[HoosierBrew]

You should try a cider with a packet of US05 before you give up. No esters obviously and makes a really nice, tart cider.

I've made them before with wine yeast and back sweetened. Those were much better. I was trying the beer yeast so I wouldn't have to back sweeten. Maybe, next time I will try US 05 for a cleaner profile. Failure is an opportunity.

You should try a cider with a packet of US05 before you give up. No esters obviously and makes a really nice, tart cider.

I've made them before with wine yeast and back sweetened. Those were much better. I was trying the beer yeast so I wouldn't have to back sweeten. Maybe, next time I will try US 05 for a cleaner profile. Failure is an opportunity.

FWIW, I backsweeten and acidify with 05. Ferments pretty dry. Ends up with a really nice flavor profile though.

[JT]

+3 on sulfate reduction. my last was 160ishPPM and just great IMO.

Here I thought it was just me!  I agree < 170 is fine and dandy for my late hopped pale ales. 

[brewsumore]

I brewed 10 gal of Skotrat's Traquair House Ale (wee heavy) recipe.  Only attempted this once before, in 2008, and today I still had trouble getting 2.25 gal of first runnings down to a super-concentrated dark thick syrup (for re-add to the kettle to get the desired caramelized flavor just right).  Still, I did get it down to about a quart of nice dark syrup.  The recipe calls for boiling 2 gal of first runnings down to a pint of syrup.

What happens next is questionable.  I planned this brew at the last minute, as in yesterday afternoon, and the only LHBS in the area that had the yeast I wanted was a 25 mile drive.  They said they had 4 packets of edit: WY 1728, so I drove there but found they were dated Oct 12, 2015 (4 months old), which when I got home found out per Mr. Malty predicts only 11% viability.

So I started two 2 liter stirplate starters this morning, each with a packet of liquid yeast, and have two more unopened packets on the kitchen table.  I hit my OG of 1.085 (33 lbs of malt), and am hoping one starter plus one additional packet per 5.5 gal bucket (including whole full krauesen starter) will do the trick but it's a crapshoot.  I have some US-05 on hand in case I need to feed the ferment.  At least I have o2 and nutrient and temp control to help boost the yeasties.

The starters have been going 13 hours and actually have some nice activity going, but the other packets have hardly swelled at all in the past two hours.  I'm going to pitch an hour from now.  I know - ramble, ramble, blah, blah, blah. 

[69franx]

good luck with the Skotrat recipe, been wanting to try that one myself for a while now, dont know when I will get to it. This weekend, I will finally be getting around to my Hazelnut Double Brown @ 1.100 that I have been asking questions about for around 4 months now. Third attempt at this beast, so hopefully I have learned a few things through the first 2 times

[brewsumore]

good luck with the Skotrat recipe, been wanting to try that one myself for a while now, dont know when I will get to it. This weekend, I will finally be getting around to my Hazelnut Double Brown @ 1.100 that I have been asking questions about for around 4 months now. Third attempt at this beast, so hopefully I have learned a few things through the first 2 times

Thanks!  Your Hazelnut Beast sounds like what you'd drink with a Hero Sandwich!!

I think I'll be ok.  I had +1" of krauesen today, by 12 hrs into the ferment.  The tradeoff is that I had to pitch twice as much full krausen starter into the wort as listed in the recipe, so that will impact the beer a bit.  If you do make it, I'd pay close attention to the order of how to proceed on brewday per the recipe.  Also, I recommend that you look for the AHA 2011 recipe provided on the AHA Forum by Skotrat that includes the ferment temps and schedule, not some of the earlier versions on the Net.  You can google "Skotrat Scotch Ale".   edit: the thread is at - https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=8071.0

Per the recipe you should runoff and then hard boil for 30 minutes the 2 gal of first runnings, towards making the syrup, and only after that, start the 2 hr full volume boil.  I started the wort reduction and then immediately went ahead and started my full volume boil of 14.5 gal.  So, I ended up having to stop/interrupt the full volume boil, to focus on reducing the syrup, which took way longer than I thought it would.  You want to time it so that the syrup is added to the kettle before the first hop addition (45 min), and I also recommend to NOT boil down more than 2 gal of first runnings.  The very best pot to make the syrup would be both wide and tall - since once it starts reducing it foams a lot and doesn't continue to evaporate/reduce quickly.  I started in a 2.5 or 3 gal pot and when mostly reduced switched to a SS large sautee pan, but ended up with at least 4 cups of syrup vs the recipe's recommended pint.  Also, although I was closely monitoring both kettles simultaneously I nearly had boilovers a few times on one or the other.  Mine was a marathon brewday, 10 1/2 hrs not including the time before that to make the starters - mostly due to hunkered over a too low boil in a too small pot or pan of reducing syrup!  Still - somehow I hit my OG exactly.  I'm looking forward to this beer.

[69franx]

Looks awesome and can't wait to try it out. I just found a great deal at the local Depot for a bayou classic fish fry: smallish pot but with a bigger btu burner than I am used to on clearance from last year for $25. Score!
This will allow me to try decoction more easily if I so choose and will be a big help in two weeks when I am doing 2 batches with a newbie brewer

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Heat wave coming our way for the weekend. May do double brew- all el dorado IPA , and a pils so I can try the modified steam injection system for a step.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Phil_M]

I'm also looking forward to warm weather this weekend. Hoping to brew an IPA on Friday, repitching the Wyeast 1450 from my recent brown ale. Saturday the wife and I plan on going to the DuClaw rally.

Work may wreck those plans, but I won't complain about overtime.

[brewsumore]

Heat wave coming our way for the weekend. May do double brew- all el dorado IPA , and a pils so I can try the modified steam injection system for a step.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ken, as a fellow picnic cooler masher, and one who's pretty much given in to single infusion mashes, I heartily applaud your effort at solving the problems of multiple liquid infusions to step mash.  And I eagerly await your report.  Thank you.   

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Heat wave coming our way for the weekend. May do double brew- all el dorado IPA , and a pils so I can try the modified steam injection system for a step.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ken, as a fellow picnic cooler masher, and one who's pretty much given in to single infusion mashes, I heartily applaud your effort at solving the problems of multiple liquid infusions to step mash.  And I eagerly await your report.  Thank you.

Well I'm not certain I've solved things, but it's fun trying something different to achieve a step in a cooler without infusions.

Curiosity gets the best of me sometimes, and so my mind spins relentlessly trying to figure things out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[brewinhard]

Starter of WY PC 1882 Thames Valley II for an ESB tomorrow.  Besides that, I am on Feb. break with my two kids, so that means lots of beers once they are sleeping at night.

[sprider1]

DIPA--German Pils,west  coast  pale  ale

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Heat wave coming our way for the weekend. May do double brew- all el dorado IPA , and a pils so I can try the modified steam injection system for a step.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

my El Dorado IPA is going quite nicely. nothing like brewing in shorts and t-shirt in February 

Edit: man a little carared sure makes the wort pretty.

[brewinhard]

Beautiful color to it. Almost looks like you added some hibiscus or something to it.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Beautiful color to it. Almost looks like you added some hibiscus or something to it.

pale ale malt and carared...that's it.