do you guys think?  Can I salvage it without opening all the bottles and adding cooper's carbonation drops?  That will be a pain in the rear since most of my bottles were corked.  Maybe I should have added champagne yeast, as some on this forum recommended.  I had bottled a tripel years ago without any problems. 

35

The Pub / Re: What beer opened your eyes?

« on: December 04, 2011, 12:22:10 PM »

Guiness Irish Stout initially (which I almost never drink anymore), and several years later I drank Chimay Grande Reserve at a Portland, OR beer festival.  The Chimay rocked my world (unto these eyes beer took on spiritual significance!).  Really don't drink much Chimay anymore either, but I still think it's a pretty darn good BDS.  It's interesting how some of those initial "eye openers" (though arguably still good beers) fade into the backdrop of the enormous quantity of great beer that the world has to offer. 

36

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Begian Dark vs Quad

« on: December 04, 2011, 12:15:03 PM »

You guys are brilliant!  I'm also glad to know that I'm not completely silly for asking simple questions.  I'm about to host a blind tasting.  I thought that Belgian quad and belgian dark strong ale were the same beer, so I was going to provide an assortment from both.  i recently brewed a dark belgian strong, and I was going to include it.  What do you guys think?  Stick with just DBS, or throw in some quads?  And having said that, what 6 or so beers would you add to the sampling? 

37

All Grain Brewing / Re: How to obtain a water report

« on: December 03, 2011, 08:34:44 AM »

I've been having similar questions regarding water reports:  I went to the Fort Worth, Tx City's website and viewed the annual water report.  They have not posted 2010 or 2011 yet.  They have posted 2009 and earlier.  So, I have a couple of questions: Can you assume that the water is relatively consistent from year to year?  Second, the water report lists ranges: Bicarb 95-117, Mg: 3-10, Ca: 139-156, Alkalinity as CaCO3: 95-119, Hardness as CaCO3: 90-169.  Can you adequately adjust your water based on these ranges? 

38

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Do I need to add fresh yeast at bottling?

« on: December 03, 2011, 08:07:08 AM »

I hope you will be fine!  I made a belgian dark strong ale, and after about 3 weeks in the secondary I bottled.  Been 2 weeks in bottles today.  We'll see!  I did not add any dry yeast, just went for it. 

39

General Homebrew Discussion / Begian Dark vs Quad

« on: December 03, 2011, 07:50:06 AM »

Is there a difference between a Belgian Quad (like Rochefort 10, St. Bernadeus Abt 10) and Belgian Dark Strong Ale (like Chimay Grande Reserve, Thelonius)?They seem quite similar.  Just Curious

40

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: 5.2 stablizer and partial mash

« on: November 21, 2011, 03:46:20 PM »

What is the best way to measure pH?  Does everyone have a meter?  Does litmus paper work just as well? 

41

All Grain Brewing / Re: Water Chemistry... Please help!

« on: November 19, 2011, 08:43:03 AM »

How do you find out what your water chemistry profile is? 

42

All Grain Brewing / Re: decoction mash

« on: November 19, 2011, 08:42:20 AM »

It seems, based on the discussion here, that doing a decoction at all is somewhat controversial.  I have never done one.  I generally do single infusions and batch sparge.  It was recommended in this discussion to check out the YouTube decoction video, which I did.  He, the German guy, said that decoctions were better when you have "less modified" malts such as munich.  Do you all agree?  Does it really make a difference? 

43

Kegging and Bottling / Belgian Bottling

« on: November 11, 2011, 10:51:17 AM »

Hey, just made a Belgian quad and I want to make it look nice and authentic.  I've got a bunch of belgian bottles and corks with the little metal twisties to go on top......Question: How do I get the corks in?  I don't want to go buy some expensive wine/champagne corker.  What dare the forum say? 

44

All Grain Brewing / Re: Water Chemistry... Please help!

« on: November 10, 2011, 01:02:25 PM »

How do you find out what your local water report is? 

45

All Grain Brewing / decoction mash

« on: November 10, 2011, 01:00:30 PM »

Does anyone have much experience with decoction mashing?  I saw a recipe in "Recipe of the Week" called "Tara's Slam" that uses a decoction mash.  It seems strange to me, if I understand correctly: you set the mash at a low mash temperature, pull off a small % of the runnings, heat it up and let that sit for a little whille, then boil that small run off and add it back to the main mash thereby raising it's temp up to a higher rest......and so on.  Did I get that right?