Messages

61

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Lalleman Go Ferm

« on: April 24, 2012, 11:10:47 am »

Well that's interesting to hear. At least I have something go by that tells me the issue isn't necessarily the GoFerm nutrient. The yeast wasn't old but the ferment probably wasn't ideal. I did not let run long enough or take gravity readings before bumping the temp for a daicetyl rest, and I may in fact have caused it myself by doing so. I might have also stressed the yeast during rehydration and left them in the flask too long. I spent a significant amount of time trying to slowly drop the temp of the yeast down to within 5 degrees of the wort and this took about 30 minutes or so.

Perhaps I shouldn't write it off as the nutrient. At the same time if I don't need it, I'm not going to add it. I'll save it for something where it's appropriate.

Not only that, I'm going to try brewing with White Labs and making starters for awhile anyway.

I want to try brewing a few APA, IPA, and perhaps Porter using WLP028.
Gotta get off the S05 train for awhile.

Thanks guys!

62

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Lalleman Go Ferm

« on: April 24, 2012, 08:10:30 am »

Excellent point. I don't feel I under pitched.
22 grams Fermentis Saflager W34/70 into 5 gallons of 1.055 wort.
It was properly re-hydrated following the instructions in a PDF off their site.

63

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Lalleman Go Ferm

« on: April 24, 2012, 08:04:58 am »

OK so I see lots of reads and no replies.
Apparently not a lot of wine brewers here who have tried using this product with beer yeast.

I'll leave it at this. I'm not putting this stuff in my starters or anywhere else. I'm going to shelf it for now and give it to somebody who brews wine.

Still working on finishing my corny full of buttery APA.

Cheers everybody

64

Yeast and Fermentation / Lalleman Go Ferm

« on: April 18, 2012, 10:46:01 am »

This is an issue of encountering Diacetyl when using Go Ferm from Lallemand.

GO-FERM®
Lallemand’s collaboration with the INRA in Montpellier and other institutes throughout the world confirmed the critical role of yeast micronutrients, but more importantly, it identified the most effective way to ensure that these micronutrients benefit the selected yeast.

The result of this research was the development of GO-FERM®, a natural yeast nutrient to avoid sluggish and stuck fermentations. GO-FERM® is specific inactive yeast produced through a unique yeast biomass process fine-tuned to obtain high levels of certain essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids required for healthy yeast fermentations.

The GO-FERM® approach is to provide bioavailable micronutrients in the non-stressful environment of the yeast rehydration water instead of the traditional method of adding micronutrients to the must. During rehydration, the yeast acts like a sponge, soaking up GO-FERM®’s bioavailable nutrients. This direct contact between GO-FERM® and the yeast in the absence of the must matrix avoids chelation of key minerals by inorganic anions, organic acids, polyphenols and polysaccharides present in the must. It also prevents essential vitamins from being rapidly taken up by the competitive wild microflora or inactivated by SO2. By making key minerals and vitamins available to the selected yeast at the critical beginning of its stressful task, the yeast’s viability increases and fermentations finish stronger.

The use of GO-FERM® results in significantly better overall health of yeast cells through-out the fermentation, affecting fermentation kinetics and resulting in a cleaner aromatic profile.


So I use dried yeast almost every time I brew. I really like the products from Fermentis, Safale S05 in particular.

I purchased the book "Yeast" by Chris White and I forget the other contributor, but anyway in the book he mentions trying a product called Go Ferm from Lallemand. This is a yeast nutrient designed to be added to the rehydration water for dried yeast. I always rehydrate my yeast. This product is supposed to supply critical nutrients to the yeast during the rehydration phase and improve fermentation, attenuation, and beer flavor.

My first use of this product was with a Lager and it ended up with MAJOR diacetyl. Primary ferment was 10 days at 52 and I raised it to 56 on day 11, 58 on day 12. Fermentation really took off and then the beer cleared within about a week of that. I made the mistake of not taking a gravity reading or tasting it until I racked it at 18 days to keg. After a few days at 6 psi I took a taste test and was overwhelmed with slick butter. I let it age for 6 weeks at low pressure, occasionally venting it and letting it sit for days then, tasting it regularly and it improved gradually but was eventually dumped after 6 weeks.

Shortly thereafter I used it with S05 but I used less this time. Rather than adding a tablespoon, I added a half teaspoon.
Result was a slow take-off ( slower than I'm used to seeing ) sluggish ferment at 65 degrees but eventually it completed at 14 days primary. I racked to keg and again noticed diacetyl. Not nearly as strong but it's there. I can drink the beer, but it's quite noticeable. I've NEVER had diacetyl with S05 and I've brewed dozens of batches with it.

Next batch was again with S05 but I didn't add any Go-Ferm to the rehydration water. No diacetyl in the beer. It tastes great and is on tap now.

Last weekend I brewed a Lager once again using Saflager W34/70 and this time I skipped the Go Ferm. I am really looking forward to the results but don't have anything to report yet. I can say at day three it's much more active than the previous batch which used the Go-Ferm in rehydration water but without any gravity readings to compare, I can only provide subjective data.

So does anyone else here have experience with this product and beer yeasts? I understand this is generally used for Meads and Wines, not beer yeast. I emailed Fermentis to ask about any nutrient they may already be adding to their dried yeast and what their thoughts are on Go Ferm, but I've not received a reply.

I might just start adding this to the boil instead and use it up as a kettle nutrient. It's that, or compost it I guess.

TIA

65

All Grain Brewing / Re: Melanoidin Malt - I added too much?

« on: April 16, 2012, 10:53:11 am »

It'll be a nudge in the maibock-ish direction, but it'd still be really good.

This is kind of what I figured. Just wasn't sure how much effect the melanoidin would have or how it's going to taste. I've overdone it with other grains in the past and not been happy, particularly Belgian Special B.

I plan to brew this again very soon, skipping the melanoidin malt altogether and making a starter among other things.

Thanks to all who have replied.

66

All Grain Brewing / Melanoidin Malt - I added too much?

« on: April 16, 2012, 07:39:38 am »

So last weekend I brewed 10 gallons Helles with a buddy of mine. My first 10 gallon batch using my Keggle. We split it into two carboys for separate fermentation.

Anyway, I basically followed the recipe in "Brewing Classic Styles" which calls for 1.051 OG, Pilsner malt base, and a small addition of Munich as well as Melanoidin malt. I had all the grains together with the exception of the Melanoidin malt because I didn't have any, or so I thought.

His recipe was for 5.5 gallons and he calls for .25lbs Melanoidin. I found a pound of Weyerman Melanoidin in my grain storage bin and decided to add it.

I mistakenly threw in the whole pound, thinking his addition was spec'd at .5lb for 5.5 gallons. Keeping in mind this is in a grist for 11 gallons using 20lbs Pils malt and 1.5lbs Munich. A small percentage but still....

The wort looked pretty reddish gold!

Any thoughts on how this will end up?
I've not used this malt very often and last time it was in a Red beer so.....

TIA

I've

 

67

All Grain Brewing / Re: Metal rod for measuring volume

« on: April 13, 2012, 06:30:18 am »

All this scribing, dremeling, bolting, slicing, diceing, buying stuff. All I did was pour in a gallon of water, put my wood mash paddel in and pull it out, notched the wet/dry line with my pocket knife, and made 1/2 & 1/4 notches, repeat up to 6 gallons. 3 minutes and free since I already had the mash paddle and pocket knife.

 But that's just me...

A pocket knife...that's awfully fancy. You could have used your teeth instead : )

68

All Grain Brewing / Re: Metal rod for measuring volume

« on: April 13, 2012, 06:23:11 am »

A sight glasses is something else that has to be disassembled and cleaned and can cause a leak. A marked dip stick, spoon, mash paddle, etc. is just so easy and an exact volume measurement isn't really that important anyway.

+1

Plus the wort bubbles out the top of it and makes a mess all over the kettle and the brew stand during the boil. I like the idea for the HLT and MLT but on the boil kettle, it's one more thing to take apart and clean.

I'll stick with eyeballing it in the kettle and my trusty calibration strip on my HLT, complete with "messy" sharpie marker and dremeled numerals. I should post a pic I suppose.

69

All Grain Brewing / Re: Metal rod for measuring volume

« on: April 11, 2012, 07:17:44 am »

Question for the forum:

I am a relatively new all grain brewer and to this point I have been "eyeballing" volumes in my keggle.  Naturally, this has given me mixed result so I want to create i measuring stick taht I can notch/mark at different volumes.  I found a metal rod in my basement that would be perfect for this if I cleaned it up.  It appears to be some sort of generic steel. 

The question is if this metal would have any noticable effect on the beer.  I know its probably not the ideal material, but since it would not contact the wort for very long, would I be OK? 

Thanks

Here's what I did for my HLT. You could do the same for your kettle but use a piece of stainless steel from McMaster Carr. I would not use mild steel.

I think the key, particularly if you are an all grain brewer is to use your strike and sparge volumes along with losses to grains to calculate your run off and start there. I don't have any sight glass or volume indications with my boil kettle and I eyeball it based on landmarks inside the kettle.

For my HLT I used a strip of aluminum and calibrated it using water. I bent the top over the edge of the kettle, drilled a hole in the end, tapped it for 1/4-20 and added a small stainless bolt with a stop nut to hold it to the side of the kettle at the top.

I made marks using a scribe during calibration. Afterwards I hard scribed the lines using a straight edge and a scribe and added numbers using a Dremel and a small carbide burr. I later made them more readable using a red sharpie.

For a boil kettle I'd probably not bother with the sharpie treatment or any other markings besides 5 through 8 gallons assuming 5 gallons is your batch size.

Personally I have always eyeballed it referencing kettle handle rivets on my old 10gal kettle and now a weld mark on my new 15gal Keggle. I nail my volumes consistently once I have this figured out and take losses into account but I'm really not bothered of I miss. Even if it's 3/4 gallons or so, that's ok with me. I just make note of the boil time, sparge volume, or other parameter that effected it and plan accordingly next time.

Cheers

70

Beer Recipes / Re: Belgian yeast for american ale!!

« on: April 11, 2012, 06:44:03 am »

What are you envisioning for flavor of the finished product? Have that in mind when designing any recipe. Take a look at Belgian Pale Ale recipes for reference. I would say the grain bill between a typical APA and BPA would be somewhat similar but the hops would not, because the objective with the two is different. APA you're going more for hop flavor and aroma in the character of the beer, not highlighting yeast flavor. BPA is more the other way around.

I can't really give you good advice here otherwise because I'm not a fan of Belgian yeast with "C" hops or Belgian pale ales for that matter and I've not experimented with them as result. Primarily I brew Wit using Safale T58 and that's about it.

If you've had a commercial example and liked it, research that and use whatever you can find as a refrence. At least that's how I would go about it.

Good luck

71

Beer Recipes / Re: Building my Pale Ale recipe

« on: April 10, 2012, 07:26:41 am »

Not sure on your brewing process but personally I use an immersion chiller and just recently started recirculating my wort for quicker cooling. I'd been experiencing very little aroma from late hop additions because the length of time the wort sat near boiling with the late hops steeping was too long in my opinion. I was getting more bittering out of them than desired and not much else. I find even with late additions and recirculation giving me quicker temp reductions, I get little aroma in comparison to dry hopping. Dry hopping for me makes all the difference in the world between two given beers.

That said, you have a lot of options here and it depends on what you like. Personally I like my pale ales to be quite hoppy to the point some people might consider them IPA save for the gravity and alcohol content.

I've used Mt Hood, but not in a pale ale and I'm not sure how well it would go with the "C" hops but I imagine Amarillo would be nice with it.

If this were my beer, I'd probably have a Columbus addition at around 15 minutes, forgo any further kettle additions, and dry hop with Amarillo and/or Mt Hood of at least an ounce total and see what you think.

Neither is high alpha so you should not get overly powerful aroma and flavor.

For comparison, my last pale ale was dry hopped with an ounce of Citra and a half ounce of Summit. Both are very high alpha and I expect very noticeable effects from it. Last pale ale I dry hopped with Citra was excellent.

Cheers

72

Equipment and Software / Re: Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: March 21, 2012, 07:13:49 am »

Thanks for the reply.
For now I've elected to pickle the bronze pump head using a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I found instructions on this process on John Palmer's how to brew website. It was like high school chemistry all over again! I'm much less concerned about any lead making it's way into my brew than before.

The stainless heads are sold out all over the web but I eventually plan that as an upgrade anyway.

Thanks again

73

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Ramping Up the Temp at the End of Fermentation - How Warm is Too Warm?

« on: March 13, 2012, 09:04:21 am »

Not much fermentation actually occurred while it was warm, so not much to worry about.

Exactly my thoughts. The whole point of the temp control is to regulate yeast flavor generation during lag and growth phases. This was largely over with. All that was left were the dusty, most highly attenuative yeast in suspension. You should be good to go. I'd rack it and condition it, or cold crash and then rack if you want to clean it up a bit first.

74

Equipment and Software / Re: Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: March 05, 2012, 09:35:13 am »

I am in the process of upgrading my system and implementing a pump. I currently plan to use it only for recirculating wort back into the kettle while my immersion chiller is chilling the wort. I have a rather tall brewstand and use gravity for taking the hot liquor to the mashtun and running off wort from the mashtun to the kettle.

I see there are polysulfone headed pumps and brass/bronze headed.
I've also been made aware the polysulfone are prone to wear and have fragile threads.
I don't want metallic taste in my beer from the brass. Is this an issue?

Please help me decide which way to go. Pros and cons of both types?
I tend not to want any brass in contact with my wort if I can help it but frankly I've not been able to detect any detracting flavors when using brass ball valves or brass barb fittings on my cooler mashtun or elsewhere in the system to this point.

TIA

Wurf