Beer Feeds

I have been researching alot of triple and Golden Strong Ale recipies and noticed that several Triples have Honey in the recipie. In fact in ‘Brew like a Monk’ the Epifiney Triple recipe towards the end he lists honey as one of the recipies. I can’t remember what the percentage list is, but I believe it is close to 10%.

I know this is done to reduce the body of the beer, and also the amount of Candi sugar in the recipie. But are there any other benifits? I know sugar is cheaper……Is Honey more fermenable? How does it effect the flavor of the beer?

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I can’t find many specs on the drill pump they sell at Home Depot for around $10 but is there any reason it can’t be used to transfer hot liquids between mashtun and boil kettle?

LD

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I have probably brewed about 60 batches in the last year and a half since I got started. I started off with basic extract recipes, many from HBA, and was generally happy with all of them. Then I ventured off into trying out different things - cranking up the coriander or using a ton of frest zest in a Wit, adding fruit to a hefe, going out and finding uniquie IPA recipes that others raved about that have lots of different malts or hops.

Earlier this year I moved to all-grain, and even more recently, I stepped back and started making some more basic recipes. I backed way off everything on my Wit, used about .3-.4 oz of coriander and much less orange peel, and it is probably the best wit I have made so far. My very basic hefe recipe letting the yeast do its thing turned out great. A Moktoberfest with nothing more than some munich and pilsner malt is probably a top 3 beers that I have made.

Maybe it is finally having some experience and going all grain that has made a difference, but I think that maybe it is too easy to get caught up in trying to make something that has soo much flavor in it that they all get lost.

So I was just wondering what the thoughts were out there on that - have you been happier with the more basic recipes, or do you have a greater appreciation for the beers that are really different than anything else has really come up with?

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Posted: by LittleCreature (6 hours ago)

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linky

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Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery is set to release their Fall seasonal Dogtoberfest. The Denver-based brewery’s third seasonal of the year is a traditional-style Marzen, brewed with 100% imported German ingredients. Dogtoberfest’s grist includes a mix of Light and Dark Munich and Vienna malts. It’s hopped with German Perle and Hersbrucker hops and is lager fermented.
Flying […]

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A new brewer here in Kansas City ask me to build him a HLT for his new system. So here is a picture of it so far and maybe this will help some that have been posting questions on the subject. Now I’m not saying this is the only way to build one its just the way I do it. I have made changes over the year’s and this is where it is now. The main thing I have come up with is the by-pass of the coil and gaging the temp leaving the coil. I feel that if you wait until the mash tun thermometer moves its too late. I use a small dial Taylor thermometer in a dry well. I have use this style for years and have found it very accurate. The main thing I like is that being so small it changes very quick with the change in degrees applied to it. For exp. if you are shooting for a 148 degree temp and you notice the temp. of the wort coming from the coil is creeping up you just open the by pass valve a small amount and the temp will drop. But over time using your system you will learn where the temp of the HLT needs to be to hold the temp you require.

Hope this help and does not confuse the issue like I said before this not the only way but the way this mad German does it

By the way the input below the valves comes from the pump from the mash tun and the output goes back to the mash tun the brewer is using Tri-Clover fitting at each point.

Dominus Vobiscum

Swagman

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What the right amount of carbonation for a vienna lager? I had to use ale yeast so its an ale but that shouldnt matter. I read some where that beer tastes flat at 2.2 volumes is that true? I have a chart and I want to get the pressure right as soon as possible, thanks!

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So, I’m at the ballgame the other night and my buddy returns from a beer run with two Bud’s in the new-fangled Aluminum “Bottles”. Looking at it, I think it could be resealed via a capper. Might be a good vessel for some of my lighter ales and lagers for parties/picnics, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has tried this? Are they available through LHBS?

Cheers

Also-It has been literally 5 years since I last had a Budweiser-Much better than I remembered.

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Posted: by SilverRocket (2 hours ago)

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Here’s something cool, a cooler with a peltier junction hooked into the lid:

http://www.homebrew.net/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.BeerCooler

The author doesn’t say how low he actually gets the cooler to though, but if it drops to below 40, then that’s
pretty good. More of something fun to try I’m guessing, as the price to put this project together cost a few bucks I’m sure.

I remember somewhere on the net, where a guy had created a beer bottle cooler with a peltier junction, that worked
very well.

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I was planning on making a saison this weekend but just realized that I forgot to order grains of paradise Does anyone know of any substitute for this grain? Or any grain that could take its place?
Cheers

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I had my computer crash and I had to re download promash and I don’t remember all my settings. I am a little confused on the wort size always equals batch size setting. If you brew all grain do you de-activate this feature? If I de-activate then it asks me my wort size. Promash says that the wort size should never be more than your batch size. I brew 12 gallon batch sizes and I usually start out with around 14.25 gallons at the beginning of the boil. What should I enter for my wort size if I de-activate this feature?

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I am curious to know if what I am smelling is from the extract. I have brewed and tried 3 beers. All extract kits. They all have a similar sweet smell even though they are a wheat, a fat tire clone, and an IPA. The last one I tried was the IPA and it had virtually no hop smell but tasted a lot of hops.

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Another brewery that my favorite drinking destination, the Homegrown Cafe, has introduced me to, is the Southern Tier Brewery.
A relative baby in brewing, Southern Tier was formed in 2004 by Allen “Skip” Yahn and Phineas “Phin” Demink, both formerly of Ellicottville Brewing Co. The brewery currently only distributes to 25% of the U.S., but is […]

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Hi all-

We’re going to take a trip to Spain and Italy in a couple of months, and I would of course like to include some beer related tourism. I’m looking up breweries that I might like to visit while I’m there, but thought I’d ask here if anyone has been to any breweries in Spain or Italy. Also, any pubs that were special, etc.

thanks!

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I started brewing about 2 1/2 years ago and Ive never turned back. I take advise (both good and bad) from all people I talk to and apply it to my home brewing techinques. 11 months ago I deployed to Iraq and have a couple more to go before I can come home to my wife and kids (and my brewing supplies). Being over here has a way of making you appreciate all the things we take for granted in our lives every day. I miss brewing so much its ridiculous. Not becuase of its end state, but all the events that lead up to the final product. I spend hours researching new recipes which would involve me implementing a new techinque or style I have not yet done, or to improve upon one I have already made. This then leads to my trip to Arctic Brewing Supply in Anchorage where I pick up all my ingredients and spend a few minutes chatting with the owner and sticking my head into the hops refrigerator and sniffing deeply. You just cant beat that smell. Believe it or not, I actually enjoying cleaning and prepping all my equipment and utensils. I normally will envite a friend or two over to the house to try and to introduce them to the hobby. I try and involve them as much as I can. I love the smell of my garage once things get started. I’ve literally had dreams about it since I have been in Iraq.
I am told that the president of the home brew club I belong to will have a batch of IPA waiting on me to drink while I am waiting for my first two batches to reach maturity. I belong to the Great Northern Brewers Club in Anchorage, Alaska. A great group of guys and gals who are always eager to share knowledge and who put on some great local events. I have learned an unmeasurable amount brewing know-how from each of them in my short time spent with them.
The point of all of this is simple; never lose sight on why you started brewing. There is something, whether it be tangible or not, which drove each of us to get involved in the hobby of brewing great tasting beer. Stay focused on it and continue to evolve. Above all else, introduce some one to the hobby.

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Morning guys,

I’m wondering if anyone has tried shooting foam insulation, ( the stuff that comes out of a can )
onto your mashtun ?

I was toying with that idea yesterday, and wondering how well it would work. I think that it would give
a stainless keg (tun) the properties of a cooler type mashtun, with very little heat loss, even in a 90 min period.
( I get maybe a 1 degree decrease in temp in my orange round coolers in an hour , which is very amazing )

I think it would work well, but it would be as ugly as heck.

The other thing is is this…. if you have done it, did you just spray the insulation onto the keg (tun )
or did you put a piece of sheet metal around the keg first, so that the insulation would stay
more uniform ( smooth ) and then later you can peel off the sheet metal, revealing a nice job.

I don’t know if this is a stupid idea at this time, but I thought I would ask for opinions.

Thanks guys.

Mark

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I would like to be able to retrieve my dry hop bags after a period of time. I realize that a hanger could be welded onto the underside of the lid; but, is there an easier solution? Maybe some sort of inert glue that I could attach some sort of hanger?? Thanks,
Neal

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So definately bad and just chuck it and redouble sanitation, or wait and see?

Background: did two batches at once, an oatmeal stout and a cream ale, but I think the yeasts couldn’t handle the heat of shipping. At 36 hours ( couldn’t wait any longer, headed out of town) I decided to head to the local store and pick up some more yeast, pitched into both. The oatmeal stout looks fine, the cream ale looked fine until today, its got olive green spots on the top of the krausen.

Brewed thursday night, re-pitched saturday morning, green spots tuesday night, but only one of the two.

Edit: more possibly useful information: I used plug hops, and the green spots are roughly that color, I do strain it out fairly well though. Krausen is fluffy and otherwise normal looking, except for green spots on the very top of it. It smells like really green beer, if that makes sense.

I took a picture and its starting to make me think I’m crazy. The big splotches in the middle are greener in person, the flash washed them out. They’re more of an olive drab. I am slightly less worried though.

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Fall is approaching fast, and that means it’s time for Oktoberfest! If you’re in the area, be sure to check out the Brewers Reserve at the Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Phoenixville, PA.
The event will be held Saturday, September 15th at 4:00 PM, and will feature many different versions of the Oktoberfest style from […]

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I have a corny from ages ago, and I don’t recall if I ever put any beer in it. So now that I’ve started up brewing again, I’m breaking down my cornys, giving them a thorough cleaning and replacing of worn out parts, mostly O rings and faulty poppets.

I was planning on kegging to a corny that I had cleaned the other week. But when I picked it up it had a white, dry scale on the inside. For what it’s worth, after I cleaned it with PBW and a carboy brush I rinsed it and stored it upside down on my deck for it to air-dry. Once Dry, I put it in the basement. The Lid was off and open to the air, but it was bone dry. My idea was to do what I’m doing tonight, give it a once over cleaning and then sanitize before racking a beer into it.

But when I started the once over, I saw this white dry scale. I thought that it looked like dried PBW and thought that I’d give it another go. I heated up some water and gave it another good PBW soak and scrubbing with the carboy brush. I just poured it out and after the steam cleared, I still saw some of this persistent scale. In the course of the cleaning, I also pulled both dip-tubes (before I didn’t have the proper sized ratchet). Both dip tubes had similar scaling at the top, where they fasten to the keg and go into the body. This came off with serious scrubbing with a brillo pad.

So before I go any further and risk a cardinal sin of ruining beer - do I stop and discard this keg? Has anyone seen anything like this before? The keg is a Seven Up Firestone with a green top and 11/16th inch posts.

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Rise and shine after a night of celebrating the release of Woody Creek White. Wipe the morning dew off your ears and get to work: back to the Woody Creek Tavern to interview George Stranahan, the co-founder of Flying Dog Brewery. This man is a Gentleman and a Scholar; enjoy the vid with the knowledge that this is but one tip of the iceberg.

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I am using StarSan for the first time, and had a couple questions:

1. This stuff is reusable - but how long does it last? I am going to keep it in some clean milk jugs.

2. I have read that you don’t have to use too much of this stuff. I am going to be bottling soon, and thought that I’d put some in a spray bottle and just spray the insides of my bottles to sanitize them. Any objections to this method?

Thanks!

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Posted: by Beerbuddha (21 hours ago)

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Posted: by dwarbi (21 hours ago)

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Unfortunately, it appears as if I need to lock my beer fridge (Sanyo 4912). I don’t have a tower on it and probably won’t for the near future, so I think a simple padlock/hasp will suffice. I’m thinking of using rivets to attach the hasp so it can’t be unscrewed. I know that you can safely drill the door of the 4912, but do I have to avoid coolant lines if I drill into the side? Is there a cooler but just as easy way to install a lock on this fridge?

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Is there an easy way to find a good dry yeast alternative to Wyeast or White Labs? I was able to find the Wyeast and White Labs comparison charts, but I can not seem to find Wyeast to Dry. I know it is not nearly as simple and dry is not nearly as varied, but is there an easy way to do this?

I am currently trying to find a good alternative to Wyeast 1968…so I would like to know that as well as how to find the dry alternative in the future.

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Saison St Hildegard

6G 1.061 25-26IBU’s

33.8% Raw Spelt
10.1% Rahr 2 Row (for the cereal mash)
56.1% Castle Pils

1.25oz/each Spalt & Styrian Goldings @ 60 min (AA is 2.2 & 2.1%)
1.00oz/each Spalt & Styrian Goldings @ 15 min
1.00oz/each Spalt & Styrian Goldings @ 0 min

Pitched onto a 2nd gen Farmhouse Ale yeast cake.

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Try this one for size…

I’m annoyed at some elevated FG readings lately. I’m churning a theory that I might be over-pitching my slurries and the yeast are pooping out. So, I’ve got a sudden interest in using hydrometers again. Last night I play mad scientist and made up test solutions. What I did is I boiled up some water, which will remove all gases. I carefully measured out 2g, 4g, and 20g of table sugar, then added enough boiled water to get to to 200g. This makes test solutions of 1, 2, and 10 Plato. I chilled them down to 60 degrees, and the hydrometers are off. Oh, and I’ve got two over here, one a regular and one a FG unit that goes up to 1.020. Not only are they both off, but they’re off by the same amount, about 1-degree Plato. I pull out my refractometer, and it was dead on between the test samples and zeroed distilled water.

Now, I’m thinking maybe the error is because I’m using tap water because it’s weird they’re both off by the same degree. I was discouraged by the adventure, so I just packed it up and had a beer, but this did got me thinking… what’s the point of testing with distilled water when I don’t brew with distilled water? This means I guess all this time my hydrometers were about 1.004 off? That’s a significant amount. So, that’s what I’m wrapping my head around now. That and I’ve got a renewed disdain for hydrometers and new respect for refractometers.

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