Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Fruit flies

« on: July 05, 2014, 06:19:19 PM »

So I just finished my kegerator last weekend in the garage and now there are fruit flies all over the place!  I've seen the plugs for the taps, which I plan on getting, but is there anything you recommend for eradicating the population?

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Beer Recipes / Re: Brewing a Wit today

« on: April 17, 2014, 10:59:48 AM »

I make a Hefe like that using a double decoction.  Pain in the rear but it makes a great beer.  Only do it once a year as well.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Kids and Homebrew

« on: April 14, 2014, 09:31:15 AM »

We had three very close together, our oldest turned 3 a month before we brought our third home, so they put my brewing on hiatus for several years.  It's awfully hard to tell the wife that you are going to spend 6 hours in the garage brewing with 3 little ones running around!

Now they are teenagers and just think dad is weird for spending all that time in the garage.

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Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Giga Yeast

« on: March 24, 2014, 06:14:28 PM »

There is a new brewery in our area, Ozark Beer Company, that uses their yeast exclusively.  The head brewer is very keen on this brand and they make the best beer, by far, in our area.

any idea of what strains he uses?

I like that the yeast is packaged with more cells.

I think the norcal 1 is his base yeast, but I'm not positive.  I do know that he loves the saison blend.

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Beer Recipes / Belgian IPA

« on: March 23, 2014, 07:56:31 PM »

This is what I brewed this weekend

10 Gallon batch

18#s 2 row
5 #s malted wheat
1 # flaked oats
1 # flaked wheat

2 oz. Amarillo FWH
1 oz. Magnum @60
1 oz. Centennial @30
1 oz. Centennial @15
2 oz. Amarillo Whirlpool

Zest of 2 grapefruits, 2 oranges and one lemon added at whirlpool.

Yeast Safbrew T-58 - 2 packets

Mash temp 152 for 1 hour
boil for one hour

OG 1.079
Est. IBUs 70

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Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Giga Yeast

« on: March 23, 2014, 07:43:03 PM »

There is a new brewery in our area, Ozark Beer Company, that uses their yeast exclusively.  The head brewer is very keen on this brand and they make the best beer, by far, in our area.

7

All Things Food / Re: Spent grain energy bars

« on: February 28, 2014, 11:10:00 AM »

recipe?

2 cups spent grain
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans chopped
1 cup peanuts chopped - dry roasted, no salt

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Heat oven to 175 and spread the wet grains out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake grains for 2 - 2.5 hours, turning over about every 30 min to thoroughly dry them out.  When dried add oats, pecans and peanuts and spread out on cookie sheet.  Raise oven to 350 and roast all together for 30 min.  Add butter, peanut butter, honey and maple syrup to small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 min. stirring frequently.  When done roasting dry ingredients to bowl and top with wet.  Mix thoroughly.  Line cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and spread mixture out evenly.  Allow to cool for at least 8 hours at room temp and then cut into desired sizes.

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All Things Food / Spent grain energy bars

« on: February 28, 2014, 09:45:05 AM »

I made these bars with some spent grain from last weekend's wheat beer. Looks like birdseed but tastes fantastic!

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General Homebrew Discussion / Quick question about attenuation

« on: February 26, 2014, 08:53:14 AM »

I am wanting to make a session beer, nothing fancy, just some base grains, 2 row, munich maybe a little crystal and some carapils, and I am thinking of mashing in the 154-156 range.  What is the best way to figure how this will effect the attenuation?  I am just planning on using Safale-05 yeast.  Thank you.

10

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Cold Keg

« on: February 07, 2014, 08:32:08 PM »

High today for us was 16 and I live in the south.  Planning on brewing tomorrow when it will be a balmy 34. 

11

Beer Recipes / Re: Munich ESB

« on: January 21, 2014, 07:28:38 AM »

Yes I used the Burton on Trent water from the most recent issue of Zymurgy.

Oh, that's too bad. I guess you didn't actually read the article about the fact that the local water was typically diluted naturally to a less mineralized condition. The Pale Ale profile just happens to be similar to that diluted Burton groundwater.

I did realize and read that they had to dilute the water.  I guess what I didn't look at were the actual specs as far as concentrations, i.e. I need to study water chemistry more and download your program.  What I did to my water was from the recipe you had in Zymurgy where you state "To produce a mineralization level popular in Burton pale ales, increase the additions to 4 tsp gypsum and 1 tsp calcium chloride in 8.5 gallons of water."

Since I was starting with 17 gallons of water I just doubled these amounts.

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Beer Recipes / Re: Munich ESB

« on: January 20, 2014, 06:45:54 PM »

I'd style it after tasting the finished product.

Good idea.  I guess it won't turn out to be what I was thinking but at least it will be beer...

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Beer Recipes / Re: Munich ESB

« on: January 20, 2014, 06:25:59 PM »

NO! Not the Burton water I hope. The Pale Ale water profile is much less extreme than Burton water.

The other thing I can see in this recipe is that it may end up more like an Alt. If the hop aroma is low and the Munich malt comes through and the beer dries out well, the beer could be Alt like.

With respect to well hopped beers, I agree that the malt can clash with the hopping. That is why a very simple grist is used in a typical American Pale Ale. Hopefully that won't be the case here.

Oops!  Well crap, seems I messed this up.  Yes I used the Burton on Trent water from the most recent issue of Zymurgy.  I guess my thought was the water profile would help to accentuate the hops and balance out the Munich malt, but never having brewed with entirely Munich malt, I guess I didn't think things through.  It is fermenting away in the basement @ about 62 degrees.  I guess I'll know in a few weeks what I have and will take this as a lesson learned and brush up more on my water treatments.

14

Beer Recipes / Re: Munich ESB

« on: January 20, 2014, 02:20:30 PM »

mmm....malt bomb

What are the IBUs on that bad boy? I only brewed an all Munich once and it turned out pretty good. I wish I had upped the IBUs to balance it a bit more though.

It was coming in right around 55 IBUs according to BeerSmith.  I also followed Martin's Burton on Trent water treatment.  I guess I'll see how it comes out.  This was for our brew club's Iron Brewer contest we do each month. Given a certain ingredient and told to make a beer.  This one was Munich malt and only  a single hop. 

15

Beer Recipes / Munich ESB

« on: January 19, 2014, 09:46:27 PM »

Brewed a SMASH ESB today using all Munich malt and Northern Brewer hops.

10 Gallon batch

19 lbs. Munich malt
2 oz. Northern Brewer FW
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 60 min.
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 10 min
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 5 min.

Mash at 152
RO Water treated with Gypsum and Calcium Chloride

Yeast is SafAle 04

OG 1.058