Messages

1

Wood/Casks / Re: When do you RETIRE a barrel or solera?

« on: June 16, 2013, 02:04:42 PM »

Glutamic acid is an amino acid.  MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a sodium salt of glutamic acid.  I believe that the addition of calcium sulfate is effective to reduce soy salt flavor because the calcium binds the glutamate/glutamic acid.

Nice to hear some chemistry of this vector.  I make additions of calcium sulfate to my water
when I adjust the water chemistry for brewing.....fingers crossed I never get those flavors.

2

Wood/Casks / Re: When do you RETIRE a barrel or solera?

« on: June 15, 2013, 12:58:29 PM »

I bough a vintage 1950 bottle of burgundy wine for my parent's 50th anniversary.
I am not certain that autolysis of yeast is all that bad of a thing.
This wine had a ring of yeast on the bottom of the punt and I am
pertty sure that it had gone the path of autolysis as the thing was 50 yrs. old.
 It rendered a wonderful Citrus / Lemonny flavor. You would not have known
that the original ferment was from grape must. 

Beer yeast may be different but I am not convinced.

3

Wood/Casks / Re: When do you RETIRE a barrel or solera?

« on: June 14, 2013, 11:14:08 PM »

Ok F.Y.I. I took it to the next universe.  I added Pediococcus and Brett B, Brett C,
Lactobacillus, and some 1.050 Saccramyces fermented wert....a dash of saison and
topped off with 2 gallons of pils extract....it has returned to activity and bubbling
the S bubbler again.....smells like caramel or perhaps pineapple.... airlock sniffer.

It has been approaching 3 yrs Kyle....

4

Wood/Casks / Good to know

« on: June 14, 2013, 07:35:03 AM »

Over at the Funk Factory, I found a plethora of neat oak barrel information
Have a nice read, I know I did!
http://funkfactorybrewing.blogspot.com/2013/01/oso-brewday-1-year-mark.html

Edit: even photos and essay on how to ss nail a sample port.

5

All Things Food / Re: Beer Ice Cream Recipe - Searching...

« on: June 09, 2013, 09:32:46 PM »

youngs double chocolate stout add a scoop of vanilla ice cream

6

Wood/Casks / Re: leaks

« on: June 07, 2013, 10:11:09 PM »

Further details that I just tried with success.  Upon pushing the
last harvest I noticed a couple little air bubbles coming out from the
cracks of the staves when I had the cask under pressure.

I have a cake of bees wax ...took my propane torch and softened
the edge of that cake up with the flame.  Then I rubbed the soft wax
along the seam ....finally i hit that fresh wax with the flame to
liquify it and I observe it flowing into the crack nicely...just a FYI.

7

Wood/Casks / Ullage Practices

« on: June 07, 2013, 10:07:53 PM »

How to keep your wooden cask topped off.  I would entertain some ideas and
or recipes since of course, I need about 1-2 gallons more in my solera. 

It is a sour and I suppose that I should just consider keeping something
neutral and simple....

What do other folks do?  Any recipes methods please share.
I have even utilized commercial bottled beer to top a cask ...something that
seemed close to the mother contents.
Thanks in advance

8

The Pub / Re: I brewed

« on: June 02, 2013, 09:30:03 PM »

some of the science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-Methylbutanoic_acid

I think with lambics this is an accepted and utilized practice....
I have a beer with cheesy hops fermenting ...its going into the
solera after the next harvest....along with some new bugs

9

The Pub / Re: I brewed

« on: June 02, 2013, 05:08:17 PM »

Naw more like cheddar

10

The Pub / Re: I brewed

« on: June 02, 2013, 03:25:34 PM »

whoda thunk? Hops get cheesy.............

11

The Pub / Re: I brewed

« on: June 02, 2013, 06:17:06 AM »

I was impressed with the fact that those hops sat out in a brown paper bag
in the heat and cold for several summers and winters. Then they still had
flavor and aroma components, it is just that those components have changed
into something unexpected.....

12

All Grain Brewing / Re: Conditioning Unmalted Wheat Berries

« on: June 01, 2013, 10:12:44 PM »

Ok update. I got through the process and i am sure it was better than trying to do them
rock hard.

I did the 15 min simmer thing and then drained them off in a colander they would barely
cling to your hand.  I then weighed out the barley for the grist and mixed that with
the par cooked wheat i mean really mixed the wheat in there....thinking that the moisture
from the wheat would also condition the barley.

Next morning I set up the grain mill and tried to mill the grist.  A good way to burn out
the motor in your half inch drill methinks.  It was almost not able to turn the rollers.
I had to reverse the drill often to clear the buildup. And speaking of that, the buildup
was very clingon...hard to clean off the rollers after the crush.

I noticed that the grain was not very well broken and wondered if it would make poor efficiency.
8 lbs of barley and 3# of wheat berries about 11 gallons of water and boil the runnings off
to 5.5 gallons of wert yeilded about a 1.040 O.G.....not the best result.

Since It is going into the solera with a mix of some prolly 9+%ABV beer, a little mellowing out
will be ok....

13

The Pub / I brewed

« on: June 01, 2013, 09:29:36 PM »

Today the base ferment for a solera pull and migrate to lambic sour the solera thing....
It was briess pilsner and a couple handfuls of acidmalt and some 4 yr. old strisselspalt
hops....man the whole house smells like CHEESE. 

14

All Grain Brewing / Re: Conditioning Unmalted Wheat Berries

« on: May 30, 2013, 11:54:10 PM »

Check Nateo's blog http://nateobrew.blogspot.com/ for an alternative idea

wow thanks so much even tho i have a 2 roller mill, i may give it a try.

15

All Grain Brewing / Conditioning Unmalted Wheat Berries

« on: May 30, 2013, 12:02:25 PM »

One more question for the conditioning gurus.
I plan to use 30-40% unmalted wheat berries in a bio-hazard lambic.
Yes, I am taking the solera to uncharted territory.
The grain is rock hard dry and should be crushed prior to the mash.
there is no husk on the wheat so .....If I were to mist spray the
4 lbs of wheat berries a day prior to the grist mill, Would this yield
a better end result? I am inclined to think it will be easier to mill when
slightly moistened.