151
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Key to creamy stouts
« on: February 01, 2013, 11:20:32 am »
Flaked barley works wonders.
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152
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Thermometer for fermentation chamber
« on: February 01, 2013, 11:19:36 am »
I local club member here picked a bunch of those up and uses them in all of his fermentation chambers, feezers, fridges, etc. He doesn't mind the Celsius.
153
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: I literally cannot wait any longer to try this
« on: February 01, 2013, 11:12:42 am »at least you ain't drinkin' outta the fermenter!
Some people call it a racking cane...I call it a straw.
HAHAHA YES.
154
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hop Pellets
« on: February 01, 2013, 10:43:46 am »
The Hop Stopper looks pretty effective, though, so I may give it a try and dispense with the bags and boil screen in the kettle, as it would serve that function rather nicely, or so it seems.
looks can be deceiving. I have not had much luck with it, nor have several others on the electricbrewery.com forum. YMMV
What was your issue, out of curiosity?
155
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Conference pointers
« on: February 01, 2013, 10:42:47 am »
I got the full w/o banquet last year and I should have just gotten the full w/banquet.
Go big or stay home!
Go big or stay home!
156
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: I literally cannot wait any longer to try this
« on: February 01, 2013, 10:41:40 am »I just took a gravity sample on a 10 day old IPA. After I got my reading I put it in a PET bottle with a carbonator cap, hit it with 30 psi and stuck it in the freezer. In an hour I'll have a cold, carbed sample to taste.
Hell, sometimes I just drink the entire hydrometer sample that I take before packaging!
Last night I had a flat (but tasty) ESB before kegging and a moderately cold Munich Dunkel before it went to lagering. That Dunkel was AWESOME.So OP, 6 days isn't the worst that could happen... at least you ain't drinkin' outta the fermenter!
157
Pimp My System / Re: Home made grain mill . . . . that could crush a brick!
« on: January 31, 2013, 05:52:17 am »
Very cool!
158
Events / Re: NHC competition site change.
« on: January 30, 2013, 11:16:49 am »I'll say this again because I think it warrants repeating. If you want to help the AHA out with the increasing demand and future success of the NHC, then begin your journey to become a BJCP judge and join us in judging this awesome competition. I've judged the first and second rounds of the last two years NHC's, and plan to do so again this year in NYC and Philly. The more judges we can recruit, the better off we'll be, for the impending growth of this national competition.
Exactly.
159
Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: DME vs LME
« on: January 29, 2013, 08:22:02 pm »
I always thought it was because LME usually only comes in predetermined amounts (3lbs, 6lbs) and DME can be used in various amounts based on the gravity you want.
But I could be wrong.
But I could be wrong.
160
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hop Pellets
« on: January 29, 2013, 08:14:42 pm »QuoteI use the Hop Stopper: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/hop-stopper
It's really quite a nice product. I tried just throwing pellets in & whirlpooling, then bagging them, then bazooka screens. This thing works EXCELLENT and will drain all but maybe 1/4 gallon from my kettle. I've used probably 10oz of pellets in the kettle once and it didn't even bat an eye. I have a feeling that it'll handle twice that. Best upgrade I've made in a long time.
I like the looks of that. Is it good at filtering break material as well as hops?
The break material is filtered out by the green mass that the hops form on the screen, so my wort coming out of the chiller is quite clear. I don't have to loose wort/beer in my fermenter either. After using that thing for about 7 months, the only downside I could find was that it was slightly pricey, but it is all stainless. Probably the best hot-side improvement I've found for me.
161
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Whirlpool "Strength"
« on: January 28, 2013, 07:31:02 am »The steepness of the coned material in the center of the kettle is dependent upon the 'shear strength' of the material. In the case of the ground hop matter in pelletized hops, the shear strength is nearly zero since that cone is composed of hydrated proteins and vegetative materials. Essentially, its goose crap.
If you use whole hops, then the cone can take on more shape because there is mechanical, 'particle to particle' contact between the individual hop cones. That mechanical contact increases the shear strength of the mass and allows it to 'cone' better. One of my old brewing buddies pointed out that a good technique for improving the coning of the hops and trub was to include at least a small proportion of whole or plug hops in the hop bill to provide that strength to hold the cone together. I prefer pellet hops, but using 100% pellets hops will leave you with a 'flatter' cone nearly every time.
SCIENCE!
I love Martin's posts, as a side note. "Essentially, its goose crap." <-LOL
162
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hop Pellets
« on: January 28, 2013, 07:23:45 am »
I use the Hop Stopper: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/hop-stopper
It's really quite a nice product. I tried just throwing pellets in & whirlpooling, then bagging them, then bazooka screens. This thing works EXCELLENT and will drain all but maybe 1/4 gallon from my kettle. I've used probably 10oz of pellets in the kettle once and it didn't even bat an eye. I have a feeling that it'll handle twice that. Best upgrade I've made in a long time.
It's really quite a nice product. I tried just throwing pellets in & whirlpooling, then bagging them, then bazooka screens. This thing works EXCELLENT and will drain all but maybe 1/4 gallon from my kettle. I've used probably 10oz of pellets in the kettle once and it didn't even bat an eye. I have a feeling that it'll handle twice that. Best upgrade I've made in a long time.
163
All Grain Brewing / Re: Hockhurz Step Mash: Check my Process
« on: January 25, 2013, 10:21:19 am »I hold the maltose rest for 30 on more malt forward beers and for 45 min on pilsners.
Kai
Excellent. Thanks Kai!
164
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: DIPA Review by Professional Brewer - Bell's Hopslam
« on: January 25, 2013, 10:20:16 am »And yet, somehow this makes me say "I really want to drink this beer". I guess "cat pee" is a relative term lol.
A wine-drinking friend of mine uses the cat-pee term to describe sour beers. Definitely relative!
I'm totally getting some Hopslam this year - Monday evening Flying Saucer has a firkin of it. I gotta try to get me some of that!
165
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Beer Brewing Cookbook
« on: January 23, 2013, 12:37:28 pm »I've only ever flipped through Clone Brews, but I remember saying "this doesn't seem right" to a few of the recipes for beers I'm familiar with. I know there's more than one way to skin a cat, but when a brewery lists their ingredients on their website and a clone recipe is way off in the specialty malts, then I don't have high hopes for that recipe.
That's exactly how I felt about Clone Brews. I got it for Christmas a couple years ago, read it, became skeptical for the same reasons and returned it. Got Brew Like a Monk.