What's in your fermenter? 2019

[Pezzza]

16 minutes ago, Beer Baron said:

I only use what falls from the sky and what is in my tank

Well yer got some ripper grass I say... must still get that stuff that falls from the sky where you live 

OR yer got MAAAASSSSIVE TANKS !?! 

And a very large shed ; )

[Beerlust]

Missed my intended OG by 2 points that annoyed me a little, but hopefully it still turns out OK. The rest of the brew day went smoothly.

It's in the Brew Gods hands now. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Beer Baron]

I’m not happy with the grass I inherited when I purchased this house. There are 3 different types of grass in the front so I will rip it up soon and redo the whole lot. I have a 2100L tank

[Otto Von Blotto]

If the dogs keep it up there will be zero types of grass in the back yard here.

The front is Sir Walter and random weeds at the moment, which was very spongy when we moved in so I shaved it down to the soil, it's still growing back but at least it isn't spongy anymore. I want to get rid of it anyway as I don't really like the variety. The footpath is some random crap grass and a bit of blue couch at one end. Dunno what I'll do with it yet.

[Pezzza]

Now... back on topic.  What is (still) in the Fermenter... and now back in the brew-fridge:

Coopers Euro Lager plus 1.7kg Light Dry Malt Extract... and some Hallertauer as Hop Tea...

YES... and the MUCH MALIGNED Saflager S-23

ok ok ok.... I will use W 34/70 next time.... mmmm…. or maybe my big jar of Coops Golden Crown leftover yeast if I am feeling too pour whoops I mean poor ; )

Shoulda used W 34/70 in the first place now realising more clearly it coming from Weihenstephan

Anyway...  this is the FIRST time I am following Kelsey's suggested Lager temp control regime... started at 9.5degC.... now after some time at 18 for DiAcetyl Rest the Fermenter is going back in the Fridge set at 12 degC and will drop temp gradually down to 3 deg over a few days.  All very exciting.  OG 1047... Ian's spready predicted 1048.... am now down to 1014... and major action seems to have abated.

The recent OG sample smelled good... will taste tonight once it has cooled and clarified up a bit.  So will then do this cooling down and yeast clean-up period... then at 3 degC for about a week... and then into the bottles (no kegs here... the only keg within cooee is what my trouser belt is keeping strapped in ) and back up to 18 for a Secondary ferment... then Lager them quite cool for a while if they don't get drunk first! 

Looking forward to seeing the final result!

 

 

[Pezzza]

20 minutes ago, Beer Baron said:

I’m not happy with the grass I inherited when I purchased this house. There are 3 different types of grass in the front so I will rip it up soon and redo the whole lot. I have a 2100L tank

I have 30 different types of grass in the front  ; )

And too many roos rabbits and wombats... 

[Shamus O'Sean]

Shamus Adams Boston Lager

• 1.7kg Coopers Australian Pale Ale
• 450g Medium Crystal Malt
• 353g Light Dry Malt
• 20g Hallertau Mittelfruh 60 min boil
• 20g Hallertau Mittelfruh 30 min steep
• 10g Hallertau Mittlefruh dry hop planned

23L (should have been 19L but I got carried away adding water)

OG 1.030

Hectic brew and bottle day today.  Brewed the above while bottling my Royal Pilsner

Overall not a clever idea, but was too busy yesterday.  Also I wanted to tip the Shamus Adams Boston Lager wort straight onto the Royal Pilsner Saflager W-34/70 yeast cake.

The day seemed to end up okay.  However, the bottling process was quite disjointed while doing the brewing process.  Bottles left sitting empty with open tops for much longer than usual.  Hopefully okay though.  Ended up hot steeping the Crystal Malt for an hour instead of 30 minutes as intended.

Will lager the bottles in the garage for a few months over winter.  The next week in Melbourne is predicted to be pretty mild though and not lagering temperatures. 

Cheers Shamus

[West Oz Mark]

ChocLiqueur Stout. First try with Malt Grains.

Last brew was my first time brewing with Hops (Mexican Cerveza Cascade Hops) so I thought I would have a crack at doing an all Grain Stout. Wisely I was talked out of a full Grain brew from my HB lady for a novice and pointed in the direction of the following ChocLiqueur Stout recipe. Made it up this afternoon without any problems so all good so far. Suggested temp is 21* but my basic heating setup is sitting at around 18-20*. Hopefully that shouldn't be too much of an issue. 

ChocLiqueur Stout

• 1.7kg Thomas Coopers Irish Stout
• 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Amber Malt Extract
• 300g Chocolate Malt Grains (Steeped 30 min in 2L just boiled Water)
• Safale S-04 Dry ale yeast (Additional to the can yeast)
• 50ml Chocolate Cream Liqueur Essence (Add 2 days after the Krausen has collapsed back into the brew)  

23L, OG 1.050 (aprox 4.9% ABV)

 

[The Captain!!]

Bottled up my latest pales today after filtering them. One I used a 5 micron and the other beer a 1 micron just to see the difference. 

I am doing this because I’d rather filter than use fish guts and pill capsule coating....... well for the moment. 

Just a little bit of experimenting on this side as I’ve had a lot of comments from my non craft beer drinking mates that my beers are very tasty, but too tasty. Seeing that filtering does remove some taste, I’m thinking my recipes can stay the way they are, I’ll just see what happens with clarity and removal of the sometimes gritty mouthfeel I get from my very dry hopped beers. 

The 1 micron beer looked to be just the right amount of clarity I’ve been after. 

I will post the results in a week or so in the what are you drinking thread. 

[Beer Baron]

9 minutes ago, The Captain!! said:

but too tasty

Too tasty??????

[The Captain!!]

1 minute ago, Beer Baron said:

Too tasty??????

Yep. That’s the feedback 

[joolbag]

22 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Shamus Adams Boston Lager

• 1.7kg Coopers Australian Pale Ale
• 450g Medium Crystal Malt
• 353g Light Dry Malt
• 20g Hallertau Mittelfruh 60 min boil
• 20g Hallertau Mittelfruh 30 min steep
• 10g Hallertau Mittlefruh dry hop planned

23L (should have been 19L but I got carried away adding water)

OG 1.030

Hectic brew and bottle day today.  Brewed the above while bottling my Royal Pilsner

Overall not a clever idea, but was too busy yesterday.  Also I wanted to tip the Shamus Adams Boston Lager wort straight onto the Royal Pilsner Saflager W-34/70 yeast cake.

The day seemed to end up okay.  However, the bottling process was quite disjointed while doing the brewing process.  Bottles left sitting empty with open tops for much longer than usual.  Hopefully okay though.  Ended up hot steeping the Crystal Malt for an hour instead of 30 minutes as intended.

Will lager the bottles in the garage for a few months over winter.  The next week in Melbourne is predicted to be pretty mild though and not lagering temperatures. 

Cheers Shamus

Mate I've done Sam Adams Boston Lager twice now. One extract, the other partial mash. Haven't done all grain version yet. I really enjoyed it both times.

Yours looks similar to my recipe (but I got the OG right) and it was very tasty. Good work pitching onto a cake. These lagers need A LOT of yeast

[The Captain!!]

I guess to elaborate on that question the @Beer Baron. My beers are very hoppy. and therefor not for everybody.

When people have my beer they say things like tasty but couldn't have more than a few. Or so tasty but three or four pints would be enough.

I think this comes from the grittiness I get in some of my beers due to the large dry hop. 

I could use finings and cold crash longer to drop the yeast and particles out but this doesn't really work with my FIFO brewing schedule. Simple supply and demand there.

The bottling I've done is for my wife 40th, so Ill have a number of people sampling these beers and hoping for better feedback. Theres are the Rye pale and the punk IPA rip off that I've now changed up a bit to suit my tastes. Each person of this trip has tasted each beer and said the same thing for both. Thankfully the samples taste like the beer and its not way off recipe for some reason. 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by The Captain!!

[joolbag]

47 minutes ago, The Captain!! said:

I am doing this because I’d rather filter than use fish guts and pill capsule coating

I've just started using pvpp polyclar Captain. I was amazing how clear my Kölsch poured. No chill haze (and I exclusively cube). Keen to see your photos and taste test using a filter.

 

Will also use polyclar on my czech pils. Haven't decided to use them on my IPA yet. Don't mind them a bit hazy

[The Captain!!]

Just now, joolbag said:

I've just started using pvpp polyclar Captain. I was amazing how clear my Kölsch poured. No chill haze (and I exclusively cube). Keen to see your photos and taste test using a filter.

 

Will also use polyclar on my czech pils. Haven't decided to use them on my IPA yet. Don't mind them a bit hazy

I have some pvpp sitting there ready use. Rather filter before going down that line. 

Ill post a side by side of the originals, the 5 micron and the 1 micron to give you guys a look and comment. Might not be worth the hassle but I can only try.

I don't mind them a bit hazy but lately they have started to resemble chicken soup, and beer shouldn't look like that ha ha ha ha. 

But in all honestly its the mouthfeel thats getting me and I want to improve it.

[Pezzza]

29 minutes ago, The Captain!! said:

I have some pvpp sitting there ready use. Rather filter before going down that line. 

I like the way you're thinking Captain.

Can you describe the apparatus for the filtration - is this all keg stuff in-line filters under pressure?

Us 'poor cousin bottlers' probably would struggle to gravity feed through 1 micron or?

Anyway... very interested in the filtration experiment - and in the pleasing others' palates cause.

I am embarking on all grain - and some really nice lads have helped me with bits and pieces of very helpful hardware... and I will hafta brew something fairly light for their palates... some fellas just are not into the full bodied hop bomb so think I will chase a lighter style low-hop Pils or Ale for them... not compromising on ABV... will be around 5 % ABV otherwise not worth brewing I would suggest.

Guess I have one possible win - one of the lads seems terribly keen on the potential of the 'spent grain' as horse feed 

 

 

 

[Pezzza]

23 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

 Also I wanted to tip the Shamus Adams Boston Lager wort straight onto the Royal Pilsner Saflager W-34/70 yeast cake.

So what is the procedure Shamus - do you literally just pour the fresh wort into the newly drained FV - with the Yeast Cake in the bottom... not scrubbing or sanitizing or anything...  just usually there is a bit of dry-krausen-froth-scum on the sides of the Vat... no worry?  Guess it is all just associated with the beer and yeast of the prior brew?  My hygiene-Nazi bent would suggest more pouring the yeast cake out of the old FV into a new FV with the new Wort...  though there are many different ways to swing a cat.

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, joolbag said:

These lagers need A LOT of yeast

I would agree if my OG was higher.  At 1.030 I reckon it will be an over pitch.  Although to read what Otto says, it is almost impossible to over pitch a lager.

I had a good krausen this morning, no more than 15 hours in the fermenter at 18°C.  Dropped the temp to 12°C straight away.

[Shamus O'Sean]

21 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said:

do you literally just pour the fresh wort into the newly drained FV - with the Yeast Cake in the bottom... not scrubbing or sanitizing or anything

Yep.  That is exactly what I did.  I did wash and sanitise the lid though.

I saw this on one of Fast Home Brews videos and thought I would give it a go.  I am a bit worried about sanitation.  As you mention, the crud on the side of the fermenter.  Unless this turns out amazeballs I probably will not do it again.

[Pezzza]

1 minute ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Yep.  That is exactly what I did.  I did wash and sanitise the lid though.

I saw this on one of Fast Home Brews videos and thought I would give it a go.  I am a bit worried about sanitation.  As you mention, the crud on the side of the fermenter.  Unless this turns out amazeballs I probably will not do it again.

Thanks Shamus.  It is just a possibility for me not too far away to do same - but I think I will instead just look at the opportunity for bringing across the yeast cake from the brew being bottled into the new brew directly - into a fresh fermenter. Thanks mate. BB

[Pezzza]

10 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

At 1.030 I reckon it will be an over pitch.  Although to read what Otto says, it is almost impossible to over pitch a lager.

What are the consequences of an under-pitch -- more so on the pilseners/lagers cold temp bottom fermenting yeasts perspective -- besides opening up the fresh growth medium to some other unwanted organisms colonising the fresh Wort?

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 minute ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Thanks Shamus.  It is just a possibility for me not too far away to do same - but I think I will instead just look at the opportunity for bringing across the yeast cake from the brew being bottled into the new brew directly - into a fresh fermenter. Thanks mate. BB

In hindsight I would agree.  Given that it is pretty easy to sanitise a clean fermenter, next time I would harvest the slurry into a jar, get my wort ready in the new fermenter and pitch the yeast across. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 minute ago, Bearded Burbler said:

What are the consequences of an under-pitch -- more so on the pilseners/lagers cold temp bottom fermenting yeasts perspective -- besides opening up the fresh growth medium to some other unwanted organisms colonising the fresh Wort?

I do not really know.  I am sure the brains trust will fill us in.

[The Captain!!]

1 hour ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Can you describe the apparatus for the filtration - is this all keg stuff in-line filters under pressure?

Us 'poor cousin bottlers' probably would struggle to gravity feed through 1 micron 

 

It’s a keg to keg filter. Basically push the beer through a keg to another keg or like today a FV which I bottled from. In between that is a water filter. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Pitching onto a yeast cake would work for lagers but you wouldn't do it with an ale unless the new batch was twice the volume and OG or something of the old one. Massive overpitch.

As for polyclar, it drops out into the trub, so none of it makes it into the bottles/keg/glass. Same with isinglass. I always leave the beer sit for 3-4 days after adding it to ensure it all drops out even though it probably does it in one day. You are not drinking plastic.