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Author Topic: fermentation question on ipa  (Read 5736 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #15 on: December 29, 2013, 06:06:19 pm »
No desire to keep a line between the two whatsoever. I want to make the best beer humanly possible and am always open to new procedures. For example I have been experimenting with hop stands for a while, in the attempt to approximate what many breweries get from extended whirlpooling. But I don't have pump (yet) so I improvise with what I have but also rely on what I've learned in a couple decades of brewing at home. I also know that some of what larger breweries do revolves around needing to reproduce a recipe consistently -I have no desire to do that.
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Offline ajbrenneis

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #16 on: December 29, 2013, 06:21:19 pm »
Okay. That makes sense. Maybe alot of the disconnect I see is from my end, because I work to perfect recipes and rebrew the same ones over and over, aiming for consistency and replecation. Or maybe I am just speaking to the wrong people when it comes to new procedures and techniques. Who knows? Mostly just curious.
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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #17 on: December 29, 2013, 06:53:10 pm »
Hey, I started doing whirlpools for over 3 years. I make a Cream Ale with all the hops in after flame out and a whirlpool, none in the boil. I've done different dry hop times just because - and not all of the successful pros use 3-4 day dry hop times.

I have even been doing batch sparges for some beers, which is not my usual way of mashing. Years back I delved into water chemistry, as the tap water here has high alkalinity. Most in the club don't do much with water, as they have much better sources of tap water, and I was a bit of a brewing geek for doing that. Now I get a lot of questions from others in the club, and there are even good spreadsheets and a book on water - that has helped even more.

I am pretty open to using a pro techniques if I can do it at home. The engineer in me always wants to refine the process and equipment. For some beers that I have dialed in, I take the if it ain't broke don't fix it approach.

It is all about making better beer in our house. Time to put the iPad down now.  :)
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Offline denny

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #18 on: December 30, 2013, 10:06:57 am »

I love the fact that I am not bound by styles and consumers when it comes to my brewing. If I can dream it up, then I can brew it, without consequence. It is that attitude that helps inspire and drive homebrewing as well as commercial brewing everywhere. I am curious though why there seems to be a disconnect from commercial brewing to homebrewing in regards to the brewing process, except where equipment is different. I have found techniques that homebrewers seem to employ that have been discounted or improved upon at the commercial level. My beer has improved because of the changes I have made. I work to make the best possible beer I can, much like everyone else here, but a lot of homebrewers seem resistant to using techniques that make commercial breweries successful and allow them to brew great beer. Is it simply a fear of change? Is it a desire to keep a line between the two?

It's personal experience.  I don't blindly accept anyone's advice.  I try it and decide for myself.  That's not to discount your experience either, but it's not that there's a fear of change or any resistance.  It's simply that sometimes the advice from commercial brewers doesn't hold true in my situation.
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Offline erockrph

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #19 on: December 30, 2013, 11:27:38 am »
It's personal experience.  I don't blindly accept anyone's advice.  I try it and decide for myself.  That's not to discount your experience either, but it's not that there's a fear of change or any resistance.  It's simply that sometimes the advice from commercial brewers doesn't hold true in my situation.

+1

The vast differences in scale mean that what holds true for a commercial brewery doesn't necessarily hold true for the home brewer. We all have to work within the constraints of our own breweries, both homebrewer and commercial brewer alike. I may not have a whirlpool or torpedo, but there are other ways to approximate the same effect in my brewery. What works for them may not work for me. On the other hand, there are things I may be able to pull off that aren't feasible for a commercial brewery.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #20 on: December 31, 2013, 09:23:22 am »
I don't mind taking cues from (good) commercial brewers. They have greater opportunity to brew consistently and figure out what works and what doesn't to produce certain results. That said, they also brew with equipment and on a scale that is different from mine and that means everything they do I can't or don't need to and sometimes vice versa.
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Re: fermentation question on ipa
« Reply #21 on: December 31, 2013, 10:33:09 am »
To the OP, The only thing I'd add is don't dry hop with saaz. It just tastes weird.

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