Messages

76

Yeast and Fermentation / Preparing the yeast

« on: March 23, 2013, 07:17:21 AM »

As it says in your instructions, this is a wyeast smack pack. The smack pack allows you to "proof" your yeast before brewing, so that you know your yeast are viable before pitching. The pack swells and you know your yeast are viable.  Sometimes during shipping the yeast will be subjected to high temps and maybe kills it, so they want you to proof it before you brew.  It seems that the "few days before" recommendation is to cover their a$$. If you wait until brew day and you're mashed in and find that the yeast is dead, you're sort of screwed unless you can get more yeast, and someone would be on the hook for a wasted batch of beer. This seems to be a related to the mail-order side of it, as they seem to assume the worst case, that you have nowhere else to get yeast on brewday if yours are dead.

If I smack the wyeast at all, it's 3-6 hours before pitching. I wouldn't want to do it days ahead of time and let it sit around. Maybe that's fine, maybe not, I don't know.  If you have a local shop that stocks that yeast, I'd proof it on brewday. In all liklihood it'll be fine but if not then at least you can run out and get a replacement and not waste your wort. If you have noplace nearby to get a replacement, it might be best to take their advice and proof before you mash in.

As others have said, you may need a starter anyway based on your volume and OG in which case you'll know days ahead anyway when you get your starter going.

Thanks for the response.  So, if I do smack the yeast 3 days prior, should I let it sit at room temp until time to pitch it?

IMO you should make a starter as suggested. This should be done at least a few days before brewing.

77

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: March 19, 2013, 05:58:10 PM »

So then for lighter beers with my water alkalinity being 100 would a little acidulated malt be beneficial in the mash to assist with the pH?by

Prabably. Try a test mash with a small weight of the grist and your water before you brew. If it is too high, then formulate the recipe with acidulated malt. Weyermann says 1% will lower the pH 0.1, so start there and see where you end up. Adjust the mash up/down once you measure.

Cool, I'm working up a Belgian Wit/white recipe that this will probably be necessary for as I don't anticipate the grist dropping the pH to desirable levels

I'm trying to get something like Allagash White, looks like I might need to use about 5% but that seems like a lot? My normal pH is in the very low 6 range and my regular beers have always gotten me a good pH with out its use.

The correct answer is it depends. Water pH means little. Mash pH means a lot.

This I know, I'll play with the lactic acid and see where that gets me, thanks to all! A lot to digest and think about...

78

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: March 19, 2013, 03:38:47 PM »

So then for lighter beers with my water alkalinity being 100 would a little acidulated malt be beneficial in the mash to assist with the pH?by

Prabably. Try a test mash with a small weight of the grist and your water before you brew. If it is too high, then formulate the recipe with acidulated malt. Weyermann says 1% will lower the pH 0.1, so start there and see where you end up. Adjust the mash up/down once you measure.

Cool, I'm working up a Belgian Wit/white recipe that this will probably be necessary for as I don't anticipate the grist dropping the pH to desirable levels

I'm trying to get something like Allagash White, looks like I might need to use about 5% but that seems like a lot? My normal pH is in the very low 6 range and my regular beers have always gotten me a good pH with out its use.

79

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: March 19, 2013, 02:11:28 PM »

So then for lighter beers with my water alkalinity being 100 would a little acidulated malt be beneficial in the mash to assist with the pH?

80

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: March 19, 2013, 02:05:00 PM »

I'm more concerned with the alkalinity presented by this water.  At 100 ppm as CaCO3, it has the chance to adversely affect any of the lighter beers. 

So in this vain, for lighter beers with my alkalinity at 100 would it be beneficial then to add some acidulated malt to the mash to assist in bringing down the PH?

Can you elaborate a little more on this statement? Particularly what role does alkalinity play on flavor perception.  What role on pH.  Then framing it in context of your worries about lighter beers.  What effect exactly would you be worried about.

Along with the pH problem, the alkalinity will make the light beers taste the opposite of crisp. My Pilsners tasted "muddy" in the finish, not clean and crisp like they do now that I brew with RO and adjust.

81

General Homebrew Discussion / Yeast starter or additional yeast packs

« on: March 17, 2013, 10:28:46 AM »

Now I just need to figure out how to do a two pack starter.

How much DME
How much Water

You can still use 1 pack and then step it up.

Visit www.yeastcalc.com, enter in the same info and it will tell you how many steps.

Ideally you weigh out the DME at a 10:1 ratio so 1L=100grams, 2L=200grams, etc....

82

General Homebrew Discussion / Carbonation

« on: March 17, 2013, 06:34:37 AM »

10 days is just not enough time especially for higher alcohol beers, my guess is 2-3 weeks.

I've got a 9% beer sitting at 8 weeks and its almost ready:)

83

All Grain Brewing / Preboil Gravity off

« on: March 16, 2013, 02:25:30 PM »

Is your actual efficiency relatively consistent?

+1
If this is a consistent issue you can change your efficiency % and just add some grain to your recipes as well!

84

All Grain Brewing / Preboil Gravity off

« on: March 16, 2013, 12:19:49 PM »

Things to evaluate:
Crush quality
PH
Water to grist ratio
Temp
Sparge method
Sparge temp
Equipment-bazooka screen, manifold, false bottom?

Maybe tell us your process and can chime in accordingly

85

Yeast and Fermentation / Wy 3522 Belgian Ardennes

« on: March 16, 2013, 11:30:31 AM »

I had the same experience until it got bottled.....confused:(

86

Yeast and Fermentation / Wy 3522 Belgian Ardennes

« on: March 15, 2013, 01:57:29 PM »

Anybody ever use this yeast?

I will preface this by saying I am not a bottling noob-I only bottle and always have for as long as I've brewed so I know how to bottle and be patient but this yeast is throwing me.............

Belgian IPA
OG 1.084
FG 1.008

Brewed on 1/19 and bottled on 2/8. Bulk primed with 4.71oz with a finished volume of beer of 5 gallons.
When the beer was racked it was crystal clear and no trub was brought with it into the bottling bucket and bottled clear.

Last week I placed a bottle in the fridge for a few days for a sample. Upon pour it was still not fully carbonated which is not my concern as being so large it may just need more time but here is my dilemma: The pour was full of yeast floaties and there appears to be a solid 1/8-1/4 " of sedimant in the bottles and upon viewing my bottles today with a flashlight they all appear to have a large amount of floaties in them. They look like snow globes!

Even the new bottle I placed in the fridge 3 days ago still has yeast suspended in it! This is supposed to be highly flocculent and as mentioned no trub was racked when bottled so I am quite confused..........

Any one ever have this happen to them? Mind you, when I tasted the first, flat bottle A week or so ago the beer was fine with no off flavors or faults but I have never had yeast act like this before.

87

All Grain Brewing / Emphasize pilsner?

« on: March 14, 2013, 05:04:36 AM »

or maybe they were expecting some sulphur or diacetyl?   

Too funny!

I'll probably drop him an email and ask, I've got a few questions.....

88

All Grain Brewing / Emphasize pilsner?

« on: March 13, 2013, 06:02:01 PM »

Personally, unless they explained what they meant by a vague comment like that, I'd ignore it.

I was curious because both judges stated the same thing which kind of struck me-starting to truly wonder about the actual merit of some of these comps........outside of bling if you place:) several comps and vague, crappy uninformed comments are not a help!

89

All Grain Brewing / Emphasize pilsner?

« on: March 13, 2013, 05:21:18 PM »

So I entered a Belgian blonde in a local comp and it scored a 33 which I was pretty pleased with but I'm confused...

Both judges said it was lacking the pilsner quality of the beer

The recipe was 85% pilsner !

Single infusion mash at 151 steady for 60 minutes and a 90 minute boil

Any thoughts as to what this comment means or how I would provide more emphasis? Could it be the water being too hard for the style?

90

All Grain Brewing / Re: Next Step-Water

« on: March 13, 2013, 03:47:25 PM »

Hating to be a pest but I am not a chemist and I'm probably making this harder than it is.............

In playing with Kai's spread sheet and sticking to the basics tab I have entered my water report info as I have it.

In playing around with the additions as you all described I find that 8g of gypsum brings the calcium up to about 84ppm and sulfates to about 138. Anything more than the 8g puts me over the recommended amounts.

This addition also shows that my alkalinity will drop about 21.1ppm and the mash PH is estimated at 5.4 and this is all listed in the resulting water profile section.

The beer in question is one of my favorite Pales that I am trying to improve with more hop presence and crispness so does this look about right as a starting point without going over board?

Appreciate the input and patience, feeling like a noob again