What's in your fermenter? 2019

[Otto Von Blotto]

I thought my probe covering was overkill using thick packing foam and 8 pieces of tape, got nothing on that!

[MitchBastard]

43 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I thought my probe covering was overkill using thick packing foam and 8 pieces of tape, got nothing on that!

Lol. You can never have too much tape. I cover the whole piece of stubby cooler because It’s poress and figure tape over the whole thing would give the probe more chance of reading closer to the desired temp??

🤷‍♂

[Otto Von Blotto]

That's why I do mine like that too, horizontal, vertical and two diagonal pieces. I dunno how much difference it makes but it works if the speed at which the temperature changes is any indication. 

[BlackSands]

13 hours ago, Beerlust said:

Hi BlackSands.

Look into hops of a lower alpha acid percentage that carry good oil levels. What this translates into is hops you can use at larger weights throughout the boil & steeping phase without adding excessive bitterness if compared to using higher alpha hops in the boil & steeping phase at the same weights. More oil weight/percentage equals more flavour & aroma carryover/intensity.

There are a number of NZ hops that are terrific in this space. Riwaka being my personal favourite. Motueka is another I can think of if you like the lemon/lime aspects it throws.

Cheers & good brewing,

Lusty.

Yup.  While this particular brew I'm using 'left over' hops, the first hop I will be targeting in a future version will actually be Wai-iti.   Brewed a nice single-hop golden with this one about a year ago... very "tinned peaches".  Last years crop was a mere 1.3%AA with total oils of around 1.6ml/100g.   In terms of oil levels, based on the current crop the order of preference for NZ hops will then be Riwaka followed by Taiheke, Kohatu, Pacifica and Motueka all of which I've used numerous times in the past -  Riwaka and Kohatu being particular favourites.  They all land roughly in the range of 4 - 8%AA with oil levels between 0.8ml and 1.5ml/100g typically.  I''ll also look to use some of the even oilier American hops too.

 

 

[Beerlust]

4 hours ago, BlackSands said:

Yup.  While this particular brew I'm using 'left over' hops, the first hop I will be targeting in a future version will actually be Wai-iti.   Brewed a nice single-hop golden with this one about a year ago... very "tinned peaches".  Last years crop was a mere 1.3%AA with total oils of around 1.6ml/100g.   In terms of oil levels, based on the current crop the order of preference for NZ hops will then be Riwaka followed by Taiheke, Kohatu, Pacifica and Motueka all of which I've used numerous times in the past -  Riwaka and Kohatu being particular favourites.  They all land roughly in the range of 4 - 8%AA with oil levels between 0.8ml and 1.5ml/100g typically.  I''ll also look to use some of the even oilier American hops too.

Perfect. 

You should be able to get some really good hop flavour into those beers with alpha levels in that range as long as the bulk of the hops are not boiled for too long.

The Kiwi's are doing very well with the breeding of hops in this area, & I feel better than the Aussies are atm.

I'll look forward to your future reviews of them.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[MitchBastard]

13 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

That's why I do mine like that too, horizontal, vertical and two diagonal pieces. I dunno how much difference it makes but it works if the speed at which the temperature changes is any indication. 

I’m not sure if it makes a difference either  but there’s so much emphasis on temp control, may as well do all ya can. 

[Titan]

American IPA is ready. Numbers from Platto and sample match with expected fg. Dry hopped this 5pm 25g centennial and bubble count went up from around 6bpm to around 60 but has since died back. I will cc first thing tomorrow and package mid next week.

[Beerlust]

My current brew is likely fairly close to expected FG. I'll take a SG reading later today after work. I really want to get the dry hops in now but there is still a thick, creamy krausen above the brew that doesn't look like it's ready to drop anytime soon. 

Normally I wouldn't care & just let the brew take it's natural time, but I'd like to get this brew into a keg before the following Sunday as I have a few mates coming over for a feed & a few frothies so it would be nice to have a couple of kegs on the pour for the day. I need 3 or so days for the dry hop, & a minimum similar time frame for some cold conditioning so this stubborn krausen isn't helping that process.

The patented PB2 spoon whacking technique might be on the cards over the next few days! 

Cheers & good brewing,

Lusty.

[Shamus O'Sean]

On 3/19/2019 at 10:16 PM, Shamus O'Sean said:

Fourth day dry hop for my Gashslugs NEIPA tonight.  Brew smells glorious in the fermenter.

I did end up upping this dry hop to 25g Topaz; 25g Vic Secret and 20g Amarillo because they were the sizes I had already bagged.  Will remove this dry hop on Friday and repeat for another three days.  Cold crash planned from Monday.  Bottle the following weekend.

Fished out the Day 4 dry hop yesterday after work and dropped in the Day 7 dry hop: 25g Topaz; 25g Vic Secret and 20g Amarillo.  Smell has got even better.

I will cold crash from Monday or Tuesday and bottle on Friday.  Gashslug did do a three day cold crash with his.  See 1:10 mark of his youtube video "HOP FILTERING for Kegging and Bottling + COOPERS NEIPA Part 3".

[Beerlust]

My current brew has bottomed out @ 1.010 which I'm happy with. The WLP001 2nd round has done well.  I've just hurled the small mixed 30gm dry hop in. Damn creamy krausen was mostly still there though despite a vigorous working over with the patented PB2 spoon whacking procedure! To be fair I think the procedure is more efficient on dropping out solid krausens rather than creamy ones. 

For the first time using this kit, it appears to have a nice bitterness level & good citrus hop flavour from the hydro sample I tried. By the time it's on the pour I'm not expecting anything stupendous but it looks to be something quite nice for a kit based beer in the American Pale Ale space at a good price.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[dylanbrews]

Ready for my 3rd brew tomorrow to go in the fermenter, Went from a basic lager from the D.I.Y kit, to a can of pale ale and now onto a pale ale with mangrove jack m44 yeast and 50gms of cascade... when I am ready to put the hops in should i take the collar off or does that not matter and also how long after adding hops should i bottle? I noticed improvement from my first-second attempt so hoping some added flavour will give me a good beer.

Cheers
Dylan

[Shamus O'Sean]

9 minutes ago, dylanbrews said:

Ready for my 3rd brew tomorrow to go in the fermenter, Went from a basic lager from the D.I.Y kit, to a can of pale ale and now onto a pale ale with mangrove jack m44 yeast and 50gms of cascade... when I am ready to put the hops in should i take the collar off or does that not matter and also how long after adding hops should i bottle? I noticed improvement from my first-second attempt so hoping some added flavour will give me a good beer.

Cheers
Dylan

Hi Dylan

You do not have to remove the collar when you put the hops in.  Having said that, the advice is to remove the collar when the krausen (foam) has started to die down.  This time is also close to when you could dry hop anyway.  There are several trains of thought on the timing too.  I would just pop them in on the 7th day.

I wrap my dry hops in a chux cloth pulled straight from the packet.  I leave the hops in for three days, then remove them to avoid any possible grassy flavours.  Other people leave them longer without issues.

A dry hop with Cascade will improve this beer heaps.  I think you will love it.

Cheers Shamus

[dylanbrews]

1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Hi Dylan

You do not have to remove the collar when you put the hops in.  Having said that, the advice is to remove the collar when the krausen (foam) has started to die down.  This time is also close to when you could dry hop anyway.  There are several trains of thought on the timing too.  I would just pop them in on the 7th day.

I wrap my dry hops in a chux cloth pulled straight from the packet.  I leave the hops in for three days, then remove them to avoid any possible grassy flavours.  Other people leave them longer without issues.

A dry hop with Cascade will improve this beer heaps.  I think you will love it.

Cheers Shamus

Thanks for the advice, Shamus!

I have a strainer ball that submerges and holds the hops in which i will give a spray with star-san before i use.  I'm planning on bottling 3-4 days after adding the hops in anyway can i just leave the strainer in whilst i bottle? or will the hops dissolve enough to escape the strainer? 

 

Cheers! Dylan

[Otto Von Blotto]

Depending on the size of the strainer you might need two of them. 50g of hops will expand a fair bit and if there isn't enough room in the strainer then they will get squashed in and not work as well. 

It doesn't have to be removed before bottling though. There might be some tiny particles that escape but the vast majority stays inside. Hops don't dissolve, they just disintegrate. 

[dylanbrews]

56 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Depending on the size of the strainer you might need two of them. 50g of hops will expand a fair bit and if there isn't enough room in the strainer then they will get squashed in and not work as well. 

It doesn't have to be removed before bottling though. There might be some tiny particles that escape but the vast majority stays inside. Hops don't dissolve, they just disintegrate. 

Smaller strainer, locals at my home brew shop said it will fit 50 grams in... hope that's the case. Might get some chux clothes ready just in case. 

 

Thanks Otto!

[Otto Von Blotto]

There's a difference between fitting and having plenty of room They should be only filled to about ⅓ of their capacity to allow for expansion of the hops without squashing them in.

Roughly how big is the strainer? 

[Otto Von Blotto]

My Bohemian pilsner has finished at 1.011 for an ABV around 4.8%. Second FG sample taken today and tasting good, should be even better after some lagering. The sample was surprisingly clear as well which only confirmed to me that it's done. I'll drop the temp to 12 when I leave for work in a couple of hours, then the usual 2.2/2.3 degrees per day down to 3 degrees for 1-1.5 weeks before it's kegged, and lagering continues in there.

[dylanbrews]

8 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

There's a difference between fitting and having plenty of room They should be only filled to about ⅓ of their capacity to allow for expansion of the hops without squashing them in.

Roughly how big is the strainer? 

Probably be a tight squeeze with all the hops in it haha. Better to go a chux cloth tied up I guess? Also any advice on temperature to pitch/ferment the mangrove jack M44 at? 

 

Regards, Dylan 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah I'd go the chux. I have a few smallish strainers that are only good for about 10-12g of hops each, otherwise they don't expand fully. 

Pitch and ferment at 18 I reckon.

[Smash]

29 minutes ago, dylanbrews said:

Better to go a chux cloth tied up I guess?

You can always use a couple if there's too much, or half in a chux half in the strainer. Cut a strip off the edge of the chux cloth to tie it up.

30 minutes ago, dylanbrews said:

Also any advice on temperature to pitch/ferment the mangrove jack M44 at? 

Does the package have any instructions on it? Usually there is a range, otherwise around 18-20C should be ok.

[Marty_G]

19 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

The sample was surprisingly clear

wow that sure is an understatement ... mine look like that after crashing and fining ... 

[Otto Von Blotto]

3 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

wow that sure is an understatement ... mine look like that after crashing and fining ... 

I have found this 2278 yeast to flocculate well, but I'd expect the beer will cloud up a bit with chill haze once the temp is dropped enough. Of course, I'll be removing that with polyclar...

[Marty_G]

8 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I have found this 2278 yeast to flocculate well,

That is one of the Urquell yeasts, is it not?

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, the D strain apparently. 2001 is the H strain, but it's not always available anymore.

[ChristinaS1]

On 3/8/2019 at 2:17 PM, ChristinaS1 said:

Hi all,

Just made my SFWH experimental partial mash brew. It is an English Bitter, using mainly Cluster hops, with a wee bit of Centennial thrown in for some geraniol. This is my first time using Cluster hops. I have been wanting to try them for a while. At one time they were the most common hops in North America, but they aren't used much anymore, except for bittering, and sometimes in California Common and historical recipes. But from their description it sounds to like they would be good in an English Bitter: floral, earthy, spicy, mango. I was quite impressed with their aroma in store. They are a high cohumulene hop, but I am going to use them anyway. 

Cluster Bitter 

750gm Maris Otter

150gm Munich

225gm Crystal Wheat

75gm Crystal 120L

60gm Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate

12gm Cluster hops SFWH x 30 minutes + 20 minute boil

5gm Centennial hops SFWH x 30 minutes + 20 minute boil

10gm MJ's Liberty Bell M-36 yeast (rehydrated)

22L 

10 gm Cluster DH

10gm Centennial DH

For those interested in how I do my partial mashes, I use an 8.5L picnic cooler like this: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/coleman-hard-cooler-8-5-l-0854077p.html#spc as my mash tun. The lid was hollow and did not hold the heat very well, so years ago I drilled some holes in the lid and squirted spray foam insulation into it; now it keeps the mash temp very stable. I use 3L/kg water to grain in a mesh bag. My partial mashes are typically 900gm-1.25kg. I mash for 60 minutes. After squeezing the first wort out of the bag I put the grain bag back into the mash tun with some new water and mash that for an additional 30 minutes, for a second batch of wort. Then I combine the two worts and boil for 20 minutes. For this batch I put my short first wort hops into the kettle before pouring the first runnings onto them, gave the kettle a short blast of heat to bring the temp back up to mash temp, wrapped the kettle in a towel, then let it stand for 30 minutes while the second batch of wort was mashing. I then chilled the wort ASAP before adding the yeast. For this batch I did not add any hops later in the boil, nor did I do a hops stand. The dry hop will be just 20gm. 

Between Lusty's test and this one, I think we should get a sense of the potential of the SFWH method.  I am very curious how it will turn out. I usually have a batch drunk 6-7 weeks after bottling, but this time I plan to save four or so bottles beyond that and test one every week or so to see how the flavour changes.

One observation so far is that this method uses very little hops. Without any later hop or hop stand additions straining the hop matter out of the wort was a breeze.  Because of how I do my partial mashes, it didn't lengthen my brew day at all either. Because I did not do a hop stand, it actually shortened it by 20 minutes.  Mind you, for an APA, I would likely still do a hop stand.

Cheers,

Christina.

Just bottled this today and I am drinking the bottling leftovers. I am sorry I used Cluster hops for my SFWH experiment. I think they are gross. I recognize the flavour but I am not sure where from. If I had to guess I would say the beer tastes like marijuana smells, with a bit of onion thrown in. It is very unlike any hop I have ever tried before. I am reasonably certain the flavour is coming from the hops and not bacterial contamination.

I am not looking forward to having to drink 23L of this brew. At this stage I am also noticing a bit of mouth drying astringency as well. I sure hope this mellows with age.

I will not be offering friends a bottle from this batch. Good way to loose my reputation.

Christina.