Messages

31

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Messin Wit Beer

« on: March 30, 2013, 12:49:50 PM »

Rule of thumb is 3 days of stable gravity and you are good to go.

If I want a little bit more caramel flavor, I like to reduce some wort down to about 1/4 the volume, and then add that to the boil. I did it post-ferment with a scotch ale, and that turned out pretty decent as well.

32

Beer Recipes / Re: Amber Ale Recipe- Input Please

« on: March 29, 2013, 10:31:33 PM »

I agree re: biscuit, but I don't think that is dark enough for an amber. If you want the crystal in there, maybe 1lb C80, or .25 C40 and 1lb C80. You could also exchange some of that pale malt for Munich, and go 1/2 and 1/2 munich and pale, or 2/3 pale and 1/3 munich. Simplicity is nice though.

33

Beer Recipes / Re: Drunkey Monkey

« on: March 28, 2013, 07:28:01 PM »

This is how I see recipe formulation and styles. I like to imagine what I want to taste in my head first. Then I look at the simplest way to make that beer. Once I make it the first time, I can add increasing complexity of additions, because I already know where I am starting. As you get further into recipe formulation, you will know what things do naturally, but when you are starting out, I am a big fan of the simpler = better method.

For example, if I were trying to make a beer similar to yours, this is how I would approach it.

I want a beer that has the following flavors: Banana, cinnamon, vanilla, honey.

Ways I can do that: 3068 (Banana, Clove)
Add bananas
Add vanilla
add honey malt
add honey (backsweeten), (only with a keg).

If I were making this, I would just use 3068 to start. When the beer is finished fermenting, I would then diagnose how it tastes, and where it differs from what I had imagined. There are some things you can do to the beer post ferment. You an add tinctures, possibly add more fermentables (bananas). Other things you have to wait until the next batch.

Good luck.

34

Beer Recipes / Re: Vienna/Wheat/Pale

« on: March 28, 2013, 08:27:27 AM »

I prefer a flameout addition and dry-hop in my pales/IPA's.

35

The Pub / Re: http://tinychat.com/roffenburger

« on: March 26, 2013, 09:27:51 PM »

I'm in there again. I have a somewhat tasty infected mild in my glass.

36

The Pub / Re: http://tinychat.com/roffenburger

« on: March 25, 2013, 07:49:50 PM »

I'm in there for a while... Drinking a homemade pale.

37

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: "Twanginess" aftertaste to my Pale Ale

« on: March 25, 2013, 09:36:23 AM »

All of those are good ideas.

Also, don't throw out your harsh beer, if it is simply fusels, they will fade to esters over time and the beer should be more pleasant. I would give it about a month or so at room temperature.

RE: temps, I would keep it tightly controlled for the first 72 hours or so, and then just leave it in the tub, so it has some temperature buffering capability. The first 72 hours are really important because the growth phase is when undesirable flavors are formed (Esters, Phenols, Fusels).

38

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Well screwed that up

« on: March 24, 2013, 08:06:41 PM »

I would say to give it more time for sure. It could just be that the yeast is taking its time to settle down to the bottom of the bottle. Grapefruit and bitter make me think that it is yeast that may be bringing up some hop components. If it doesn't get better in a couple weeks, or you start getting bottle bombs, it could be an infection...

39

All Grain Brewing / Re: Oops...Session IPA

« on: March 24, 2013, 07:58:25 PM »

Session IPAs a sin? Since when?

That's what I wanted to know... I love me some session IPA's.

40

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: No brained brewing rules

« on: March 24, 2013, 07:57:03 PM »

Learn the rules so you'll know which ones to break

This is where I start. Once you know the rules, and know why the rules exist, you can know when/how to break them.

41

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: "Twanginess" aftertaste to my Pale Ale

« on: March 21, 2013, 10:37:11 PM »

Given that it started tasty, and ended band-aid, I am going to guess infection as well. However, it may just be the bottle. I have had a couple bottles go infected (one went to a competition ) but the rest of the batch is fine. If the next bottle is worse, you may have problems, but I wouldn't go direct to dumper unless you really need the bottle space...

42

The Pub / Re: http://tinychat.com/roffenburger

« on: March 21, 2013, 07:43:54 PM »

I'll be in there for a bit.

43

Ingredients / Re: Chocolate in a porter?

« on: March 17, 2013, 10:15:03 PM »

I would not substitute chocolate for the corn sugar in your porter.

If I were to make this according to the recipe, I would sub in about 1lb extra light DME, and use a tincture of cocoa nibs into the keg or bottles (4oz vodka on 2oz cocoa nibs for 1wk, for 5 gallons).

If I were making a Chocolate porter without the recipe, I would go something like this:

7lb Extra Light DME
.5lb Medium (60-80L) Crystal
.5lb Chocolate malt
.5lb Black (patent) malt
2oz (meh, I think this might be overzealous, 1oz or about 25-30 IBU) galena (or magnum) for Bittering
NO Flavor hops - (I think they would clash with the chocolate)
and use American ale, or some British strain.

Add Chocolate tincture (as prepared above) to bottling bucket or keg.

if you want to meet a specific flavor standard, you can take a dropper of some sort, and add a measured amount of Chocolate tincture to 1 pint of beer, and scale up to the full amount. I personally have found that 4oz tincture to 5gal beer is exactly where I like it.

As always, YMMV

44

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Whatcha all drinkin on St Pat's day?

« on: March 16, 2013, 01:17:35 PM »

I might go crazy and get an Irish Cream Latte from the green beans on Bagram.

Gotta love the green bean. I swear that saved me a few times my first deployment. Second was in the sticks, so I lived off of whatever beans Starbucks sent us in my crappy drip coffeemaker.

Oh, and I will probably have some sort of stout, my wife and I are headed to a local brewery for some beer and Corned beef.

Edit: To stay on topic.

45

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: racking to limit attenuation

« on: March 14, 2013, 09:37:32 AM »

AHA Forum Baby! Spreading the knowledge and making better brewers one post at a time! Woooo!!!

Amen brother.  I really appreciate the knowledge and experience.

I got both  and  !


Soooo, next obvious question for me is:
if I am destined for a green apple sulfuric butter honey lager

how soon might these off flavors develop?  Are they already present?  Develop over time?

They should already be present, and dissipate over time (as yeast cleans up their by-products). If you don't taste it currently, you should be fine.