[Village Taphouse]

Cheers you guys.  A little levity helps greatly.

And I use tilts, but not for accuracy - rather to monitor the end of fermentation without sampling.  No change is no change however you put it.

Thinking good thoughts for all of you facing adversity in this crazy period....

For what it is worth - I have been blessed, because my daughter and her 3.5 month old baby girl are staying with my wife and me, while my son in law is battling things on the frontlines as an ICU doctor and surgeon on the west side of Chicago - he doesn’t want his wife and daughter exposed to the risk he brings home with him.  All of them are currently safe, but I can’t shake the sadness that he is facing in missing out on witnessing his little baby girl’s early development,  yet, then I quickly feel terrible and self-centered for not thinking about how many families have it so much worse.  Let’s keep our forum civil, light-hearted and fun like it typically is and let’s try to remember those who are suffering in many ways from the direct and indirect effects of this crisis.  End of rant, sorry.

Amen. 

[Joe Sr.]

Oy!  I've been gone for awhile, but it feels a bit like I never left...  Glad to see the conversation turn back around quickly, though.

On the topic... When I started brewing some 20+ years ago I didn't take readings but I found over the years that taking them helped to improve my process for consistency and accuracy of style.  I brew a lot of bigger beers and I find it is very helpful to identify that final gravity.

That said, I just recently brewed three batches and didn't take the OG because I was lazy.  Close enough is good enough right now and these are just for fun and to make sure I've got something to weather the storm so to speak.  I am taking final gravity readings though to make sure they're done.

One might be a dumper.  Not sure I like the West Yorkshire yeast or something else went wrong.  Tasted sour and thin at the last reading...

[Village Taphouse]

Oy!  I've been gone for awhile, but it feels a bit like I never left...  Glad to see the conversation turn back around quickly, though.

On the topic... When I started brewing some 20+ years ago I didn't take readings but I found over the years that taking them helped to improve my process for consistency and accuracy of style.  I brew a lot of bigger beers and I find it is very helpful to identify that final gravity.

That said, I just recently brewed three batches and didn't take the OG because I was lazy.  Close enough is good enough right now and these are just for fun and to make sure I've got something to weather the storm so to speak.  I am taking final gravity readings though to make sure they're done.

One might be a dumper.  Not sure I like the West Yorkshire yeast or something else went wrong.  Tasted sour and thin at the last reading...

I hope it's not a dumper.  Is W. Yorkshire 1469?  I have used it many times and know many other brewers who like it so I really hope it was just your tastebuds playing tricks on you. 

[TXFlyGuy]

Oy!  I've been gone for awhile, but it feels a bit like I never left...  Glad to see the conversation turn back around quickly, though.

On the topic... When I started brewing some 20+ years ago I didn't take readings but I found over the years that taking them helped to improve my process for consistency and accuracy of style.  I brew a lot of bigger beers and I find it is very helpful to identify that final gravity.

That said, I just recently brewed three batches and didn't take the OG because I was lazy.  Close enough is good enough right now and these are just for fun and to make sure I've got something to weather the storm so to speak.  I am taking final gravity readings though to make sure they're done.

One might be a dumper.  Not sure I like the West Yorkshire yeast or something else went wrong.  Tasted sour and thin at the last reading...

I hope it's not a dumper.  Is W. Yorkshire 1469?  I have used it many times and know many other brewers who like it so I really hope it was just your tastebuds playing tricks on you.

My motto is...never let a bad beer go to waste!

[Joe Sr.]

I'm planning to keg it this weekemd, so I'll be pulling a sample.

If it's nasty, it will feed whatever lives in the catchbasin.

[Joe Sr.]

I hope it's not a dumper.  Is W. Yorkshire 1469?  I have used it many times and know many other brewers who like it so I really hope it was just your tastebuds playing tricks on you.

Yes.  1469.  I had it in a starter for awhile, but the starter beer tasted fine.  Whatever.  I have more ingredients and more yeast, so I can rebrew this weekend if I want to.

[fredthecat]

I'm starting to get some real regular brews down and settled.

I am considering not taking readings in some of those known recipe future brews.

[Village Taphouse]

I make a lot of the same beers and use a lot of the same ingredients and processes.  I would take SG and FG readings with both a hydrometer and a refractometer and the numbers were always right where the software predicted based on my efficiency.  If I was having trouble with something I might pay closer attention to those numbers to see what I could learn.  But at some point when I saw the expected numbers over & over I stopped taking readings.  The beers were coming out great.  I admitted all of this on another forum and there was an inquisition-style round of questions.  Some people were aghast.  I know that some brewers love, love, love all pieces of the process, charting data points and comparing them, etc. but I am not one of those people.  My job is rigid enough and brewing is a hobby and an expression of creativity for me and I enjoy it very much.  I'm brewing today and it's going to be 60° and sunny and I will enjoy doing it the way I like.  Cheers beerheads. 

[ynotbrusum]

I hear you Ken.  I don’t always take a gravity reading, but with certain beers, I like to know what to expect - in case my efficiency or volume changed on a specific brew or more likely on a brew that I don’t make frequently.  It is only beer in the end and it comes from a hobby so I don’t sweat much any more.

My biggest problem lately is stockpiling too much...I’ve gone to giving away growlers to my regulars ( like a milk delivery drop from yesterday year - Haha!)

[Village Taphouse]

I hear you Ken.  I don’t always take a gravity reading, but with certain beers, I like to know what to expect - in case my efficiency or volume changed on a specific brew or more likely on a brew that I don’t make frequently.  It is only beer in the end and it comes from a hobby so I don’t sweat much any more.

My biggest problem lately is stockpiling too much...I’ve gone to giving away growlers to my regulars ( like a milk delivery drop from yesterday year - Haha!)

The beer delivery guy is here!! 

The other thing is that I am often working inside the same gravity range.  I make A LOT of 4.5 - 5% beers so there is very little chance of surprise.  If I used a different mash schedule, made a bigger beer or used a new-to-me malt, I would be looking closer at taking the proper measurements.  But once it looks like your system is doing exactly what you expect and exactly what you've seen it do batch after batch, I feel like I know what I'll see.  For those who enjoy taking the measurements, recording them, etc., I salute you. 

[ynotbrusum]

yesterday year

Yester year....autocorrupt strikes again.