What's in Your Fermenter? 2020

[Pezzza]

10 hours ago, MUZZY said:

fermenting with yeast salvaged from the trub of the previous European lager I made.

Nice Muzzly - what temp are you doing this one at in the festive Brew Fridge?

That Fridge looks big enough to rent out on Air-B-n-B?!

[Shamus O'Sean]

You know how I was planning a 12.5g dry hop of Amarillo in my Amarillo Golden Ale, well I thought I had a 100g packet of Amarillo hops in the freezer.  So I then thought, I might up this dry hop to 25g.  So I checked in the freezer and sure enough found the 100g packet.  I have it because I am planning an IPL in a little while with 80g of this hop and 80g of El Dorado. 

So opened up the packet and measured out 12.5g to add to the 12.5g I had with the kit.  Then did the dry hop as normal.

Came back to my Inventory in Beersmith.  I am usually fastidious at adding ingredients to my Inventory as soon as I buy them.  I knew I had 25g of Amarillo for this kit and 25g of Amarillo to use in the Fruit of the Woods ROTM in a few weeks, plus the 100g packet in the freezer.  Why does my Beersmith Inventory only show 100g of Amarillo?

Then I thought, hang on, was that really a 100g packet of Amarillo in the freezer.  Well, I must have eyesight-brain coordination issues.  I went back to the freezer and that newly opened packet is actually Mosaic.  This is also the hop planned for the IPL, not Amarillo.  Back to Beersmith Inventory, when I saw Mosaic, I read Amarillo.  How could I get these hops mixed up?  Sometimes I think I get hop fog from some of the lovely names of the hops.  That is my only explanation.

So I have now dry hooped this beer with 12.5g of Mosaic and 12.5g of Amarillo.  I dare say this will be a "capital decision" in the end, even if it was by accident.  Anybody confused?  I know I am.

[Pezzza]

2 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

So I have now dry hooped this beer with 12.5g of Mosaic and 12.5g of Amarillo. 

I think your biggest problem is that you 'dry hooped' rather than 'dry hopped' Shamus !?!  

Just joking mate... it will be lovely!

I was keen to use up some old Galaxy Flowers the other day, and my helpful brewing apprentice suggested that they smelled Cheesy!?  Think that even though refrigg'd the oils were oxidised and starting to go rancid... So I ditched them and went with Citra and Columbus...

The only problem is nil challenge - it just will be different to what was originally planned?!    

It will be a lovely brew Shamus!!!

[Malter White]

48 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said:

Nice Muzzly - what temp are you doing this one at in the festive Brew Fridge?

That Fridge looks big enough to rent out on Air-B-n-B?!

Hi Burbs.
I started it at 20C yesterday morning to ensure activity. Got home from work last night and dropped it to 16C because it was active. Just dropped it to 15C a few minutes ago. Reckon I'll leave it at 15C until it's almost done and then up it a few degrees to ensure it finishes fermenting.
How much would you pay a night to stay in the fridge?

Edited August 4, 2020 by MUZZY

[Shamus O'Sean]

9 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said:

dry hooped

Well I did throw them into a round receptacle.  Nothing but net.

[Beerlust]

I took a SG reading on Monday & it's still the same today, so have hurled a smallish amount of dry hops into the FV this morning. Columbus, Simcoe & Cashmere.

FG stabilised @ 1.013, predicted is 1.012, so I'm happy with that given I bolloxed up the strike temp at the beginning of the mash. I had a lot of break material in the krausen that US-05 has dealt with very well & dropped the lot out.  I will crash chill in a couple of days time.

I'm hopeful to get my first AG in the keg this coming weekend.

Cheers & good brewing,

Lusty.

[Hairy]

Chocolate Milkshake Brown Ale is chilling and will be kegged in the next day or so.

The chocolate was a little full on pre-fermentation but it has calmed down a lot. A bit of conditioning and carbonation should make a difference too.

I'm looking forward to having this one on tap although I don't think it will be a session beer.

[Journeyman]

15 hours ago, MUZZY said:

How much would you pay a night to stay in the fridge?

That would depend on whether it's summer with night temps of 30°+

And that's not a fridge - THIS is a fridge!  Yeah, I know there are bigger ones.  But if I had all kegs of the tall skinny kind I'd get 6 in there and before it became tasked to kegs I measured it up and it would take 4 x the stubby 30L FV's that I have only one of. And the freezer is on the bottom so no bending for me to do kegs.

[Malter White]

19 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

And that's not a fridge - THIS is a fridge!  Yeah, I know there are bigger ones.

Size isn't everything. Mine was FREE !!!! 

[Journeyman]

7 minutes ago, MUZZY said:

Size isn't everything. Mine was FREE !!!! 

So was mine! 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Pilsner was pitched earlier today in my break. Got the target 21 litres this time, OG was a bit under target at 1.048 but not by much. The pale ale I kegged after yesterday's brew day, and I just realised I forgot to turn off the gas on it, so hopefully it's not overcarbonated when I get home. 

[Naughty Corner Brewing]

22 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

You know how I was planning a 12.5g dry hop of Amarillo in my Amarillo Golden Ale, well I thought I had a 100g packet of Amarillo hops in the freezer.  So I then thought, I might up this dry hop to 25g.  So I checked in the freezer and sure enough found the 100g packet.  I have it because I am planning an IPL in a little while with 80g of this hop and 80g of El Dorado. 

So opened up the packet and measured out 12.5g to add to the 12.5g I had with the kit.  Then did the dry hop as normal.

Came back to my Inventory in Beersmith.  I am usually fastidious at adding ingredients to my Inventory as soon as I buy them.  I knew I had 25g of Amarillo for this kit and 25g of Amarillo to use in the Fruit of the Woods ROTM in a few weeks, plus the 100g packet in the freezer.  Why does my Beersmith Inventory only show 100g of Amarillo?

Then I thought, hang on, was that really a 100g packet of Amarillo in the freezer.  Well, I must have eyesight-brain coordination issues.  I went back to the freezer and that newly opened packet is actually Mosaic.  This is also the hop planned for the IPL, not Amarillo.  Back to Beersmith Inventory, when I saw Mosaic, I read Amarillo.  How could I get these hops mixed up?  Sometimes I think I get hop fog from some of the lovely names of the hops.  That is my only explanation.

So I have now dry hooped this beer with 12.5g of Mosaic and 12.5g of Amarillo.  I dare say this will be a "capital decision" in the end, even if it was by accident.  Anybody confused?  I know I am.

So how many did you have before you started this process?

[Shamus O'Sean]

58 minutes ago, NewBrews said:

So how many did you have before you started this process?

Told you I was confused.

Started out with a 2x25g packs of Amarillo and 1x100g pack of Mosaic.

The Amarillo Golden Ale called for 12.5g Amarillo in a boil and the other 12.5g dry hopped.  The other 25g is for Chris Woods' Fruit of the Woods in a week or so.

I do not know why, but I thought that the 100g of Mosaic was actually Amarillo.  So I thought I would up the Golden Ale dry hop and add in the extra "Amarillo".  It will not be what I expected, but I am sure it will be fine.

[MitchBastard]

@Beerlust how’s the AG life treating ya? 

[Beerlust]

1 hour ago, MitchBastard said:

@Beerlust how’s the AG life treating ya? 

Let's just say the first day was a bit sticky. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Hairy]

8 hours ago, Beerlust said:

Let's just say the first day was a bit sticky. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

Yes. The first AG brew day is very exciting!

[Beerlust]

52 minutes ago, Hairy said:

Yes. The first AG brew day is very exciting!

Hairy obviously needed a few extra hose clamps as well. 

[Waynealford]

Split batch of Hefeweizen with goop and malt tins and 250g dextrose, WB06; second vessel has 8L decanted from the above, 250g Munich steeped, s33, 30g Saaz, 20g Orange zest, 10g Mandarin zest, 5g crushed coriander for an Orange Witbier - going to late hop some zest soaked in vodka for a few days before bottling for some extra zing. 

I was having issues getting temps warm enough, have moved the smaller vessel inside to a wine fridge with a thermostatted reptile mat.  It had a darker brown layer on top compared to the orangey goodness below, but now that temps have warmed up, it seems to be becoming more uniform.  The fermenting fridge with the big one now has lots of material stuffed in it to minimise the space needed to heat, and hopefully I can get it higher than 18 degrees!

[Goldcoast Crow]

Ok so I'm changing tack this weekend, I'm going for a cider.... I have got my mj03 yeast, enough for 24lts, I have got my lactose, I just need to get my Apple juice....

I need some help, what if I went for an apple and black current with one of my 11 ltr batches?..... Will this work the same way?

[MitchBastard]

18 hours ago, Beerlust said:

Let's just say the first day was a bit sticky. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

Boil over?

[Beerlust]

1 hour ago, MitchBastard said:

Boil over?

Funny you mentioned that, yes I did experience a real surge in pillowing hot break upon reaching the boil. Luckily I was using my 50L Guten to brew a 21-23L batch or I may have had some problems preventing an overflow due to my inexperience with the controls of the unit. Not something I was concerned about in my newbiness to AG brewing, but definitely something I took note of.

On a side note, being able to no-sparge at a 21-23 final volume is a real asset as you don't need a second vessel to use as a HLT to sparge. The only problem I have to deal with is positioning the top screen above the grain bed evenly as you have to almost blindly push it down through a larger volume of liquid due to the increased initial water volume used when no-sparging to achieve this final post boil volume.

I learned a little more about end trub from my first AG brew. Will add another litre to my pre-mash volume for the next brew. My learned numbers leading up to my previous first brew were very good so I know I'm close to my desired & expected marks already. Knowing only minor tweaking is warranted, is reassuring moving forward. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

 

[ChristinaS1]

4 hours ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

Ok so I'm changing tack this weekend, I'm going for a cider.... I have got my mj03 yeast, enough for 24lts, I have got my lactose, I just need to get my Apple juice....

I need some help, what if I went for an apple and black current with one of my 11 ltr batches?..... Will this work the same way?

Yes it will work the same way. Would you be using fresh black currants, or boxed black currant juice? When buying juice, whether apple or black currant, you have to be careful to avoid ones containing sulfites, which will inhibit the yeast. 

Black currants will change the colour of the cider, which you may or may not like. In addition they are very high in acid and Vitamin C, which will make your cider more tart if used in any significant amount; 200gm would be plenty in a 23L batch.

Black currants are also high in 4MMP, a thiol. This compound is also found in certain hops, where they are described as "catty". I used to have two black currant bushes in my garden at my old house. They were tremendously productive. When I would pick them there was a strong odour of cat pee around them. A little goes a long way. If you have the feeling I am trying to talk you out of using black currants, you would be correct! 

If you want to add something to your cider I would recommend boxed white grape juice from the grocery store or white grape juice concentrate from your LHBS (which will add some tartaric acid), or honey (lovely florals as well as a higher ABV), or a bit of both.  Some frozen banana slices (contained in a mesh or cloth bag) would improve the body of the cider, to the point you may not need lactose, but will not change the flavour.* If you use bananas, let them become overripe (brown and spotty) before freezing, which will allow time for the starch to convert to sugar. Use one banana/4L of juice.

Good luck and cheers.

Christina.

* Any real fruit added to a cider or country wine should be frozen first. Freezing causes the cell walls to burst, so the sugars are released. In addition, is is also a good idea to wait to add frozen fruit until a few days into fermenation. This reduces the chance of wild yeast carried on the fruit coming to dominate the brew and preserves some of the aromatics.

PS If you want bubbles in your cider, kegging is a great way to get them. If you want a sweet cider, you can keep an eye on the gravity and stop fermentation by cold crashing when the gravity reaches 1.015-1.010. If you are a regular cider drinker, an 11 litre keg could be a great investment. 

PPS If you are bottling, the only way to have a sweet cider is to use a non-fermentable sweetener like Splenda or Xylitol, or just mix in some fresh apple juice in the glass, when you pour.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by ChristinaS1

[MitchBastard]

@Beerlust the below photo is my battle every brew. 2 drops of anti foam would solve my issue but hey....I like a challenge. Yesterday was about as close you could get haha

 

 

[Beerlust]

40 minutes ago, MitchBastard said:

@Beerlust the below photo is my battle every brew. 2 drops of anti foam would solve my issue but hey....I like a challenge. Yesterday was about as close you could get haha

@MitchBastard I'm not sure if you are programming the unit to auto run through the whole process, or manually programming each step as you reach it, but lowering the wattage output of the unit around reaching boil may lower the volatility & overall height of the foam when reaching hot break.

i.e. maybe use 2500w to reach the high 90°s from the mash temp, then lower the power to maybe 1900w (or there about) to reach & maintain the boil temp. I don't know the exact power settings I can get away with just yet having only done the one brew with the unit, but it is something I will tinker with.

Cheers & good brewing,

Lusty.

 

[iBooz2]

@ChristinaS1 I am not a cider brewer, (although may give either an apple or pear cider a go come the warmer months) but just have to say a big Kudos to Christina for a most informative reply.

It has inspired my interest in ciders and have noted your comments.  Thanks and good Job.

Cheers - AL