Messages

661

Going Pro / Re: "The Grand Timeline"

« on: April 19, 2012, 12:50:32 PM »

...I hired kid your age last year and he couldn't keep up with one of my 36 hour days I get to do on occasion and I had to send him home to sleep while I finished up the job...

I always thought that was the best attribute of being a young gun - motivation and a strong back!

662

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Looking for Ask the Experts suggestions

« on: April 19, 2012, 12:19:03 PM »

Would love to hear from Vinnie C. - hops, wild yeast, barrels, experimentation, etc. etc. etc.

I think Dan Carey from New Glarus would be a great addition - a LOT of knowledge, and I believe he was a homebrewer to start.

663

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 4/20 Edition

« on: April 19, 2012, 12:14:51 PM »

An easy, crisp, Summer Saison to try out new brewery improvements:

New 15 gal SS kettle
New homemade copper manifold
March 809 Pump for vorlauf/wort transfer
Ice water recirc loop with new 1/2" Copper Imm Chiller
2-stage Ranco Controller powering a brew belt and AC unit

Whew! Busy week of building!

664

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Pediococcus...Diacetyl...Causes?

« on: February 27, 2012, 09:39:45 PM »

purgeing kegs: If you add co2 to an empty (air filled) keg and then release the presure and then repeat you will not get all the o2 out. yes o2 is lighter than co2 but it is still a gas. alchahol is lighter than water but if you pour water into a glass of rubbing alchahol until it overflows an amount equal to the volume of alchahol you do not end up with pure water. fluids mix. They may not stay mixed but they do mix...

Fluids DO mix. However, with gases you can take advantage of the pressure difference from your resident gas (air - oxygen) and your purging gas (CO2).

If you're purging with CO2, you're using 5-20 psig gas to purge 0 psig (atmospheric) gas. A few purges is with pressurized CO2 is PLENTY - as long as the purges come up to pressure and you're not just blowing CO2 through an open valve.

When we have to push ALL the oxygen out of our batch reactors (at work), we use nitrogen at 30 psig. We use 3-30psig purges to get the O2 levels < 0.5%. Obviously, N2 and O2 are miscible - its the pressure difference that counts.

665

Beer Recipes / Re: Christmas Tree IPA

« on: November 15, 2011, 06:28:35 AM »

A brewery 'round here (Sun King) made a great beer with pine needles called "Norwegian Blue".

If you contact them, I'm sure they will give you some pointers:

www.sunkingbrewing.com

@sunkingbrewing

666

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: brewing with Brettanomyces

« on: November 09, 2011, 07:38:34 AM »

Thanks for sharing your adventurous brew!

Please keep this post up to date with how the beer develops!

I'm hoping that these wild bacteria give you at least a more interesting (if not better/more complex) result than store-bought cultures.

I'm hoping to experiment with this myself... maybe some over-ripe apples, pumpkins, or crabapples?

667

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Fining then dry hopping?

« on: November 09, 2011, 07:12:51 AM »

Firestone-Walker dryhops in the primary when fermentation starts to die down and has no problems with loss of flavor/aroma.

I tried this in a recent IPA and it gave a fresh flavor and brillantly clear beer.

The only time I use a secondary is for sours, high-grav brews, or when I'm out of kegs.

668

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Dry hopping a porter

« on: November 09, 2011, 07:09:43 AM »

I use Chinook and Columbus for aroma and dry hops in my brown ale and American Stout. Its a great break from the everyday stouts I'm used to at the store/brewpubs. I dry hop with 2oz per 5gal

For the stout - I'll also throw in some Cascade or Centennial (actually a tip gleaned from a GREAT brewpub in town). I don't think it clashes at all.

I say split off a few gallon batches and try different hops, then blend together.

669

Beer Recipes / Flanders Red - Making an Award-Winner

« on: November 07, 2011, 08:42:45 AM »

BJCP Judges -

I want to improve my Flanders Red for BJCP competitions.

What are the identifiers of a first-rate Flanders Red, in your opinions?

Must they be SUPER dry and sour?

How much malt character should there be? Personally, I love a bit of the grainy flavor from high-quality pils malt and some nuttiness from aromatic malt and/or a long, hard boil.

How much oak character do you look for? Can a great Flanders be made without using oak?

Are there some techniques you find are key to producing well-received Flanders beers?

I know the answers to these questions to suit my own tastes, but I am not a judge, and my current Flanders recipe does not do as well as I would like it to.

670

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Wyeast roeselare ale blend

« on: November 07, 2011, 08:16:51 AM »

As with all sours, you've got time on your side...

If you like it sour, pitch the roselare on its own. If you want less pucker, pitch in the secondary after a clean, ale yeast in the primary.

Either way, if the level of sourness isnt to your liking, brew another batch using the opposite method and blend. After a few years of making sours, you'll be doing this anyway!

If this will be for a competition, I'd err on the side of more sour than less sour. Just like with bitterness in IPA, you usually need to be on the high side of the style for it to be perceived as "in-style" by the judges.

BJCP judges - please comment...

671

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Secondary or Keg?

« on: November 07, 2011, 08:03:08 AM »

My main concern with Primary to Keg (which I do ALL the time) is making sure I don't get any trub/sediment in the keg.

Cold crashing the primary helps - especially if you fine with some gelatin.

I usually leave about 1/4" - 1/8" of beer in the carboy. I know you want to get all that goodness out, but sometimes its worth it to not have floaties in your beer (especially when serving at a party.

672

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Sometimes Supply Outpaces Demmand....

« on: October 14, 2011, 06:14:08 AM »

Between College football on Saturdays (Go Boilers) and NFL on Sundays (Go Colts) - our tailgates or watching parties outpace my brewdays..

During the fall, I feel like I have to take off work to get some brewing in! I did a partial mash and a cider to get something going!

673

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Stalled Fermentation - Belgian Strong

« on: October 13, 2011, 12:21:16 PM »

Sorry, forgot one thing:

If you do get the FG down, you're looking at ~10% ABV. The flavors will be harsh and solventy at first. Put it in a keg and give it some time. At least 3 months, but 6-8 will be better!

674

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Stalled Fermentation - Belgian Strong

« on: October 13, 2011, 12:18:10 PM »

1.092 to 1.025 = 78% App. Attenuation

Wyeast gives the attenuation range of 1388 as 73-78%

1.016 will get you to the upper end of the FG (and ABV) of the BJCP guideline, which is about 83% attenuation. You're best bet is:

1. Rouse the yeast. Check for activity visually via bubbles in the airlock or yeast re-suspension. Try not to take too many samples - you may expose your beer to too much air.

2. If the beer isnt >70F now, raise the temperature to encourage yeast activity. 70-72F oughta do it.

3. If you have to repitch, use the Wyeast Imp. Blend. It will be more tolerant of the alcohol levels. Champaign/wine yeast, in a Begian Strong, with high temps, yields a big risk of cidery flavors or over-attenuation (or both).

.

675

Ingredients / Re: Pumpkin Pie Spice

« on: October 13, 2011, 11:39:53 AM »

The spice is what makes or breaks a pumpkin ale, so don't compromise.

If the spice blend is not exactly what you're looking for, adjust with individual spices if you've got them. If not, go the extra mile to find the right spices that are fresh (think about it... you wouldnt use stale or improper-tasting hops for an IPA, right?).

Did a local brewery just put out a pumpkin beer? Maybe they have some spices left over!

Have a baker in your neighborhood, workplace, church group, Aunt Millie's book club? Maybe they have some spices to lend (or trade for the finished product!).