Messages

31

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Small Batch questions

« on: August 23, 2012, 10:09:12 AM »

Ive actually found that even when adding fruit, a secondary is not necessary unless you dont have enough head space. I usually just wait about 4 days until the bulk of fermentation is complete then dump the fruit directly in my primary.

I've wondered about that.

I did a side by side with a generic wheat beer with Peaches. Secondary one batch, primary fruit with other. The primary tasted better, i picked up a hint of oxidation on the secondaried batch. If you've got the headspace it works. Its no different than adding honey or candi syrup or sugar syrup to the primary after the bulk of fermenation has completed. FWIW I also dry hopped both of those beers. So the one went something like this.

Ferment for 4 days
Add peaches to primary after 4 days, and ferment for one week.
After a week add dry hops and ferment another week, all in the same primary. Worked great!

32

Beer Recipes / Re: What's your favorite X-mas beer style/recipe?

« on: August 23, 2012, 09:11:21 AM »

Mine is 2 row base with some C-40, special roast,wheat and roast barley for color. I shoot for about 1.075 OG. Spice with orange peel, cinnamon and ginger(and this year including some star anise) in the boil and make a tincture out of the same spices to adjust at kegging.  I use magnum for bittering and cascade @ 20 min and 1 min. London Ale yeast @ 67 to ferment.

33

Ingredients / Re: Whole Star Anise

« on: August 23, 2012, 09:08:33 AM »

Thanks! Think Ill go ahead and put 2 of them in the boil for 10 gallons and 1 in my tincture.

34

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Small Batch questions

« on: August 23, 2012, 09:06:33 AM »

Ive actually found that even when adding fruit, a secondary is not necessary unless you dont have enough head space. I usually just wait about 4 days until the bulk of fermentation is complete then dump the fruit directly in my primary.

35

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 8/24 Edition

« on: August 23, 2012, 07:51:42 AM »

time to brew up my Christmas Ale so its in its prime by early December.

I brewed mine last weekend and it's bubbling away merrily at the moment.  No brewing this weekend.  Just some cleanup around the brewery.

Wow, you're right. It is time to start thinking about x-mas brew! I've been doing Jubelesque brews the last couple of years.  Thinking I'd like to mix it up this year.  Perhaps I'll start a yule beer thread for insipiration.

Look in the ingredients section under whole star anise. just started the thread

36

Beer Recipes / Re: Roggenbier yeast alternative

« on: August 23, 2012, 07:50:30 AM »

What about using White labs American HEfe WLP320? This strain has muted hefe flavors and I would imagine that you could control that with temp to make it even more subtle.   I used it in an American Hefe and the hefe flavors were subtle.

Really? Thats interesting. What temp did you ferment at? I've found that the strain more close to 001 than a hefe yeast. But I fermented at 62.

37

Ingredients / Re: Whole Star Anise

« on: August 23, 2012, 06:45:18 AM »

It is potent, I think we used 2 in a 10 gallon batch.

Was that overwhelming or to your liking? Did you use any other spices with it?

38

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1ST Time Washing Yeast

« on: August 23, 2012, 06:44:38 AM »

I'd say make a starter with 1 jar.

1. It will get the yeast going again and give you a better fermentation.

2. It will save you money since you will have 2 more mason jars at your disposal

3. Second and 3rd and even beyond that, generation yeast usually performs better IME, so that stuff in the mason jar may produce better beers than if you used a fresh pitch of new yeast.

4. You will have an opporunity to wash the yeast from the new batch and make another culture and test to see that your sanitation is good, and compare a 3rd generation pitch to a 2nd generation pitch.

39

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 8/24 Edition

« on: August 23, 2012, 06:39:33 AM »

time to brew up my Christmas Ale so its in its prime by early December.

40

Ingredients / Whole Star Anise

« on: August 23, 2012, 06:23:08 AM »

Hey guys Im doing my Christmas Ale this weekend. The recipe is 2-row some c-40, special roast and a touch of roasted barley for color and some wheat for head retention. I usually put some cinnamon ginger and orange zest into the last 5 min of the boil. Then I make a vodka tincture out of the same spices and add at kegging to get the flavor I want.  I usually use the zest of 4 oranges(10 gallon batch) and 4 cinnamon sticks and 4 cubes of candied ginger in the boil and the same ratio in the tincture. 

This year I found some great star anise from a spice market that smelled too good to pass up. Anyone have experience with this in beer? How much do you recommend? Has anyone blended it with similar spices before, how much of each?

I have considered making a separate tincture out of the star anise and dosing it at the end appropriately, but if there's some good advice out there it'd save me the trouble of making separate tinctures and allow me to add it to the boil directly as well since I like the flavor of both the boil and the tincture with my spices. I want it to blend well with the other spices and be one of those " I taste something in there and I think its anise but I cant put my finger on it" type of things.

41

All Grain Brewing / Re: Water additions for red ale

« on: August 22, 2012, 11:29:55 AM »

I dont add Mg to any of my water except my IPA in which case I do it just because I want more sulfate than Im willing to get by gypsum alone.

Chalk should not needed. Add calcium chloride and gypsum to get to 50 ppm of calcium and check your pH from there, Im guessing youll be in range. The mash process is magical.

As for how much, if you want malty/ add more calcium chloride then gypsum, if you want balanced add equal, if you want hoppy add more gypsum.

42

Beer Recipes / Re: IPA critique

« on: August 22, 2012, 08:05:02 AM »

I like about 350 ppm of sulfate in my water. I user Randy Mosher Ideal pale ale profile for my IPA and it works great for me. No chalk needed. With no crystal malt in your grain bill you will want to acidify the mash somehow. That could be why you're getting a dirty taste...too high of a mash pH.

43

Beer Recipes / Re: % of Rye Malt in a Pale Ale?

« on: August 21, 2012, 11:10:50 AM »

5% crystal is certainly appropriate. Munich and Victory have their own distinct flavor. Whatever is to your liking!

Ive done 1 Rye Pale in my brewing days and it had 70% 2 row, 20% rye, 5% crystal-40, and 5% biscuit FWIW.

44

Ingredients / Re: Lemon zest post fermentation

« on: August 21, 2012, 11:05:38 AM »

I have done the zest tincture. I have also cut the lemons into supremes. Zest the lemon and save it. Then slice off all of the white pith so all you see is lemon flesh. Cut into the natural segments leaving the white "rind" behind. Then steep the segments in about a cup of 160 water for 10 minutes. Cool and add directly to fermenter. 4 lemons was plenty of twang for me. It turned out really well!

45

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: White Labs vials?

« on: August 21, 2012, 11:02:55 AM »

Chris White is totally going to have to come to my house.