Messages

16

All Grain Brewing / calcium carry over to kettle question

« on: March 04, 2013, 08:00:59 PM »

The numbers I find quoted are 25% - 35% calcium carry over from mash tun to kettle.
I have assumed the spread may perhaps be related to some brewers using calcium additions to sparge water -> maybe.
I have also seen quoted that probrewers like to use 2/3 calcium in the mash and 1/3 calcium in the kettle.
How much all this is true I don't know but these numers seem to come up most frequently in my research.

So I have been shooting for 100ppm calcium using both calcium chloride and calcium sulfate at various ratios depending if it's a malt forward beer or a hop forward beer.
Mash tun 100ppm calcium
Sparge water 100ppm calcium
That means my kettle carry over is down to 25 - 35 ppm calcium.
Seems to me I would top off my kettle with 65 - 75ppm calcium to hit the 100 ppm mark.
That's a 57:43 ratio vs recommended 67:33 ratio - but close enough I believe.

Is this a reasonable conclusion?

17

Equipment and Software / Re: recirculating wort return device

« on: February 02, 2013, 08:39:22 AM »

I have used that very same plastic wort aerator on my RIMS system for years and am pleased with its fluid dispersion back into the mash. Run mine just below the mash fliud level.

18

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Don't make yeast starters from dry yeast? WTF?

« on: January 23, 2013, 08:33:41 AM »

Only time I have found it useful to make a starter with dry yeast is stuck fermentation for a big beer.
Best to pitch really active yeast starter to kick start fermentation again.
Sprinkling dry yeast on stuck fermentation has never worker for me.

19

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Soapy off flavor

« on: January 12, 2013, 08:33:39 AM »

In one of my pro books I recall reading too high a final beer pH can produce a soapy flavor.
I don't recall the exact number but I believe something like >4.8

20

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: An alternative to starters

« on: December 21, 2012, 04:02:04 PM »

I would use this technique if I had a 15 bbl kettle and a 30 bbl fermentor.
Would have to brew twice to fill the fermentor anyway.
Significant yeast cost difference 15 vs 30 bbl.
Perfect for that setup.
Until then stir plate and double step for really big OG beers.

21

All Grain Brewing / Re: Wet milling fail / I'm an idiot

« on: December 18, 2012, 05:55:31 PM »

More important than malt conditioning is the quality of your mill.
Some mills will shread malt husks to pieces when set to narrow gap.
(Some are so poorly designed they seem to shred regardless of the gap setting.)
To compensate for this brewers will open the mill gap too large with resultant decreased conversion.
Some brewers will even routinely add rice hulls to prevent sparge issues.

The best mills will fine crush with minimal flour and leave husks more intact.
Quite often these brewers will have motor drives on their mills.
These quality mills can fine crush without lauter concerns and get great conversion.

So the bottom line is that some mills with malt conditioning will allow you to crush finer and which may improve your conversion. Will also help prevent lauter issues.

I suggest a quality mill with a motor drive.

There is an excellent article by Chris Bible in the new January-February Brew Your Own about grain mills construction and use.  Great read.

22

Ingredients / Belgian Champagne Beer (Deus) spice recommendations

« on: December 15, 2012, 11:25:37 AM »

I am finally going to make a Deus clone using Drew Beechums / Maltose Falcons recipe and directions.  The Deus spice recommendations are lavender, cinnamon, allspice and ginger in the bottling sugar solution.  However, he makes no quantity suggestions for each of these spices.  Anyone done this recipe and have suggestions on the amount of each spice to use?

23

Ingredients / Re: Storing HOP Pellets

« on: December 14, 2012, 08:02:05 AM »

I feel like using old hops gives you the bitterness, but not the aroma and flavor

You nailed it there.  From the moment hops are harvested they begin to deteriorate. Careful handling with freezer temperatures and CO2 enviroment will slow deterioration, but will not halt the process. We loose aroma, flavor and bitterness it that order.

24

Ingredients / Re: Storing HOP Pellets

« on: December 10, 2012, 10:20:20 PM »

I do it much more simply:

I remove the ball lock gas fitting from the gas hose on my CO2 tank, stuff it down the PET bottle and fill with CO2. Then dump in one pound of hop pellets. Cap with the carbonator cap and fill to 15psi CO2.  After I open the bottle to use some of the hops I again stuff the hose in the bottle, gas it, then cap and give it 15psi. Been doing this way for years and works great.   

25

Ingredients / Re: Cinnamon

« on: December 09, 2012, 07:21:38 PM »

On the astringency front I can speak to that. I just kegged a stout with a tincture of ceylon cinnamon 3 sticks in a small bottle of vodka for about a month. I am noticing a distinct woody astringency. similar to that found in oak aged beers. It's okay and once the beer warms up a bit it fades into the background but be aware.

Cinnamon is bark from a tree so woody astringency from a one month soak does not surprise me. (Bet it went into the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Stout.) I limit my cinnamon soak between 1-2 weeks.  The common cinnamon, Cassia is much worse. It smells sweeter but is much more astringent.  Stick with the Ceylon, it is the best.

26

Ingredients / Re: Storing HOP Pellets

« on: December 08, 2012, 10:37:47 PM »

PET bottles under CO2 pressure then into the freezer.
I store one pound of hops in each bottle at a time.
They will keep for many years this way.

That's a great idea!

Even better - I use this cap on the PET bottles for CO2 pressurization!
Use your standard ball lock gas fitting from your CO2 tank to fill.
 

27

Ingredients / Re: Storing HOP Pellets

« on: December 08, 2012, 06:31:20 PM »

PET bottles under CO2 pressure then into the freezer.
I store one pound of hops in each bottle at a time.
They will keep for many years this way.

28

Ingredients / Re: Cinnamon

« on: December 08, 2012, 06:26:40 PM »

I have used spice additions for many years.
The quality of spice varies significantly!!!!
When you buy spice you have absolutely no idea how fresh nor how strong the flavor.
One batch of spice may be quite strong and the next quite weak.
(I now buy all my spices from the San Francisco Herb Co.)
They seem to be more consistent with higher quality product.
For ground powder spice I usually use alcohol extraction - ie vodka.
Easy titration to the perfect level.

29

Equipment and Software / Re: Is there a small, cheap, good quality glycol chiller out there?

« on: November 26, 2012, 08:06:22 AM »

How long does it take you to cool down to ground water temp through the plate chiller? Do you use ice to get you down to pitching via the pre-chiller?

From 204 to 110 takes about 10 - 15 minutes with kettle recirculation.
From 110 to 90 it slows considerably  and takes another 5 - 10 minutes.
Pitch the ice in the cooler and I can then go directly to the fermentor at 65 or less.
Shorter times in winter and longer times in summer.

30

Equipment and Software / Re: Is there a small, cheap, good quality glycol chiller out there?

« on: November 25, 2012, 07:27:48 PM »

Just got done brewing...

My tap water temperature out in my RV garage where I brewed today was 72 degrees.  My water hose runs to a 50 foot copper IC in a 10 gallon Gott insulated round water cooler. That connects then to the Therminator.  I run straight tap water thru the system until the wort is down to 90 degrees.  Then I pitch the ice into the Gott cooler and bring the wort down to 65 degrees.  Works perfectly... but a pain in the arse.  Got to go out and buy ice every brew day.  Messy clean up.

So I saw this beer line gycol cooler on Craigs List for cheap and started dreaming. Won't it be nice to just connect the hoses to the Therminator, press the on button and "poof".  Instant cold glycol surging thru the plate chiller. No mess. No fuss.  No ice. No clean-up.

I think you fellows are correct - probably can't circulate chilled glycol fast enough to do the job right.  Guess I won't run out and buy that toy.