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I've succumbed to the rabbit hole


Malter White

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After 2 years of rudimentary temperature control I have succumbed further to the rabbit hole that is home brew. I just ordered an Inkbird ITC-308.
With my son coming home for Xmas I decided to make a Mex Cerveza KnK. He's a millennial and likes that kind of beer.
The past week or so in Adelaide was fairly mild weather wise apart from one day where it hit 38C. In readiness for the hot day I set up the cold water, wet towel, the fan and some ice bricks.
I think I may have sent the yeast to sleep. It stalled at 1.012. Even a few days at warmer temps didn't get it going again, so I bottled at 1.012 this morning.
This was my second stall in the last 6 brews. The first one was due to an underpitch when I tried to harvest some CCA yeast. The harvest was not successful also because I reckon my room temps were probably too low.
I figured it's time to bite the bullet and get some legitimate temperature control. Merry Xmas to me. 🙂 

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If you did a KK with this, it's probably only a couple of points out, so I wouldn't say it's stalled, getting it warm again might kick it along. But I've had plenty of beers finish a little bit high.

Surprisingly, I'm really enjoying the Cerveza kit, it's a great summer beer. I did the Carib Siesta, but couldn't get Calypso hops, so used Lemondrop and cascade, steeped. I'd use a bit more next time, the lemon aroma is very subtle. If son likes corona, you could use same and tell him you already stuffed a lemon wedge in there...

Edited by Lab Rat
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11 hours ago, Lab Rat said:

If you did a KK with this, it's probably only a couple of points out, so I wouldn't say it's stalled, getting it warm again might kick it along. But I've had plenty of beers finish a little bit high.

Yeah, I left it to warm for a few days but there was no change to SG. I figured it stalled because I only added BE1 to it and most if that would ferment out. I've never had any other KnK brews finish that high other than the failed yeast harvest one.

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Ian's spreadsheet agrees .


If I punch in a can of Cev and a kilo of BE1 (60%dex 40%malto)  in a 23 litre brew  Ian's spreadsheet suggests an FG of 1.014.  I don't know that Cooper's has ever specified what the exact proportion of BE1  is.  If the content of BE1  is 75% dextrose and 25% Maltodextrin then Ian's spreadsheet has FG bang on 1.012.  

I did a similar brew using a kilo of brewing sugar instead of BE1 and FG was 1.009.  It drank well but I felt it thin and wished I had reduced the volume by a couple of litres ... but maybe it could have used some more maltodextrin.

Good luck down the rabbit hole Muzzy but don't despair for the Cerveza.    I don't think your yeast stalled.  I think they were done.  

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@Otto Von Blotto @James of Bayswater
Thanks chaps. I still have much to learn. I thought my FGs had to be around 1008 or lower to be completed.
If what you tell me is correct, and I'm sure it is, I just spent $45 on an Inkbird that I didn't really need to. D'oh!
However, it's done now and I'm going to claim Mum & Dad's old fridge tomorrow.
I've mainly made ales in the past due to my lack of temp control, so this isn't a bad mistake to make because I can now start dabbling into some nice, crisp lagers in the future.
Cheers.

PS. One thing I'm pi55ed off with is my brewery will now become an alfresco operation under the verandah because the old fridge is not something I want inside. My chagrin though becomes my wife's joy as she gets her kitchen back.

Edited by MUZZY
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2 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

An inkbird isn't wasted money. Best thing I did was get one and a fridge. Now you can brew whatever you like without micromanaging your FV. It makes brewing easy and consistent, even if you do mostly ales.

Cheers, Labby.
I was doing ales mainly because the few lagers I made weren't great without temp control but I've been loving most of the ales. I don't think I've wasted the money on the Inkbird either. I just didn't want to:
A) buy one because I'm tight. 😄 
B) move the brewing operations outside.
C) fall further down the rabbit hole because I'd told myself I wouldn't do so. Hahaha.

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Nope, the FG depends on the ingredients, yeast strain etc. It can be anywhere from 1.000 or even below up to 1.020 or more depending on the beer. There's no specific figure that all beers must reach. 

Coopers have specified the content of be1 being 60% dextrose and 40% maltodextrin. It's in the product description in the online store I believe. 

I also agree with Labrat. Temp control with a fridge is much easier than constantly checking and maintaining the temperature with the more primitive methods, and the results are consistently better. Essentially set and forget. 

Edited by Otto Von Blotto
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6 hours ago, MUZZY said:


C) fall further down the rabbit hole because I'd told myself I wouldn't do so. Hahaha.

I told myself the same thing several years ago.  Just wanted to make good tasting, easy-to-brew beer with the simple intention of saving $$ on my weekly booze bill.

Oh how the mighty have fallen!  😁 

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5 hours ago, MUZZY said:

Go to bed @Otto Von Blotto.
Only night shift bus drivers should be awake at this hour.

Oh, you're probably on you're way to work. 😉 

Friday night and don't work weekends! 

44 minutes ago, BlackSands said:

I told myself the same thing several years ago.  Just wanted to make good tasting, easy-to-brew beer with the simple intention of saving $$ on my weekly booze bill.

Oh how the mighty have fallen!  😁 

I remember looking at a video of someone doing an AG batch (3v and sparge etc.) one day a few months after I started brewing (again). I think i was still on kits at the time. I thought it looked too complicated and thought I'd probably never get into that. 😂😂😂😂 I suppose I didn't get into the 3v method but about 6 months later I did start BIAB. 

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5 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

That's why I went for the broken shifts. Only work Monday to Friday and get paid the same as normal shifts doing 6 days. 

Different ball game here in Adelaide after they privatised the bus services. No spread penalties anymore for brokens. Everyone gets the same hourly rate. That's why I do nights because they are all straight shifts. If you work days you get the a.m. straight shifts but most of the day work is brokens. 🤬

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So this is the diamond in the rough I picked up from my parents. It's an all-fridge fridge i.e. no freezer section. Needs a good clean, a paint job and some robust shelves installed but as you can see it will fit two Coopers FV including krausen collars simultaneously. My 60 litre FV also fits.

I have to admit I'm a little excited to be doing the work.

Inkbird is due to arrive this week some time.

IMG20191214165149.jpg

IMG20191214165203.jpg

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Yeah that's why I hope they never privatise it completely here. There are plenty of private companies but the major one is local government. I get the same hourly rate but I just get paid more hours because the shifts are longer from start to finish. 

Looks like a nice fridge too. Grab a couple of plywood pieces to fit and you'll be laughing. 

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That's what I am trying to get, an all fridge fridge so I can get two FV's in it.

Saw one on Gumtree, I missed out on that one, the guy said he could have sold it several times what with Xmas and the heat wave.

The large choice of shelf positions is a good feature.

Edited by Pickles Jones
spelling!
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Just now, Otto Von Blotto said:

Yeah that's why I hope they never privatise it completely here. 

I started as a gov't driver in 1999. A year later the SA Liberals privatised the buses. We lost pay and conditions but were doing more work and being more productive. It still sticks in my craw because in businesses I'd worked in previously if you became more productive you got rewarded more. We got the opposite.
The Liberals were out of office for 16 years but got back in about 2 years ago. They're now privatising the trains and trams as well. Can teach a stupid dog new tricks it seems.
 

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8 minutes ago, Pickles Jones said:

That's what I am trying to get, an all fridge fridge so I can get two FV's in it.

Saw one on Gumtree, I missed out on that one, the guy said he could have sold it several times what with Xmas and the heat wave.

The large choice of shelf positions is a good feature.

The name on the outside says "Freezamate" so I imagine it's the fridge half of a side by side fridge and freezer set. My folks got it from a neighbour when he moved into a retirement village. My folks are elderly now too and have no need for a second fridge. (Got my inheritance early. Hahaha)
Good luck in your searches, Pickles. What location are you? If you're in Adelaide I'll keep my eyes peeled for you.

 

Edited by MUZZY
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15 minutes ago, MUZZY said:

I started as a gov't driver in 1999. A year later the SA Liberals privatised the buses. We lost pay and conditions but were doing more work and being more productive. It still sticks in my craw because in businesses I'd worked in previously if you became more productive you got rewarded more. We got the opposite.
The Liberals were out of office for 16 years but got back in about 2 years ago. They're now privatising the trains and trams as well. Can teach a stupid dog new tricks it seems.
 

They'd do it here too if they had their way. I've already noticed changes in my shifts, longer working hours, shorter breaks and no change in pay. Some of the breaks are that short that they may as well knock another hour off the break and make it a straight shift. Nobody seems to understand that workers are more productive if they are treated well. 

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