Messages

616

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: WLP002 VS Fermentis Safale S04

« on: August 24, 2012, 11:22:27 AM »

Since I bought two packets and vials of both respectively, I'm debating mixing them!

Rather than mix, I would recommend perhaps doing a split batch and fermenting one half with each strain so that you can compare the differences.

I used to use lots of Nottingham, but after doing a couple of split batches with WY1968 I've come to the conclusion that I don't like the flavor profile of Nottingham.  Too fruity and tart for me.

You can really taste the differences if you ferment the same wort with different yeasts.

617

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: WLP002 VS Fermentis Safale S04

« on: August 24, 2012, 09:52:09 AM »

Everything I've read says S04 is the Whitbread strain, not the Fullers strain.

I really like the Wyeast 1968 (same as WLP002) yeast for English ales.  I don't think I've every used Whitbread, so I can't compare.

618

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 8/24 Edition

« on: August 24, 2012, 07:50:35 AM »

No brewing, but I will be drinking the BDS I brewed for my birthday.

And perhaps some other libations, as well.

619

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What was your last change in your procedure that you feel was beneficial?

« on: August 24, 2012, 07:38:35 AM »

I've been doing it wrong?
All those beers turned out pretty good.  Maybe because I just blow the oxygen into the headspace and shake well.  No underwater delivery or bubbling.  That's too messy.  The same reason I don't use an airstone.  Plus using an airstone always seemed like a good way to infect the beer to me.

I learned in my biology class in high school that bubbles from airstones in aquariums aren't the main mechanism for dissolving oxygen into the water.  The water/air surface is where that happens.  The airstone bubbles create a current in the water that exposes more water to the surface, which allows more gas to dissolve into the water.

The last change I made was moving to O2 instead of using an aquarium pump.  I can't say that I've really noticed a difference.

My last BDS did ferment out to like 1.006 though, and it's wicked strong, so perhaps perhaps I'm getting different results.

620

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1ST Time Washing Yeast

« on: August 23, 2012, 12:14:43 PM »

even with slants don't you need a deep freeze for long term? I could be wrong having never ranched anything including yeast before...

Honestly?  I have no idea.  Never done it as it sounds like too much work but I always assumed they were just refrigerated.

Rather than buying a special freezer, I'll just throw $7 or so at a new package of yeast every so often.

621

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1ST Time Washing Yeast

« on: August 23, 2012, 12:03:42 PM »

I just started washing yeast as well, and thought this question may go along with the thread:
How long can washed yeast be stored in the fridge before you have to throw it out?

if you are confident in your sanitation it can be stored quite a while but you will probably need to step it up a couple times after months.

if you want to store several varieties of yeast for the long term look into freezing. search the boards for discussion of this process. it involves glycol and very very cold freezers.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to make slants for long term storage?  I have to think a -20 freezer is pretty expensive.

622

Beer Recipes / Re: What's your favorite X-mas beer style/recipe?

« on: August 23, 2012, 10:04:56 AM »

Last year I did a maple barley wine that didn't have enough maple. there is a hint of maple in it but it was pretty overwhelmed by the malt.

I'm not sure how you can get a strong maple flavor.  I've tried syrup and maple sugar (though never both in one batch) and it's always just a hint.

Perhaps using tons of syrup, but then you have maybe something different from beer.  Or maybe boiling it down to concentrate it?

623

Beer Recipes / Re: What's your favorite X-mas beer style/recipe?

« on: August 23, 2012, 09:13:26 AM »

I'm sort of off the spiced beers these days.  But my favorite winter beers are old ale and dopplebock.

Either one in a snifter after the kids are in bed.  Even better if it's snowing out.

I suppose a bourbon stout would go in there as my top three.

The last couple of years I've just not enjoyed the spiced beers (pumpkin ale and x-mas ale) quite as much.

624

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Some Basic Kegging/Force Carbing Questions

« on: August 23, 2012, 07:23:08 AM »

As soon as I keg my beers I shoot them with about 30 psi to seal the lid and then I shake them a bit and let them sit for maybe twenty minutes before I disconnect the gas (or however long it takes to clean up after kegging).  I'll give them a shake or two during this time, as well.

That seems to do the trick for me, as they are well carbed when I tap them.

I would go ahead and try to carb them up before the trip.  You want the keg pressurized so it doesn't leak, at a minimum.

Once you get there, it sounds like you have 24 hours to dial it in.  If your over-carbed, just bleed off some pressure.

625

Ingredients / Re: Whole Star Anise

« on: August 23, 2012, 07:14:17 AM »

It is potent, I think we used 2 in a 10 gallon batch.

Yes, it is potent.

I think I used two in a five gallon batch.

It was too much.  I still have lots of this beer left over in bottles and mini-kegs from X-mas 2010.

626

The Pub / Re: The Beer Machine

« on: August 21, 2012, 09:10:53 AM »

Looks like the old Party Pig. 

627

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: First Batch

« on: August 21, 2012, 07:52:17 AM »

The smell of boiling wort was the only thing that soothed my wife's "morning sickness" with our first child.  It was actually evening sickness, about 7:00 pm or so.  If I was brewing when she came home, she didn't hurl.  If I wasn't...

Needless to say, I had free rein to brew as often as I wanted for awhile.

628

Other Fermentables / Re: hard apple cider ideas

« on: August 21, 2012, 07:49:23 AM »

I read almost this entire thread when I first looked to make cider: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/

There is an amazing depth of information there.

I found that beer yeast (I think I used Notty, maybe Windsor, maybe one of each) produced a cider I liked better than the ciders from wine yeasts.

Ultimately, though, I found that I'd rather drink beer than cider so I stopped making it.

It is truly as easy as juice and yeast, though it can get as complex as you like if you want to sulfite, back-sweeten, press your own apples, etc.

629

Events / Re: Club Night booth pictures

« on: August 20, 2012, 03:06:28 PM »

Is that a flat screen display for what's on tap?

Fancy.

630

Going Pro / Re: Free MBA, what concentration would be most useful in the industry?

« on: August 20, 2012, 02:33:30 PM »

Good luck. 

I thought that going back to school would reduce the amount of beer I drank and help me get back into shape, but then I found out that they gave us free beer and pizza as a social mixer after class...