^good to see you back in the game!


and since no one reads #49

pilgrimshoes

Quote :

"http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/partial-mash-kits/ryepa-partial-mash-kit-1.html?options=cart anyone brewed this one or one similar? i'd like to think it'd be similar to bear republic hop rod rye. after about a year off of brewing (due to lots of things) i'm about to order some stuff again. feels good man. "

2/11/2011 10:57:07 AM

Jeepin, go with option 3 and whatever your girl wants. My wife hates beer so don't take your girl's interest in brew for granted!

also, this may be old but posting anyways: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/beer

pic for page 17:

2/11/2011 12:17:10 PM

haha i definitely don't take it for granted. she probably knows more about beer than i do honestly. she even knows enough to know that she hates beers brewed with cascade hops

2/11/2011 12:33:56 PM

So i've purchased everything for my kegerator.

I have this 3-keg kit being shipped to me right now...upgraded to a nicer dual face regulator & also upgraded the faucets to Perlick Stainless Steel.



And this is all going in my new freezer that I bought this morning.



I'm definitely going to put a collar on it and mount my taps to the collar. I'm thinking a nice stained cherry color.

I'm so excited I cant stand it!

[Edited on February 11, 2011 at 1:48 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2011 1:46:38 PM

Very nice! Might I ask how big the chest is and how much it cost? Will the corny kegs fit in without the collar?

2/11/2011 1:55:41 PM

It's 7.2 cf.

The internal height is 23 1/4" according to online sources (I ordered it online, so it wont be here for a few days to measure for myself).

http://www.lowes.com/pd_279057-2251-FFC0723GB_4294857904_4294937087_?productId=1079173&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl_Freezers%2BIce%2BMakers_4294857904_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1

They have a special right now for free delivery...AND there's a few 10% off coupons floating around (or you could get one from the post office in their Movers packet).

Ended up being right at $250 delivered to my door after taxes/fees.

[Edited on February 11, 2011 at 2:03 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2011 2:01:46 PM

Got my Cascadian Dark Ale recipe, probably will brew in the next month or so, will be the last dark ale of the season.

Cascadian Dark Ale

Malts:
8 lbs. Light LME
1.5 lbs. Midnight Wheat
1 lb. Munich II
.5 lb. Medium Crystal
.5 lb. Red Wheat
.25 Carafa II
1 lb. Maris Otter

Hops:
1 oz. Simcoe (First Wort Hop)
1 oz. Columbus (FWH)
2/3 oz. Simcoe (60 minutes)
1/4 oz. Amarillo (30 minutes)
1/2 oz. Cascade (15 minutes)
1/2 oz. Cascade (2 minutes)
1 oz. Cascade (flame-out)
1.75 oz. Amarillo (dry hop in secondary)

Yeast:
California Ale yeast, WLP001, or
American Ale yeast, Wyeast 1056

2/11/2011 3:38:59 PM

Do you add FWH after mixing in extract but before bringing to a boil?

2/11/2011 5:06:54 PM

1. Steep grain.
2. Add FWH hops at end of steeping. <- only part thats different than normal
3. Bring to boil.
4. Add extract.
5. Bring back to boil.
6. Add 60-min hops
7. Continue normal process.

[Edited on February 11, 2011 at 5:41 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2011 5:41:08 PM

Nice setup Bobby Light! The fun part will be always keeping three kegs full.

2/12/2011 10:24:23 AM

Yeah, i've only got a Pale Ale in secondary right now...I think i'm going to try a "Raleigh Red" clone or a red oak clone. And probably a stout after that.

I've gotta step my brewing game up. I'm about to pull the trigger on an all-grain setup. Just not sure what all I need yet. I've only done extract brews up until now.

Any advice on a decent all-grain setup? I dont want to go too cheap that I'll want to immediately upgrade after a batch or two..i'd rather spend a little more now and not have to worry about upgrading in the near future.

[Edited on February 12, 2011 at 10:55 AM. Reason : .]

2/12/2011 10:52:47 AM

I'd just use a cooler for the MLT and a nice stainless steel brew kettle & aluminum kettle for the HLT, the more expensive units just use all stainless steel kettles for all of the above. The cheaper option is just to eliminate the HLT and heat water using your brew kettle and pour it into your bottling bucket (or another cooler similar in size to the MLT) and sparge from there.

2/12/2011 6:02:52 PM

Here's a pic of the amber ale in primary. This shit was really cooking about 2 days after brewday. If the gravity is low enough i'll hopefully rack to secondary tomorrow.


All grain pilsner is up next, brewday is Friday. We're putting a lot of focus in duplicating an authentic pilsen water profile so hopefully we don't end up making the water taste worse...

2/12/2011 11:07:24 PM

Looks good soundboy. I see the fermometer on your carboy, what temperature are you fermenting at there? Are you able to keep your house/bathroom that cool in the winter? I can't seem to get mine below 73-74, so i always have to use some kind of water bath to keep it ~70.


Looks good though, i love your photography.

2/13/2011 12:20:18 PM

Thanks Jeepin. Luckily i've got this windowless bathroom in the center of the house on the second floor, and after closing the air vent it stays at a very consistent 68-69 degrees. Good call on the waterbath though, if i've got problems keeping the temperatures steady in the summer i'll do that.

The real trick is avoiding house guests for 3-4 weeks... i'd be pretty pissed if anyone shits in this bathroom...

2/13/2011 7:58:27 PM

^trust me, i know the feeling. my half bath is my "fermentation room" and now and again i'll find evidence it's been used for it's secondary purpose (bathroom)

2/13/2011 8:58:08 PM

lol

2/14/2011 7:51:42 AM

Anyone have an extra keg shell for sale? I called a few breweries around and they dont have any for sale.

I need a keggle.

[Edited on February 14, 2011 at 3:29 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2011 3:29:33 PM

Looks like a good deal if anyone's looking to jump in head first!

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/for/2216779090.html

2/15/2011 11:44:20 PM

jesus, that is a steal.

2/16/2011 8:04:28 AM

^to respond to the previous page...

Maybe i do have an unnecessary step, now that i think about it?

The thing is, i dont have a drain on my MLT, so i dump it all into the bucket with the 3/16" holes in it. I drain from there down into brew kettle, then sparge with hot water onto the grain bed. maybe im overcomplicating things...

[Edited on February 16, 2011 at 9:14 AM. Reason : .]

2/16/2011 9:10:22 AM

yeah, it sounds like it. One option would be to just mash in directly in your two-bucket setup. But those buckets probably won't provide enough insulation to hold your mash temp at 154 for the required time. So what you are doing will work, I just feel like there is more opportunity for tannin extraction by doughing in, letting the grain bed settle, and then disrupting the bed all over again as you pour into your bucket.


Honestly, for about 70 dollar bucks you could fab this and rid yourself of all that extra equipment once and for all. It's on my list to build by summertime.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

2/16/2011 9:44:01 AM

^ Same here, but I think I'm going to use a rectangular cooler instead of the cylindrical one. It seems to be the more favored style to use.

I'm waiting on some new goods to arrive from northern brewer including:

Stir Plate
Aeration System
California Common ingredient Kit (Next batch)

You guys should check out brewingtv it's pretty awesome. (link below)
http://www.brewingtv.com

[Edited on February 16, 2011 at 3:23 PM. Reason : Spelling ]

2/16/2011 3:23:05 PM

How many of you guys actually live in raleigh?

2/16/2011 7:47:40 PM

I'm on the Durham/RTP/Raleigh line...

2/16/2011 11:51:08 PM

CLT here.

We've really only got one decent homebrew shop in town, so I do most of my ordering from austinhomebrew.com

2/17/2011 7:56:37 AM

Charlotte here. I drive to the Belmont location of Alt. Beverage. Much more helpful, bigger selection. But i'm a Northern Brewer online shopper as well.

2/17/2011 8:20:44 AM

NCSU student living in Cary.

[Edited on February 17, 2011 at 8:25 AM. Reason : Spelling]

2/17/2011 8:25:02 AM

Greensboro. woot.

2/17/2011 8:56:03 AM

Well shit, that's enough for a TWW brew day. We should do that sometime this spring.

2/17/2011 9:05:43 AM

Anyone brewing this weekend?

2/18/2011 2:08:17 PM

Today would be an awesome day to brew...but i'm waiting on the rest of my equipment to come in the mail to start all-grain brewing.

2/19/2011 2:07:52 PM

would love to be brewing today, alas i am not. maybe next sunday.

2/20/2011 1:32:10 PM

need some recipe ideas for my next brew!

2/21/2011 11:39:36 AM

Looking to brew a 10 gallon batch this weekend of a Hot Rod Red clone (Aviator).

Anyone have a decent recipe for something similar to this? This will be my first all-grain attempt.

2/21/2011 11:53:27 AM

alright- here's a little recipe i decided to concoct. I wanted to do a Black IPA bourbon style beer, so I've taken bits and pieces from different recipes to create what I think will be an interesting beer (to say the least).

12lb Pale Malt (2-Row)
1lb Carafa II
1lb Caramel/Crystal 20L
.5lb Smoked Malt
.5lb Special Roast

1oz Centennial (60min)
1oz Cascade (45min)
1oz Williamette (15min)
1oz Cascade (5min)
1tsp Irish Moss (0min)

Yeast- TBD (thoughts??)

-Fermentation 10 days

-1oz Fuggles- Dry Hop in secondary for 3 days
-Boil oak chips & soak oak chips in 1/2 pint Makers Mark whiskey for 3 days
-Add oak chips and whiskey to beer in secondary
-Let stand for 3 weeks
-Rack to Bottling
-Age for 3 weeks
-Get hammered.

would love input/thoughts/concerns, etc. I want to get the OG somewhere around 1.09. Beer Smith projects around 1.07. Thoughts as to how I can achieve a higher OG? i want to get this beer around 10%abv.

cheers!

2/21/2011 4:49:18 PM

Using aroma hops for bittering is definitely not a problem. The only disadvantage is that you'll end up using more than you would with a standard bittering hop, since the aroma hops are likely to have a lower alpha acid content.

2/21/2011 4:58:24 PM

^^increase 2-row malt to get higher O.G., and Crystal 20L isn't going to give you any roasted flavor or color, it's more intended for pilsners & golden ales, you need something in the Crystal 60, 80 or 90L

for yeast:

American Ale Yeast II, Wyeast 1272 (or the 1056)

perfect yeast for wood-aged (kinda what you're going for) along with medium-high attenuation, the limit is 10% ABV though.

2/22/2011 1:12:51 PM

^ that is perfect, useful information. thanks!

How many lbs of 2-Row do you think i should start with?

2/22/2011 4:53:50 PM

^

fuggles tend to give off an earthy/grassy aroma - if that's what you want then by all means go for it, but I think more Cascade or Willamette would be better, especially in a dry hop application

the smoke, hop, and oak/bourbon combo seems like a bit of a clash to me, could be a personal thing - you might end up loving it, but something to consider

I'm at a work computer so no brewing software - how many IBUs did you project?

2/22/2011 5:37:12 PM

the smoke/hop/bourbon is something i want. i want to see if the flavors can come sort of full circle...the roasted, dark malt to a warm mellow bourbon, and finishing with a nice hop and roasty after taste.

Beer Smith projects 37IBU, which i think could be pretty solid. i suppose its not really going to be a "black IPA" since its really not going to have an IBU in the IPA range. but i could possibly up it with Centennial.

2/22/2011 6:17:39 PM

^i'm surprised it only came out to 37.

Do any of you guys cold condition your ales? If so, for how long and at what temperatures? Will sitting my amber ale in the keggerator at 45-50 degrees for like a week leave healthy yeast behind for carbonation when we bottle? We're using http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=130

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 7:43 AM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 7:42:47 AM

you can cold condition for about a week in the secondary and then return the beer to room temperature (after kegging or bottling). There will be plenty of yeast remaining to carbonate the beer.


if you don't secondary or you just want to accelerate the yeast drop, mix 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin into ½ cup of hot water and make sure it’s completely dissolved. Then toss it into your fermenter.

2/23/2011 8:06:00 AM

Jeepin4x4's secret ingredient...

2/23/2011 8:19:52 AM

that's it, i'm brewing a pudding pop porter next fall.

2/23/2011 8:32:28 AM

loool

2/23/2011 10:45:57 AM

Anyone interested in a brand new never used 100 quart aluminum pot (with lid)? $80

I bought this thing, but probably need to downsize if I'm going to just be brewing 10 gallon batches at the most.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 10:44 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 10:38:16 PM

Brewing 10 gallons of Jamil's West Coast Blaster this morning. This will be my first all-grain batch...should be interesting to see how it turns out

West Coast Blaster
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.067 (16.4°P)
FG = 1.015 (3.9 °P)
IBU = 66 SRM = 17 ABV = 6.9%

Ingredients

11.4 lb. (5.17 kg) Muntons pale ale malt (3°L)
(or Great Western British pale ale malt)
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) Great Western crystal malt (40 °L)
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) Durst Munich malt (8 °L)
0.5 lb. (227 g) Victory malt (28 °L)
0.5 lb. (227 g) Great Western crystal malt (120 °L)
2.5 oz. (71 g) pale chocolate malt (200 °L)
11.44 AAU Horizon hops (60 min.)
(0.88 oz./25 g at 13% alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.)
(1.0 oz./28 g 6% at alpha acids)
9 AAU Centennial hops (10 min.)
(1.0 oz./28 g 9% at alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade hops (0 min.)
(1.0 oz./28 g 6% at alpha acids)
9 AAU Centennial hops (0 min.)
(1.0 oz./28 g 9% at alpha acids)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001
(California Ale) or Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast

Step by Step

Mill the grains and dough-in targeting a mash of around 1.5 quarts of water to 1 pound of grain (a liquor-to-grist ratio of about 3:1 by weight) and a temperature of 152° F (67 °C). Hold the mash at 152 °F (67 °C) until enzymatic conversion is complete. Infuse the mash with near boiling water while stirring or with a recirculating mash system raise the temperature to mash out at 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting wort until the pre-boil kettle volume is around 6.5 gallons (25 L) and the gravity is 1.052 (12.9 °P).

The total wort boil time is 90 minutes. Add the bittering hops with 60 minutes remaining in the boil. Add Irish moss or other kettle finings with 15 minutes left in the boil. Add other hop additions at 10 minutes remaining and flame out. Chill the wort to 67 °F (19 °C) and aerate thoroughly. The proper pitch rate is 12 grams of rehydrated dry yeast, 2 packages of liquid yeast or 1 package of liquid yeast in a 2.5-liter starter.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) until the yeast drops clear. Fermentation should be complete in about one week. Allow the lees to settle and the brew to mature without pressure for another two days after fermentation appears finished. Rack to a keg and force carbonate or rack to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar, and bottle. Target a carbonation level of 2 to 2.5 volumes.

2/26/2011 9:36:32 AM

Pics from today's brewing





And my new kegerator that I finished last night. Holds 4 cornies/c02 tank. I only have 3 taps right now, but accidently started drilling the hole for the 4th one I'm going to drill it through and put a shank cover on the hole.

2/26/2011 10:54:04 PM

that kegerator looks good! It'll look even better when it's full...

2/27/2011 8:31:03 AM