Amen to that, Kyle. I don't mind bottling but I hate waiting for the bottles to condition. Also the idea of having your own stuff on tap just sounds cool.
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Last: 3 mo ago by Chipotlemonger
[This message has been edited by bmc13 (edited 5/14/2014 7:57p).]
quote:
Amen to that, Kyle. I don't mind bottling but I hate waiting for the bottles to condition. Also the idea of having your own stuff on tap just sounds cool.
I went to kegging after probably 8 months into brewing. I absolutely hated bottling and I found a decent fridge on craigslist for $150 and a single pin lock keg for ~$20. I have since bought 4 ball lock kegs (immensely better IMO) and have three taps on a keezer with a collar. My old stand up fridge/kegorator, is now my main fermentation chamber. I have external thermostats on both.
Kegging.
There's nothing like pulling a glass of something you made. I always tell my friends that my kegerator is a magic box that spits beer out. Like for free.
Here's an interesting concept for fermentation temperature control.
http://www.brewjacket.com/
At $300, though, I'll pass.
http://www.brewjacket.com/
At $300, though, I'll pass.
quote:
Here's an interesting concept for fermentation temperature control.
http://www.brewjacket.com/
At $300, though, I'll pass.
For $300 I could get a used chest freezer and a Johnson temp controller and still have money left over. Even with the space savings, I agree, pass.
No doubt. It is a cool concept, though, and would be great for people limited on space if it was cheaper.
Let's talk pale ales. I'm writing up a house pale ale recipe, and I'm undecided on the hops. Traditional American Pale Ales have the standard Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, etc. hops both in the boil and the dry hop, but I think I want something a little weirder. Do any of y'all use out of the ordinary hops for your pale ales?
Weirder, how? If you're thinking noble hops, I once made a blonde ale that I modeled after a Dortmunder export recipe, and it turned out good. I wouldn't really consider it a pale ale though, since I was trying to replicate the Dortmunder flavor.
IMO, pales ales are perfect for trying out a hop you've never used before. I'd look up flavor profiles for hops you've never used, and when you find something unique that you think could work, make a pale ale using only that hop. The best way to learn is by trying!
IMO, pales ales are perfect for trying out a hop you've never used before. I'd look up flavor profiles for hops you've never used, and when you find something unique that you think could work, make a pale ale using only that hop. The best way to learn is by trying!
quote:
IMO, pales ales are perfect for trying out a hop you've never used before. I'd look up flavor profiles for hops you've never used, and when you find something unique that you think could work, make a pale ale using only that hop. The best way to learn is by trying!
Agree 100%. SMASHs are also another great way to learn and IMO really makes new brewers consider whether 8 different malts and 8 different hops are really necessary to make great beer. Some of the best beers we've ever made are SMASHs or very close to it.
quote:
I think I want something a little weirder. Do any of y'all use out of the ordinary hops for your pale ales?
All noble hopped pales can be interesting, or some of the somewhat forgotten about English varieties like Fuggles, EKG, etc can be a nice break from time to time.
Also consider some of the New Zealand varieties like Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Green Bullet and a bunch of others I'm forgetting. I don't have much personal experience with them, but I know Prairie Ales uses a lot of them and their beers are fantastic IMO.
I was thinking about doing a SMASH Pale Ale with Fuggles in the fall.
I recently brewed a Pale Ale using only Belma hops that I got from the Bluebonnet Raffle. It turned out really good and I like the subtle flavors.
The Maris Otter/Cascade SMaSH I've got on tap right now is just about the perfect early summer pale ale. I'm really digging it.
I've got a strawberry-ginger blond in secondary right now that I'm really looking forward to as well that used cascade and northern brewer hops. It smells killer.
I've got a strawberry-ginger blond in secondary right now that I'm really looking forward to as well that used cascade and northern brewer hops. It smells killer.
I did a single-hop pale ale a while back: Amarillo. Mostly 2-row, with a little 20L crystal malt (similar to this with no caravienne). Best damn pale ale I've ever made (and I think it was better than Boundary Bay's in Bellingham, WA).
I recently sprung for a grain mill since Austin Homebrew had them for 50% off. Any of y'all have one and what gap do you set it to?
I just got a nice raise, so it looks like my brewing budget just got bumped up! I think to celebrate, I'm going to go ahead and get my fermentation chamber built. And I'll probably also brew a brown ale.
I'm not a huge fan of sweet browns. I much prefer the nutty browns that have a good roasty character. What malts do you like to use to bring that out in a brown? I'm thinking Munich or maybe a touch of roasted barley. Something like this:
5 gallon batch
6.25 lb American Pale 2-Row
1 lb Crystal 60
0.5 lb Munich
0.25 lb Roasted Barley
0.25 lb Chocolate
1 oz Fuggle @ 60 or FWH
Notty
This is still a work in progress, but I think that's the general idea. Any recommendations?
I'm not a huge fan of sweet browns. I much prefer the nutty browns that have a good roasty character. What malts do you like to use to bring that out in a brown? I'm thinking Munich or maybe a touch of roasted barley. Something like this:
5 gallon batch
6.25 lb American Pale 2-Row
1 lb Crystal 60
0.5 lb Munich
0.25 lb Roasted Barley
0.25 lb Chocolate
1 oz Fuggle @ 60 or FWH
Notty
This is still a work in progress, but I think that's the general idea. Any recommendations?
What kind of brewhouse efficiency are you achieving? That grain bill looks a little light to me.
After posting that, I realized how light it was. Brewer's Friend is calculating 3.8%. I should bump the 2-row up to about 8 or 9 pounds.
Brewhouse efficiency is low 70's.
Brewhouse efficiency is low 70's.
quote:
I recently sprung for a grain mill since Austin Homebrew had them for 50% off. Any of y'all have one and what gap do you set it to?
Which mill? We still have a Barley Crusher lying around and the standard gap produced 80-85% efficiency on our pilot. We definitely could have eeked out more, but certainly not bad IMO.
Personally, I would just test a pound or two of your favorite base malt and adjust as needed. There's different schools of thought on crush quality, and mine is to go as coarse as possible without seeing any un-crushed kernels. With that said, lautering time isn't as important on a homebrew scale, but a nice loose grain bed is always more fun than a stuck mash. Also, if you aren't happy with your efficiency with the coarse crush, you can always adjust it a bit tighter for the next batch and see what happens.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Beer/Mills/DIY-Malt-Mill.html
That's the mill they have. It doesn't have a brand name to it. I have yet to use it, but I used a buddy's mill and it looked like I got a decent crush without a massive amount of flour. I mainly got the mill because I am wanting consistency in my grain and efficiency.
I still need to build the hopper and I have found a base that I will be using. Anyone have any hopper drawings or wisdom on the best construction method for it?
That's the mill they have. It doesn't have a brand name to it. I have yet to use it, but I used a buddy's mill and it looked like I got a decent crush without a massive amount of flour. I mainly got the mill because I am wanting consistency in my grain and efficiency.
I still need to build the hopper and I have found a base that I will be using. Anyone have any hopper drawings or wisdom on the best construction method for it?
For you homebrewers out there who are also nerds, have you seen this? Seems pretty neat.
https://kegbot.org
https://kegbot.org
Trying to figure out what to brew on July 4th. I have an IPA finishing up (mosaic and citra).
I really enjoyed B-52's wheat IPA, so I may try something like that. Wheat and malty taste with a hoppy nose.
I really enjoyed B-52's wheat IPA, so I may try something like that. Wheat and malty taste with a hoppy nose.
Since I've always thought it was silly to be shy about recipes:
75% 2-Row
20% Red Wheat
5% C-60 (we use Briess' Caramel Munich 60, but not convinced there's a huge difference yet)
Shoot for ~1.050 and 50 IBU's w/ most additions being late. We use Falconer's but anything American/West Coasty will work. (that Citra/Mosaic combo would be great)
Mash: single infusion @ 148F
Yeast: WLP 002 or Wyeast 1968
Let me know if you have any other questions Dave and really glad you enjoyed it!
[This message has been edited by jock itch (edited 6/26/2014 10:39a).]
75% 2-Row
20% Red Wheat
5% C-60 (we use Briess' Caramel Munich 60, but not convinced there's a huge difference yet)
Shoot for ~1.050 and 50 IBU's w/ most additions being late. We use Falconer's but anything American/West Coasty will work. (that Citra/Mosaic combo would be great)
Mash: single infusion @ 148F
Yeast: WLP 002 or Wyeast 1968
Let me know if you have any other questions Dave and really glad you enjoyed it!
[This message has been edited by jock itch (edited 6/26/2014 10:39a).]
Now that I'm starting to put a dent in my current stock and am making room in the beer fridge, I'm looking at doing a brew day soon. The Wheat IPA is intriguing, might have to try that out!
Have any of you ever used acidulated malt to mimic a tart/sour beer brewed with lactobacillis? I'm thinking of making a sour peach beer once peaches are in season with something along the lines of:
5 gallon batch
9 lbs. Vienna malt
1.5 lbs. Caramunich malt
3/4 lb. Acidulated malt
Undecided hops, likely for bittering only
Neutral ale yeast
8 lbs. ripe peaches added to secondary for a week or 2
The goal is to balance out the sweet fruitiness of the peaches with the tartness of the acid malt. Would I be better off nixing the acid malt and brewing with lactobacillis? I've never done a sour beer before, so any tips are appreciated.
5 gallon batch
9 lbs. Vienna malt
1.5 lbs. Caramunich malt
3/4 lb. Acidulated malt
Undecided hops, likely for bittering only
Neutral ale yeast
8 lbs. ripe peaches added to secondary for a week or 2
The goal is to balance out the sweet fruitiness of the peaches with the tartness of the acid malt. Would I be better off nixing the acid malt and brewing with lactobacillis? I've never done a sour beer before, so any tips are appreciated.
In the process of brewing my 1st Tripel:
8.5lbs DME
2lbs Belgian Pilsner
1oz German perle hips
1oz Saaz hops
1lb light candi sugar
Only other beer I've done previous was an English brown that turned out mediocre. Hopefully this is the start of some good brew.
[This message has been edited by Redlineag08 (edited 7/6/2014 3:02p).]
8.5lbs DME
2lbs Belgian Pilsner
1oz German perle hips
1oz Saaz hops
1lb light candi sugar
Only other beer I've done previous was an English brown that turned out mediocre. Hopefully this is the start of some good brew.
[This message has been edited by Redlineag08 (edited 7/6/2014 3:02p).]
Candi sugar is honestly a waste of money in light colored Belgians. Most of the trappist breweries even use basic sucrose or dextrose in their tripels. Don't be afraid to use up to 15-20% of the fermentables either.
Funny timing too as we're actually set to brew one this week! One of my favorite styles.
Funny timing too as we're actually set to brew one this week! One of my favorite styles.
Took a picture to post here as it's brewing and was trying to figure out where to post so i can post here and my pot boiled over. Dogs are cleaning up the foam all over the floor now.
Any damage to the beer bc of boiled over foam?
Any damage to the beer bc of boiled over foam?
Nah, you just lost some of your volume. You gotta really supervise the pot when the boil starts.
Ok, so I'm back to thinking about doing a saison next with the WLP565 yeast, but looking at a pumpkin saison.
Here's my planned recipe (5.5gal):
4.5 lbs 2-row
4.5 lbs Pilsner
2 lbs Munich
.5 lbs Caramunich
.5 lbs Rye
Mash at 150* for 60 min
1oz Spalt 60min
1oz Spalt 15min
1oz Spalt 5min
1Tbsp pumpkin pie spice 5min
1tsp nutmeg 5min
1tsp cinnamon 5min
For fermentation, I'm going to start it around 70* and then let it heat up on its own in an upstairs bathroom (we don't use A/C upstairs, so it stays mid-80s in the summer) in a swamp cooler without any ice, just water. After a week, I'll take it out of the water and just let it get up as warm as it wants. Figure 4 weeks for fermentation, then another 4-6 weeks in bottles.
Thoughts, comments, critiques?
[This message has been edited by Kyle98 (edited 7/7/2014 1:19p).]
Here's my planned recipe (5.5gal):
4.5 lbs 2-row
4.5 lbs Pilsner
2 lbs Munich
.5 lbs Caramunich
.5 lbs Rye
Mash at 150* for 60 min
1oz Spalt 60min
1oz Spalt 15min
1oz Spalt 5min
1Tbsp pumpkin pie spice 5min
1tsp nutmeg 5min
1tsp cinnamon 5min
For fermentation, I'm going to start it around 70* and then let it heat up on its own in an upstairs bathroom (we don't use A/C upstairs, so it stays mid-80s in the summer) in a swamp cooler without any ice, just water. After a week, I'll take it out of the water and just let it get up as warm as it wants. Figure 4 weeks for fermentation, then another 4-6 weeks in bottles.
Thoughts, comments, critiques?
[This message has been edited by Kyle98 (edited 7/7/2014 1:19p).]
What happens if I a add the yeast at 80 degrees and then let it drop to around 70-75 degrees?
Got tired of waiting for it to cool yesterday...
Got tired of waiting for it to cool yesterday...
Kyle- looks interesting!
For me though, I don't like going overly complex on saisons and prefer to let the yeast shine. I'll add a bit of fresh pepper and something floral but that's about it. Just kegged one yesterday single hopped with Citra that tastes like it's going to be a winner.
For me though, I don't like going overly complex on saisons and prefer to let the yeast shine. I'll add a bit of fresh pepper and something floral but that's about it. Just kegged one yesterday single hopped with Citra that tastes like it's going to be a winner.
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