Topics

1

General Homebrew Discussion / CO2 scrubbing attempt

« on: January 05, 2013, 04:46:23 PM »

I made a German lager that ended up with a little DMS in the finished beer.  Otherwise, it was malty and delicious with no oxidation or contamination character.  I wasn't sure if the DMS might correct itself with some lagering, so I decided to try to scrub it out with forced carbonation.  For a week, each day I released the pressure in the keg, then repressurised by filling through the liquid stem.  This bubbled CO2 through the beer, and I hoped would force out the DMS.  I don't taste much DMS now, however, the beer tastes like it has aged past its prime and tastes oxidized.  I never took the lid off the keg or exposed the beer to air, so I am not sure why it is now oxidized. 

Anyone else experienced this while trying to scrub with CO2?  Thoughts?

FYI, 100% pils, FWH hallertau, 90 min boil, whirlpool chill, wlp833 (4L starter), 4 weeks @ 50F, transfer under CO2, 6 weeks @ 35F, 15 PSI @ 35F. 

2

Other Fermentables / Favorite book on mead

« on: November 20, 2012, 09:16:06 AM »

I am just getting into meads.  Do you have a favorite book for mead making?  Is there a "how to brew" equivalent for meads?

Here are the 3 that caught my eye on amazon:

Mead: Making, Exhibiting & Judging by Harry Riches

Making Mead (Honey Wine): History, Recipes, Methods and Equipment by Roger A. Morse

The Compleat Meadmaker : Home Production of Honey Wine From Your First Batch to Award-winning Fruit and Herb Variations by Ken Schramm

3

Beer Recipes / Henry Weinhard Private Reserve

« on: December 24, 2011, 09:34:27 AM »

A close family friend of mine tells me stories of Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve he enjoyed during the late 70’s and early 80’s.  He says it was the best beer he ever drank.  He is turning 60 next year, and I wanted to surprise him by making him a batch of this beer.   I have full temperature control over fermentation for making lagers, however, I have never tasted this beer.  I know that the original lager strain was brought to the USA, then Portland, likely from Stuttgart, Germany in the early 1850’s.  The beer showcased PNW hops (cascade and possibly Willamette) and pale malts.  Other than that, I have nothing else to go on to make this beer. 

Does anyone here remember this beer? If you do, would you offer me some tips and what to shoot for in terms of malt bill, hop schedule and yeast selection?

Is there another resource I can look into for this information?

4

Equipment and Software / Thermometer Blowout

« on: December 24, 2011, 04:59:31 AM »

I have a brewing thermometer installed on my HLT, MT and BK.  On both the MT and BK, the thermometer burst.  And by burst, I mean literally sent shards of glass flying across my driveway.  From what I can figure, the pressure inside the thermometer must have built up as heat was applied and finally the pressure was more than the glass could hold.  I have a hard time believing there isn't/shouldn't be a pressure relief port (even a pinhole or something) built into the thermometer case. 

Anyone else had this problem?  Is this a design flaw of the thermometer or is there something I should have been doing as maintenance to prevent this from occurring?  The thermometers are 1-2 years old.  The first one blew out last year, the second yesterday.  Should the manufacturer still warranty these?

5

Yeast and Fermentation / Yeast Nutrient

« on: December 04, 2011, 09:39:46 AM »

When is best to add yeast nutrient?  In the wort boil?  After the wort is cooled?  Only in the starter?  When you pitch yeast?

I ask because of an observation of my starter wort.  I boiled it in a glass flask last time instead of a SS pot, and I notice the wort got very dark.  I know melanoidins form as you boil the wort, but this seemed excessive.  I checked my yeast nutrient, and it has a lot of DAP in it.  I know that people making syrups also use DAP in making dark Belgian candy syrups.  I am wondering if the DAP I added to my starter wort caused the excessive darkening, resulting in the DAP being sequestered into melanoidins and no longer available to the yeast a free nitrogen.  Maybe I should add it at the end of the boil, or once it is cooled? 

6

Yeast and Fermentation / Chest freezer fermentation chamber

« on: December 04, 2011, 08:11:49 AM »

I have set up a small chest freezer with a dual temp controller, heat wrap and thermowell for controlling fermentation.  After fermentation is complete, I crash the freezer down to drop all of the suspended yeast before I transfer to a corny.  Currently, I have the fermentor sitting on the bottom of the freezer.  I have noticed that if I drop too large of a temperature in a short time, then it gets some frost/crystals on the inside edges of the carboy.  I am almost convinced, too, that repitches from these beers contain a lot more dead yeast that past batches.  I believe that the direct contact of the carboy with the freezer bottom is cooling the glass colder than the set point.  Since the yeast cake is in contact with the glass on the bottom, it may be causing yeast to die and occasionally frost to form up the sides of the carboy.  By the time the temperature of the probe reaches the set point, the glass is effectively acting like the metal lining of the chest freezer and is well below the set point temperature. 

Has anyone else observed this with their system?  I figure putting a piece of foam on the bottom of the chest freezer will resolve the problem.  Is it common to do this?

7

General Homebrew Discussion / BJCP guidelines

« on: March 25, 2011, 04:45:25 AM »

As I try to dial in some recipes to brew to BJCP style, I notice that the IBU's of the style do not change accordingly when I switch between Reiger and Tinseth in my brewing software.  However, depending on which I select, the expected IBU bitterness of a recipe does change, and I could be dialed in or 5-10 IBU off with the same hop addition.  Does anyone know if the BJCP guidelines use the Reiger or TInseth formula?