Messages

91

Equipment and Software / Nat. gas stove boiling times

« on: April 20, 2013, 03:44:31 pm »

It's hard to say as every stove is going to put out different BTUs like if you have a big Viking Range versus a everyday GE.

Try boiling the volume of water and see how long it takes to get going and assume that heavier wort will take a bit longer and make your decision from there

92

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: April 20, 2013, 06:09:03 am »

There is sort of an anti-sulfate crusade that has been promulgated by a person that only brews European light lagers. Unfortunately, that sentiment has 'bled' into the psyches of other brewers and their quest for great beer.  I can assure you that many styles benefit from varying levels of sulfate in the brewing water. Lately, the lore has been that sulfate enhances bitterness perception (which it does).  However sulfate is actually helping to dry the beer finish (which enhances bitterness perception) and that can be a valuable tool for the brewer to tune their beers.

Certainly, sulfate should be used in moderation. But it should be viewed as an important tool in perfecting your beers. Using it in hoppy beers only may restrict your brewing abilities. Next time you have a recipe that produces a beer that doesn't dry the finish adequately, think about bumping the sulfate content of the water up a bit. An extra 20 ppm may be all you need.

Don't be afraid of sulfate!

Thanks for chiming in. To clarify a bit, the pale Alenin question is actually a low IBU version that I brew but with a lot of very late additions of Amarillo and Simcoe as well as 3oz of dry hop of the same. The first batches, while very good were not giving me the desired flavor and aroma and the bitterness was somewhat subdued.

With the gypsum addition in this batch the beer is definitely more crisp and the flavor and aromas from the late additions are far more pronounced and less muddy.

93

All Grain Brewing / Next Step-Water

« on: April 19, 2013, 03:40:06 pm »

So to update, sort of....
Just did a side by side of my house pale ale, the second with treating the water with 10grams Gypsum and the hop profile is much more pronounced and crisp and I am very pleased with the improvement and the little effort that was required!

Just made one of my favorites even better than it was!

94

All Grain Brewing / Re: Dead Space

« on: April 19, 2013, 06:41:19 am »

Why would you have dead space in the brew kettle?  Wouldn't you just pick up the kettle and pour everything out?  Of course there would be the grub issue.  I will try the recommendation for both my tun and kettle and see what is left.  Thanks guys.

If you just dump the contents then, no, there would be no dead space but if you use a kettle with a valve there would be dead space

-Amanda beat me to it!

95

All Grain Brewing / Re: Dead Space

« on: April 19, 2013, 06:22:17 am »

Add a known amount of water, and measure exactly how much water you are able to drain out of the system. The amount you can't drain is effectively your dead space.  Mine is ~ 1/2 gallon, slightly less. Take that into consideration for your water measurements.

+1,
You can use the same method to determine if  you have dead space in your brew kettle as well!

96

Equipment and Software / Re: Anyone using a propane burner or turkey fryer setup AND ice bath to chill wort?

« on: April 19, 2013, 06:19:53 am »

If you are somewhat handy you can make an Immersion Chiller with a 50' coil of copper tubing for about $25-30.00 which translates to about 5-7 batches of beer if you were to buy ice, and yes, many people get a turkey fryer set up to begin with as you can usually pick them up for less than $100.00 and some even come with a SS pot now at that price!

97

Equipment and Software / Re: First kit questions

« on: April 19, 2013, 06:16:14 am »

I would suggest you pick up a rope tub type toy bucket, they sell them at Walmart for, like $7.00. They are definitely large enough to handle an ice bath and the bonus is you can then use it as a swamp cooler to help control fermentation temperatures as a water bath!

98

General Homebrew Discussion / Greetings from Florida

« on: April 17, 2013, 05:21:55 pm »

Welcome! Fun place to be!

99

The Pub / Reinheitsgebot craziness

« on: April 17, 2013, 05:20:58 pm »

Laws or no laws, you have to agree they brew some mighty fine beer:)

100

General Homebrew Discussion / Topping off a fermenter

« on: April 17, 2013, 05:16:45 pm »

Some do, some don't. I never did and never had any issues. I'm not suggesting I'm right, I just never did it.

101

Homebrewer Bios / Re: New Bio: Gary Dubofsky

« on: April 17, 2013, 04:52:43 am »

Welcome to the AHA forum Gary.

Is that Crescent City in New Orleans (riverfront) in the background?

It is! The picture is a few years old, the hair is a lot shorter and a lot grayer these days LOL!! One of my favorite cities!

102

Homebrewer Bios / New Bio: Gary Dubofsky

« on: April 16, 2013, 01:47:41 pm »

Gary Dubofsky
Glenview, IL
Club: The IBU's
Homebrewing since 2010-officially-dabbled prior back in the day.........
Became an AHA member about the same time
Favorite styles are Pales, Belgians and Wheats, both American and German
First Beer Brewed: Midwest Supplies "Black Dog Ale" Turned out surprisingly well and very drinkable but never brewed again
There really is no style I won't brew but I am not a fan of stouts, lambics or Barleywines
My favorite recipes are mostly wheats. I really like the challenge of making a simple beer great and wheat can pose a little challenge to get just right
I brew on a 3 tier gravity system churning out 6 gallon batches and brew outside all year
I generally brew twice per month
I really like Maris Otter and am a big fan of WY1968 for most of my Pales and IPAs
Big fan of Noble hops for most beers and the obvious "c"s for my American styles
My two favorite creations to date are "Andi's a Peach Wheat" and "Addie's Ale"-these took many trials but are finally perfect (at least we all think so)
My most unusual beer to date is my first Gose with Hibiscus flowers but I haven't tasted it yet so this could also become my first brewing disaster

Thanks for letting me share, I love brewing and just about everything beer related and love this forum and all the knowledge out there!

Cheers!

103

Beer Recipes / Citra with Nelson?

« on: April 15, 2013, 04:48:59 pm »

I find Citra to be kind of over powering and it might mask the NS.

104

Ingredients / Re: ACIDULATED MALTS

« on: April 15, 2013, 02:42:43 pm »

not brewing it until mid May. I let you know in June

I brewed my Hibiscus Gose on Saturday using your method of first the traditional mash, then adding the acidulated malt. I used 2lbs of acidulated malt and added it after the 60 minutes, before draining the tun (I batch sparge). I let it rest until the pH dropped to about 3.5 and a little conversion which took about 20 minutes or so.

I'll try and follow up with tastings in a few weeks!

105

All Grain Brewing / Re: stuck fermentation

« on: April 15, 2013, 02:36:34 pm »

Jumping in kind of late but nobody asked-Are you taking the reading with a hydrometer or refractometer?

If the latter, try the former, IME, readings with refractometers are just not reliable, even with proper conversions, once alcohol is present.

Just had to ask but these others that spoke about the grist have far more experience in that department and I have to agree with the issues pointed out with the recipe.