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What's in Your Fermenter? 2020


Otto Von Blotto

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2 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

I think it's changing to k-mart. I know the missus was happy about it - they do stationery stuff she likes.

There's not many women I know that don't like Kmart. I'd be a home owner 3 or 4 times over if Kmart didn't exist. 😄

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Just checked the Dark Ale No. 4. Cruising in on Day 4 @ 1.012. Slightly lighter in color than the previous due to a little extra dry malt that I dropped in. Testing the SG initially was a bit low @ 1.032 and went 300g of LDM extra

 

Edited by UncleStavvy
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2 hours ago, Journeyman said:

Local Salvos had one that's better than the one I use daily for coffee. $3! Even betterer. 😄 

Make sure you use the good new one for the hops now JMan!

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On 5/16/2020 at 2:54 PM, JoeB7 said:

1.7kg can Coopers European lager

1.7kg can Black Rock liquid light malt

500grm LDM

22gr saaz hops steeped

Mangrove Jacks M76 

@JoeB7 has a lager on day 16 with an airlock slowing right down.

He will hydromtr test Fri/Sat then if steady leave it outside at balmy 2°C O/N for a Sunday bottling.

Should he kick it up to 18°C on Thurs for a last 'Hurrah'? And what would be best for a final dry hop of saaz?

Discuss🤔👨‍🎓

20200601_161342.jpg

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8 minutes ago, JoeB7 said:

Should he kick it up to 18°C on Thurs for a last 'Hurrah'?

Yeah the Lager Temp Protocol that I got off @Otto Von Blotto Kelsey and which matches the ol' John Palmer pretty much - has us going up 3 deg or so.... 18 is good.... to do the Di-Acetyl Rest... think it is a good idea... I usually do it for like 3 days.... and then the OVB Protocol and Palmer has us coming down like 2 deg a day till you bottom out....

So the yeast do the work on any stray Di-Acetyl when warm... and you encourage them to 'clean up' on the way down.... think it works pretty well in general.  In my brewery I am just bringing one FV down now by the slow cool 2 deg per day... and warming the other one up to 18 slowly...

Exemplary taping too JB - though it would be better if you could use a little more - no skimping please (btw this is an ongoing piss-take of brewers having massive FV tape-on-fests for their temp probe... is a beautiful thing ha ha)

Edited by Bearded Burbler
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I'd be checking the SG now. After 16 days it is probably just about finished. 

Mine are usually allowed to rise to 18 after 6 days and reach FG 3-4 days later. The key is to raise the temperature before FG while the yeast are still actively fermenting. 

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2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I'd be checking the SG now. After 16 days it is probably just about finished. 

Mine are usually allowed to rise to 18 after 6 days and reach FG 3-4 days later. The key is to raise the temperature before FG while the yeast are still actively fermenting. 

@Otto Von Blotto We had some warmer days early on & it sat around 18-16°C for 3-4 days. Only put the heat pad back on last week when I found it 10-12°C. I've been purging the airlock and monitoring the gas build up twice daily & it is still creating C02.

will give @Bearded Burbler advice a run.

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3 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Exemplary taping too JB - though it would be better if you could use a little more - no skimping please (btw this is an ongoing piss-take of brewers having massive FV tape-on-fests for their temp probe... is a beautiful thing ha ha)

Was using duct tape but it peels off easy. Found some gaffer tape and thought "Well I'm fresh out of gerbils. What else is this good for"?🐹

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12 hours ago, Journeyman said:

Well, that's a bugger - we don't have Kame apart in Murray Bridge and BigW version is $26! I wonder if SWMBO wants a trip to Mt Barker? 😄 

Check your local $2 shop or thrift store, nearly guaranteed to find one.

Edit - Just got to the end and read you got one 😊

Edited by NewBrews
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4 hours ago, JoeB7 said:

@JoeB7 has a lager on day 16 with an airlock slowing right down.

He will hydromtr test Fri/Sat then if steady leave it outside at balmy 2°C O/N for a Sunday bottling.

Should he kick it up to 18°C on Thurs for a last 'Hurrah'? And what would be best for a final dry hop of saaz?

Discuss🤔👨‍🎓

20200601_161342.jpg

Last time I saw that much gaffer tape they were sticking the Space Station back together! 😂

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1 hour ago, JoeB7 said:

@Otto Von Blotto We had some warmer days early on & it sat around 18-16°C for 3-4 days. Only put the heat pad back on last week when I found it 10-12°C. I've been purging the airlock and monitoring the gas build up twice daily & it is still creating C02.

will give @Bearded Burbler advice a run.

Yeah that's probably not gonna produce a great result if it's a proper lager yeast. It's not a good idea to drop the temp in the middle like that with any yeast though. If it's warming up again it could just be releasing gas already in it as opposed to creating more. Check the SG, it's the only way to know for sure what's going on. Airlocks are unreliable at the best of times and then throwing temperature changes into the mix, there's another possibility for it bubbling. 

Unless you've got proper temp control it's more difficult to produce consistently good results with lagers compared to ales. I gave up on them altogether until I had a brew fridge, the results fermenting with temp control vs without were night and day. 

Edited by Otto Von Blotto
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12 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

If it's warming up again

If FV's already had a spell up being warm @Otto Von Blotto Kelsey do you think @JoeB7 JB should not bounce it back up there - I did not know it had already been up a bit warmer...

Here's the OVB Temp Protocol for future reference JB (and also aligns with Palmer):

OVB Lager Temp Protocol

Pitch a large amount of yeast at or close to ferment temp (higher or lower). I usually ferment at 10 degrees.

After 6 days: raise temp controller to 18 and let the brew rise naturally, which usually takes a couple of days (diacetyl rest)*

After 10 days: test SG, again two days later. Most batches these readings are the same.

After 14 days: drop temp to 12 degrees, then 2.2/2.3 degrees per day until it reaches 3 degrees. This sends the yeast into cleanup mode. 

Then simply leave it at 3 degrees for another 7-10 days, then bottle or keg. If bottling, allow them to warm up for carbonation, once completed chill down and store for another couple of months if possible. 

 

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2 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Should be good - think it is a great idea from @Hairy Hairy!

It's not my original idea. People have been using them for ages and I jumped on the bandwagon some time ago. I don't make a lot of hop teas but I do find the coffee plunger handy when I do.

I might do it on my next batch. I am planning on making a pale ale on Monday so I might do a hop tea and add it a few days into fermentation.

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This is my next into the FV - in about 30 mins. Hop tea of 25g each cascade and EKG, 20 min boil of 25g simcoe. I've picked English IPA but no idea if it matches - I don't recall ever having an IPA in England - it was all bitters or newcy brown. 😄 The cascade and EKG are going in as hop tea from the plunger at pitching time, tea made at 80° and I added some cold water at 30 minutes (was meant to be 20) to cool it down.

image.png.2836365443afa72a79acff26b70d8c63.png

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11 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Probably closer to an American IPA with those ingredients. 

I go by guesswork - add the ingredients I want to use then find a style that gives me all green. 😄 American IPA works as well. 😄 I chose English more because originally I didn't have the Cascade in there - that got added after a sniff-test and I thought it blended nicely with the EKG.

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2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

That's the thing about different styles. It's not all based on numbers. 

Yes, I understand that. But for now I am happy. Maybe once I have a stock of kegs I can go browsing recipes and buy in what is needed for them but for now, I'm happy. 😄

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