Messages

601

Beer Recipes / Re: Raspberry Wheat Ideas

« on: May 11, 2012, 11:41:29 AM »

What makes Fort so delicious then?  Anybody ever messed with a super fruit beer like fort?  How do they make it so good?  I had a four year old bottle of it that was fabulous, and even a one year old bottle was outstanding.

I LOVE that beer - Sam Calagione is a magician with fruit.

I think raspberries play nicely with big, bold beers (when you design them with their sugar addition in mind). Their acidity and bright flavor give contrast to the boozy, rich, cloying qualities of barleywines and big stouts. Its like the fresh raspberry sauce on top of a double-chocolate cheesecake (a dish that begs for FORT, not PORT).

602

Zymurgy / Re: Denny's Article in the Current Zymergy

« on: May 10, 2012, 12:09:26 PM »

..Something I see a lot from newer brewers is the "malt soup" recipe, where they add a bunch of ingredients with no idea of what they do, and they end up with muddled flavors. I know I did that for a year or two when I started making my own recipes...

Same here - the descriptions of all the malts sounds so enticing - why not use ALL of them TOGETHER?

I didn't really 'get it' until I started taking copious notes on the malt flavor (not just 'malty', etc.). I still go off of (limited) experience - Denny's article gave me something to think on while writing recipes!

603

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: My homebrew smells like vomit

« on: May 10, 2012, 12:04:43 PM »

KEEP IT AND WAIT.

I'm really interested to see how versatile brett is when it comes up to 'cleaning up' a wild beer. I've had some sours go WAY off the reservation and come back into balance when the brett finishes its fermentation cycle.

To increase chances of success, I would do two things:

1. Make sure you are mimizing oxygen uptake. Wait several months between sampling (4-6), purge the headspace (if you can), and don't move the carboy around a lot. If brett has O2 to work with, it will take the easier aerobic pathway (all while making vinegar and ignoring your butyric acid).

2. Check the acidity. Brett does more efficient work in a lightly acidic environment. Qualitatively, the beer should be lightly tart, not too sweet or too sharply acidic. The lacto will help you a bit, but depending on your primary fermentation you may not have given it enough to work with.

604

All Grain Brewing / Re: New to all grain. Need help with set up

« on: May 10, 2012, 11:40:29 AM »

+1 for fermentation temp control. My best (award winning) beers have come from wort produced with a Gott Cooler, an aluminum pot (that doesn't even have a valve), and a focused, practical, RDWHAHB mindset.

The trick was the two stage controller with a chest freezer and heat belt. There are plenty of good threads to explain the specifics - but the money spent on these items yielded SIGNIFICANTLY more return than any pump, pot, or shiny automatic widget (and this coming from a Controls Engineer!).

I made my own immersion chiller from 1/2" copper when I started going > 5 gal batches - 'bout as fancy as I get.

605

Beer Recipes / Re: Raspberry Wheat Ideas

« on: May 10, 2012, 09:15:05 AM »

Only issue I could see is with pectic haze. I don't know if that will be too much of an issue in a hefeweizen, but make sure you account for it. Jam has a lot of pectin in it.

That's why I picked weissbier as the base style - if it was an American Wheat base, and I wanted that clear pink hue, I'd probably just use the frozen or seasonal fresh berries. A little more expensive, but saves the hassle of trying to fine out all the pectin.

606

Beer Recipes / Re: Raspberry Wheat Ideas

« on: May 10, 2012, 08:54:50 AM »

I think the test runs will get progressively better up until September, just because raspberries don't really come into season until Summer.

I'm doing a fruit hef this weekend - thinking about trying some un-preserved jam to go along with frozen blackberries (maybe some pineapple?). I'm adding in secondary (and will try the lemon zest, too!).

Learned my lesson a long time ago - PUREE if you're using a carboy. Strain if you're using a fruit with lots of seeds (raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, etc).

Be sure to account for the volume and sugar contributed by the fruit. Even a small amount of raspberries can increase your ABV enough to thin out the beer and leave it unbalanced and unpleasant.

607

Going Pro / Outside Help - Where Is It Worth It?

« on: May 10, 2012, 08:33:35 AM »

Pros: In your experience, when is it necessary/advisable to hire a specialized hand when expanding, upgrading, or simply maintaining a brewery?

Specifying/purchasing/setting new equipment? Adding a packaging line? Yeast maintenance/lab work? Properly dealing with wastewater/sewers/etc.?

I am a biochemical/electrical engineer currently working for a big consulting firm. The projects I've done, and the skills/knowledge I've gained would translate well to microbreweries. The question is - is there a market for ANY type of engineering help in craft beer?

I will strike out on my own at some point in the future (working for "The Man" hasn't been much fun!). I know I want to be a part of the great craft beer business community in America, but I don't think opening a brewery is my calling.

608

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 5/11 Edition

« on: May 10, 2012, 07:24:59 AM »

Hefeweizen - probably adding local jam after fermentation (blackberry, boisenberry, persimmon?). Probably going to split and sour part of the batch.

Hopefully brewing enough to top up my two carboy's of Flanders.

609

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 5/11 Edition

« on: May 10, 2012, 07:22:16 AM »

...Need to sample the Maibock and BVIP and kick a keg of Oregon Amber to make room for the fresh...

Sounds like a rough weekend!

In honor of Mothers' Day, maybe Gramma, Mom and Aunt should help you 'make room'...

610

All Grain Brewing / Re: how long is too long for FWH?

« on: May 10, 2012, 06:23:49 AM »

Shouldn't hurt anything...

611

Beer Recipes / Re: Help on a lemongrass farmhouse!

« on: May 10, 2012, 06:15:16 AM »

I know Lemongrass' oil is extracted for a wide range of uses (even in making Citronella!). I am concerned about your head retention if you added fresh lemongrass. I'm not sure if this is a valid point. Have you found any commercial beers w/ lemongrass?

I wonder if you could test it out by just dunking a lemongrass stalk in a wheat beer and see if it killed the head?

EDIT:

Here are some references I found after I posted:

http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=4082&highlight=lemongrass

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/how-much-lemongrass-wheat-beer-56767/

612

General Homebrew Discussion / On my Brown Malt experience

« on: May 08, 2012, 10:12:18 AM »

That's what I was going for with mine. Great beer (and we dont get DFH in Indiana)

613

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / All citra IPA: specialty grains and hopping schedule

« on: May 08, 2012, 10:07:15 AM »

I LOVE Citra!

An FG of 1.015 sounds really high for an IPA... You may add some sugar/honey to dry it out a bit (I usually dont use more than 10%).

Multiple, short dry hop regimens will give you that in-your-face aroma.

614

Beer Recipes / Kolsch

« on: May 07, 2012, 07:15:58 PM »

Once you have 'real' temp control - I think lagers yield no more difficulty than ales.

I think Kolsch is a tough one to get just right!

615

Beer Recipes / Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA attempt?

« on: May 07, 2012, 07:13:27 PM »

A great DFH clone can be made without Ringwood (and I think they use a diff strain for 90/120 Min).

Amber malt is the same as English "Biscuit". You can also use Briess Victory as a close substitute.

I think its important for a 90 min clone to be on point.