Messages

31

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: IPA in primary

« on: January 30, 2013, 02:38:36 PM »

The airlock bubbling tells me when I should start checking gravity. Gravity tells me when I should start thinking about bottling. I don't think in days or weeks.

32

Ingredients / Re: Post your water report

« on: January 30, 2013, 02:23:49 PM »

Columbus, OH

pH 7.5
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 229
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.38
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.6 / 3.8
ppm

Sodium, Na 29
Potassium, K 5
Calcium, Ca 32
Magnesium, Mg 7
Total Hardness, CaCO3 109
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 26
Chloride, Cl 25
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 79
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 65

"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

33

Beer Recipes / Re: Hop Liquor

« on: January 30, 2013, 02:18:01 PM »

This is a stupid waste of hops - please bring me a bottle at the NHC in Philly!

I 2nd this

34

Beer Recipes / Re: Red IPA

« on: January 30, 2013, 02:08:08 PM »

Looks good. I think you're heading for the ~1.065 range. I just picked up 5 oz of Citra. I haven't used them before, so I'm excited about trying them. I'm thinking about making a single hopped citra APA in a couple of months.....A couple of months, just because there are a handful of brews in line before it!

+1 for Citra. I love Citra. I recently learned that Citra is a super high alpha aroma hop rather than a bittering hop. I have heard people talking about a really weird/nasty flavor from trying to use them for bittering but I could be wrong. Never tried. Only one way to find out!

35

All Grain Brewing / Re: is my theory sound?

« on: January 29, 2013, 02:16:20 PM »

Like I said before, I don't see anything dreadfully wrong with what you're doing. Take it as a learning experience. Learn about mouthfeel; light, medium, full body. Drink some beer with different mouthfeel and brew clones of them. Maybe you'll be able to see what you need to do with your equipment to brew less watery beer. Experiment a lot and have fun.

Keep us posted.

36

All Grain Brewing / Re: is my theory sound?

« on: January 29, 2013, 09:58:00 AM »

Qiuckly looking at your recipe there is something wrong. An og of 1.071 for a 3 gallon batch with less than 7# of grain seems highly implausible if not impoossible.

+1 good catch!

37

Beer Recipes / Re: Hop Liquor

« on: January 29, 2013, 09:45:56 AM »

super hopped Pilsner!!! What do you call it? Imperial India Pilsner Lager?

38

All Grain Brewing / Re: is my theory sound?

« on: January 29, 2013, 09:40:27 AM »

I don't really see anything wrong with your setup or your gravities.

There are ways to increase mouthfeel. Dextrin Malt, Crystal malt, Flaked barley, Oats, etc...

You're getting about 83 - 87% attenuation. Your yeast seems to be eating through enough of your sugar to be giving a dry or light mouthfeel. Maybe try some not so high attenuating yeast...

You might be using too much refining agents that are dropping too much protein out of suspension...

There are all kinds of different factors.

Let me know if something or anything works for you.

39

Beer Recipes / Re: Red IPA

« on: January 29, 2013, 09:20:59 AM »

I brewed an Irish Red IPA last night. It's a simple American IPA fermented with Irish Ale Yeast. Not really sure how it's going to turn out but I'm pretty sure it's going to be super dry. I collected about 6.7 gallons of wort and took a quick gravity reading during boil when it was down to 6.5 gallons just to see what I was looking at as far as OG and to see the color. The color was absolutely beautiful. Copper Amber with a definite red hue. But, the gravity was at 1025 at 212 degrees which is about 1065 accounting for temperature for a 5 gallon batch. s***! It has the potential for a super high post-boil OG. Oh well...

Here is the recipe:


12 lbs 0.8 oz    Pale Ale Malt 2-Row (Briess) (3.5 SRM)        92.0 %
13.8 oz            Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)             6.6 %
3.1 oz            Chocolate Dark 6-Row (Briess) (420.0 SRM)      1.5 %
1.00 oz            Centennial [8.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min   
0.37 oz            Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 45.0 min   
0.37 oz            Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min   
1.00 oz            Citra [14.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min   
1.00 oz            Citra [14.10 %] - Boil 0.0 min   
1.0 pkg            Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004)   
1.00 oz            Citra [14.10 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days   

40

All Grain Brewing / Re: is my theory sound?

« on: January 29, 2013, 08:50:20 AM »

Like everybody else said, 155° shouldn't really give you thin / watery beer. If you are attenuating down to 1007, you are probably mashing at perhaps very low gravities. 155° mash will create less fermentable sugars and more dextrins, etc. 1007 is super low for such a mash temp but this all depends on OG.

Like everybody else said, you are either mis-calculating the temp or mashing lower gravities than you think you are. Your mash efficiency might be the problem so many increase your grains to account for that if you truly believe your temps are correct...

Other than that, I'm not sure what else it could be. Recipes, pH, OG might give us a better understanding of the problem.

41

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP Guideline question

« on: January 28, 2013, 08:12:49 PM »

I'm planning on keeping the temperature low for the first few days as lower temps prevent diacetyl formation... My apartment stays around 65 deg F and that's the low range for this yeast so I'm hoping I'll be okay throughout.

Damn it smells good in here. I have a nice dark red copper / super light brown color and I'm going to boil off some of the water right now to bring down my volume and raise my gravity a bit.

Then, I'm adding enough hops for the very end of the range of an American IPA. around 69 - 70 IBUs...

Should be a good beer.

42

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP Guideline question

« on: January 28, 2013, 06:58:31 PM »

Ohhhh. I thought judges are supposed to know what the recipe was. I thought I would be deducted points for not using American yeast in an American IPA.

Alright. Thanks for the responses!

43

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP Guideline question

« on: January 28, 2013, 06:36:38 PM »

My point is that it's an American IPA with Irish Ale Yeast. I don't think the Irish Ale Yeast counts. But I'm not sure.

44

General Homebrew Discussion / BJCP Guideline question

« on: January 28, 2013, 05:10:17 PM »

I'm brewing an Irish Red Ale. (Heating up strike water)

Using BeerSmith2, I started with an Irish Red Ale that I created based on BJCP Guidelines. Then, I changed the beer style to American IPA and tried to get everything within that guideline. So, I basically turned an Irish Red Ale into an Irish Red IPA. I have high hopes for this beer. I think it will turn out delicious.

But, I may want to submit it to competitions. So, since it's technically an American IPA minus American Ale yeast, I probably won't be able to submit it to American IPA competitions. I'm using White Labs Irish Ale Yeast for this beer. Yes, I'm doing this to experiment but also, St. Patty's Day is near.

How do I submit this to competitions assuming it going to come out to be delicious? Or, do I have to find one of the "creative competitions"?

-- Chris

45

Ingredients / Re: Prefered base malt for brewing?

« on: January 26, 2013, 11:33:32 AM »

I like to use a house blend for almost all my recipes, unless I'm going for a truly traditional take on a beer (ESB, pils, Bock).

40% Rahr 2-row
40% Wey. Pils
20% Munich

I can increase the Munich for "malty-ness" and color, the Pils for delicate beers, or the 2-row if there is a lot of specialty malts or total fermentables (which drown out the pils anyway).

I kind of like the idea of blending base malts. +1