31
General Homebrew Discussion / how much DME to + to increase OG
« on: May 18, 2013, 11:23:11 am »
DME has about 45 ppg. Go from there.
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32
Homebrew Clubs / Newbie Here
« on: May 18, 2013, 10:13:52 am »But, now knowing I have to keep the temp down to 50-55F, I will need to figure something out before I start it up.
Be aware that the 50-55F is only for fermenting lagers (ie. Pilsner, etc.). Ales (ie. Pale Ale, Blonde, etc.) only need to be held to the upper 60s
Thankyou.
My First batch will be the Continental Pilsner Kit
A lot of "pilsner" kits come with ale yeast instead of lager yeast. If that's the case with yours, you'll want to ferment it in the low-mid 60s rather than the 50s.
33
Equipment and Software / Those little red cans of Oxygen
« on: May 18, 2013, 08:42:35 am »
Or just stay away from oxygen all together.
By doing what?
I gave up on the PITA of oxygen and use a Mix Stir now.
Amanda, you get today's pragmatism award! My experience is that a MixStir works as well as an O2 setup.
34
General Homebrew Discussion / timing a lager D-rest
« on: May 17, 2013, 03:18:51 pm »If you do it at 80%, the yeast will finish the sugars and be active to reduce the VDKs. The increased activity will help scrub off sulfur. Then you can crash down to cold temps to lager and drop out the haze and yeast. The classic profile has a slow cooling to keep the yeast working, as they will slowly reduce the VDKs at low temperature.good info from everyone. seems like we are all on the same page. it just seemed odd to me to hear people do a d-rest after 2 weeks at 50F...seems all activity would be done and there would be nothing gained from doing a d-rest then (considering a normal lager range around 1.050-055). maybe for bigger beers over 1.060 there would still be fermentation activity near the 2 week mark - i just haven't done a lager that big.
As long as you don't remove the yeast from the beer, it doesn't matter if all activity has ended. Warming the beer for the d rest will make it active again.
ok good to know. but then whats the difference in doing a d-rest at 80-85% attenuation , vs. 99-100% attenuation ? any benefit of one over the other
So you clean it up, blow off sulfur and save time. If you are a homebrewer that brews lagers when the weather allows, saving time in the fermenter is a good thing. Might have to get another freezer someday so I can do lagers in the summer.
awesome info guys -another productive day at the forum.
i feel like i should be paying someone - who should i make ;Dthe check out to?
Me, of course!
Done! seriously, my lagers have improved significantly since my schooling with you - much thanks bud. i also think i would be a very tough judge when it comes to diacetyl - my olfactory senses pick up the slightest trace, and as i've said before, i cant stand it.
Man, that's both a blessing and a curse! I usually get a slickness on the roof of my mouth before I can taste it.
35
General Homebrew Discussion / timing a lager D-rest
« on: May 17, 2013, 02:11:03 pm »If you do it at 80%, the yeast will finish the sugars and be active to reduce the VDKs. The increased activity will help scrub off sulfur. Then you can crash down to cold temps to lager and drop out the haze and yeast. The classic profile has a slow cooling to keep the yeast working, as they will slowly reduce the VDKs at low temperature.good info from everyone. seems like we are all on the same page. it just seemed odd to me to hear people do a d-rest after 2 weeks at 50F...seems all activity would be done and there would be nothing gained from doing a d-rest then (considering a normal lager range around 1.050-055). maybe for bigger beers over 1.060 there would still be fermentation activity near the 2 week mark - i just haven't done a lager that big.
As long as you don't remove the yeast from the beer, it doesn't matter if all activity has ended. Warming the beer for the d rest will make it active again.
ok good to know. but then whats the difference in doing a d-rest at 80-85% attenuation , vs. 99-100% attenuation ? any benefit of one over the other
So you clean it up, blow off sulfur and save time. If you are a homebrewer that brews lagers when the weather allows, saving time in the fermenter is a good thing. Might have to get another freezer someday so I can do lagers in the summer.
awesome info guys -another productive day at the forum.
i feel like i should be paying someone - who should i make ;Dthe check out to?
Me, of course!
36
General Homebrew Discussion / timing a lager D-rest
« on: May 17, 2013, 12:50:33 pm »good info from everyone. seems like we are all on the same page. it just seemed odd to me to hear people do a d-rest after 2 weeks at 50F...seems all activity would be done and there would be nothing gained from doing a d-rest then (considering a normal lager range around 1.050-055). maybe for bigger beers over 1.060 there would still be fermentation activity near the 2 week mark - i just haven't done a lager that big.
As long as you don't remove the yeast from the beer, it doesn't matter if all activity has ended. Warming the beer for the d rest will make it active again.
ok good to know. but then whats the difference in doing a d-rest at 80-85% attenuation , vs. 99-100% attenuation ? any benefit of one over the other
In my opinion and experience, no difference and no benefit. AFAIK, the recommendation to do the rest earlier comes from commercial practices to speed up the process. Fortunately, we're homebrewers.
37
General Homebrew Discussion / timing a lager D-rest
« on: May 17, 2013, 11:12:42 am »good info from everyone. seems like we are all on the same page. it just seemed odd to me to hear people do a d-rest after 2 weeks at 50F...seems all activity would be done and there would be nothing gained from doing a d-rest then (considering a normal lager range around 1.050-055). maybe for bigger beers over 1.060 there would still be fermentation activity near the 2 week mark - i just haven't done a lager that big.
As long as you don't remove the yeast from the beer, it doesn't matter if all activity has ended. Warming the beer for the d rest will make it active again.
38
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing this Weekend - 5/18 edition?
« on: May 17, 2013, 09:02:44 am »
Working all weekend, but have over a week with no work coming up soon. I hope to work on my brewing deficit during that time.
39
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Over Attenuating Yeast - How is it Possible?
« on: May 17, 2013, 09:01:03 am »
The yeast attenuation rating is only good for comparing one yeast to another using a standardized wort. It's not necessarily an indication of the attenuation you'll get. That depends on the fermentability of the wort. You can get a huge variation in attenuation by varying mash temp and recipe.
40
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: timing a lager D-rest
« on: May 17, 2013, 08:56:43 am »Everything above looks correct except that "all lagers will produce diacetyl". Not all strains will produce diacetyl and it will mainly depend upon whether you pitch the correct amount of yeast and the fermentation temperature.
That aside, your plan is sound. IMHO, a D-Rest is mainly insurance if you pitched and fermented correctly. You may not need one at all, but it will not hurt your beer either.
I typically wait until I see little to no activity and then raise it up(given an active fermentation). Others have different processes. This works for me without having to take numerous gravity readings.
Dave
Maybe someone else can weigh in, but seems to me diacetyl is always produced - just at different levels??
Diacetyl is always produced AFAIK but some yeasts are better at getting rid of it than others. I don't think I've ever needed a diacetyl rest with WY2206. Same with 2124 now that I think about it. If I don't smell or taste diacetyl, I don't bother with a rest.
41
General Homebrew Discussion / Cowboy Brewers
« on: May 16, 2013, 10:42:34 pm »Ben Orr of Tuluomne, California, formerly of Miles City, Montana, home of the World Famous Bucking Horse Sale.
Gary, I will send you a PM. Denny can vouch for Piper's character.
Indeed....he's a character!
42
All Things Food / Starsan and tomato paste
« on: May 16, 2013, 07:18:12 pm »That's not a bad price for the powder. What I do is dehydrate surplus tomatoes and then use the spice-grinder as needed. Cherry tomatoes make great powder.
Princepe Borghese is the best drying variety I've run across.
44
General Homebrew Discussion / Cowboy Brewers
« on: May 16, 2013, 07:14:40 pm »How about this guy.
God, that shirt is hideous.
He's wearing a shirt? All I saw was the hat!
45
Beer Recipes / Re: Ballast Point Homework Series...
« on: May 16, 2013, 01:44:49 pm »http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/news/show?title=ballast-point-homework-series
dayum! 18% crystal. i'd like to taste this before making it sometime...
Dude, you (and many others) have to get over your fear of crystal. It's how you use it, not the amount that's there.