Beer Feeds

My first batch was a nut brown ale all extract and everything seemed to go fine until I put it in the corny and had this cloudiness. I thought it was bad so I tossed it out.

My next brew was a pumpkin ale from my LHBS and everything turned out fine.

After kegging my third all extract ( phat tyre all extract from NB) I had that cloudiness again! After doing a lot of searching i figured out it must be chill haze. What I dont understand is that when I cooled the wort down for this phat tyre I put it into a sink full of ice cubes and snow and it cooled down super fast! But yet.. still chill haze.

Are there any tips to reducing this untill I can get a wort chiller? The phat tyre tastes awesome but its cloudy.

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We’ve talked about it for a while but finally we are doing a blind tasting. I gave Heather the run of the cellar and she picked out the beers that we are tasting. This show was great fun and a format that we will use a bunch in the future.

Geoff’s Cantillon Pictures

Beer:

• Rubicon IPA
• Speakeasy Double Daddy
• Lost Abbey Devotion
• Boulevard Wheat
• Southampton Imperial Porter

Rankings:

• Jeff 1 Southampton, 2. Mad River, 3. Rubicon, 4, Boulevard, 5. Speakeasy, 6. Lost Abbey.
• Greg 1. Speakeasy, 2.mad river, 3. Rubicon, 4. Southampton, 5. Boulevard, 6. Lost Abbey

Extras

• Preshow - Fort Colins - The Kidd Lager
• Postshow- Cleanup

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I’ve noticed that in recipes for really big beers like barleywines they tend to call for a really long secondary period. I’m wondering what the advantage to this is as opposed to bottling when fermentation is fully complete and just letting it age in the bottle. I’m sure there’s some reason for long secondaries or people wouldn’t do it, but it seems to me like letting it rest in the bottle would have the same effect…

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Posted: by Taelec (3 hours ago)

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Can you smell tannins, or is it only a taste thing?

Carlos

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I and starting to keg today. and i read this PDF that tells u how to check for leaks. i have all the shitoff valves set to closed. i put the nylon washer in the regulator fermal end, then i screwed it on the co2 tanl. rightened it with a wrench.. there r still a circle or 2 of threads thowing but i dont think it gets and furhter down/tighter.. i opened the the co2 tank and hissing immeadiatley.. and i ca feel the air leaking from where the co2 tank connects to the regulator.. what do i do??

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Because of my inablilty to lager or properly cold condition (besides the T-shirt trick), I was curious if anyone has ever attempted a pilsnener using ale yeast. I know it wont have the same characteristics, but I thought that WY 1007 might be worth a shot. I’ve read that it can give similiar lager characteristics by fermenting in its lower range. Any thoughts about this?

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I have not brewed since October for no real reason, and I have been having an itch to make some brew. I have only brewed partial mash beers so far and have not been the happiest with my brew. I have brewed about 18 batches and the mediocre taste pushed me away from my love of a brew day. I have 4 carboys, a turkey fryer, 4 keggles, a chest freezer, and every thing needed to make 5 gallon batches with small amounts of grain. I am a college student who only works twice a week due to school so I am looking for a way to brew with no extract without buying kegs, and a stand. Like most on the green board, I have a passion for beer, and I am excited to someday make a beer that I truly love. If possible, can you guys post some images of easy AG set ups, and maybe share a recipe that would be a good for a first AG attempt. Thanks

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Which of these fine contenders do you think has the best overall characteristics?

WL051(aka WY1272) vs. WL007(aka WY1098) vs. WL023 Burton Ale

All are fine strains, but, how well have they performed for you?
I’m looking for the best mix of character, versatility, flocculation and attenuation/alcohol tolerance.

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My brew is dropping fast, 6 days later I’m already past halfway to 1.0. My problem is I forgot about boil off so I ended up with just over 4 gallons in my primary. I want to add some water to get my secondary up to 5.3 Gal.

How should I accomplish this with the least risk of introducing an infection. I know the long answer would be to boil 2 gallons of water and put them in an air tight container to cool to room temp before using.

I’ve heard a few people talk about adding tap water to their room temp. wort. I always thought this was a big no no, I thought about buying two gallons of distilled water from the grocery but I don’t trust their quality control much more then my city water supply. We don’t have well water, or any problems. I just figure there has to be all kinds of bacteria in water pipes and sink faucets in general…..

Then again I heard that the yeast and the OH will kill off any introduced bacteria (too a point)….

Any advice,
Gehan g.

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Sorry, I moved this from another thread because the subject changed.

I am wanting to go AG so I want to know what I need to do to the water I use because I don’t want to do everything right and then have a crappy beer due to water chemistry. I have been using Kentwood Springs spring water for my first few brews that were extract. I am attaching the report that Kentwood sent me for review. From what I can tell it does not give all the info I need. However, it looks like there is not much in the water at all, everything says ND. Please take a look.

So I will probably start using tap water instead. I have two sources to get tap water from. Source #1 provides RO water. If I use that then what would I need to add to the water in order to make the typical types of beer that I brew which include pale ales, IPA’s, stouts, and porters? Also, at what point in the brew process would I make the additions? The same questions apply to Source #2 which has the following chemical makeup.

Ph - 8.8
Alkalinity(P) as CaCO3 - 9.3 mg/l
Alkalinity(T) as CaCO3 - 199.9 mg/l
Chloride - 5.2 mg/l
Sulfate - 7.0 mg/l
Fluoride - 0.5 mg/l
Magnesium - <0.3 mg/l
Calcium - 0.5 mg/l
Sodium - 97.2 mg/l
Potassium - 0.4 mg/l
Total Dissolved Residue - 220 mg/l
Ca+Mg Hardness as CaCO3 - 1.7mg/l

Is mg/l and PPM the same thing?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. I have read ‘How to Brew’ and I will read it again but sometimes it is better to get feedback from people who can relate. TIA.

http://www.water.com/reports/Spring%20Wate…0Feb%202006.pdf

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I am ready to give welding a shot and was wondering if anyone had some single tier plans/measurements they could float me? I am trying to figure out how much angle iron to purchase and how to mount the burners.

Thanks!

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Posted: by pumpkin1 (2 hours ago)

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Greetings!

I’ve recently begun brewing with a friend who happens to know a bit about microbiology (I don’t), and we where having a discussion about aeration and how it affects yeast. I’ve been using a .5 micron stone with pure O2 for a minute or so after pitching. He’s wondering why the yeast don’t use this oxygen to produce water and carbon dioxide, versus alcohol. I think the answer lies somewhere in something to do with the growth cycle of the yeast, and possibly with cell walls, but I’m not sure if this is correct.

Could someone chime in and explain why the oxygen isn’t used by the yeast in the way he describes?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers!
Jeff

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The last time I brewed was WAYYYY back in October. You wanna know the really sad part about that? The keg from that brew session is still going! (Honey Weizen)

This weekend I’m brewing a nice, crisp German Pilsner mashed in my brand new 10gallon round cooler mashtun fitted with a SS false bottom.

Boy it sure does suck buying hops nowadays…it wasn’t quite as hard on my wallet back in October.

Anyways, who else is braving the cold (or enjoying the nice weather for all you punks who live where it’s not cold) this weekend and doing a little brew-brew?

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I got a water analysis report from the city but it did not have any of the info that is of value to a homebrewer. So I am going there today and was wondering what I need to ask them for exactly? Thanks.

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Hey folks, just wanted to share with you my newest website. I built a recipe sharing site and I think it’s pretty cool, but I guess that’s just my opinion lol. It is completely free though.

Anyway, feel free to stop by http://www.brewpages.com . I launched it today so there’s only like 10 recipes in the database thus far and it is just the beta version, so there will be some kinks.

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Should I add the hops end of boil or dry hop with them?

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I made my first starter last night, and this morning it is bubbling away. Do i have to wait for bubbling to stop or slow before I Pitch it on sunday afternoon/evening? its friday morning now.

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I bought the basic kit from B3 and, oddly, it comes with two 6 gallon buckets with spigots. From what I’ve read it’s not preferred to ferment in a bucket with a spigot and I’m wondering if there are any extra sanitization steps I should take with the spigot. Someone told me to shoot some sanitizer up into the spigot before I empty it into bottles, which makes sense, but I didn’t know if there are any specific steps to take concerning the spigot prior to fermenting.

And speaking of that, can I just let the beer sit in the fermenter for 10 days or so and then use the spigot to go directly to bottles (without transferring it to the second bucket for bottling)? As long as the sediment is settled below the spigot of course. If so then I could brew two batches simultaneously, which would be nice, however I do plan on getting a carboy soon and doing 2 stage fermenting.

Lastly, since my tap water is treated I was planning on using spring water to brew with. Is that acceptable? I’d read somewhere to not brew with distilled water because it was lacking in minerals needed in the fermentation process, hence my choice of spring water. Thanks in advance.

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Posted: by JoeTheBrewer (16 hours ago)

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I’m lagering right now in a closet connected by a closed door to a heated room, but with a window open in the closet. I have kept a close eye on the temperature and the wort is usually in the low fifties during the day, fourties in the morning. As I just said, when I check this usually happens early in the morning and late at night, not in the middle of the night when temperatures are the coldest. It’s been getting down to about 19 lately (I live in Santa Fe). I placed a glass of water in the closet one night and it did not freeze, making me think that the lager has not itself frozen. I also have a light (but opaque) jacket wrapped around the carboy to prevent light exposure. I think this keeps some of the heat in and the cold out.

What would happen if the lager froze? Would the batch be ruined?

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I’m not really looking for a recipe, but instead a discussion on a style which I thought would be more appropriate on the recipe swap.

Information on Vienna Lager seems scarce. I hear that its a slightly smaller oktoberfest, but I want to believe it is more than that (the heavy usage of vienna malt is significant enough). Vienna malt reportedly gives the beer a slightly toasted character, which explains the toasted/victory malt I’ve seen in so many recipes. Can anyone attest to the benefits of toasted malt in this beer, or is Toasted Malt:Vienna Lager :: Smoked Malt:Scottish ale ?? .. not to say scottish beers with a pinch of smoked malt don’t come out delicious, but it seems like a cheat code for homebrewers.

I’m attracted to this style partly because it is an amber beer which does NOT gain all its color from crystal malts. It also seems to allow slightly more hop character, which opens another door for complexity compared to most malt forward and lagered beers. So who can tell me about their experiences brewing/judging this style? What commonly goes wrong, or what is your opinion on how to do it right?

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I’m an extract brewer, but I’m a bit confused about the distinction between partial/mini mashes and steeping grains, or if there really is a difference between the two…

Here’s the technique I’ve been using lately with great results:

I put 1-2 lbs of specialty grains (crystal, carapils, chocolate, black patent… etc) into a mesh bag and hold it in 150° water for about 40 minutes and then I take the bag out and put it in a strainer above the same kettle I steeped the grains in and pour about 2 quarts of 170° water that’s been heated on another burner over it to sparge the grains.

I’m just wondering if this would be considered a partial mash since I’m regularly using carapils to add body to my dry beers and I’ve heard that carapils needs to be mashed to convert it to usable sugars. I’ve definitely noticed the effect of the carapils in the mouthfeel of my beer since I’ve been using this technique, so I’m sure some conversion is taking place. I’m guessing it’s just an inefficient mashing process… Any ideas?

The reason I’m asking this is because I’ve considered using grains such as munich, aromatic, vienna & victory to add some maltiness & variety to my brews. I’m just wondering if my current process would work well enough to make these malts convert enough to be worth using them at all…

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ok to make a long story short. I made a brew that my best buddy/brewing mentor calculated to be 90-100 ibus (1oz columbus 60min. 1oz centennial 30min 1.5oz cascade 30min.)

and FG should be around 1015-1020 I think cause OG was 1075. and I used 2 packets of US-05.

my main question is I LOVE sierra neveada pale ale never really had anything with a stronger IBU….how tolerable is it? my boy said I won’t be able to drink a bunch in one sitting ill have to drink other brews with it. I dunno I’m not sad..its fun its homebrew its abiut crazy expirementation sometimes..I just wonde how extreme it will be and if u guys think my pallete can handle it….(yes I know 100 is as high as the scale goes so I kno it’ll be strong) but u think it’ll be tolerable? just gimme ur opinions. thx.

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Is it possible to make a grape wheat beer? Im making a very basic wheat extract beer 2.5 gallons for the misses and im to lazy to buy some raspberries.

Carlos

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Hi!

I searched and came up with several posts about hooking up a love controller but it appears that they have changed the wiring slightly. Looking at http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=53357 it says connections 10 &11 are power supply but in my brand new unit power supply is 7&8…

I have the TS (TS-13XXXX) model- my #’s say-

1&2 probe input

7&8 power supply

9,10,11 Output (9 is labeled NC, 10 is COM, 11 is NO)

Questions-

the wiring diagram looks like the switch goes either to NC or NO- I’m assuming that one of these would be for heating and the other cooling? Any suggestions on how to hook this up?

Does it matter black/white (positive/negative) when I’m connecting the “power supply” on 7&8?

Thanks!!!

Chris

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Does anyone else use the Blichmann connectors on their rig? Do you have success? If so, have you found any tricks to make them work well? Washers instead of o-rings?

I just bought a few sets of these and did my first test-run of the system last night. One of the o-rings was able to shift, dropped into the hose, and caused a leak. Two others had to be cranked down with a wrench and bottomed-out to seal, and the last connection started to seep after a while of running the system.

Glad I mocked this up before brew day!

Now I’m considering what might be the best quick-disconnect for my system. I’m not leaning toward tri-clovers as I don’t have sanitary fittings anywhere to be of benefit. I did look at the stainless connectors at MoreBeer, but I’d have to buy more adapters to make everything work. I think I’m leaning toward the polysulfone connectors at this point.

Any input appreciated.

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Hi Everyone. I just started Home Brewing a few months ago. At the moment I’d like to stick to extract recipe kits. I have used a couple from HomeBrew Heaven (Belgian and Stout) and one from Austin Home Brew (Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar) which is in the secondary right now. I’d Like to hear all your opinions on who makes the best recipe kits out there. I read Annapolis Home Brew’s rant on their kits and it sounds convincing but they have a motive… any suggestions out there? Also if anyone can comment on Austin’s quality because I saw Rochefort 10 on there and some other nice Belgians… mmm mm

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Memories Of Hunter It has been three years since Hunter Thompson decided his time had come.  As has become tradition, our February 20th newsletter is sent out in memory of his life as a friend and writer. Hunter was a long time friend and co-conspirator of Flying Dog owner George Stranahan amd his influence on […]

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