Messages

31

Ingredients / Re: Maris Otter

« on: February 25, 2013, 12:19:24 PM »

If you're lucky to be near a homebrew shop, the next time you're in simply taste the malts.  I get more grainy out of regular 2-row.  I love the taste of Maris Otter (I could simply dump milk on it and enjoy it for breakfast!).  I really enjoy the side-by-side tasting of the grains when I go to the LHBS.

I try to taste everything in the brewing process, from the grains at the LHBS to the specialty ingredients to the wort to the gravity samples, everything.   

Maris otter to me means more biscuit/bread flavor than regular 2-row.  I think that for me, maris otter generally isn't for IPAs or hoppy pale ales.  Maris otter is great for beers that you want more of the malt to shine through, English styles being a great example.  I made a maris otter/willamette smash beer and the maris otter totally overwhelmed the hops.  It was plenty drinkable but the mild willamette (in the quantities I used) didn't have enough gumption to overcome the malt flavors.  Note to self: use stronger/more hops in any future smash beers with maris otter.

32

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Mailing Beers???

« on: February 23, 2013, 03:01:16 PM »

This post has awesome info and pictures about how to package beer for shipping.  There's a link at the top which brings you to the relevant part, 6. packaging beer.

http://alewatcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-trader-tips.html

33

Ingredients / Anyone tried Serebrianka hops?

« on: February 20, 2013, 02:55:21 PM »

I have a pound and was thinking of using them in a blonde ale with Wyeast 1332 yeast.

34

All Grain Brewing / Re: First Wort Hopping question

« on: February 16, 2013, 06:05:43 PM »

LOL I decided to FWH my bravo/munich smash today.  The difference in IBUs on beersmith is low, only 48 for FWH verses 45 for a 60 minute addition.  No biggie, right?

Except that somehow the process of deciding to FWH my beer led my mind into believing that a half an ounce was equal to 28 grams.  D'oh! 

Turns out half an ounce is still fourteen grams.   

And my beer will be about 30 IBUs higher than I planned.  They were bravo hops, high AA.  So it went from APA to IPA just like that. 

It will still be good tho.  I can feel it. 

35

All Grain Brewing / Re: My First Batch Sparge

« on: February 16, 2013, 06:00:08 PM »

Is there any harm in sparging with water that's less than 170 after equilibrium is reached?  I've been batch sparging using 172F water, which probably equalizes at considerably less than 168F (I haven't bothered to measure it at this point).  I didn't think it would matter for me because it's going straight to the boil pot from there anyway, and I'm not doing any fancy mashes that require special procedures. 

36

Beer Recipes / Re: Just Kinda Happened

« on: February 12, 2013, 08:51:47 PM »

I think it will be good.  I like fuggles.  Despite all those hops I don't think it'll be a hop bomb, with that grain bill it will be malty and somewhat hoppy, yet delicious

37

All Grain Brewing / Re: Need Some Serious Help

« on: February 12, 2013, 04:18:55 PM »

Off the top you have double ipa alcohol, and pale ale hop quantities. I don't think, if the numbers are right ,it would be bitter at all. Of course tastes vary greatly. If you don't like cent. or ctz, don't use them. Go with a clean bittering hop, like magnum, and up the late hops and even dry hops and lose 10 gravity points are some things to consider.

You have 8 gallons of 1.049 pre boil and 6.76 gallons of 1.074 postboil- typo somewhere? cause the math doesn't add up.

Also any yeasty  pours/samples will be far more bitter than the chilled clean version.

You say you have used r/o and your tap water with same result and onlly on ipa, results fine on all other styles??

I say water probably has some effect, and listen to the advice given in this thread.

But my first impression was "that ain't enough hops."  Add more hops! 

My IPAs have typically been an ounce at 60, 15, 10, 5, 1, 0 for 6 oz of hops, plus at least 2-3 oz more of dry hops, and they have basically come out at least "quite hoppy" if not damn delicious at times.  I know I'm not an IPA expoit and I'm not paying any attention to my water right now (although I guarantee it's not 400 ppm hardness). 

Add more hops! 

38

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Green Beer Question

« on: February 12, 2013, 04:11:23 PM »

Live yeast cleans up the beer.  So whether it's secondary, primary, or in the bottles, as long as live yeast is still working it will clean up the off-tasting by-products.  Time may be an issue depending on the exact procedure you used, but live yeast will still do their work.

39

Beer Recipes / Re: basic blonde ale

« on: February 10, 2013, 09:45:25 AM »

I'm trying to develop a blonde ale for a house beer.  I'm on batch III and should be doing batch 4 soon. 

Complete details of all recipes here

Each so far has been with a different yeast as well (although on batch III that was because the HBS was out of US-05, lol).

Body wise I'm liking the addition of corn.  We'll see how batch III tastes, it had more corn.

40

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Schlitz High Gravity V.S.L.

« on: February 10, 2013, 09:40:38 AM »

I've always loved schlitz regular in the brown bottles.  I'm also fond of their regular (blue) malt liquor.  I haven't been fond of HG malt liquors, but next time I'm doing construction and need a beer for after work, I know now what to get.

41

All Grain Brewing / Re: First Wort Hopping question

« on: February 04, 2013, 09:55:42 AM »

I use FWH in most of my beers, from APA/AIPA to pils and even tripels.

It gives me a nice hop flavor and adds a bit of smooth bitterness.  I start by deciding how much hop flavor I want, then adding the appropriate amount of FWH....usually 1-2 oz.  I count the bitterness from them as a 20 min. addition.  After having some beers analyzed, that seems like a pretty accurate guess.  Then I add enough hops at 60 to get the bitterness I'm going for.

Curious.  Beersmith II counts FWH as giving more bitterness units than a 60 minute addition.  .75 of bravo at 60 gives me 37.9 IBUs, .75 of bravo at FWH gives me 41.7.  Any ideas?

42

Ingredients / Re: 6 row + 6 adjunc, cream ale (red and white wheat, barley, rye, oats, and tritica

« on: February 01, 2013, 01:01:59 PM »

I think it sounds delicious.  Brew it and send me a bottle.

43

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Questions about using corn meal

« on: February 01, 2013, 12:59:42 PM »

Actually, corn meal probably contains a percentage of beetle parts already.

They like you to call those "crunchies."

44

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Thank You Jimmy!

« on: February 01, 2013, 12:54:16 PM »

Jimmy is the MAN.

45

The Pub / Re: Why does Budweiser just not get it?

« on: January 31, 2013, 08:56:46 AM »

What if they made a truly great all malt pilsner and kept the price reasonable?

Michelob?

I'd hesitate to call it "truly great" ..... I'm thinking along the lines on Troeg's Sunshine Pils or, even Victory Prima Pils.

Prima pils is amazing, that's what I was thinking.  However, probably (as mentioned a few posts below) something like Sam Adams Noble Pils would be better.  Prima is pretty darn hoppy.  Noble Pils would appeal to more people, probably.