406
The Pub / Re: song title game
« on: May 17, 2012, 07:10:02 pm »
Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
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407
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: is this normal?
« on: May 17, 2012, 02:05:08 pm »
Is the hydrometer completely submerged? if not, add more liquid until either the hydrometer is completely submerged (Broken Hydrometer) or the hydrometer begins to float (dry beer). It is possible that the beer is just drier than your normal beers, and so it sunk a bit further than normal.
408
Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian Blonde
« on: May 17, 2012, 11:36:43 am »Garc_Mall, I might havea 5 gallon cooler my dad can bring with him when we brew, would that work or be too big? Also this would be my first attempt at mashing grains but think it would be fun to do with my dad to give him a truer experience to brewing. i just have a few questions about the mash process that has me stumped. I must be over thinking it.
1.) When you mash at 152 degrees is that what you want to heat the water up to? Or should I go a little hotter so while it is mashing the temp will fall a bit?
2.) I only have a 6 gallon brew pot that will probably boil over if I try to brew a five gallon batch on it. I normally just top it off in the fermenter. Would this work with the mash process? I plan on taking OG right before I pitch.
These might be stupid questions but sometimes I tend to overthink things. But I want to make the best beer possible with my dad here.
First, you could use the 5 gallon cooler easily. If you can get a cooler conversion kit to convert the cooler to a mash/lauter tun, awesome. If not, just use a grain bag like you would use for steeping to line the cooler. Then you can use the water draining outlet on the cooler to lauter. Or you can do the brew in a bag like Jason recommended.
on to the other questions
1.) I meant to have the mash at 152. You can find strike water temp calculators on the internet (I have one on my phone) where you put the amount of grain and water, and it will tell you the strike temperature. if you are using a cooler, heat the water about 3-5 degrees warmer than what it says to preheat the cooler, then add the grains when the temperature of the water reaches the strike temperature stated. Don't worry overmuch about the exact temperature. If you are within a couple degrees, you will be fine. Jason recommends mashing at 149. That will give you an extremely dry beer, and I like my beers a bit less dry, so I mash a bit higher. Its totally up to you, and there really isn't that much difference between 149 and 152.
2. Topping off will be fine. You still do the calculations the same. I would shoot for a post boil volume of 4 gallons, and add that to a gallon of cooled water in the fermenter.
409
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Alabama passes gourmet bottle bill
« on: May 17, 2012, 10:22:20 am »Unfortunately, they let the homebrew bill die last night. Another year before they can try again to legalize homebrew in AL.
Damn, that sucks.
On the bright side, next year won't be an election year, so I would guess it should be a little bit easier. Keep up the pressure, and we will be rooting for you again next year.
410
Events / Re: 37 days 'till the opening toast.....
« on: May 15, 2012, 08:52:15 pm »
I am counting down here too!
My wife and I are doing the Pike Brewery Dinner. It will be our 2nd Anniversary dinner.
TheDarkSide, if you have a rental car (Or aren't afraid of the bus) Hit up Black Raven and Issaquah Brewhouse. Either of them are on bus routes. Rock Bottom isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Much better beer is outside Bellevue unfortunately.
My wife and I are doing the Pike Brewery Dinner. It will be our 2nd Anniversary dinner.
TheDarkSide, if you have a rental car (Or aren't afraid of the bus) Hit up Black Raven and Issaquah Brewhouse. Either of them are on bus routes. Rock Bottom isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Much better beer is outside Bellevue unfortunately.
411
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Why are 60 and 90 minute boils the norm? Why not longer?
« on: May 14, 2012, 09:37:25 am »
I feel like the gold star for pragmatism isn't very pragmatic.
A top hat and cane is a little overdoing it, isn't it?
A top hat and cane is a little overdoing it, isn't it?
412
The Pub / Re: http://tinychat.com/roffenburger
« on: May 13, 2012, 08:58:17 pm »
kicking it in here for the next couple hours.
413
Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian Blonde
« on: May 11, 2012, 03:41:10 pm »
do you have a small (2 gallon or so) cooler? If you do, you can do a mini-mash with some pilsner, and use the biscuit and vienna malt, and then use pilsner dme to top up to your gravity. If I were to do this, my rough guess of a recipe would be:
4.50 lbs Pilsner DME
1.00 lb Cane Sugar (or character sugar)
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt
0.50 lb Vienna Malt
4.00 lb Pilsner Malt
Mash in (2.25 gallons) at about 152-153, and hold it for 45-60 minutes, drain off, add a couple gallons more water at 170 to sparge.
You should have about 3.5 gallons of wort at this point in time. Take a sample of your mixed (1st and 2nd) runnings and cool it down to take a gravity sample. At this time, add the water to bring it up to your standard boil volume.
So, I am just throwing this number out there. you have 3.5 gallons of beer at 1.040.
You want 5 gallons of beer at 1.064
3.5 X 40 = 140 points of gravity
5 X 64 = 320 points of gravity
so you need 320-140 = 180 points from extract.
IIRC, DME provides 42 p/lb/g, so you need 180/42 = 4lb 5oz of DME.
There is your basic partial mash, and you can use mashable grains, such as vienna or aromatic malt, and its a good step towards all-grain.
4.50 lbs Pilsner DME
1.00 lb Cane Sugar (or character sugar)
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt
0.50 lb Vienna Malt
4.00 lb Pilsner Malt
Mash in (2.25 gallons) at about 152-153, and hold it for 45-60 minutes, drain off, add a couple gallons more water at 170 to sparge.
You should have about 3.5 gallons of wort at this point in time. Take a sample of your mixed (1st and 2nd) runnings and cool it down to take a gravity sample. At this time, add the water to bring it up to your standard boil volume.
So, I am just throwing this number out there. you have 3.5 gallons of beer at 1.040.
You want 5 gallons of beer at 1.064
3.5 X 40 = 140 points of gravity
5 X 64 = 320 points of gravity
so you need 320-140 = 180 points from extract.
IIRC, DME provides 42 p/lb/g, so you need 180/42 = 4lb 5oz of DME.
There is your basic partial mash, and you can use mashable grains, such as vienna or aromatic malt, and its a good step towards all-grain.
414
Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian Blonde
« on: May 11, 2012, 02:46:34 pm »
I was thinking aromatic as well, but I don't have any experience with that malt, and I thought I read somewhere that some malts labeled aromatic require mashing. So I will let others with more experience speak on that note.
415
Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian Blonde
« on: May 11, 2012, 02:34:56 pm »I really just want to get more fermentables out of the sugar. So I suppose any sugar would work. Is there any pros or cons to using different types of sugar?
The only difference is if you are adding a sugar with some flavor. I know that in Radical brewing, Randy Mosher recommends Pioncillo for his Belgian Pale Ale. If you are simply going for the fermentables, use table sugar, its cheaper.
Regarding crystal, crystal 10 probably isn't going to do much for you. If you want a bit more complexity, maybe like 2oz of crystal 40? or you could easily just drop the crystal, and steep 3/4 lb of biscuit.
416
Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian Blonde
« on: May 11, 2012, 01:48:49 pm »
first 2 things I noticed:
1. I wouldn't use light candi sugar, just use cane sugar or invert sugar. There really is no difference in my experience. If you want some flavor contribution, use something darker, like demerara or piloncillo.
2. Vienna malt needs to be mashed. Steeping it is probably going to dilute the small amount of enzymes to where it won't convert in 30 minutes. I would up the biscuit a bit, or just cut out the vienna malt.
Other than that, looks good. Maybe a bit of styrian goldings at 15 minutes?
1. I wouldn't use light candi sugar, just use cane sugar or invert sugar. There really is no difference in my experience. If you want some flavor contribution, use something darker, like demerara or piloncillo.
2. Vienna malt needs to be mashed. Steeping it is probably going to dilute the small amount of enzymes to where it won't convert in 30 minutes. I would up the biscuit a bit, or just cut out the vienna malt.
Other than that, looks good. Maybe a bit of styrian goldings at 15 minutes?
417
All Things Food / Re: Biscuits
« on: May 10, 2012, 03:11:53 pm »I trust Alton Brown for any recipe I have never made before. He has never steered me wrong.
Hopefully you started brewing before you watched his brewing episode
Most of the time I'd agree with you though.
everybody picks on that episode. I gotta say I started with that recipe and more or less those directions and the results were perfectly good. is it going to make award winning beer? no, but it makes good beer and it's pretty darn easy. I think for new brewers who have never done it before it's actually quite good. The ice trick to chill the wort and top up at the same time is awesome if you don't have a wort chiller. certainly easier than putting your kettle in the tub for 3 hours.
I agree, I have seen much worse advice from "more reputable" sources. Obviously, it isn't the best advice ever, but I am for anything that makes brewing seem easy, because the hardest part about homebrewing is getting started. I don't know how many times I have heard people say "I would like to start homebrewing, but it's so complicated."
418
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: My homebrew smells like vomit
« on: May 10, 2012, 10:52:30 am »
Go Brett Go!!!
I don't know that I would want I pineapple beer either though
I don't know that I would want I pineapple beer either though
419
Beer Recipes / Re: Raspberry Wheat Ideas
« on: May 10, 2012, 09:04:29 am »I'm doing a fruit hef this weekend - thinking about trying some un-preserved jam to go along with frozen blackberries (maybe some pineapple?). I'm adding in secondary (and will try the lemon zest, too!).
Only issue I could see is with pectic haze. I don't know if that will be too much of an issue in a hefeweizen, but make sure you account for it. Jam has a lot of pectin in it.
420
All Things Food / Re: Biscuits
« on: May 10, 2012, 09:02:26 am »
I trust Alton Brown for any recipe I have never made before. He has never steered me wrong.