Messages

631

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.

632

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.

633

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.

634

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...

635

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Old Extract?

« on: August 20, 2012, 11:51:22 AM »

I think you are correct.  Both end in -mann, so I was kinda close.

636

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Old Extract?

« on: August 20, 2012, 11:30:29 AM »

I recall someone on TechTalk years ago (I want to say it was John Blichmann) had done some tests using old cans of extract.

My recollection is that over pitching the yeast for some reason reduced the off flavors from stale extract.

I could probably search my archives for it, but I'm pretty certain my recollection is correct.

Not that I am recommending using old extract, but if you need to you can minimize the badness.

637

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Old Extract?

« on: August 20, 2012, 10:10:10 AM »

Regardless of the age, I find that LME always results in a darker beer than I had intended (unless it was to be a dark beer, regardless).

I used pale ale LME recently, and my tripel looks like a dubbel.

638

All Grain Brewing / Re: Considerations for 3-gallon all grain batches

« on: August 20, 2012, 09:57:37 AM »

Also - the best bang for your buck on a 5-gallon round cooler is the Home Depot brand one. It's about $5-15 cheaper than any other one I've seen. Of course, it's not blue, so YMMV 

Just wanted to point out that the Lowes 5-gallon round cooler is blue.  Pretty much the same price, too.

I haven't actually used mine for anything but serving cold water at parties, though.  Someday.

639

Equipment and Software / Re: Broke a glass carboy this morning

« on: August 19, 2012, 07:03:30 AM »

As I get older, I am more scared respectful and cautious of glass.

YES!

Dunno about buckets.  Only used one once.  I've been using carboys since the early 90s.

Old habits...

640

Equipment and Software / Broke a glass carboy this morning

« on: August 18, 2012, 10:26:54 AM »

I was lazy and stupid.  I know better.  But I still cracked it.

Now I'm down one 6 gallon fermenter.

I will replace this with a better bottle. 

I think I'm done with glass as much as possible.  It just doesn't seem like it's worth the potential risk, especially with small people around.

641

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Getting started

« on: August 16, 2012, 03:03:35 PM »

As far as your temperature question, I've had fairly good results when it's been that hot in my house with some yeasts.

You can certainly make beer at that temperature, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Fermentation generates heat, so the beer will be hotter than the ambient temp.

Hot fermentations can give you strong/hot alcohol flavors as well as fusel alcohols which can give you bad headaches.

You'll be better off if you can cool your fermenter somehow.  Put it in a tub of water, add ice packs, cover it with a damp towel and run a fan on it, whatever.

If you can bring it down close to 70 you will have a much better beer.  I ferment at an ambient temp of 60 and the beer can reach 68 or so at the height of activity.

642

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Getting started

« on: August 16, 2012, 02:37:46 PM »

The temp seems too high to me.  I would do what you can to cool the fermenter so that temps stay under 80.  Maybe let it rise after a couple days, but don't start out at 80 ambient.

643

Ingredients / Re: Now THAT's some fresh yeast

« on: August 14, 2012, 11:05:47 AM »

I put the slurry in one of these jobs: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-QT-Servin-Saver-Beverage-Bottle-1776348-Rubbermaid-/230717249593?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D330719125708%26ps%3D54

and then stick it in the fridge.  If you use it within two weeks, you can probably direct pitch it.  Longer than that you might want to make a starter.

644

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Sour taste from US-04. Fermented at 63*

« on: August 14, 2012, 08:41:27 AM »

I don't believe I've ever used US-04, but I have noticed over the past couple of years that I get a tart/sour flavor when I use dry yeast.

From my tasting notes, I have had this flavor with US-05, Nottingham and Windsor (IIRC).

For the time being, I'm moving away from dry yeast as much as possible.

There are a couple other threads on the tart flavor.

On the flip side, I know that many many people use dry yeast and don't get this flavor.

645

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Yeast has to really activated. No bubbling

« on: August 14, 2012, 08:24:18 AM »

I wouldn't worry about the beer.  But you might want to be sure that nothing is blocking the air lock.  If there are no leaks and the air lock is not bubbling, you might blow the top off at some point.