^agreed. i'd use the entire bean with the bourbon. I wouldn't worry about it overpowering the beer.


anyone asking for any Homebrew supplies for christmas? I'm trying to think about what I want/need. I want a blichmann kettle, but i'll probably have to take care of that on my own. I was thinking about maybe a aeration kit and big mash paddle/wort spoon for full boils.

11/18/2010 8:28:56 AM

Yea, I'm asking for a 10-gallon MegaPot Kettle w/ valve & thermometer along with a wort chiller, refractometer and a glass carboy.

[Edited on November 18, 2010 at 11:32 AM. Reason : *]

11/18/2010 11:20:19 AM

nice. I have an immersion chiller that works pretty well, but my LHBS offers an upgrade that is essentially a second coil that you immerse in an icebath. I may ask for that as well. I'm just stoked to start going full boil

11/18/2010 11:40:45 AM

1-step closer to all-grain...

11/18/2010 1:01:28 PM

Quote :

"essentially a second coil that you immerse in an icebath"

the two-coil system is what i use

got it for $30 off craigslist a couple of years ago

11/18/2010 1:43:29 PM

Yea, to save money I think I'll just do a single coil in the brew kettle along with an ice bath. And I doubt I can find a two-coil setup for $30 here in Denver. If I have the extra money I might buy a CFC instead.

[Edited on November 18, 2010 at 6:31 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2010 6:29:01 PM

...i'm still waiting for my northern brewer catalog to come in. I'd like a fermenator though.

11/19/2010 10:03:47 PM

bored waiting for my winter warmer to finish, so I'm fermenting a half-gallon of apple juice with some yeast harvested from a SN Celebration bottle (Wyeast 1056 equivalent) and a handful or raisins

more just an experiment in yeast harvesting, really, but could be a nice drink in mid-late January

11/21/2010 12:08:48 PM

Anyone have a good all grain ale recipe? I think I'm going to build a sparge tank this week and try my hand at it.

Just bottled up a nice raspberry wheat last the other night. Should be interesting.

11/21/2010 1:46:08 PM

my apfelwein fermentation seems to have stalled

it was bubbling at 2-3/s during the first week and then slowed to about 1 bubble every 2 seconds (as expected)...i checked it yesterday and it's completely stalled...i watched it for 5 minutes and not a single bubble

there should be plenty of fermentable sugars left...what happened? i have another packet of montrachet...should i make a yeast starter and try to jump-start it?

11/21/2010 4:01:46 PM

Quote :

"there should be plenty of fermentable sugars left"

just curious what you're basing that on - what were you expecting? what was the OG?

glancing at some recipes, it seems that a long ferment is typical - just grab a gravity sample to see where you sit

11/21/2010 7:46:59 PM

Quote :

"just curious what you're basing that on - what were you expecting? what was the OG?"

basing it on what you noticed - that long ferments for wine in general, and this style in particular, are typical...montrachet is used pretty often and the amount of fermentable sugars in there SHOULD support a much much longer primary fermentation

OG was 1.052, i believe...i'll check when i get home to see where i'm at

11/22/2010 9:24:22 AM

yeah i would base it on some gravity readings. Just because you aren't witnessing bubbling does not mean fermentation has halted. especially if your temps have been consistent. I'd take a reading and give it a few days and take another and see if the numbers continue to drop.

11/22/2010 11:22:10 AM

Quote :

"yeah i would base it on some gravity readings. Just because you aren't witnessing bubbling does not mean fermentation has halted."

11/22/2010 11:36:20 AM

shitty cell phone pic incoming:



The harvested Sierra Nevada yeast is doing really well, with visible airlock activity within 6 hours and peaking this afternoon (no krausen, though). Probably helps that I used a seasonal bottle, so the yeast was pretty fresh. Gonna give it six weeks before bottling - if it's dry I'll bottle it still, but if it's got some residual sweetness I'll prime it a little.

[Edited on November 22, 2010 at 2:11 PM. Reason : l]

11/22/2010 1:59:20 PM

measured gravity is right at 1.000, so that's something around 6.9% ABV...which is about right, i suppose

still, though...it seems about 5 weeks early for that

not sure if i should let it sit a bit longer, or rack it into a secondary, or bottle it...and if bottling, wondering if i should prime

[Edited on November 22, 2010 at 4:19 PM. Reason : .]

11/22/2010 4:19:20 PM

well anything with a high level of alcohol content can be below 1.000 so the question is what's the expected final gravity?

11/22/2010 4:27:00 PM

i could be wrong, but i think i recall reading that particular wine finishing below 1.000 because people were talking about how dry it could be. too lazy to verify

11/22/2010 4:28:11 PM

just reading around (never made apfelwein), it seems that it can really benefit from some extra time in the carboy, and as the other two have mentioned it will probably ferment drier than 1.000

no need to rush things if it compromises quality

11/22/2010 4:29:59 PM

Do any of you guys happen to know if any of the local breweries around Raleigh fill up corny kegs? Homebrew won't be ready for thanksgiving as planned unfortunately.

I think i saw a beer thread in chit chat a while ago, if i find it i'll post in there too...

11/23/2010 9:25:43 PM

Quote :

"Janet's Brown Ale ------------------ Extract 8.4 lbs Light LME 1 lbs Wheat LME Steeping Grains CaraPils Dextrin Malt 1.25 lbs Crystal 40L 1.25 lbs Chocolate Malt .5 lbs Hops Northern Brewer 2.0 oz 60min Northern Brewer 1.0 oz 15min Cascade 1.5 oz 10min Cascade 1.5 oz 0Min Centennial 2.0oz Dry Hop Yeast WLP001 California Ale, or Wyeast American Ale 1056 If you do AG, look up the AG recipe online, it's got rave reviews and won some homebrew awards. "

where did you buy all your ingredients for this brown ale Prospero?

ive looked at a couple of sites but they have so many different options im not sure which one is which. like for the Light LME, is this suitable http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/northern-brewer-organic-light-malt-syrup.html

only brewed a pumpkin kit beer before this so im kind of a newb

12/1/2010 3:15:39 PM

That will work. Northern Brewer is known for their fresh LME so you shouldn't have any issues.

12/1/2010 3:26:22 PM

^^I have a local homebrew store: http://store.brewhut.com/brewingingredients.aspx

Oh, and I opened a Janet's Brown Ale last weekend and was AWESOME! (if you don't mind a mildly hopped brown ale) Great malt flavor, just more hops than your average American Brown

[Edited on December 1, 2010 at 3:43 PM. Reason : .]

12/1/2010 3:39:00 PM

I'm also brewing again this Sunday, giving a homebrew lesson to some friends at work.

I think I'm gonna go with the Amber listed in Jamil's Brewing Classic Styles (converted to extract):

Amber Ale

Grain/Extract/Sugar
----------------------------------------
6 lbs. Light Liquid Malt Extract
0.42 lbs. Victory Malt - American
0.83 lbs. Crystal 40L - American
0.83 lbs. Munich Malt (Light) - American
0.42 lbs. Crystal 120L - American
0.21 lbs. Chocolate Malt - Light - Great Britain

Hops
-------------------------------
0.70 oz. Magnum Hops at 60 min.
0.70 oz. Cascade Hops at 10 min.
0.70 oz. Centennial Hops at 10 min.
0.70 oz. Cascade Hops at 0 min.
0.70 oz. Centennial Hops at 0 min.
*Pellet hops

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
Boil Size (Gal): 3.00
Anticipated OG: 1.055
Anticipated SRM: 16.6
Anticipated IBU: 36.0
Anticipated ABV: 5%
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

[Edited on December 1, 2010 at 3:45 PM. Reason : ,]

12/1/2010 3:44:42 PM

sounds good. just cracked my holiday ale and like you and i discussed...it's on the lighter side. i need to go back through my notes and read my brewing procedure...i can't remember. But i hit the target gravities so i know that's right and i can tell it's a 6+ % beer, but the tastes aren't as prevalent as i wanted. The vanilla bean does add a nice hint to the end though. It's good though, should be easy enough for family members to enjoy.

12/1/2010 6:04:57 PM

Well the target gravities and recipe are probably right... it just means the recipe wasn't very good or well calculated or well balanced. Whether that was intentional or not you'd have to ask the author of the recipe. I think like I mentioned before you probably just needed a bit more hops to balance out the malts and adjust the spice levels to get where you wanted it to be.

But a lighter spiced ale might be nice this time of year to balance out all the stouts and english strong ales

I brewed this last year:
/message_topic.aspx?topic=558927&page=5#13413041
And thought it was good.

[Edited on December 1, 2010 at 6:36 PM. Reason : .]

12/1/2010 6:34:54 PM

i got all of my ingredients for the Sierra Nevada celebration ale clone. now i just need the confidence to know what the fuck i'm doing, being that this will be my first all-grain brew.

I think im going to go to a demonstration on Saturday at my local homebrew store before i do it.

12/6/2010 4:30:55 PM

that will help. i've got a few bookmarked youtube videos that help you visualize it all as well


also read this...

http://www.suebob.com/brew/Bobby_Mallgrainprimer.pdf

12/6/2010 4:57:30 PM

^ could you post those links? thanks!

12/6/2010 9:50:19 PM

http://www.youtube.com/user/BrewAcademy#g/a


watch his All-Grain Brewing videos. I think there are 4 10 minute parts. You can also watch his bottling and starter videos too if you want. He is by no means an expert, but I've watched a shit ton of all-grain videos and found his to be the most down to earth as far as walking through the process. I think he works/worked at northern brew as well which is nice.

12/7/2010 8:09:14 AM

So i have been working on a Persimmon / Honey experiment. Been two weeks and it is still fermenting - sounds like it is 'fizzing' like I uncorked a bottle of champagne. here is the ingredients for 5G:

6 cups persimmon pulp
4 cups honey
5 lbs sugar
yeast

This is my first time doing a brew like this - I got board of doing the beer thing and and had an empty carboy.

When it stops fermenting for a few days, I am going to bottle half and maybe distill half.


Any ideas?

12/7/2010 10:22:25 AM

how are you going to distill it?

12/7/2010 10:27:31 AM

with a still - copper tubing and such

12/7/2010 10:49:41 AM

well, i gathered that

i suppose i was wondering if you have a stovetop still or something...do you have something built already?

12/7/2010 10:52:21 AM

LOL -

i have two methods and I am working on a all copper setup. Ill prob use the steamer setp over the crock pot setup.

12/7/2010 11:07:15 AM

Brewed my first all grain batch - A standard English Bitter.

How do you guys that do all grain process your grains? I used a 5 gal Igloo cooler as a lauter tun and
added my boiling water which doesn't really allow for adjusting the temperature. Do yall use a brew kettle and keep it on the stove? I've seen it done both ways but the recipe I was following called for very specific minute temperature changes throughout the process.


If this batch turns out well, I'd like to culture this yeast and continue the line. Any suggested reading on how I should go about doing this?

12/7/2010 3:15:12 PM

^If you use BeerSmith software it will help you calculate the water temperature and quantity to reach those rest temperatures during the mash, typically just a floating thermometer and a kettle on the stove to boil/warm the water to the right temperature. Just be sure not to exceed 2qt of water per 1lb of malt.

As far as culturing yeast, it's pretty darn simple, basically just need a mini wort, like a pint or so of water and a half cup of DME just like you would brewing (10-min boil, cool it back down to 70'F), pitch the yeast, let it start doing it's thing and in 7-10 days, repeat the process with 1/4 or so of the yeast until it gets nice and strong and until you have enough to brew with.

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 4:25 PM. Reason : ,]

12/7/2010 4:00:59 PM

^^ this is the basic procedure I follow:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Washing_yeast

12/7/2010 5:58:54 PM

I'm getting rid of some bottles if anyone needs a bunch. There's more than enough for 2 full batches, maybe more.

PM me if interested or reply to http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=605705

12/8/2010 6:06:59 PM

my amber i brewed Sunday:

12/9/2010 11:16:29 PM

homebrew supply store demo here in greensboro was phenomenal. drank the previous month's brew by the owner, it was delicious. i am very comfortable now with starting my all-grain batch.

with all the resources, research, data, articles, forums, etc...its easy to get wrapped up in #'s in technicality. i think what i took away from this demo was that its NOT that difficult if you just relax and have fun with it.

i may start my batch tonight

12/13/2010 11:39:53 AM

indeed, have fun!

12/13/2010 6:16:32 PM

ordered Brewing Classic Styles and How To Brew autographed by the authors . It'll be a christmas gift from my folks hopefully along with a Northern Brewer gift certificate. Figured HTB would be a good addition to the bookshelf and an always great resource.


The holiday cheer beer i brewed was a big hit at our first family christmas dinner over the weekend. I only chilled a 12 pack because that side of the family doesn't have too many beer drinkers, mainly we drink a lot of wine and liquor when together. But i poured a few and people really enjoyed them. I had to leave early and came back the next day to find the rest of them had been drank while I was gone.

12/14/2010 11:15:21 AM

Haha, that's awesome!

I got the HTB when I first started and got Brewing Classic Styles a couple months ago, they really are good. :thumbsup:

12/14/2010 11:21:10 AM

went to Lowes last night, got some 3/8" copper tubing, some flex hose, and some dishwasher hose connections...made a wort chiller

12/15/2010 10:28:47 AM

how much did that cost? i presume you did either 25 or 50ft?

opened some of the coffee & cream stout, the coffee aroma is quite strong, but the flavor is great!!! color is almost black, i love it.

[Edited on December 15, 2010 at 1:39 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2010 1:37:38 PM

So for the few of you that saw the two pics on page 12 of 10 gallons of oatmeal stout goodness spilled all over the floor... we tried again last weekend and actually finished!





The only big surprise was in about a day in a half the fermentation got pretty violent and blew off the airlocks on both carboys somehow... luckily they were left in plastic bags and avoided a big spill. My friend just put a tube going from the stoppers to a big jug until it settled down again. Can't wait to try this in a few weeks.

[Edited on December 15, 2010 at 9:17 PM. Reason : pics]

12/15/2010 9:16:40 PM

awesome pics dude!!!


i am 20 mins into my boil for my 1st all grain. Doing the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale clone. Beer Smith has my recipie at 7.4%....this seems a bit high, but i will test OG after i chill the boil down. I built an immersion chiller last night, so I should be able to cool it down fast..especially with this weather outside and an icetub

12/15/2010 10:21:40 PM

i don't think im going to get the efficiency i wanted. i think my mash was around 148F and i wanted 152F. my OG turned out to be 1.048...i was hoping for about 1.06. O well...we'll see how it turns out. The chiller worked wonders. Went from 210F-75F in about 13 minutes.

Pitched the yeast around 11:45pm last night and didnt see any fermentation this morning when i left for work. Hopefully it will pick up by the time i get home...if it doesn't what are some of the things I can do to get it started? can you simply add more yeast?

12/16/2010 10:21:38 AM

don't repitch, people always talk about it, and you should almost never do it.... chances are it's just fine. give it 72 hours before even thinking about repitching.

one thing you gotta understand, there are a bunch of different strands of yeast, and almost all of them have different characteristics, different ideal temperatures, different attenuation, different flavor profiles.... just RDWHAHB and let the yeast do it's thing.

if for some reason after 72 hours you don't see any action, then you may consider repitching, but i'd first verify that it's truly not fermenting. remember the airlock is not an indication of fermenting, the only real way to tell is with a hydrometer... so after 72 hours, sanitize an dropper, take some wort out, test the gravity, see if it's fermenting, if it is, leave it. if it's not, then repitch.

here's a good article every new homebrewer should read:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/blogs/revvy/144-think-evaluation-before-action.html

[Edited on December 16, 2010 at 10:59 AM. Reason : .]

12/16/2010 10:55:38 AM