Messages

3421

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Blowing CO2 into bottles and carboys

« on: May 04, 2011, 09:11:59 AM »

How long can Star San sit in keg?  I know you don't want to keep it around too long or it's cloudy and not as useful.  Is prolonged contact to the keg OK?

as far as I know, as long as the starsan isn't cloudy it's all good. I don't think it's a problem to store it in a keg long term. but I don't know for sure, I know alot of folks keep a bucket full of starsan already mixed and keep using it till it gets cloudy, which if you use RO or even distilled water takes a long time to happen

3422

All Grain Brewing / Re: Water volumes for low gravity beers

« on: May 03, 2011, 08:40:19 AM »

1/2 lb 1-minute Oats (man I hope I didn't have to cook those).

You're fine.  The 1-minute (and for that matter, the 5-minute and instant) oats have all already be gelatinized so you can just put them straight into the mash.

in fact all rolled oats are pre gelatenized. The process of making rolled oats is to steam them and then squash them while still hot and soft.

3423

Beer Recipes / Re: Red Witbier?

« on: May 03, 2011, 08:15:01 AM »

I don't think using a "pinch" of either (1-2 oz.) will have much, if any, impact on flavor.  My comment was based on the fact that I find Sinamar easier to control than guessing at the right amount of a dark malt.

Well, if I were going the Special B route of red-making, I would go for probably 8 ounces (for a 10 gal batch). If I were using Carafa Special III, it would be 6 ounces added at sparge. The goal would be to get it to 10-12 SRM..... but, if I could make it light red or pink that would be great, because 5 gal of this batch will be served at my girlfriend's mother's wedding. As far as using hibiscus... what kind of flavor would that give off? I want this beer to taste fruity and approachable, as it will be served to the general public.

have you had jamaica at a taqueria? The closest thing I can think of to describe it is cranberry juice. Red Zinger tea from Celestial Seasonings gets it's red and it's zing from hibiscus.

3424

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Blowing CO2 into bottles and carboys

« on: May 03, 2011, 08:00:19 AM »

I think with kegs the standard practice is to fill the keg with sanitizer and then push the sanitizer out with CO2. Air and CO2 will mix to some extent even though the CO2 is heavier. Currents and mixing will occur. By filling the keg with liquid you remove most of the air to start with. WIth carboys it would e different cause you can't safely pressurize them. bottles? no idea

3425

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Is this yeast or somthing else?

« on: May 03, 2011, 07:52:18 AM »

looks like yeast to me. but I am no expert.

3426

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Kegging sanitizing gas line

« on: May 03, 2011, 07:45:23 AM »

CO2 is pretty damn toxic. I'm not a biologist, but I'm guessing there aren't many life forms that would survive in pure CO2. You're effectively sanitizing the line every time you turn on the gas.

all plants require CO2 for life. many of them can live in a pur CO2 environment, although it won't stay pure CO2 for long as they respire and exhale O2.

3427

All Grain Brewing / Re: Snap, crackle, BURP!

« on: May 02, 2011, 10:51:49 AM »

I bet if you go to the healthfood section of your local mega mart you can find a mostly plain puffed rice cerial that would alleviate some of the concerns with additives.

3428

Commercial Beer Reviews / Jolly Pumpkin Bouldelaire Saison

« on: May 02, 2011, 10:49:20 AM »

Just had this on saturday. A saison brewed with hibiscus, rose hips and rose pettles. first off YUM.

Pours a deep red with a slightly pink tinge to the head. good stable head that sticks around for a while. very pretty.

Classic barn yard funkiness lightened up by a citrus tang (from the hibiscus? Rose hips? Both?) very light and easy to drink as  a saison should be not to heavy at 6.8% so you can finish a 750ml by yourself but also nice to share. If it didn't cost 15 bucks I would buy this again over and over. I probably still will buy it again at least occasionally.

overall, another hit from Jolly Pumpkin!

3429

All Grain Brewing / Re: How large an effect can increased volume have on lower OG?

« on: May 02, 2011, 10:07:42 AM »

Beersmith has a dilution calculator that seems to work pretty well also. As Denny pointed out the math is pretty easy but if you have the soaftware it's there also.

3430

Beer Recipes / Re: Red Witbier?

« on: May 02, 2011, 09:58:06 AM »

or try adding hibiscus.  that would give a nice pink/red hue.  it would also contribute flavor though, so I'm not sure if that's of interest to this beer of yours.  hibiscus would go quite well in a wit however.

I just tried the Jolly Pumpkin bouldelaire saison the other night, brewed with hibiscus, rose hips and rose petels. it had a nice pink head and deep rosy color. there was a flavour of citrus which could have been the hibiscus or the rose hips or both. but it was really nice and I imagine would be good in a wit.

3431

Zymurgy / Re: May/June Issue, already?!

« on: May 02, 2011, 09:55:05 AM »

just got mine yesterday. Really liked the article on using spent grains. My wife is gonna try the sweetroles

3432

Equipment and Software / Re: Beersmith

« on: May 02, 2011, 09:20:27 AM »

I've only used Beersmith for a couple of batches also and I do like it. Havn't tried other softwares but...

3433

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Can you get rid of fusels?

« on: May 02, 2011, 07:50:38 AM »

Most of us seem to store at cellars temps for long periods of time. I've often wondered what the optimum temperature really is. Are you better off in the 60 F range or all the way down to just freezing, as in lagering? It would be interesting to take several bottles of a less than desirable beer and store them at various temperatures and compare after a few weeks. Which ages quicker?

it's a balance thing. The higher the temp the faster the aging occurs. at low temps it will change much more slowly but will last longer before going over the edge. Higher temps will age it faster but it will go over the edge sooner

3434

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Barrel aging

« on: May 02, 2011, 07:47:16 AM »

A white film sounds different than acetobacter. I think the vinegar mother is more of a jelly fish kind of thing. It would start out as a haze throughout the beer. a film ( or pelicle) I think is a sign of brett or pediococus (Spelling?)

3435

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Bitter Taste When Extract Brewing

« on: April 29, 2011, 03:23:47 PM »

If this is happening in your darker beers, I wondering if you are over sparging your steeing grains, or getting them to warm. You don't want the temp to go over 170* by any means. This will give you a bitter bite. Try and keep it at 160* to be safe. Also, when you pull the grain bag out, are you wringing it out? If you squeeze the bag to hard  this can also give you a bitter taste. Best to just pull the bag out, and do a good drip dry. Maybe a light squeeze against the side of the pot, with your spoon, but don't get to crazy.

not squezing the bag too hard and making sure to not get it above 170* is ALWAYS good advice, not just in brewing!