Any homebrewers out there? Let us know what's currently fermenting in the pot.
Mother's in the kitchen washing out the jugs,
Sister's in the pantry bottling the suds,
Father's in the cellar mixin' up the hops,
Johnny's on the front porch watchin' for the cops.
No, I don't think so.
I need a stock pot or something, so that's for boiling, I would think.
I'll have to get motivated, and check out the book.
I'll have to get motivated, and check out the book.
Do!
So, ever think about setting up a still once you get the fermentation thing done?
Stills explode.
I'd love to try making a batch of single malt scotch, but I don't think I could really wait 8-10 years to sample it.
With the British Bitter safely transferred to a secondary fermenter, I whipped up a quick and easy batch yesterday. American Wheat Beer:
Fermentables
 6 lbs. Wheat Malt Syrup
Boil Additions
 1 oz. Tettnang (60 min)
1 oz. Tettnang (1 min)
Yeast
 Wyeast #1010 American Wheat Yeast. A dry fermenting, true top cropping yeast which produces a dry, slightly tart, crisp beer, in American hefeweisen style. Flocculation: low. Apparent attenuation: 74-78%. Optimum temperature: 58-74.
This is the first time I've had two batches in fermenters at the same time. Very exciting stuff!
Coolest, and most ridiculous, beer paraphenalia ever.
$259???
That's the ridiculous part. Well, the most ridiculous part.
Oktoberfest in the boil!
6.6# John Bull light unhopped malt
Specialty grains: Crystal 60L (8 oz); Crystal 20L (4 oz) -- steep & hold 1/2 hour
Bittering: Wilamette (4.4% AAU) 1 oz 60 min
Finishing: Hallertau (5.2% AAU) 1 oz 10 min
1T Irish moss @15min
Are you gonna be able to wait until Oktober to drink it?
Are you gonna be able to wait until Oktober to drink it?
That's the challenge!
Update. Transferred the American Wheat to the Secondary Fermenter on Saturday. We also bottled the British Bitter. This means I've got an open fermenter. I'm thinking about a Nut Brown Ale.
Nut Brown Ale
OG: 1052 / Ready: 5 weeks
Like Newcastle and Samuel Smith? Like the flavor it gets after sunlight passes through those clear bottles on long oversea voyages? Like paying top import price for 'em? Take matters into your own hands. Our Nut Brown Ale is just like those brewed in northern England, but fresher, because you make it yourself. Rich brown in color, nutty toasted flavor, and it tastes great after only a few weeks.
Specialty Grains
 0.25 lbs. Crisp Chocolate
0.25 lbs. Dingemans Special B
0.25 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit
0.25 lbs. Briess Special Roast
Fermentables
 6 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
1 lbs. Dark Brown Sugar
Boil Additions
 1 oz. Progress (60 min)
1 oz. Fuggle (1 min)
Yeast
 Wyeast #1028 London Ale Yeast. Rich with a dry finish, minerally profile, bold and crisp, with some fruitiness. Flocculation: medium. Apparent attenuation: 73-77%. Optimum temperature: 60-72.
Last night we went to Northern Brewer. Purchased the above mentioned Nut Brown kit, along with a St. Paul Porter.
Specialty Grains
 0.5 lbs. Crisp Chocolate
0.5 lbs. Simpsons Dark Crystal
Fermentables
 6 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
1 lbs. Dark Dry Malt Extract
Boil Additions
 1 oz. Chinook (60 min)
1 oz. Cascade (1 min)
Yeast
 Wyeast #1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast. Notorious Yeast of European origin with unique fermentation and flavor characteristics. Distinct fruit ester and high flocculation provide a malty complex profile, which clears well. Thorough diacetyl rest is recommended after fermentation is complete. Flocculation: high. Apparent attenuation: 68-72%. Optimum temperature: 64-74.
Going to attempt a double brew next Sunday. If anybody has done two batches in one day and has any advice, I'd be interested.
Two in one day, sounds like you are asking for it - better take Monday off from work.
J/k Frosti. So, which is going first into the pot, the Porter or the Nut? I would vote for the Nut myself - although a purist told me it can't be called beer if you use sugar in the fermentables. Opinions?
Purist? We no need no steenkin' purists!
Hm. I was told that you can't make certain Belgian ales accurately without Candi (beet) sugar in the boil.
Purist may be just another way to say unadventuresome.
Whatever tastes good works for me!
I don't think the "purist" was saying you couldn't make things with sugar, just that it shouldn't technically be called beer.
Technical, schmecknical - beat you to it Frosti.
I don't think the "purist" was saying you couldn't make things with sugar, just that it shouldn't technically be called beer.
So what should it be called?
Hm. I was told that you can't make certain Belgian ales accurately without Candi (beet) sugar in the boil.
Is there really a difference between beet sugar and cane sugar?
Very cool website about beer judging. Might need to print out the Beer Scoresheet for the next tasting party.
I think they're both sucrose, but the difference is in the amount of molasses left in the grain.
http://www.sugarweb.co.uk/sugar/types/
More than I wanted to know - similar to when I got "educated" about the wide world of salt. :-)
Sugar Cane - "Saccharum Officinarium"
Probably originated in New Guinea.
Sugar making was first recorded in India as early as 3000 BC
A local legend in the Solomon Islands tells that the ancestors of the human race were generated from a cane stalk.
A crown made of sugar cane is described in the Atharvaveda, a sacred book of the Hindus, written about 800BC.
The Greek general Nearchus, who accompanied Alexander the Great to India in the 4th Century BC tells of a reed that produced "honey" without the aid of bees.
In 1493, on his second voyage, Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane to the New World, and the success of sugar plantations in Santa Domingo led to its cultivation throughout the Caribbean and South America.
Sugar beet was originally extracted experimentally by the chemist Andreas Marggraf in Germany in 1747.
Napoleon was responsible for the creation of the sugar beet industry in France to overcome the British blockade of supplies from the West Indies in 1811.
By 1880 sugar beet tonnage had overtaken that of sugar cane.
Cool. But it sounds like beet sugar and cane sugar are pretty well interchangeable.
If you break it down into the chemistry, sugar is sugar. Where it gets different is in the how it gets produced. Different flavorings will be subtly added, changing the end product (beer! yay!).
I tried an interesting beer from a company called Saranac - their Single Malt. Used a single Scottish malt (I can't remember the name just now), lengthy brewing process, and Fuggle hops. Crisp, clear taste. I liked it! I also thought it was cool of them to list their ingredients for us to mimic. :-)
The local homebrewers club, during winter months, makes something called "Scotchies." When they've run the wort out the lauter tun, and it's still warm, they scoop out a mug full, leaving enough room for a shot of single malt scotch. Presto! A wort toddy.
Sounds interesting...
Hmmm. Interesting is one word for it. :-) Guess I would have to try to judge.
I'll try most anything once. I'm not a big Scotch drinker, however.
Try the Scotch ale. I think you'll like that.
Racking the Oktoberfest to the bottling bucket from the secondary...
Spilled a bunch, dammit. Didn't see that the spigot was open.
Didn't see that the spigot was open.
I hate it when that happens.
Update here as well. Bottled the American Wheat yesterday, brewed the Nut Brown. Due to technical difficulties, we didn't attempt the Porter. The yeast pack hadn't swelled enough. Now I've got the dilemma of whether I should attempt a weeknight brew session if the yeast pops soon or try to hold it off until next weekend.
do it during the week. :-)
I haven't been home any night this week. Will try to do it tommorow...
I brewed the St Paul Porter saturday(yesterday) afternoon. Things went well, nothing exciting to report. The nut brown that was brewed last weekend had a good solid ferment. Still kicking out some bubbles, but few and far between. I will probably move it to the secondary on Wednesday, after my midterm Tuesday night.
The St Paul Porter has been like an irrational teenager, causing me nothing but trouble (thanks Sparky!). You may recall, we planned to brew it a week and a half ago, but the yeast pack didn't swell for 5 days. I brewed it on Saturday, and had no activity through Tuesday. I think I figured out the problem. It's too cold!
I found our spaceheater on Tuesday, and set it next to the porter. I also wrapped the bucket in a blanket for insulation. After two days of constant heating, there was a bubble in the airlock this morning when I went downstairs to shower. Yay!
Jack (the guy from Yeasty Boys brewing club) stopped by yesterday and told me about the way he "saves yeast" from batch to batch. He just puts a small amount (4 ounces or so) of wort in a bottle, adds some more food, puts on a airlock, and refrigerates. My question - does this seem like a lot of work to go through for the ability to reuse a yeast?
The above post was moderated.
But, I've been curious about doing yeast starters.
I transferred the Nut Brown Ale from primary to secondary last night and washed some bottles while I waited for GW to finish babbling. He pre-empted hockey, for heaven's sake.
Considering what a vial of decent yeast costs (e.g. for a Belgian Ale), it seems to make sense to propogate between batches.
Most of the yeast I see goes for about $6. So for me, it would be the thrill of the ability to have my own yeast slants rather than the monetary savings.
Went to Axeman Surplus yesterday. They've got tons of glassware there! I purchased a 3" fan and a power converter for my ferminator.
Speaking of the ferminator, I started construction this weekend!
You wouldn't have to ever buy yeast of that strain again? Could you perhaps try making your own strains by having them battle it out in a test tube? Organic Chemistry/Adv. Biology anyone?
Kind of organic chemistry meets Survivor?
It would work even if the ah, "slight economic downturn" disrupts the supply of vital brewing ingredients! One would need to raise your own hops and grain though, or stockpile... :-)
Oh, you mean, like the yeast fighting for survival in the tube. I get it. Is that feasible, raising strange new strains? Should one declare oneself a new biological testing facility? I foresee UN inspection teams... :-)
I like your new pic too - Dude!
I'm learning some very interesting stuff here. We have all the equipment to make wine, but not a "sterile environment" to do it in. One of these days we shall have some fine wine though!
"I'm learning some very interesting stuff here." That must be from the stuff the other guys post. I'm still fairly new at this stuff myself, but from having helped out on a few batches, I know you don't need anything approaching a "sterile environment". The equipment needs to be sterile, the counters, etc. need to be clean so you don't contaminate stuff but the normal kitchen will do.
Guys, any clarification?
Are you saying my kitchen is filthy? Take that back, or you shall die like dogs.
BTW, Hi Artemis! Didn't know you came in here.
I utterly and totally apologize for any perceptions that my rash comments may have caused. I merely was alluding that when I hear "sterile environment" I'm thinking of a computer clean room, you know, everyone walking around in surgical masks so they don't breathe on anything, vacuum sealed, triple HEPA filtered air, etc. I just mean your average, good old American kitchen will do with a lot of unselfish hard prep work by the brewer to sterilize (more than usual) the surfaces and equipment.
Better? I don't wanta' die like no steenkin' dog. :-)
lol, there is no possibility of even that kind of sterile environment here- too many animals with no way of keeping them away. Someday tho!
Hi frosti, just floatin around the folders after work, checkin stuff out.
Heck, I've got a 70 lb dog who's nose is right at counter level and two kids who are also right at counter level. If I can manage that, anybody should be able to.
Besides, I don't sterilize. There's clean (soap & water), there's sanitized (bleach), and there's sterilized (autoclave, chemicals). I only sanitize. Sterile is when all the germs have been killed. Think hospital. Sanitized is when the germs have been reduced to a manageable level. Think "Sanitized for your protection"
<edit> Joe!