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All Grain Brewing / Re: Soapy Flavor in New Zealand Hopped IPA
« on: June 15, 2013, 04:36:15 am »
Did you add a lot of salt? Could be too much salt.
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Beer Travel / Re: Louisville, Kentucky
« on: June 15, 2013, 04:33:47 am »
Just a few days ago I tasted some great beers and food at Cumberland. Worth the little drive out of downtown. They had a great selection of about a dozen beers or more.
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Ingredients / Re: Too dry. How to correct.
« on: June 15, 2013, 04:23:21 am »
Too much salt additions ruins good beer. Stop playing with salt and the dryness problems will probably go away.
For this batch I would dissolve ~1/2 lb lactose or maltodextrin per 5 gallons to sweeten and bring back mouthfeel.
For this batch I would dissolve ~1/2 lb lactose or maltodextrin per 5 gallons to sweeten and bring back mouthfeel.
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Priming Sugar or DME
« on: May 30, 2013, 07:19:04 pm »
No, it is uncommon, and I would not recommend it. Just substitute 2/3 cup cane sugar and you'll be glad you did. Using DME is old practice and highly unpredictable, and no longer recommended by most people.
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All Grain Brewing / Re: First Roggenbier
« on: May 28, 2013, 05:05:22 am »
Joe,
I think you are right on the money. I have never heard of anyone mashing at 165 F before. It probably kills 90% of the enzymes, and will ensure a very slurpy beer indeed. I usually mash mine at 148-150 F and I still get plenty of body/mouthfeel, so I can only imagine how thick a rye beer at 160-165 F would be. I too would have gone with anything from 148-153 F. Not sure if you're going to like the final gravity of this one. If not, you could always throw in a pound of cane sugar to jack up the alcohol to the right level, but this still won't reduce the final gravity much if at all. I do wish you luck -- hopefully I am wrong.
I think you are right on the money. I have never heard of anyone mashing at 165 F before. It probably kills 90% of the enzymes, and will ensure a very slurpy beer indeed. I usually mash mine at 148-150 F and I still get plenty of body/mouthfeel, so I can only imagine how thick a rye beer at 160-165 F would be. I too would have gone with anything from 148-153 F. Not sure if you're going to like the final gravity of this one. If not, you could always throw in a pound of cane sugar to jack up the alcohol to the right level, but this still won't reduce the final gravity much if at all. I do wish you luck -- hopefully I am wrong.
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Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Belle Saison Dry Yeast
« on: May 27, 2013, 07:34:17 pm »
I bottled mine up tonight. I decided not to use dill, but I did make a tincture with basil and mugwort, and I also threw in a little oregano, what the heck. And I dare say.... it tastes FANTASTIC. I'd do it again. I used the equivalent of 4 grams dried basil, 3 grams mugwort, and 3 grams oregano for 5 gallons. The mugwort is a little overpowering. If I did it again, I might use half as much mugwort, and maybe 1.5 times as much basil and oregano. However, it tastes great the way it is. It's that subtle spice where you know there's spice in there but you can't quite put your finger on it... that sort of thing. But certainly not spiced so much that you can't taste the very beery saison underneath. Dang near perfection.
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All Grain Brewing / Re: First Roggenbier
« on: May 27, 2013, 07:30:04 pm »
1. I know there are lots of folks using rye. Would more rice hulls help?
2. Do you think the wheat added to the slow sparge?
3. I hit the FG I was after, but the wort seemed extra slick. Sorry, that's the best descriptor I can come up with. Is that normal for a rye beer?
1. A good 1-1.5 lb rice hulls per 5 gallons seems a good amount. If you don't think that was enough, use a little more next time.
2. Wheat might have hurt, but the rice did as well. But mostly it's the rye's "fault".
3. Yeah, rye wort and rye beer tends to be thick and slurpy. The final beer might get this as well, however since you did a 30-minute protein rest that might knock the body down somewhat. When I brew 40% rye malt beers, they always have a thick slurpy feel to them. And the foam/head is phenomenal -- you'll never see anything else like it in the world. That is, IF your protein rest didn't kill it. As you can see... I would not have recommended the protein rest.
Hope you love it. I think you will. I'm sure I would.
2. Do you think the wheat added to the slow sparge?
3. I hit the FG I was after, but the wort seemed extra slick. Sorry, that's the best descriptor I can come up with. Is that normal for a rye beer?
1. A good 1-1.5 lb rice hulls per 5 gallons seems a good amount. If you don't think that was enough, use a little more next time.
2. Wheat might have hurt, but the rice did as well. But mostly it's the rye's "fault".
3. Yeah, rye wort and rye beer tends to be thick and slurpy. The final beer might get this as well, however since you did a 30-minute protein rest that might knock the body down somewhat. When I brew 40% rye malt beers, they always have a thick slurpy feel to them. And the foam/head is phenomenal -- you'll never see anything else like it in the world. That is, IF your protein rest didn't kill it. As you can see... I would not have recommended the protein rest.
Hope you love it. I think you will. I'm sure I would.
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Ingredients / Re: Sinamar: Not the Right Coloring Agent for a Black IPA
« on: May 25, 2013, 11:45:12 am »
Anyone ever heard of American stout? No black food coloring required.
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Ingredients / Re: Sinamar: Not the Right Coloring Agent for a Black IPA
« on: May 25, 2013, 05:41:12 am »
I really gotta make a purple IPA sometime to demonstrate how stupid it is to have a "style" based on color alone.
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Beer Recipes / Re: ESB suggestion - Victory or no?
« on: May 22, 2013, 08:26:15 am »
I agree simplicity is best. IF you were to add any Victory malt at all, I would keep the amount very very low, maybe 3-4% of the grist. But personally I would skip it.
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Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Belle Saison Dry Yeast
« on: May 22, 2013, 08:20:56 am »
Fermentation just finished on my first saison with the Belle Saison yeast. Went from 1.052 to 1.002 in about 3 weeks. I mashed at 149 F for 90 minutes. I pitched a single pack at about 65 F, no rehydration, aerated well by very vigorous whipping/stirring for 5 minutes. Fermentation began within 24 hours. I left cool at 65 F for one day, then raised up to 72-73 F for the entire remainder of ferment. Resulting beer tastes of pilsner malt, low Belgian lemon-like esters, low pepper, low to moderate alcohol warmth that I hope will mellow somewhat after a month or two of age. Very pleasant beer, but I believe it needs a little more something so I am going to spice it, perhaps with lemongrass or even dill or basil or something odd like that maybe. Perhaps even some olde gruit herbs.
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: WLP565 What a monster
« on: May 09, 2013, 04:24:17 am »
I've got my first saison in primary right now using the Danstar Belle Saison dry yeast. I have not checked gravity but when it seemed like fermentation was over and I was going to rack it, I looked closely and saw tiny bubbles coming up the side of the carboy. Then again a week later. And again a week later. It's been in the primary for almost 3 weeks and it is still fermenting, very slowly. Still cloudy, still glugging along. I guess my advice out of all of this is, if you want a bone dry beer and avoid gushers, patience is key. Don't think it's over until you know for certain it is over. Gosh... I won't be at all surprised if I hit an FG of 0.999 on this one or something ungodly low like that.
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Beer Recipes / Re: Vienna Lager Recipe Input
« on: May 05, 2013, 06:28:40 pm »
I agree with a10t2's comments. Personally for a little color I add an ounce or two of chocolate malt. Carafa is an even better idea.
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All Grain Brewing / Re: Negative Bicarbonate in Bru'n Water
« on: May 04, 2013, 08:23:16 am »
Lower pH, period. If you wanted your mash pH to hit 5.3, and it does, then you have succeeded. The only other concern is whether you've used too much acid and the pH is lower, maybe 5.0-5.1 or something. If that's the case, then obviously the beer might end up with an odd tartness. All just educated extrapolations, I am not a water expert ala Palmer or Brungard (sp).
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All Grain Brewing / Re: Negative Bicarbonate in Bru'n Water
« on: May 04, 2013, 08:13:02 am »
Just an educated guess but I think it means all your bicarbonate will be gone, fizzing all of it out as CO2, and then the negative value probably means that even if you added that much more bicarbonate in, it will still fizz out, whereas if you hit zero then there would be an even balance again. Must be part of that balancing act known as "buffering".