[erockrph]

Oh you guys are drinking tonight too?



A saison dosed with dregs from a 5 year vertical of Boulevard's Saison-Brett, our "KCBM Board Brew" of 2015.   What a great brew day that was.

I love your custom glassware, Amanda!

[klickitat jim]

The protein rested, Hochkurz stepped, pre-boil acidified, high krausen pitched, Marshall/Kai/Narziss fermented Helles Exportbier.
This and a similar Munich Helles got shipped today to the 3 Wisemen for feedback. Looking forward to that.

Jim, what was your procedure for the high krausen pitch? Fresh vial into 1qt starter, shaken to hell and back, and pitched the next day at below 50F? I'm a'scurrd to try that method with a laaaaaguh.
Very nice looking beer, by the way. How do you feel it stacks up against what you recall having German beers on tap (if you've had them, that is)?

I can my starter wort, so I always have it ready. On the night before lager day I place the jar/s of canned wort in my fermentation chamber to get them to 52F. Morning of brew day I make my starters, 2 1L per batch with lagers. They are oxygenated not shaken not stirred. In 12 hours they are well into log phase and resching high krausen. The whole shebang goes in, yup 2 liters! No concern

[coolman26]

I can my starter wort, so I always have it ready. On the night before lager day I place the jar/s of canned wort in my fermentation chamber to get them to 52F. Morning of brew day I make my starters, 2 1L per batch with lagers. They are oxygenated not shaken not stirred. In 12 hours they are well into log phase and resching high krausen. The whole shebang goes in, yup 2 liters! No concern
[/quote]

I'm moving to this process.  I'm going to start pitching my whole starter at HK.  I feel that I've been letting my pitches go too long and I've seen improvement in my beers since changing to this. 

[klickitat jim]

I can my starter wort, so I always have it ready. On the night before lager day I place the jar/s of canned wort in my fermentation chamber to get them to 52F. Morning of brew day I make my starters, 2 1L per batch with lagers. They are oxygenated not shaken not stirred. In 12 hours they are well into log phase and resching high krausen. The whole shebang goes in, yup 2 liters! No concern

I'm moving to this process.  I'm going to start pitching my whole starter at HK.  I feel that I've been letting my pitches go too long and I've seen improvement in my beers since changing to this.
[/quote]
I use one 1200ml for ales, two 1000ml for lagers. I haven't tried just one for lagers yet. I imagine it would work but Im having great sucess so why mess with it? My ale starters take 8hrs at room temp, the lager starters take 12 at 52º.

[beersk]

Thanks, Jim. I'm still a bit nervous to try that with lagers and that's what I mostly brew. It's hard to change up a process when you like the results. All I do is step up starters for the first pitch from a new crop, then subsequent generations are repitches from slurry.

[klickitat jim]

Thanks, Jim. I'm still a bit nervous to try that with lagers and that's what I mostly brew. It's hard to change up a process when you like the results. All I do is step up starters for the first pitch from a new crop, then subsequent generations are repitches from slurry.

I had my doubts and flavor carryover concerns, but I wouldn't do it any other way now. In fact if I had slurry to pitch from I would still only use a 100ml of thin slurry and do a high krausen starter.

[beersk]

That's the great thing about this hobby. We can do it many ways and still create great beer.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

My helles. Only 5 days in keg at this point.



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[HoosierBrew]

Looks great. What's your impression so far, in general and dropping pH in kettle vs just mashing at low pH for your lagers ? Hoping to brew mine soon.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Looks great. What's your impression so far, in general and dropping pH in kettle vs just mashing at low pH for your lagers ? Hoping to brew mine soon.

so same as my pils, the mash 5.45-5.5 PH and drop to around 5.1 works well. this beer is just settling in, and my comments about water profile of yellow full a little different now. I still think i will go back to balanced, however its nice with the kolsch malt in there.

EDIT: FWIW, the kolsch malt isn't the silver bullet..just as likely to get there with vienna or even a little carahell (thats my next version)

[HoosierBrew]

Looks great. What's your impression so far, in general and dropping pH in kettle vs just mashing at low pH for your lagers ? Hoping to brew mine soon.

so same as my pils, the mash 5.45-5.5 PH and drop to around 5.1 works well. this beer is just settling in, and my comments about water profile of yellow full a little different now. I still think i will go back to balanced, however its nice with the kolsch malt in there.

Cool. Sounds good. I've got some kolsch malt now, so gonna do a kolsch and a helles.

[HoosierBrew]

Ken - also, did you lower with lactic? If so, any flavor impact? I was debating using phosphoric to be safe.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Ken - also, did you lower with lactic? If so, any flavor impact? I was debating using phosphoric to be safe.

Pretty sure it was 3- 4ml lactic- no issues at less than .5ml per lb. grist.


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[HoosierBrew]

Ken - also, did you lower with lactic? If so, any flavor impact? I was debating using phosphoric to be safe.

Pretty sure it was 3- 4ml lactic- no issues at less than .5ml per lb. grist.

I must've micalc'd. I calculated ~ 8 ml for 5 gals. I did see the .5ml limit. Better recheck my figures. Anyway, thanks !

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Ken - also, did you lower with lactic? If so, any flavor impact? I was debating using phosphoric to be safe.

Pretty sure it was 3- 4ml lactic- no issues at less than .5ml per lb. grist.

I must've micalc'd. I calculated ~ 8 ml for 5 gals. I did see the .5ml limit. Better recheck my figures. Anyway, thanks !

Don't have access right now- but just put salts into mash water to get my 5.4-5.5ph then lactic in kettle.


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