Messages

2506

All Grain Brewing / Re: Organics

« on: January 31, 2010, 02:30:08 PM »

Alt A has 9 lb pils, 1 lb.munich. ALT B has 9 lb Pils, 2 lbs. munich and a little black malt,  Alt A was mashed at 152 or so for 75 minutes to see if it helps.  The OG was a little higher, but not the .1050 I was hoping for.

Assuming you're at about 1.048, that's around 65% efficiency. Do you check your mash pH, and/or treat your water? For a relatively light beer it wouldn't be unusual for tap water to pull the pH out of range and contribute to poor efficiency.

Organics are not that much more expensive IMHO. Who said saving the planet would be cheap?

I'm not sure I'm willing to grant the premise of your question.

2507

Questions about the forum? / Re: Another area / forum?

« on: January 31, 2010, 11:06:57 AM »

Maybe it could even be tied into the COC cycle. Obviously, people could still send in whatever they want, but posting a common recipe so that clubs could have their own mini-comps (or just as a starting point for clubs that want to enter but don't have a solid recipe for the style) could be helpful. And it's a way to tie into the strictly AHA parts of the site, and demonstrate value for members.

2508

Equipment and Software / Re: Manifold vs. Screen/Braid

« on: January 31, 2010, 11:02:15 AM »

For batch sparging, it really doesn't matter much, if at all. You're just trying to dump the liquid out as quickly as possible. For fly-sparging, you need a design that will drain the entire grain bed as uniformly as possible. There's an entire chapter on how to build a manifold in How To Brew.

I batch sparge with a CPVC manifold and am glad I went that way, because I can take it apart and clean it. I tried a braid for a few batches but wasn't comfortable with the little bits of grain that got stuck inside.

2509

Equipment and Software / Re: Anybody use this?

« on: January 31, 2010, 10:59:03 AM »

My biggest complaint is that you can't see the potential extract or color of the grains until you add them to a recipe. So you can't make a quick estimation to get the gravity and/or color contribution you want; I generally have to revise the quantity at least once or twice. It is very well laid-out, slick and fast.

2510

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: How lolong will harvested yeast keep

« on: January 30, 2010, 01:39:49 PM »

tygo's plan is a good one. FWIW I store slurries in jars in the fridge and have built them back up after more than a year. Also, using an airlock on a starter reduces the amount of yeast you can grow.

2511

Ingredients / Re: Fivestar's 5.2 mash buffer

« on: January 29, 2010, 11:46:44 PM »

Rubidium huh... is it something I can buy legally?

Buy it legally, sure. Shipping is a different issue. You might have to distill your own: http://www.coleparmer.com/catalog/product_view.asp?sku=8699200&pfx=

2512

The Pub / Re: Germany...

« on: January 29, 2010, 02:45:27 PM »

It find it difficult to find dry reisling in the US. We seem to import only the sweet varieties.

Around here it isn't unusual for a winery to make both. I guess they don't grow Reisling in CO though.

2513

Beer Recipes / Re: Brooklyn Lager

« on: January 29, 2010, 01:46:31 PM »

Sorry, I didn't actually read through any of them.

2514

Equipment and Software / Re: brewing kettle

« on: January 29, 2010, 01:45:17 PM »

Spam.

Name:   ettan
Posts:   1 (N/A per day)
Position:   Newbie
Date Registered:   Today at 09:24:02
Last Active:   Today at 09:42:31
Email:   s.speidel@web.de

2515

Beer Recipes / Re: Brooklyn Lager

« on: January 29, 2010, 12:32:04 PM »

I wasn't trying to clone it, but 50% 2-row, 50% Vienna, 20 IBU Magnum for bittering, .5 oz Hallertauer and Cascade at 15 min, .5 oz at flameout, and Wyeast 2035 was pretty similar.

Don't know where you searched, but there are some threads at HBT: http://www.google.com/search?q=+site:homebrewtalk.com+brooklyn+lager+clone

2516

Ingredients / Re: Fivestar's 5.2 mash buffer

« on: January 29, 2010, 12:23:34 PM »

He dropped the little sliver of whatever it was into a sink filled with water and it fizzed for a second and then BOOM!  It sent a gyser at least 6 feet into the air !  It was kinda cool so I've always remembered that.

If you ever get the chance, have someone do that demo for you with rubidium. You have to pour it into the water while still under mineral oil, though - otherwise it will auto-ignite in air.

2517

Equipment and Software / Re: Propane Burners

« on: January 28, 2010, 08:23:02 PM »

There is a review on this burner that states that kettles made out of kegs do not sit properly on it.  Has anyone had this difficulty?

I used a half-barrel keg on mine once but didn't feel comfortable with it. The keg base is just barely larger in diameter than the burner ring, so it's precarious and has to be kept perfectly centered.

2518

All Grain Brewing / Re: acid malt and lactic acid?

« on: January 28, 2010, 10:21:28 AM »

Do you know how much a ml of 88% LA weighs at, say, 40F?

Looks like it should be right around 1.22 g/cc. http://www.epa.gov/hpv/pubs/summaries/lactacid/c13462rs.pdf

2519

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Beer availability........... East Coast/West Coast

« on: January 28, 2010, 10:15:51 AM »

I wonder if some of these smaller breweries could work in conjunction with each other to help spread the goodness around?
Protection of their base market is part of the deal too I would imagine.

Plus a lot of states throw up pretty big obstacles to importing alcohol, both in terms of taxes and by requiring a different distributor in each state.

2520

The Pub / SOTU Drinking Game

« on: January 27, 2010, 09:23:29 PM »

Anyone else give it a try? http://drinkinggame.us/

Literally NO drinks in the response this time. Pretty much par for the course on the speech though - these guys do their homework.