Topics

76

General Homebrew Discussion / The trouble with advice from random people on the Internet...

« on: March 05, 2012, 07:40:45 am »

After purchasing a cheaper stainless boil kettle I worried that my crappy burner didn't disperse the heat well enough and would scorch my wort. So after lots of searching I found a post on another site that mentioned using a specific type of aluminum plate from Mcmaster-Carr, and it would do a good job of spreading the heat under the pot.

Well, I did that, and here's the result:


 

This happened yesterday. I heard my burner start making a racket and looked down to see molten aluminum dropping from it. I cut the gas, cursed (not necessarily in that order), then waited for the metal to cool. I was able to clean most of it out of the burner, but I have a few jets that are clogged now.

I think I'll hang the plate up in my garage as a reminder...

77

All Grain Brewing / Mash temp too low

« on: March 04, 2012, 12:57:14 pm »

Hey all,
I ended up with a mash temp of 149 instead of 153 for the pale ale I'm brewing today. To make matters worse I didn't realize this until my tun was full to the top so I couldn't add water.

Just how much drier will this make the final beer? I'm willing to leave it as is, but is there anything that can be done post-mash to compensate for the temp mistake?

Do I just mash for a longer time? 

78

Commercial Beer Reviews / SNPA in a can

« on: March 03, 2012, 08:38:28 pm »

Am I just letting my pre-conceived bias against canned beers mess with my palate or is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in a can over-carbonated?

I made sure I bought some that was recently bottled (Jan 30th).

Meh...

79

Yeast and Fermentation / Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone fermentation question

« on: March 02, 2012, 12:52:22 pm »

Hey all,

After hearing an old interview with a Sierra Nevada brewer, then reading the Ask The Experts questions/answers from them, I'm now confused about how to ferment SNPA.

The interview (an old one from The Session) said they ferment all their ales the same, starting at 60F then letting it rise to 68.

In the Ask The Experts questions, there is one that talks about fermentation (not their beers specifically) and they suggested people pitch at 65 then rise to 68.

So which should I do? I now have a freezer/temp controller so I can pitch at whatever temp.

Has anyone brewed beerfan's SNPA clone? http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15532

Any suggestions?

80

Ingredients / Besides more alcohol, what exactly does honey contribute?

« on: March 01, 2012, 12:39:05 pm »

I get various local produce delivered to my office every other week. One of the options I have is to include some locally produced honey (I'm in north Florida). So I've been wondering if there's anything I can do with that in beer.

It was always my understanding that honey in the fermentor doesn't actually contribute much, if any, flavor. Is this correct?

If I wanted to create a pale ale, or an IPA, that accentuated things that remind me of Florida (citrus, pine) I know I can get that from hops. But can I get something subtle from adding honey somewhere in the brewing process?


[edit]
Here's a picture of the honey, in case color matters:

81

Equipment and Software / Good video showing proper way to calibrate with an ice bath

« on: February 29, 2012, 09:05:54 am »

Found this today and thought I would share, its from the makers of the Thermapen:

The Truth About Ice Baths: Five Secrets Revealed

82

Beer Recipes / What makes a recipe "yours"?

« on: February 28, 2012, 10:25:56 am »

At what point can someone legitimately say a recipe is theirs, or uniquely theirs?

83

Equipment and Software / I hope this pump is strong enough...

« on: February 23, 2012, 09:56:59 pm »

After a disappointingly long wait for my wort to cool last weekend I started reading about how I could improve the performance of an immersion chiller. (25 feet of 3/8" copper and I live in Florida where the water aint so cold)

The bulk of the suggestions pointed to switching to ice water somewhere around 120F and letting a submersible pump recirculate the cold water.

So, I ordered this one: 264 GPH Submersible Fountain Pump

Has anyone else used a similar setup with success or did I aim too low and get a pump that is too weak? (yes, I know, I should have posted this before ordering it)

84

General Homebrew Discussion / Just had my first kolsh...

« on: February 23, 2012, 08:01:00 pm »

...and I'm wondering why I've NEVER had this kind of beer before? It's awesome! And I love big, hoppy, bitter beers...so it surprises me that I would like this.

So, can anyone suggest a good homebrew recipe for a kolsh?

85

Ingredients / Deciphering the various water spreadsheets

« on: February 21, 2012, 07:11:19 pm »

Hey all,

I'm looking for some help getting started with either Palmer's Mash RA, EZ Water, Bru'n Water, or Kai's.

I've tried the first 3 and the end result is I now have no clue what to do.

Is one spreadsheet more accurate than the other?

For the sake of argument, lets say I wanted to brew 5 gallons of oatmeal stout. Can anyone give me a nudge in the right direction?

Here's my Ward Labs report:
pH 7.9
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 495
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.82
Cations / Anions, me/L 8.5 /  7.8
ppm
Sodium, Na 38
Potassium, K 2
Calcium, Ca 78
Magnesium, Mg 34
Total Hardness, CaCO3 337
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 55
Chloride, Cl 77
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 134
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 110

86

Equipment and Software / Safe way to raise a burner

« on: February 21, 2012, 11:53:53 am »

I have this burner:


Is there any safe way to raise this up or will I just have to get a new one?

I'm handy with woodworking and tools but figured a wooden base for a gas burner wouldn't be safe.

87

Yeast and Fermentation / Too late for nutrient?

« on: February 20, 2012, 06:29:40 pm »

I completely forgot to add yeast nutrient to my starter and wort.  It's been in the fermenter for 24 hours now. Is it too late to add any? The OG was 1.078.

[edit]
It is actively fermenting...

88

All Grain Brewing / Is this normal for a bazooka screen?

« on: February 19, 2012, 08:33:11 pm »

First time doing an all-grain boil and I kept having to knock crap off the bazooka screen to keep things flowing into the fermenter. Is that normal or did I do a bad job sparging?

89

All Grain Brewing / Go big or go home!!??

« on: February 17, 2012, 06:18:50 pm »

There should be a warning to all would-be all grain brewers: don't order your first ingredients while drunk! 

So I was, a few weeks ago, when I ordered morebeer's Rogue I2PA clone kit.

And here I am, 2 days before my first all-grain brew day, wondering what have I got myself into!

It really wouldn't be a problem except that I only have a 5 gallon cooler for a mash tun. 17 pounds of grain is about 5 pounds more than it can handle. So, maybe I'll improvise and put 10 lbs in the cooler and 7 lbs in my boil kettle (or bottling bucket?).  I could just cut back on the grains and make up for the lost gravity with DME. 

I'm really not stressing over it...this will be fun and I love learning new stuff.

Any words of wisdom?