Beer Feeds

Hi all. Hope this doesnt sound too novice, but Im a virgin hop grower. This is my first year and I must say, I really didnt expect to get such a huge amount of cones for the first year..so my reading didnt get as extensive as it should have. I had a previous discussion about these hops and someone said when ready to harvest, you can cut it down and pick them..seems simple enuf, however, do all the cones mature at the same time, because I have some really small young looking ones and some huge ones with the yellow at the base looking ready to pick. Reading that they need to be picked while still green, a bit papery…(yada yada) Dont exactly know what that means. Just before they turn brown?? How do you know they are getting ready to turn brown? This paper on hops says that they shouldnt be ready to harvest till mid or late August. But I think mine are ready now as they are plump and I can see plenty of yellow at base. I just want to get this right. Experienced hop cone pickers..help. Thanks

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So I getting ready to install my march pump onto my brew rig and here are my questions…

1. Is the metal eletrical box on the pump itself strong enough to allow me to bolt from my brew frame to the box on the pump?

2. Can I unscrew the head of the pump and rescrew it off setting 45* from the original position with effecting anything?

If you have pics of your mounts or suggestion otherwise I’m wide open for the ideas.

Thanks

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I think I’ve settled in on this. Toasted basmati rice for the adjunct. Toast, crush, gelatinize and throw it in the mash. Tasted some fresh cilantro tonight and I think it would be a nice late boil addition. I’ll probably use Warrior for neutral bittering since I have some. And may just throw a touch of coriander in late also.

Haven’t worked out the recipe just yet but will probably stick with these ingredients. And I think US-05 just to let the ingredients shine through.

dj

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Not the first time that I’ve had blow off…

but tonight is the first time that I have had a 5 gallon batch blow off in my 6.5 carboy, with the modified cooler/frozen 2-litre setup, to help with ferm temps (I can keep ambient temp around 62 with it). I couldn’t believe it when I got home today, and saw that the hefeweizen I brewed yesterday, and pitched this morning (yes I overnight cool) had overflowed my airlock. Fortunately, it didn’t stop up my airlock, so I didn’t have an explosion, and everything that overflowed went into the cup holders of the cooler so clean up was easy.

This was A-B’s extract Hefe with Safebrew 06 yeast. Tasted great going into the carboy, and everything I cleaned up tonight smelled fantastic. I just kegged a batch of pale ale yesterday, but I am already excited about getting this one into the keg and carb’d.

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Hey All,

I’m looking for the full version of Palmer’s presentation on residual alkalinity from the NHC this year. Anyone have it? The one posted on beertown.org seems to have been cut off (Link).

Thanks,

Norm

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Posted: by dyan (36 minutes ago)

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ok i got an old keg and drilled the7/8 whole. i bought the weldless valve and bulk head. the first time i tried it, i cracked the brass nut. got a new bulk head and have it on pretty darn tight and still leaks. i dont want to break this one so does anyone have any ideas? can i put some silcone on the keg before i screw it together?

North

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Friday night, I had a perfect session going on a Belgian Wit… Nailed my Mash Temps and collection volumes and my boil was uneventful..

I have a two tiered Deck in my yard and I decided to brew on the upper level that night as the lighting was better. I later realized the distance from the kettle to the deck railing was further then from my normal spot. When I dropped in my IC, the OUT hose barely reached the end of the deck. I didn;t want the hose to shoot boiling water all over my deck…So, using a clamp, I secured it to one of the spindals on the railing and figured that was it. The water would shoot into the driveway..

I guess the tension was a bit too much.. right after I added my 2 minute Aroma Hops, the hose attached to the IC popped off, clamp and all… Me, being the rocket scientist that I am, decided I could just losen the clamp, slide on the hose and tighten it with the chiller still in the boil////without mising a beat…

well.. long story short.. I burnt my finger (steam burns too..DUH) and dropped a screwdriver right into the boil

I fished it out using BBQ tongs but picked up about 10-12 minutes of boil time.. I assume those Aroma additions are now Bittering additions and the 10 minute spices are now 22minute spices ?

So.. FlatHead Wit?

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Posted: by BryceBidwell (6 hours ago)

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Since I didn’t get to kiss Tj’s ass goodbye, I’m looking into meeting Tj at Barley’s. How about Mon. Aug. 4th…….How bout it Tom. Can you make this date. Can anybody else?

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If I fly sparge, is there any reason why I should wait till I have my full pre-boil volume collected before starting the boil?

I can fire up the burner after a few gallons are collected, and be boiling long before the I have the full volume. For a 5 gallon batch, I might be able to boil off 2-4 quarts while sparging which would be more like a 75-90 minute boil with no real additional time added to the brew-day. This should increase overall efficiency. Bittering hops would still be added for 60 minutes.

Anyone else already doing this?

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Posted: by JarheadRI (14 hours ago)

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I’ve posted some details of the new brew sculpture I built over at my site: http://www.slobrewer.com/2008/07/27/new-brew-sculpture/

Here’s a quick shot:

Dave.

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I’ve talked about making beer from Glacier Ice before, but this time I am really doing it. This may be my last summer in AK. This thread may take a few weeks to complete, due to the need to gather enough ice. How much is enough? How much is too much? These are the questions I have been thinking about.

Glacier Ice is esentially minerial free rain/snow that may be up to 5,000 years old or so. I know my yeast need trace minerals to be happy, so 100% Glacier Ice beer is not advised. The water I use to brew comes from the same Icefield (Harding) but has passed through rock and picked up some salts along the way. I am thinking 75% Glacier Ice. I will add CaCl or CaS04 to increase calcium of course to get my mash in the right range.

This might give me 7 gal. I need around 22.

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Hey guys,

Been crunching some numbers for my first all grain batch next week. I dont have any software, but use numbers in Palmers book as well as online resources. Doing by hand sucks, but I guess Im learning.

Ill be mashing 12 lbs of grain, with a ratio of 1.25 qt/lb. I aim to collect 6.5 gallons and boil down to 5.5.
So Im going to mash in with 3.75 gallons of 165 F water to hit 148 F mash temp. I figure Ill lose 1.5 gallons to the grain, so Ill collect 2.25. I will then perform a double batch sparge, as I’ve been told this helps with efficiency. So Ill add 2.25 gallons of boiling water to reach 168 F for the first sparge. The second sparge, 2 gallons, will be heated to 168 to perform the second sparge. this should total 6.5 gallons in the keggle.

I’ve run my numbers and am calculating this at 65 % efficiency for the first batch, with an OG of 1.060.

Let me know if these temps or volumes seem off to you guys. Also I dont know what the consensus is here on the double batch sparge. Is it more trouble than its worth?

Thanks for your time!!

b.c.

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hey guys
anyone have a good magic hat number 9 clone?
i only have accomplished extract brews thus far so thats what im looking for.
thanks in advance

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This is the pump I picked up… http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/act…earchTerm=40184

Do I have to purge the air before using it? If so, any tips on how to do that?

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The title says it all. We try a slew of very fruity beer. We close out the show with one of the most interesting/unusual flavors that we have yet found in any beer.

Beer:

• Celis Raspberry
• Southern Tier - Imperial Cherry Saison
• Lindemans Framboise
• O’Fallon Blackberry Scottish-Style
• O’Fallon Cherry Chocolate

Rankings:

• Jeff: 1. O’Fallon Cherry Chocolate, 2. O’Fallon Blackberry Scottish, 3. Celis, 4. Southern Tier, 5. Lindemans
• Greg: 1. O’Fallon Blackberry Scottish, 2. Lindemans, 3. Celis, 4. Cherry Chocolate, 5. Southern Tier

Extras

• Preshow - Michelob Celebrate
• Postshow - Ballast Point Porter

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So I have been reading the Radical Brewing book I borrowed from a friend of mine by Randy Mosher. I am interested in brewing up a Belgian Wit for a party in about a month. I guess I have been inspired by the Radical ideas and ways of Randy and his Wit Recipe on page 211 intrigued me the most. I have taken the recipe and added more spices and the addition of Flaked Wheat as well. I am planning to ferment with a 2L starter of the VSS Wyeast 3711 French Saison yeast. I am throwing this out there and just wanna see what others might think of this recipe. I have never been much for Radical Brewing but I feel inspired currently. Radical enough? Thanks and Happy Brewing as well

Mike

Not a Fit Wit
Witbier

Type: All Grain
Date: 7/25/2008
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.39 gal
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pilsen Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.0 SRM) Grain 43.75 %
5.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 31.25 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 12.50 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
1.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 6.25 %
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (60 min) Hops 13.9 IBU
0.75 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (5 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.0 IBU
0.25 tsp Seeds of Paradise (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.83 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.08 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.10 oz Citrus Zest (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.10 tbsp Marmalade (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.10 tbsp White Flour (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.082 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.078 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.021 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.99 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 9.16 %
Bitterness: 17.0 IBU Calories: 351 cal/pint
Est Color: 4.6 SRM Color: Color

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 16.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.81 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Mash In Add 5.00 gal of water at 161.4 F 150.0 F

Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.2 oz Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

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What the title says……. Is it a praying-mantis?? I’ve never seen any in my yard before!

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Williams Brewing offers some replacement keg lid O-rings that they describe as

“Unlike standard lid O rings, ours has a slightly larger diameter, and is molded from softer rubber, for a more positive seal at low dispensing pressures. An ideal fix for an older keg with a leaky lid”

Downside- They want nearly $5 apiece for them .

This sounds like exactly what i need for a few of my cornies that won’t seal unless I really crank up the CO2 (and thus over-carbonate my beer )

Has anybody tried these?

Anybody have any other home-remedies for cornies that just won’t seal at low pressures?

TIA

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link: AP Article on Yahoo

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Which hops should I look into using for a Belgian Pale Ale. Righ now, I’m planning on using some pilset malt and maybe a Begian Cara so far. I’m just not sure what Hops would compliment a Merry Monks, Pranqster-esque beer.

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I’d like to start making smaller batches for a number of reasons. I do not have the full all-grain equipment arsenal. I often do mini-mashes when approptriate. Would it be possible for me to make a small scale mini-mas, say 3 or so galons, and still ger full extraction/flavor?

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For all of you who are (somehow) furious at the Budweiser sell off, read this from the wikipedia page on August Busch IV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Busch_IV).

In April 2008, Mr. Busch told beer distributors that Anheuser-Busch would never be bought “on my watch.” On July 13th, 2008, he signed off on the sale of Anheuser to InBev, ending 150 years of family control.

So much for trusting corporations…

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Currently accepting enteries. http://www.thecask.org/Comp.htm

If any FL, AL, or GA brewboard members (or anyone else that wants to come to JAX FL Aug 30th) are interested in judging or stewarding send me an email at firstcoastcup@thecask.org

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I just had a Chouffe Petit Houblon - Dobbelen IPA Tripel. It was absolutely amazing. I’m still an extract brewer, but really want to try to make this beer. I’ve read up on the different posts, but they are all all-grain, with some variations in the hops.

Here is what I know from the bottle:
This is a Tripel style IPA (whatever that means)
9.0% ABV
Amarillo, Tomahawk, Saaz hops

Here is what I got from chimaychimaynot on BeerAdvocate, although it was admittedly not tested:
og 1.070, 9% abv
9# belgian pilsner malt
1.5# belgian pale ale malt
2# sugar

hops: aim for 57 IBU:

13 AAU Tomahawk @ 90 min
1.5 oz Saaz @ 5 min
1.5 oz. Amarillo dry hop

If I do the rough calculations, then the 9# pilsner and 1.5# pale malt would end up with an OG of 1.078 with 100% efficiency - but isn’t the average closer to 70% (which would give 1.055 - appreciably lower OG)?

When I try to convert to Extract, I end up with 6.2# DME or 7.4# LME - does that seem right? It seems low for a trippel, but maybe the extra sugar accounts for it (which leads to the next question)…

Also, when it says “2# sugar”, is that just Dominoe’s sugar like you buy in the grocery store?

Lastly, what type of LME or DME would be recommended to approximate this recipe? and I assume I would steep some specialty grains as well.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Obviously, I am asking a lot of questions - if there is a book which explains this kind of stuff, I would appreciate a pointer.

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I have been kegging my beer for a while, and not set up any more to do the bottling thing. Is there a preferred method if a guy just wanted to do say a six pack, or am I going to just have to get in that entire mode again?

I was hoping to enter a contest or two just so I could see if I am going down the right road. My friends say they like my beer, but free beer is ALWAYS good beer.

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I am thinking about grabbing the family and driving down to the Greater Orlando, FL area to visit some family. It will really be the north side around Castleberry, but may take my daughter down to Rat World for a day or two. Are they any good places to find good beer either to drink or take home don there?

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It’s been a really good week for homebrewer’s Hop Availability - probably the best I have seen since I started tracking this.

Freshops got some Centennial, Goldings, Fuggle, and Nugget in.
Cascade fans - Cascade is newly available at Hops Direct ($33/lb) and is available in 6 of the 7 suppliers I am watching.
Along with Cascade, HopsDirect got some First Gold, Galena and Vanguard in, but sold out of Perle.
Saaz is back at Williams and Midwest.
Sladek is sold out and back on the endangered list.

More odds and ends as well …

Details: http://www.brew365.com/hop_availability_chart.php

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