2656
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Watcha get for Christmas?
« on: December 26, 2010, 05:58:19 pm »
My wife claims she got a Blichmann Hop Rocket. I thought I got that for me!
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2657
All Grain Brewing / Re: 109% Efficiency!
« on: December 26, 2010, 12:58:15 pm »
Ron,summed up in the graphic on page 3 or so.
http://braukaiser.com/download/Troester_NHC_2010_Efficiency.pdf
http://braukaiser.com/download/Troester_NHC_2010_Efficiency.pdf
2658
All Grain Brewing / Re: 109% Efficiency!
« on: December 26, 2010, 12:16:44 pm »
Your logic in the second paragraph does not compute. If I take your original 216 pts for 6 gallons, and dump a gallon of water in to the kettle, you end up with 216/7=1.031 SG (rounded up slightly). If you get your original points in the kettle for 6 gallons and then sparge to collect one more gallon, you will get more points into the kettle than 216. Sure the SG for the larger amount is lower, but you have more points in the kettle. That is what some of us are trying to say.
I see another post has the same point. Had to answer the wife's questions.
Read Kai's page, one of the best for this.
I see another post has the same point. Had to answer the wife's questions.
Read Kai's page, one of the best for this.
2659
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Pouring home brew at a beer event?
« on: December 26, 2010, 11:22:56 am »I have read it was to keep wheat and rye for bread making in poor crop years, and since barley makes good beer but not so good bread have the barley go to beer production. I have read that there were some problems with suspect ingredients, hence the definition of what could be used and penalty for use of unapproved ingredients.. It was also a tax/price law, with the loophole for the aristocracy to have their own wheat beers as Denny says.just like Rhineheitsgebot, which existed at the time because people were putting REALLY nasty stuff in their beer and people were getting sick.
I wasn't aware of that. I thought it was to keep wheat in the hands of the aristocracy.
http://brewery.org/library/ReinHeit.html
2660
All Grain Brewing / Re: 109% Efficiency!
« on: December 26, 2010, 07:38:55 am »
Kai has "some" equations on his page. 
I am with Fred on this discussion. If you sparge more, you get more sugar into the kettle. Longer boil and you lose the extra water.
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Understanding_Efficiency
I am with Fred on this discussion. If you sparge more, you get more sugar into the kettle. Longer boil and you lose the extra water.
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Understanding_Efficiency
2661
All Grain Brewing / Re: Haze issues with a bag of Maris Otter malt
« on: December 23, 2010, 06:59:20 pm »
Not haze, but one bag of Crisp MO would stick, every time i brewed with it. When I was at Sierra Nevada Beer Camp, the pilot bewer Scott Jennings said that MO could be "sticky", and I said "Yes I know that!'. MO is a great variety of malt, but we all see differences in malsters, and lot variations.
2662
All Grain Brewing / Re: All Maris-Otter IPA input needed
« on: December 22, 2010, 10:57:55 am »
Use the MO with about a pound of EKG for bittering and flavor, a lot of gypsum, and ferment with WY-1028. Age a year, then heavily dry hop, keg and serve.
I made one like that last year. Will make that one again. It was a good one, in a British kind of way.
I made one like that last year. Will make that one again. It was a good one, in a British kind of way.
2663
Equipment and Software / Re: Copper boil kettle - taste impact?
« on: December 22, 2010, 10:42:24 am »QuoteIf the brewkettle is open, and you can look into it, you will see it is all stainless on the inside, the copper is for looks. Same with Sierra Nevada's 200 barrel system.
Fooled again.......
You will find smaller systems that are copper on the inside. Some of the ones in Europe are probably copper. You have to look to be sure.
2664
Beer Recipes / Re: Flanders Red recipe ingredient question.
« on: December 22, 2010, 10:40:09 am »
An old reference that includes grits.
http://www.brewery.org/brewery/library/Rodnbch.html
Somewhere I might have an old download where Peter Boucheart talked about the Rodenbach recipe. That had 9% corn, 4 % wheat.
http://www.brewery.org/brewery/library/Rodnbch.html
Somewhere I might have an old download where Peter Boucheart talked about the Rodenbach recipe. That had 9% corn, 4 % wheat.
2665
Equipment and Software / Re: Copper boil kettle - taste impact?
« on: December 22, 2010, 08:16:31 am »
A little copper in the wort is a micronutrient for the yeast.
You can brew in stainless, copper of aluminum pots. Cantillon has an iron brew kettle, so I have seen one that does not follow the rules.
Not all microbreweries us copper kettles. Some do. Many are stainless. If you ever go to the New Glarus Hilltop brewery they have a gleaming copper brewhouse. If the brewkettle is open, and you can look into it, you will see it is all stainless on the inside, the copper is for looks. Same with Sierra Nevada's 200 barrel system.
You can brew in stainless, copper of aluminum pots. Cantillon has an iron brew kettle, so I have seen one that does not follow the rules.
Not all microbreweries us copper kettles. Some do. Many are stainless. If you ever go to the New Glarus Hilltop brewery they have a gleaming copper brewhouse. If the brewkettle is open, and you can look into it, you will see it is all stainless on the inside, the copper is for looks. Same with Sierra Nevada's 200 barrel system.
2666
All Grain Brewing / Re: Water Analysis
« on: December 21, 2010, 07:27:30 pm »
I was happy with Ward Labs, test W-6, $16.50, plus shipping ( I used a USPS flat rate box for 2 different water sources).
2667
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Does WLP002 develop a large Kraeusen?
« on: December 21, 2010, 02:19:58 pm »I did a fast ferment test and will know if the yeast gave up early or not.
BTW, the experiment I have chosen for this beer is open vs closed fermentation. I hope that an English yeast lends itself to that.
Kai, we toured Fullers about 7 or 8 years back. The guide said that the brewery had changed from open fermenters to conicals some years before. It turned out to be a change that did not have impact on the beer's flavor, despite the worries of the brewers.
I don't know how your experiment is to run, and what outcomes you are measuring. You might want to repeat with another strain.
2668
Equipment and Software / Re: Hot Water
« on: December 20, 2010, 06:32:04 am »
When the house was built, I had a hot and cold tap installed in the garage. That was a good decission.
2669
Ingredients / Re: Bittering Hop Rates
« on: December 19, 2010, 09:27:52 pm »
It depends on how you are estimating your bitterness. Your online calcualtor has a default setting, which you might want to play around with, or maybe not. Find what works and stay consistant.
This may help.
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/FAQ.html#units
This may help.
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/FAQ.html#units
2670
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Micro VS Home, Lager VS Ale
« on: December 19, 2010, 09:06:18 pm »I've only had Bells "Lager of the Lakes" and while I thought it was decent, it wasn't something that I would not go out of my way to find. And believe me, I go out of my way if I like it!
I lived in France and Germany for a while and truly long for the German beers. So much in fact, that I go back to Germany every year or two JUST to visit brewerys!!! There are some good American lagers for sure, but I have found nothing that compares to an Augustiner or Andechs helles, Wurzberger pils, a or any of the dozens of Kellerbiers in northern Bavaria! I even drive to Chicago (a 3 hr trip) every so often to purchase these beers (they don't import them here in Michigan). Problem is, they are quite old and don't taste the same as to taste them fresh. I just wish I could buy a comparable Michigan beer! I'm working on brewing some lagers, so maybe I can make what I like one day!
The Oktoberfest is excellent some years.
I lived in Germany for a while, and know what you are saying. We make trips to Bamberg, as that is the best brewing town in Germany in my opinion.
You can make excellent lagers at home. You just have to try, and work on the process.