Messages

7021

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 22, 2010, 09:26:37 AM »

You can get vinegar from Eden Organics, among other places:
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/index.php?cPath=27_53
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/DYH012/ItemDetail?SourceCode=INTL406

For actual mothers, you might try Local Harvest:
http://www.localharvest.org/organic-red-wine-mother-of-vinegar-starter-C10988
http://www.localharvest.org/malt-vinegar-culture-mother-of-vinegar-C11100

Or these places:
http://www.beer-winemaking.com/catalog/vinegar-starters
http://www.beer-wine.com/products/vinegar-cultures

You can even find some vinegar with mother on ebay!  But you should be able to get some at any natural food store in the area.  It will be a lot cheaper than buying online and paying for shipping.

I haven't bought anything from any of those links, btw.

7022

All Things Food / Re: Bioengineered Salmon?

« on: September 21, 2010, 10:15:03 PM »

The article I read about these salmon on CNN also mentioned that genetically engineered organisms have been used for some time in brewing. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it again.

There's a short comment in this article, with no references to back it up:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/09/20/genetically-modified-salmon/?hpt=T2

But there are some breweries who use GM corn in their beer.

7023

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: sugar added to secondary

« on: September 21, 2010, 09:59:06 PM »

o2 in the bottle headspace should be removed by aerobic fermentation of the priming sugar.)

Nit-picking, but fermentation (by yeast) is anaerobic. You need reproduction to remove O2.

As long as we're picking nits, it can also be removed via respiration of the sugar to CO2 and H2O, which is sometimes referred to as aerobic fermentation in the literature.  Although the level of priming sugar in the beer (I get .033M if you use 3/4 cup corn sugar in 5 gallons) is high enough that the Crabtree Effect will favor fermentation over respiration. 

7024

Other Fermentables / Re: Lactose

« on: September 21, 2010, 09:28:14 PM »

Well yeah, except you need to add 5 times as much lactose to get the same level of back sweetening as with honey.  That'll have roughly 5 times as much affect on the body of the beer.  So if you want to add body but not as much sweetness as you get from honey, then maybe lactose is a good call.

7025

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 21, 2010, 08:57:33 PM »

Now you have to try making your own yogurt. We do that in the winter, make it on top of the radiators wrapped in towels.

Sorry cap, forgot to respond to this.  I've been looking at making yogurt, I checked out a few websites and considered a yogurt maker.  Those are pretty pricey and probably not worth it to me, but we don't have any radiators either

But I do have an incubator I can use, which I normally use for fermenting ales in my garage in the winter.  It should hold temp that high well enough to make some, so I'll probably give that a try.  What method do you use?

I'm thinking about making kefir too . . .

7026

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 21, 2010, 05:49:52 PM »

Ah, ok, I've never heard of beer vinegar.  That's cool, have you ever had any?  I might make some soon, do some test batches in mason jars with loose fitting lids.

7027

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 21, 2010, 04:48:26 PM »

The jar I got specifically said on the label it had mother in it, so just look for that.  It said something to the effect of "the sediment in the jar is the mother".  There was not some huge floating blob or anything like that in the jar, nor is there in my jar.  But it's definitely vinegar, the aroma is really powerful.

I don't really know how long it took, I just dumped stuff in, checked it after a week or so, then forgot about it for a month or two.  When I checked again it smelled strongly of acetic acid, nothing really noticeable after a week.

I'm sure a larger mother will work faster, there would be more bacteria to convert the EtOH to acetic acid.

Malt vinegar is an interesting thing to think about making - I never really have any leftover beer to add to the jar   Plus I don't know what affect the hops would have on the acetobacter.  But you could pull some off after your mash and before you hop it, ferment it separately, and then add it to the jar.  That would probably be much better than trying to make it out of something like BMC, I think you want a full-flavored malt beverage to go into making the vinegar.  I'm having visions of a RIS vinegar that sounds delicious . . . or imagine how using a Belgian yeast strain to ferment the beer before feeding it to the mother . . . I might need a lot more jars

7028

Wood/Casks / Re: Wood aging (other than oak)

« on: September 21, 2010, 02:36:12 PM »

I'd say if you can use it for smoking you can use it for wood aging.  You might not get much flavor our of it, then again you might.  I think it will depend on the wood, and if you toast it to varying degrees.  Give it a try and let us know.

The cedar one I made turned out great.  3-5 days was a good range, letting it go for a few weeks was not.  I had thought the chunks were suspended high enough to be out of the beer after the first weekend, but I was wrong.  I plan to try diluting it with the same beer to see if it is just a matter of too much cedar giving it a bad taste, or if the prolonged contact time extracted something less than pleasant.

7029

Other Fermentables / Re: Lactose

« on: September 21, 2010, 12:21:14 PM »

Unfermentable by yeast, yes, and you could use it to sweeten your mead instead of honey without using sorbate.  It is not especially sweet though, only about 1/5 as sweet as table sugar.  So you'll need to add a lot more lactose to get the same sweetness as with honey, which will add a lot more to the body.

7030

Pimp My System / Re: My three tier system just built it.

« on: September 21, 2010, 08:57:39 AM »

I've got a wooden three tier, and it never really gets that hot under or near the burners.  But for safety I use rimless baking sheets, the wood under them never even gets warm.

7031

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: When should I rack my Flanders red if at all?

« on: September 21, 2010, 08:51:58 AM »

I would use only about 1/2 oz, and let it sit in there for a long time.  You're not likely to over oak it that way, and the beer can sit on the bugs for a long time before you rack it.  And yeah, I think you'll need to take the beer off the oak since it's in a carboy.

There's lots of choices for what you can do, I think you'll just need to decide

7032

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: September 20, 2010, 11:01:25 PM »

Looks great euge!

7033

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 20, 2010, 09:53:45 PM »

Great site, thanks for the link.

I highly recommend trying it if you are at all inclined to do so.  It's ridiculously easy if you do it the way I did (with just a jar of raw vinegar from the store).

7034

Other Fermentables / Re: Vinegar anyone?

« on: September 20, 2010, 09:24:47 PM »

For cider vinegar, wont the acetobactor covert the sugar of un-fermented apple juice to acids as well?

I don't think so cap.  I think the yeast on the apples first ferment the sugars, then the acetobacter convert the ethanol to acetic acid.  I could be wrong though.

I heard peach vinegar is freaking fantastic. I love rice vinegar, I wonder if they make saki first?

Peach vinegar?  Like from peach juice?  Or is there some other base with peach added?

7035

Kegging and Bottling / Re: New keg system

« on: September 20, 2010, 09:16:39 PM »

what do you mean balance the line? Cut 10 foot then see if it flows through, if not then cut a foot off? Thanks

There are equations you can use but they don't work all that well IME.  So yes, the easiest thing to do is to cut an extra long length of hose and try it, then cut it off 6 inches or a foot at a time until you like the pour.

What I am still a little confused about and would appreciate some clarification.  For example, if I had an amber and was slow carbonating as per the Handy Dandy Slow Force Carb Chart, I would be set at 13 lbs @ 38 degees.  In a week or two, do I dial down the pressure to serve or leave at13 lbs until the keg is emply?

You leave it at 13psi until the keg is empty.  You can dial it down if you want to or need to for whatever reason, but the beer will get flatter as the keg empties.