The Beer Thread

SideBiach wrote:
Put a 'new year's beer' in the fermenter last night
First time using orange peels, coriander  and Belgian candy
OG was 1.078

 
headed for 8-9% ABV… nice!

SideBiach wrote:
Says to keep in the fermenter for 11 days, do you usually wait for the bubbling to stop and do a Gravity test?

ignore any advice that has set dates for fermentation.  yeast can't read a calendar.  they do their own thing, on their own time.  depending on the conditions of your fermentation it could take longer or could be done faster.

48 hours after bubbling has stopped is a good line in the sand, but there is no harm in going longer.  for a beer that big i would forget about it for at least 14 days before looking at it (and 3 weeks would be more typical for me).  there is a lot of yeast to settle out, flavors to meld… no need to rush.

you asked me a bunch of questions a while back, and i've been meaning to reply.  will do this soon, i promise.

fart wrote:

SideBiach wrote:
Put a 'new year's beer' in the fermenter last night
First time using orange peels, coriander  and Belgian candy
OG was 1.078

Says to keep in the fermenter for 11 days, do you usually wait for the bubbling to stop and do a Gravity test?

i'd say 48 hours after bubbling has stopped.

are you bottling it after 11 days?

Don't know, put the date on my calendar
But usually wait for the bubbling to stop

Last Dipa I brewed stopped bubbling and then did a zombie like revival and started bubbling again for a good 5 more days

sweetcell wrote:

SideBiach wrote:
Put a 'new year's beer' in the fermenter last night
First time using orange peels, coriander  and Belgian candy
OG was 1.078

 
headed for 8-9% ABV… nice!

 
I know…that's what I'm hoping for  ;D
oh forgot to mention all grain too

SideBiach wrote:
Says to keep in the fermenter for 11 days, do you usually wait for the bubbling to stop and do a Gravity test?

 
yeast can't read a calendar. 

 
Might be my new tag line

  48 hours after bubbling has stopped is a good line in the sand, but there is no harm in going longer.  for a beer that big i would forget about it for at least 14 days before looking at it (and 3 weeks would be more typical for me).  there is a lot of yeast to settle out, flavors to meld… no need to rush.

 
roger!

 

you asked me a bunch of questions a while back, and i've been meaning to reply.  will do this soon, i promise.

No sweat…I forgot what they were anyway

I'm really looking at going to the 5 gallon brewing in the new year
been having a lot of fun with the 1 gal batches…but I hate to give even a bomber away when you only get 9-10 12oz'ers  And probably only an 60/90 mins more work and you 5 times as much

Space is just a premium in my kitchen/house and can't even think where I can put a 6 gallon glass carboy let along a 8 gallon brew kettle

I'm thinking I might ask for this one  or this one as a xmas gift

probably going to need a mash tun too
I hate plastic, but do you use something like this

SideBiach wrote:
But usually wait for the bubbling to stop

give it a few days after bubbling has stopped.  yeast are still at work in there, cleaning up after themselves.  

SideBiach wrote:
Last Dipa I brewed stopped bubbling and then did a zombie like revival and started bubbling again for a good 5 more days

exactly why you don't want to move too quickly.  had you bottled that beer before the zombie revival you would have had over-carbonated beer or bottle-bombs.

ggw wrote:
A Keurig for Home Brewing

I saw that and almost posted…not to bad for $499
I posted the other one they make and that was like $2500

although…kinda takes some of the fun out of brewing IMO
there is almost nothing to do but hit a button

Instead of loading up loose ingredients according to a recipe, you use prepackaged pods of grains, hops, and yeast. Just fill the chamber with water when you start, load in the different pods at each step, dump in the yeast pack, and you're good to go. It's only a little more complicated than popping a Green Mountain K-Cup into your Keurig, and instead of a single cup of steaming coffee, you get a big batch of IPA to share

guess I'm like those crazy kooks who play vinyl records

Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

SideBiach wrote:
I'm thinking I might ask for this one  or this one as a xmas gift

get the bayou, no point in spending extra for essentially the same thing.

for a 5 gallon batch, you're going to need to collect about 6.5-7 gallons from your mashtun (some will be boiled off, some will be left behind, you want to put 5.5 gals in the carboy in order to get 5 gallons out).  boiling 7 gallons in an 8 gallon pot can be tricky.  get yourself some foam control drops (FermCap S), carefully ease back on the flame as you get to a boil, and/or consider buying a 10 gallon pot.  boil-overs are messy!

SideBiach wrote:
probably going to need a mash tun too
I hate plastic, but do you use something like this

can't help you there as i don't use that kind of a MT.  i use a stainless pot wrapped in insulation with a false bottom on a single tier stand that continuously recirculates the wort.  i can add some heat by firing up the small burner under the pot when needed.  sorta looks like this one, mine is weldless too: http://www.aleiens.com/profiles/blogs/wallace-the-weldless-brew. ; at some point i want to build a external heating element and control it electronically (RIMS system) but it's not a priority at the moment, the manual control of the flame is working just fine for me.

Carlos wrote:
Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

Bell's is certainly a fine brewery, but is there a reason you only seem to drink Bell's?  ;)

If it's a Michigan thing, I recommend you check out Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, and Dark Horse. Though the JP may be hard to find.

Space wrote:
Though the JP may be hard to find.

and also likely to be something of a shock: they only make sour beer.  for my palette, sour beer is the nec plus ultra of fermented, but it's definitely an acquired taste. 

Space wrote:

Carlos wrote:
Had a Bell's 30 year anniversary Imperial Stout. 11% ABV. That stuff was good and two of them had me calling it a night before 7p.

Bell's is certainly a fine brewery, but is there a reason you only seem to drink Bell's?  ;)

If it's a Michigan thing I recommend you check out Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, and Dark Horse. Though the JP may be hard to find.

I have had all of those: I like Founders, Dark Horse and Shorts, but cannot say I've had Jolly Pumpkin.

My neighborhood bar has a good relationship with the VA Bell's rep and they get all of that one-off stuff they produce. They usually have like 4 of their 12 taps dedicated to Bell's. They only have like one Founders beer at any given time (Breakfast Stout currently).

beer, really gives me a belly, so I had to close the ole cellar door down.  sad really, for I like beer, and I like to have a little bit of a buzz from it, and i love the reaction of people in this area, when i tell them how much i just paid for a six pack of something good.  but, i don't, like having a belly.  i only drink water now, and i cry on the inside, just a little bit.

sweetcell wrote:
ignore any advice that has set dates for fermentation.  yeast can't read a calendar.  they do their own thing, on their own time.  depending on the conditions of your fermentation it could take longer or could be done faster.

48 hours after bubbling has stopped is a good line in the sand, but there is no harm in going longer.  for a beer that big i would forget about it for at least 14 days before looking at it (and 3 weeks would be more typical for me).  there is a lot of yeast to settle out, flavors to meld… no need to rush.

can't preach this enough. i had a DIPA once get stuck around 1020 and I bottled it because, well, it stopped bubbling. ended up draining all 40 or so bottles three weeks later when they were carbed up about 10 times as much as needed. did the whole operation with a face shield and a couple heavy long sleeve layers since an exploded bottle will send you to the ER pretty fast.

so, yeah, take a reading 48 hours after you think your done, and if it's not done, don't bottle it.

sweetcell wrote:

SideBiach wrote:
probably going to need a mash tun too
I hate plastic, but do you use something like this

can't help you there as i don't use that kind of a MT.  i use a stainless pot wrapped in insulation with a false bottom on a single tier stand that continuously recirculates the wort.  i can add some heat by firing up the small burner under the pot when needed.  sorta looks like this one, mine is weldless too: http://www.aleiens.com/profiles/blogs/wallace-the-weldless-brew.  at some point i want to build a external heating element and control it electronically (RIMS system) but it's not a priority at the moment, the manual control of the flame is working just fine for me.

plastic mash-tuns are pretty much the most economical and simplest solution and it's what i've used for years. don't worry about it being plastic too much. the plastics are rated for much higher temperatures than what you'll be mashing in, so you don't have to worry much about chemicals leaching into your beer. it insulates well and keeps your mash temperatures constant.

fart wrote:don't worry about it being plastic too much. the plastics are rated for much higher temperatures than what you'll be mashing in, so you don't have to worry much about chemicals leaching into your beer. it insulates well and keeps your mash temperatures constant.

heat and plastic are just two bad things together…well, in this dude's opinion
So I'm really apprehensive

I'm running into a major storage issue with this 5 gallon equipment
the square feet are against me!

opinions of brew in a bag technique?

Unless you're a damn good home brewer ala sweetcell, why would you want to get stuck with over 600oz of mediocre beer?

Yada wrote:
Unless you're a damn good home brewer ala sweetcell, why would you want to get stuck with over 600oz of mediocre beer?

This.

What kind of cheese would you guys pair with a Wild Ale/Flanders Red?

Scored a six pack of Born Yesterday and a four pack of Backwoods Bastard yesterday. Can't wait to try the former tonight. The latter, no rush.