31
Ingredients / Re: Rauch Malt vs Heavy Toast Oak
« on: July 23, 2012, 07:34:05 AM »
Better than the Grand Master judge who said mine "tastes bacony". Uh, you know bacon is smoked, right?
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32
All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style
« on: July 23, 2012, 07:31:20 AM »
Sounds kind of like the Tom Colicchio method. Except he would be basting the hell out of it with the butter the entire time. Pretty sure he describes it in Think Like a Chef.
33
All Grain Brewing / Re: Step Mashing a Hefe...Why?
« on: July 23, 2012, 07:26:11 AM »Are you talking specifically about weizens here? I get the impression from your book that you mostly do 1L starters and repitch.
Yes, when I make starters I normally do 1L. I repitch most yeast, but I haven't gotten good results from the 3068 so I normally use fresh. I didn't know why until I saw Jess' response. That's part of the black box aspect of brewing; you don't have to understand why something happens as long as you can control the inputs to get the outputs you want. But it's always nice when the reason is exposed so you are less likely to draw wrong conclusions if you try to go beyond what you've learned is true. So I'm less likely to try to get fresher and fresher 3068 yeast, thinking that was the cause and will be more likely to control the amount of yeast repitched in a weizen. Something to explore in future batches.
34
Beer Recipes / Re: ESB recipe
« on: July 22, 2012, 04:20:59 PM »
Yeah, that was my observation. Biscuit and Victory taste just about the same. Amber adds a lot of that character too. Unless you really like that flavor, I wouldn't use nearly that much of it. Not sure what ESB malt is, but given its color, I'd check to see if it used the same flavor descriptors.
If I was using Maris Otter for the base, I don't know that I'd use much at all (maybe a quarter pound, if any). I think some of those grains give the bready, biscuity flavor that comes from a good English base malt. However with a potentially neutral base malt flavor, you could go higher.
Going all the way back to early 1998, I checked one of my extract recipes for an ESB and saw that I used a half pound of victory. So I think that's a decent level to start.
If I was using Maris Otter for the base, I don't know that I'd use much at all (maybe a quarter pound, if any). I think some of those grains give the bready, biscuity flavor that comes from a good English base malt. However with a potentially neutral base malt flavor, you could go higher.
Going all the way back to early 1998, I checked one of my extract recipes for an ESB and saw that I used a half pound of victory. So I think that's a decent level to start.
36
All Grain Brewing / Re: Step Mashing a Hefe...Why?
« on: July 22, 2012, 05:47:30 AM »
On pitch rate? Honestly, I really don't worry about it very much. I normally use one XL smack pack of 3068, and may or may not make a starter. When I make starters, I'm usually making a 1L one, so I'm more interested in getting the yeast active and ready to go than I am in getting a large cell count increase. I guess I'd agree that repitched 3068 seems to suck in comparison to fresh. I thought it was because the yeast was unstable (since the beer does seem to go off faster than other styles) but I'll buy the cell count explanation.
37
Kegging and Bottling / Re: Bottling From Keg Carbonation/Temperature
« on: July 21, 2012, 04:14:16 PM »
The Blichmann Beer Gun is the best bottle filler I've ever used. I've got about 6 different counter-pressure ones, but they all have issues. I don't use it often, but every time I pull it out, I'm amazed at how well it works.
38
Homebrew Competitions / Re: Entering a hoppy wheat
« on: July 21, 2012, 04:11:34 PM »Sounds a lot like Three Floyds Gumballhead, which is in the bjcp guidelines as an American Wheat, 6D.
That's the right place, indeed. But from my experience, not all judges read the guidelines so they might find it too hoppy. Still, it's the right place. Just preparing you for a possible hosing.
39
All Grain Brewing / Re: Step Mashing a Hefe...Why?
« on: July 21, 2012, 04:05:20 PM »
Don't know the answer to your question, but just wanted to point out that Jess is a 'he'.
40
Ingredients / Re: Rauch Malt vs Heavy Toast Oak
« on: July 21, 2012, 12:45:18 PM »
Rauchmalt is much easier to use and will give you a better tasting result. Rauchmalt will give you a smoke flavor but oak will give you a much more charred flavor along with a lot of other things that you probably don't want in your beer. If you want vanilla in your beer, use beans or extract.
41
All Grain Brewing / Re: Decocting a Pils
« on: July 21, 2012, 12:18:40 PM »
I cover decoctions on pp. 37-43, including several popular mash schedules on pp. 41-42. I normally do a hochkurz decoction for my pilsners.
42
All Grain Brewing / Step Mashing a Hefe...Why?
« on: July 20, 2012, 04:54:22 PM »
You can dough in thick. I don't measure but you can make it oatmeal-like. As long as all the grain is wet.
When I said "ramp", I meant by direct firing while recirculating. You can infuse. Use brewing software to calculate how much to infuse.
Hold the mash at 149 until the decoction step is done. The decoction is timed but it is variable how long it takes to move between parts of that process. So just leave it at 149 until the decoction is done then remix.
I normally pull about 33-40% or so of the mash. The thick part but I take liquid too. Like getting soup from a big pot where you dig down and drag along the side to get the most good stuff. I usually pull more because it's easier to drop a few degrees than raise.
When I said "ramp", I meant by direct firing while recirculating. You can infuse. Use brewing software to calculate how much to infuse.
Hold the mash at 149 until the decoction step is done. The decoction is timed but it is variable how long it takes to move between parts of that process. So just leave it at 149 until the decoction is done then remix.
I normally pull about 33-40% or so of the mash. The thick part but I take liquid too. Like getting soup from a big pot where you dig down and drag along the side to get the most good stuff. I usually pull more because it's easier to drop a few degrees than raise.
43
Beer Recipes / Re: Recipe help please
« on: July 20, 2012, 02:32:13 PM »This is an interesting situation.....opposing viewpoints from two people I hugely respect.
You must be confused. Like I said, Denny and I agree on everything.
44
All Grain Brewing / Re: Step Mashing a Hefe...Why?
« on: July 20, 2012, 02:25:17 PM »Very interesting info on pitching rates. In actuality, this is likely more important than decoction versus step mashes versus single infusion. In your opinions then, how many healthy yeast cells do I want to pitch into a 5.5gal batch for optimum ester formation?
For kicks, I went to recipe Wiki and looked up the NHC hefe winners since 2004. Two used decoction; one, single infusion.
Regarding decoction now, I copied this from the 2009 winner:
"Dough-in at 111° F (44° C) and hold for 15 minutes. Ramp up to 131° F (55° C), and rest 10 minutes. Pull thick decoction and slowly heat to 158° F (70° C), and rest 20 minutes. Boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Meanwhile, ramp main mash up to 149° F (65° C) and hold. Recombine, and equalize at 158° F (70° C). Rest for 10 minutes. Mash out at 170° F (77° C). Sparge, collecting 7 gallons (26.5 L). Chill to 58° F (14° C) before oxygenation and pitching."
Since I mash in a 48qt cooler, would I want to dough in with a 1qt/lb water to grain ratio since I will be ramping up the temp to 131F...149F by direct infusion? How long would I hold the mash at 149F? Also, what portion of the mash would I pull to decoct? Thanks in advance. I can see I'm going to have to do some research before I decoct for the first time.
sounds familiar
45
Beer Recipes / Re: Recipe help please
« on: July 20, 2012, 09:12:47 AM »Ya know, I keep hearing about how bad Summit hops are and the onion/garlic thing, and I've even tasted it in some beers. But I get a great tangerine flavor and aroma from them. Maybe I got a good batch.....
I've heard about the tangerine thing too, but I've never tasted it. If someone has made one that has that character without the stankiness, I'd love to try it. And I've tried them from people who really know how to brew. If Nathan Smith gives me an IPA of his and I don't like it, then I know I don't like those hops.