3

[Edited on May 23, 2009 at 2:31 PM. Reason : oppsies]

5/23/2009 2:31:12 PM

Would anyone be able to give me some extra bottles or at least sell for cheap(also be willing to drop a few beers your way once they are bottled)? I dont care if they have labels on them (half of my previous batch did anyway). I really dont want to go spend over $20 at American Brewmaster for something I could accumulate for free over time. But poor planning and a quick-fermenting beer got me here, so I have to deal with it.

6/6/2009 1:52:49 PM

pm sent

6/6/2009 3:11:53 PM

Ok, its been a while since I posted any of my brews. I've been playing around with Late Extract edition brewing lately and I wanted to show you guys the results. This is primarily used for getting lighter beers to match a style.

The recipes were the same except for when the malt was added:
.5 oz centenial for bittering (60min)
.5 oz centenial for flavoring (30)
1 oz centenial for flavoring/aroma (15)
6 lbs light LME
1/2 lb crystal 10
1/2 lb wheat malt (both steeping)

The original summer ale had all the LME added at the beginning and the LEA Summer Ale had a pound added at the beggining and the other 5 lbs added with 15 min to go.

The pics:


^ Old Summer Ale


^ Late extract edition Summer Ale


^The finished products: Old on Left, LEA on right

As far as taste goes the Old summer ale is more my style. Your supposed to use around 20% less hops when doing a Late extract edition because of greater hop utilization but I did not. This ended up in the LEA beer having a little too much of a Grapefruity taste in my opinion. I plan on doing this experiment again but using the suggested 20% less hops. The LEA also had a little more haze when chilled. I will probably use polyclar/gelatin next time I do it. I usually just rely on whirlfloc.

I think this technique would work really well for Lagers in the Kolsche or any german/belgian styles but I'm not giving up on it yet for ales either.

As a side note, the beers I have brewing/on tap:
-----------------------------------------------
Chocolate Expresso Stout (bottled last week)
Framboise in the keg
A few Summer Ales left in the bottle
Magic Hat #9 Clone in primary
American Style Hefeweizen ready to bottle

If any one wants to do a beer exchange of one or two Beers (maybe 24oz's, I'd be down)

[Edited on June 8, 2009 at 11:12 AM. Reason : i can't spell]

6/8/2009 11:12:16 AM

I have a ferrari 90-bottle drying tree that id like to sell for $20
they are $42 plus shipping new
link here: http://www.homebrewit.com/aisle/p/4816

6/9/2009 6:17:13 PM

^not meaning to prevent a sale, but why would anyone buy one of those things? i just dry my bottles by placing them upside down in old cases of beer, either 6-packs or the 12-packs with dividers? i guess it would look pretty cool though.

6/10/2009 1:58:14 AM

I do the same but I have gotten mildew in a box or two by doing that... It would be nice to have.... But not 100% necessary.

6/10/2009 10:14:36 AM

I'm working on a golden ale right now and am trying a secondary fermentation for the first time. I'm doing my primary in a 6 gal. carboy for about 2 weeks. My secondary will be in my 5 gal bucket for probably another week or so. I've heard this may be a good time to mix with the sugar (rather than each individual bottle) to give a more uniform mixture. I'm afraid that the carbonation may either get screwed up when I transfer to bottles or just not carbonate properly in the bucket (since with the airlock it won't be completely sealed).

Has anyone had any experience with this? Any tips on how long to let it go before I bottle? If not I may just mix with the sugar when I bottle as usual.

6/10/2009 10:14:22 PM

Quote :

"or just not carbonate properly in the bucket (since with the airlock it won't be completely sealed)"

that's exactly what will happen...the sugars will ferment and any CO2 produced will simply be released

but you're right that it's easier to add your priming sugar to the bottling bucket, but you should only do so at the time of bottling...boil your sugar - taking care not to burn - with a cup or so of water, cool, add and stir, then bottle as usual

6/10/2009 11:18:04 PM

^exactly. to reiterate, after fermenting in the secondary bucket, you will want to rack to a third bucket for bottling. These buckets typically have a valve at the bottom of the bucket for easy access to fill bottles. Only add your priming sugar (after boiling) right before you bottle. You are going to need to gently stir in this sugar (gently as to not introduce too much oxygen into the beer). If you have been fermenting in the secondary, you will have sediment at the bottom of the bucket. If you stir this, you will just pull the sediment back into the beer.

6/11/2009 9:52:24 AM

Good call on not adding the sugar to the secondary at the end and then mixing. I probably would have thought about that a split second too late.

6/11/2009 12:42:38 PM

Also, a secondary fermentation is a step in and of itself. Don't confuse it with bottling. You will need to go to another bucket to bottle if you do your secondary fermentation in a bucket.

The benefit of going to a secondary is that it helps clean up your beer and get alot more of the yeast out of solution in alot shorter time. Most people say wait till you have about 95% of fermentation complete to go to secondary. Its important to have atleast some fermentable sugars so that CO2 will be produced and the air in the top of the carboy won't sit on the beer for too long(oxidizing it).

Another use for a secondary is when adding fruit or other adjuncts to flavor the beer.

One more note: most people go to secondary in a glass carboy as they are not permable to air. This is important if you are aging your beer for extended periods.

I go to secondary with almost all of my beers. Usually for 1-2 weeks. I feel like my beesr turn out better and I havn't skunked a batch yet (the reason the guys at American Brewmaster tell you not to go to secondary unless you are adding fruit is that it increases your risk of infection... I personally don't believe its much though).

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 3:49 PM. Reason : s]

6/11/2009 3:46:30 PM

I've tried using secondary fermentation and not using it, and haven't been able to tell a difference. The last batch I made got left in the primary fermenter for a month because of a busy schedule and turned out great.

6/11/2009 10:34:22 PM

yeah I think you can get the same results by leaving it in primary longer. But I feel like the beer mellows/clears quicker via a secondary... I dont know though

6/11/2009 10:37:03 PM

About to start our second batch of the year, looking for a recipe for something Irish... In honor of a certain new arrival due in about 4 weeks. Anyone have a favorite? Our first batch was the in-the-box Irish Red from American Brewmaster. It was good, but would like to change it up.

6/11/2009 10:38:20 PM

Finally reporting back on my Belgian White. It actually turned out really well. I honestly think its the best home brew i have done to date. I let one of my friends try it and he said it reminded him of a hoegaarden (without me saying anything about it).

6/29/2009 3:22:16 PM

I just bottled up a couple of cases yesterday.

6/30/2009 12:48:34 AM

My new basement probably goes from 65-75 throughout the day. Should I even try to brew down there with such a fluctuating temperature?

7/22/2009 9:14:27 AM

You could try, but thats a pretty big jump each day. Are you confined to the basement or could you brew down there and just store the bucket in a more stable place?

7/22/2009 9:35:19 AM

I could do the whole thing upstairs.

It's just that my basement is more of a cellar. And the thought of having a beer cellar is pretty friggin' sweet.

7/22/2009 9:48:18 AM

I just brewed a Irish Red Ale the other day and just had one last night and it turned out pretty nicely.

7/22/2009 12:03:07 PM

^the other day? how long did you let it ferment for?

7/22/2009 6:13:20 PM

"the other day" is a colloquial expression for a time span that you don't really want to reiterate.

7/22/2009 9:09:23 PM

It fermented for 3 or 4 days

7/23/2009 2:18:09 PM

hey guys

got a question

brewed up last saturday, was planning on transferring to secondary probably this weekend

however, now i plan to go out of town tomorrow for over a week.

the question is, transfer from primary to secondary early, or leave in primary for upwards of 15 or 16 days... then go directly to bottling from there.

poor timing i know, i kinda messed this up



recipe:


(steeped) 8oz crystal malt (40l), 4oz chocolate malt
6.6 lbs amber malt extract
2oz liberty pellets
1oz mt. hood pellets (finishing)
white labs german ale yeast


was figuring to take an sg reading tomorrow and try and decide more.

help!

7/23/2009 3:21:35 PM

I would definitely leave it in primary for 16 or so days, even if I wasn't going away. My only concern would be making sure the temp didn't get too high when I was gone and it's sitting on the cake, as I usually turn the a/c down or off completely when going away for a while. I've never used that yeast before, but the white labs site has it listed as medium flocculation, so you wouldn't want to have an overly short primary anyway.

7/23/2009 3:39:17 PM

cool, that's what i figured, that sitting in primary that long would do less harm than pulling too early.

i dont plan on turning up the ac while im gone, living a few hundred miles north of nc helps with the decision to just say f it and leave it on 70

7/23/2009 4:18:30 PM

quick question, bottled my first brew tonight, it's an american wheat.

do you have to boil your sugar with water before putting it in the bottling bucket? i just put the sugar directly into the bucket and stirred

7/24/2009 12:37:01 AM

just another precaution in keeping everything sterilized. kind of a good practice to get into. the first time i brewed i put sugar in each individual bottle. it came out fine, but was way to much effort.

i would think that dissolving the sugar before mixing it in would also help in mixing it in so as to avoid clumping that corn sugar is capable of. you want to keep stirring as minimal as possible anyway to avoid oxidization.

[Edited on July 24, 2009 at 1:54 AM. Reason : oxidization]

7/24/2009 1:53:35 AM

I boil because it's a lot less hassle.

I've always wondered, though-- should the boiled priming sugar be returned to room temp before adding it to the carboy?

7/24/2009 8:00:10 AM

are you bottling out of a carboy?

7/24/2009 8:33:54 AM

yeah.

7/24/2009 1:07:24 PM

Quote :

"I've always wondered, though-- should the boiled priming sugar be returned to room temp before adding it to the carboy?"

my instructions said to.

but the way they phrased it, it sounded like the boiling and cooling to room temp was only for the dry malt extract (if you used it instead of dextrose).

now i see they were saying it was for whichever one you use.

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 5:58 PM. Reason : .]

7/26/2009 5:58:08 PM

I allways boil and then throw it in the bottling bucket. Screw letting it return to room temp. The few yeast you kill make no difference I'm sure. But if you don't boil the sugar it will be unevely distributed throughout your bottles... and most likely some of it will just end up on the bottom of your bucket and not in any bottles... Not alot but some.

8/9/2009 11:46:38 AM

maltose as a primer is tastier and gives better head

8/9/2009 11:58:13 AM

I'm getting ready to brew and all grain batch of Scottish Ale to enter in Front St. Brewery's fall contest in Wilmington.

8/9/2009 12:01:19 PM

bottling session yesterday....

using 22oz bottles really was much more manageable than using 12oz bottles

8/10/2009 9:55:27 AM

I don't brew at home, or even drink anymore, but does anyone grow their own hops?

8/10/2009 11:11:26 AM

I'm strongly considering planting some centennial. From what I've read it's not difficult.

The problem isn't so much in growing hops as it is in preparing them for brewing. You don't want whole hops in the boil, and you need sanitary hops for the dry hopping. Neither of which are easy to produce on your own.


^^ I use 750ml flip-tops. I'll never look back.

[Edited on August 10, 2009 at 1:31 PM. Reason : ]

8/10/2009 1:31:19 PM

It's definitely not difficult. I planted some Cascade this past winter/spring.

It's just one of those plants I always wanted to plant.

8/10/2009 3:05:02 PM

^^ well for the boil you can allways use whole hops and muslin bags (or nylon if you don't mind the cost).

Whats the procedure for sanitizing them for dry hopping? At a certain point considering their antimicrobial properties you could probably just hand dry them and package them in freezer bags... Use them as is. After the beer is fermented its alot less susceptible to infection anyway.

Then again... just my .02

Update on whats on deck for me:

Sierra Nevada Pale ale Clone in secondary dry hopping
Half Moon Belgian Wit In primary -- American Brewmaster kit
Next up: IPA with Cluster, fuggles, kent goldings, and Ahtanum


Anyone have a good recipe for a pumpkin spice ale or something similar for fall?

[Edited on August 21, 2009 at 9:58 AM. Reason : s]

8/21/2009 9:55:40 AM

I've never used any of those hops for IPAs. What sort of taste are you going for? Are you aiming to replicate a certain brewery's IPA?

8/21/2009 10:32:28 AM

That's definitely a pretty interesting hop bill. Sort of an English/American IPA cross?

8/21/2009 11:11:05 AM

Haha, basically this is all the hops I have left over and I figured I'd give it a go and see how it turns out. I'm also adding an ounce of simcoe to bitter so what it will look like is:

Simcoe and Clusters to bitter.
Kent Goldings at 30.
Fuggles at 15.
1 oz Ahtanum at flameout
1 oz Ahtanum dry hop in secondary.

I'm looking for a very complex hop aroma and flavor. My main concern is that the Ahtanum at flameout and dry hop will cover up everything else... Any suggestions?

8/24/2009 10:11:30 AM

bttt

I know Amkeener already asked, but does anyone have any good recipes for a pumpkin ale? I want to brew this ASAP so it will be ready by October. I heard they can be a bit tricky to make.

8/31/2009 2:01:06 PM

Make sure you're mindful of good safety practices when home brewing, everyone. I have a friend who burnt the shit out of his legs Friday night due to an accidental spill and is in the hospital awaiting surgery.

8/31/2009 2:23:57 PM

How the hell did that happen? Was he drunk at the time?

8/31/2009 5:21:44 PM

^^That sucks man. I hope the surgery comes out allright.


^ Hey man I found a pumkin spice ale recipe that I just brewed 2 days ago. Needless to say I havn't tasted it yet but it seems like it should be good.


Here goes:

Pumpkin Spice Ale-
6 lbs DME.... (7.5 lbs LME)
1 lb Crystal Malt 60L
8 oz Bicuit Malt
4.0 oz wheat malt
1 oz cascade or any suitable bittering hops (60 min)
Whirlfloc 15min
English Ale yeast (i used a culture of Whitelabs 1056 I've had going a while)

60 oz Canned pumpkin

Spread the Canned Pumkin out on a cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes prior to boiling for the full 60. Steep specialty grains as usual (30 min before boil).

Spice Tea in secondary:

Pour Hot water over 2tsp Cinnamon, 2 tsp Nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp Cloves. Let this return to room temp. covered and add to secondary.


This recipe was found on truebrew.com and I changed a few things around. Hopefully it turns out pretty good. I think I'm gonna let it ride in secondary till November before bottling.

[Edited on August 31, 2009 at 5:32 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2009 5:30:45 PM

^^ Supposedly he tripped on something; something about a hose. Knowing how seriously he takes his brewing I doubt he was intoxicated. He's still in the burn unit so he's not available to give a lot of details to non-family.

8/31/2009 5:55:28 PM

I just brewed a porter for the cooler months ahead.

I found a $50 turkey-frying kit at Walmart that seems ideal for brewing: a propane burner and a 6.5 gallon pot. The aluminum the pot is made out of seems really cheap, but it got the job done.

Also, I'm using the "Sani-Star" stuff instead of Iodophor. It seems to work pretty well. Any opinions?


[Edited on August 31, 2009 at 7:06 PM. Reason : ]

8/31/2009 6:59:57 PM