826
Kegging and Bottling / Re: Bottling and corking kegged beer for competition
« on: December 31, 2017, 04:17:59 PM »
We're all experts at begging. Don't worry, you'll get there.
News: Welcome to the American Homebrewers Association Forum. Though you do not need to be a member to participate, we would love for you to join us!
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
827
Kegging and Bottling / Re: AHA Guide to Kegging article
« on: December 31, 2017, 07:48:17 AM »
Do you guys know if the author of the 22 year old Zymurgy article is an AHA employee? I don't know but I doubt it. I don't see how the AHA is responsible, anymore than how they would be responsible for wrong information being published on this forum, which they own. They meaning "us", if "we" are members of the AHA, which I am.
Relax! Or don't, whatever
Relax! Or don't, whatever
828
Beer Recipes / Re: suggested fruit to add to blonde ale recipe
« on: December 31, 2017, 02:45:55 AM »
All grain saves money? Just ask my wife, LOL!
My suggestion is brew that Belgian straight up first. Or split some off to fruit. But it's always good for the learning curve to see what your base beer is like.
Honestly, good Belgians are so good it's hard to pick a fruit that wouldn't take away from it. Maybe peach or apricot. I'd put them into a second fermenter and rack the beer onto them. You'll get a second fermentation.
My suggestion is brew that Belgian straight up first. Or split some off to fruit. But it's always good for the learning curve to see what your base beer is like.
Honestly, good Belgians are so good it's hard to pick a fruit that wouldn't take away from it. Maybe peach or apricot. I'd put them into a second fermenter and rack the beer onto them. You'll get a second fermentation.
829
Beer Recipes / Re: suggested fruit to add to blonde ale recipe
« on: December 31, 2017, 02:38:22 AM »Mmm... strawberry blonde.......Bet that's way better than a bleach blonde
830
Kegging and Bottling / Re: AHA Guide to Kegging article
« on: December 31, 2017, 02:35:08 AM »
I think that's passed the statue of limitations
831
Ingredients / Re: Question about first wort hopping.
« on: December 30, 2017, 10:27:54 PM »
That is entirely possible. Fortunately there is zero added cost, effort, or time. Imagine spending 6hrs and a tank of propane on a triple decoction only to find YMMV, lol!
832
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hitting Cruise Control
« on: December 30, 2017, 10:03:25 PM »It's in here if someone wanted to dig. But sure...So I just had the most relaxing and relaxed brew day (morning really) in a long time. Kept it simple. Simple water locked in the pH (yeah I made the usual notes but maybe now I won't need to check things like that except for a totally new style.) Simple mash (153°F and mash off) gave a wort of superior quality and the usual yield. Went back to FWH so I could walk away and forget about most of the boil. I actually think this might be the best beer I have made in a long time, and most importantly, it was really fun again! Next stress reducer: I'm going to quit filtering my beer. Heck, I know it's clear and clean enough after lagering, I'm just wasting my time and stripping my beer. I just cut an inch off the dip tubes in my lagering kegs and made a jumper from spare tubing and parts! Thanks to Jim for his original post.You are most welcome. We may end up with an Alice's Restaurant type movement here!
Jim, are you up for relating the story you told me about your helles?
Basically, a couple years back I devoted myself all winter to "perfecting" a Munich Helles. Chose that for difficulty level. I brewed it umpteen times, making improvements along the way. I employed the help of a couple Grand Masters. #1 and #2 in charge of BJCP Education. Following their suggestions after sampling beers I sent them. I sought out every authentic technique I could find and could do on my equipment, including step mashing on my direct fire recirculation mash tun, kettle acid, etc etc. After nearly depleting my will to live, I brewed one final iteration using my same ol same ol single infusion, no mash out, no kettle acid, bla bla bla... bottled up a couple bombers off my beer gun and hauled them to Seattle. After the friday night session of judging NHC Round One, I rounded up Randy Scorby, Steve Antoch, and Tedd Hausotter. Three guys who know beer in my opinion. They judged it in front of me after I convinced them I wanted their gut honest opinion. The average score was 42. The ding I remember was the slightest hint of sulfur. A few more days in primary would have bumped it closer to 45.
I'm all for pursuing the deep end of the pool. Go for it if you enjoy it. And maybe all the intense, advanced, complex, traditional techniques might get you a 43, or 45, maybe even a 50. Awesome! Go for it! I applaud you! But go easy on the rest of us. A thing you read in a book and tried once doesn't make you superior to anyone. It's not about being superior, at least not for me.
I'm glad I put myself through it. But, for ME, and my time, my enjoyment, my whatever... simple methods make plenty good beer. Of all of the iterations of that helles, simple ruled the day enjoyment-wise, and score-wise.
I have not brewed that beer since. I do brew a slightly bigger slightly hoppier version that I love.
All of my other beers improved drastically after that exercise, but not because I use any complex method. I think it was just the experience.
For what it's worth.
833
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New Year, whatcha getting, and other brewing chatter time kill
« on: December 30, 2017, 09:34:25 PM »
Brew day just got easier with the Klickmann Master Blaster! Big burners, shiny table, cheap n easy! Those are 15 gal kettles. I'm excited to try it out tomorrow!
834
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New Year, whatcha getting, and other brewing chatter time kill
« on: December 30, 2017, 09:31:10 PM »Odd, huh? Keep it up!Jim, I'm right there with you on my New Year's resolution -- thanks to your topic on "cruise control." See my latest reply there. Happy, happy brew year!
Ya know, it's kinda funny but Jim's post is exactly what I've been talking about for years.
835
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hitting Cruise Control
« on: December 30, 2017, 07:50:30 PM »So I just had the most relaxing and relaxed brew day (morning really) in a long time. Kept it simple. Simple water locked in the pH (yeah I made the usual notes but maybe now I won't need to check things like that except for a totally new style.) Simple mash (153°F and mash off) gave a wort of superior quality and the usual yield. Went back to FWH so I could walk away and forget about most of the boil. I actually think this might be the best beer I have made in a long time, and most importantly, it was really fun again! Next stress reducer: I'm going to quit filtering my beer. Heck, I know it's clear and clean enough after lagering, I'm just wasting my time and stripping my beer. I just cut an inch off the dip tubes in my lagering kegs and made a jumper from spare tubing and parts! Thanks to Jim for his original post.You are most welcome. We may end up with an Alice's Restaurant type movement here!
836
Ingredients / Re: Question about first wort hopping.
« on: December 30, 2017, 06:18:28 PM »Thats my understanding too. I was straying from the german theme, but it stands to reason if you are not wanting aroma or flavor avoid late hops.I'll add that I recently heard Stan H say that 10 min additions are kind of a waste due to volitizing aromatics (My paraphrase). I tend to entirely agree. I bitter with FWH and flavor with whirlpool, which also brings some aroma, then big aroma comes from dry hopping if I think I want more.
IIRC he was talking about Myrcene being boiled off. In German beers that would be out of place, as that is a courser flavor/aroma to them. Most German breweries don’t add anything after 10 minutes.
837
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New Year, whatcha getting, and other brewing chatter time kill
« on: December 30, 2017, 05:58:46 PM »
Ill do that
838
General Homebrew Discussion / New Year, whatcha getting, and other brewing chatter time kill
« on: December 30, 2017, 12:41:21 PM »
My new years brewing resolution, if you'd call it that, is to thoroughly enjoy my brewing hobby. That's going to include trying really hard to not get tangled up in stuff that was ruining it for me. I'm not going to allow myself to enter a competition, or change my recipes just to get the little green check mark that shows that my numbers meet the approved style parameters. Beer is more than numbers ain't It?
I'm going to continue to keep my mind open for opportunities to simplify my process without hindering my fun or the quality. I'm seeking simplest possible!
I ordered up some fresh 2017 hop pellets. I'm a little bummed that no one seems to have cheap pounds of simcoe, which I used to hate, but have grown to tolerate. So the new load is cascade, centennial, chinook, and tettnanger.
I'm going to allow myself to rebrew beers that I love. Who cares if that's not innovative? I'm going to also brew some styles I haven't brewed, like English IPA, hoppier than BJCP approved German lagers, etc.
So what's up with you? Excited about anything? Got new stuff coming? Trying to beat down some brewing demons?
I'm going to continue to keep my mind open for opportunities to simplify my process without hindering my fun or the quality. I'm seeking simplest possible!
I ordered up some fresh 2017 hop pellets. I'm a little bummed that no one seems to have cheap pounds of simcoe, which I used to hate, but have grown to tolerate. So the new load is cascade, centennial, chinook, and tettnanger.
I'm going to allow myself to rebrew beers that I love. Who cares if that's not innovative? I'm going to also brew some styles I haven't brewed, like English IPA, hoppier than BJCP approved German lagers, etc.
So what's up with you? Excited about anything? Got new stuff coming? Trying to beat down some brewing demons?
839
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Fermentation temps
« on: December 30, 2017, 12:16:40 PM »
Brett can be a slow starter, and once it's going can be less obvious than sac. It might be going in other words. Are you seeing a pelicle yet? Brett pelicle is usually big dusty bubbles.