Daily diary of a virgin (first ever) home brew!

[pilotsh]

4 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

lots of original gravity.

I think I just had an epiphany!

[pilotsh]

6 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

And as for 'hang around' = what I have been saying for ages = head and head retention...

And

If you have a full bodied brew - lots of original gravity... and in that - lots of liquid malt - or partial wort adjuncts (malted grain).... you will achieve that creamy top...

and one that hangs around ; )

I am so keen to see the difference between my plain Stout brew, then compare that to ROTM Belgian Chocolate Stout and ROTM Lamington Stout.

I will already learn a lot because I have to use my first 'chux' to steep grains. Oh no, a 'partial'!

And again because I am looking forward to it!

[Pale Man]

4 hours ago, pilotsh said:

 

I will already learn a lot because I have to use my first 'chux' to steep grains. Oh no, a 'partial'!

 

Sorry to disappoint ya but steeping chrystal malts is not a partial. 

[pilotsh]

7 hours ago, Pale Man said:

Sorry to disappoint ya but steeping chrystal malts is not a partial. 

Lol, learning even more then!

[Pale Man]

27 minutes ago, pilotsh said:

Lol, learning even more then!

A partial is exactly the same as doing a full all grain mash over an hour but with less grain and adding extract to complete the recipe. Steeping is just that. Steeping chrystal malts to extract sugars. They sound similar but there's a difference. Someone may be able to explain better.

[Pezzza]

4 hours ago, Pale Man said:

A partial is exactly the same as doing a full all grain mash over an hour but with less grain and adding extract to complete the recipe. Steeping is just that. Steeping chrystal malts to extract sugars. They sound similar but there's a difference. Someone may be able to explain better.

I think your explanation is great PM....  with all these things as Heidegger says: There is no necessary connection between words and the objects they signify...  Ha Ha

However, I think that the naming convention for 'a Partial' in common use and parlance on this site, is short for a 'Partial Mash', hence it would not be 'a Partial' per se

So it is not a Partial MASH as it is STEEPING not mashing... i.e. you are just bringing the sugars into solution - you are not doing enzymatic catalytic conversion of long chain complex carbohydrates into shorter change sugars able to be metabolised by yeast in the Primary Ferment.  In Crystal Malts... the complex carbs have to a certain extent been 'mashed in the seed' during the specialty malt process... think this is keeping the soaked grain with baby plant (coleoptile) produced enzymes at mash temp for a while like 62-68 ish before kilning so mashing happens within the grain.

I would dare to suggest Pilot's use of malt in his Wort may be termed a "Partial Grain/Malt Brew"... as actual grain malt is utilised...   ; )

But I think that @Pale Man your incisive view on this has been of great assistance to @pilotsh and other brewers at the earlier stage of their path... as it assists in identifying and clarifying the different opportunities one may pursue to improve the quality of the Wort!

 

Anyway - Steeps and Partial Mashes are all part of that beautiful logical brewing development successional evolutionary pathway ha ha!

...that goes something like the below:

KnK Sugar

KnK Dex

KnK Brew Enhancers

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt plus Steeping Crystal Malts or Roasted Grains

KnK with Partial Malt

KnK with Partial Malt and Steeped Grains and Hops

.... eventually all the way with all of the above combinations and permutations through to All Grain brewing ; )

And @pilotsh I believe that the more you 'Beef-Up' your Fermentables with steeping, partial mashing and or liquid malts, the greater the likelihood of you generating a beer with a nice creamy top and associated head retention... happy for critique on this from all ye Brewers within cooeee    ; )

Edited September 7, 2020 by Bearded Burbler

[Pezzza]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:37 AM, Pale Man said:

And I'll guarantee you'll need two Krausen collars

Ha ha luvyerwork PM - and at 1080 - now that is a lovely full bodied brew!!!

[Pale Man]

23 minutes ago, Bearded Burbler said:

I think your explanation is great PM....  with all these things as Heidegger says: There is no necessary connection between words and the objects they signify...  Ha Ha

However, I think that the naming convention for 'a Partial' in common use and parlance on this site, is short for a 'Partial Mash', hence it would not be 'a Partial' per se

So it is not a Partial MASH as it is STEEPING not mashing... i.e. you are just bringing the sugars into solution - you are not doing enzymatic catalytic conversion of long chain complex carbohydrates into shorter change sugars able to be metabolised by yeast in the Primary Ferment.  In Crystal Malts... the complex carbs have to a certain extent been 'mashed in the seed' during the specialty malt process... think this is keeping the soaked grain with baby plant (coleoptile) produced enzymes at mash temp for a while like 62-68 ish before kilning so mashing happens within the grain.

I would dare to suggest Pilot's use of malt in his Wort may be termed a "Partial Grain/Malt Brew"... as actual grain malt is utilised...   ; )

But I think that @Pale Man your incisive view on this has been of great assistance to @pilotsh and other brewers at the earlier stage of their path... as it assists in identifying and clarifying the different opportunities one may pursue to improve the quality of the Wort!

 

Anyway - Steeps and Partial Mashes are all part of that beautiful logical brewing development successional evolutionary pathway ha ha!

...that goes something like the below:

KnK Sugar

KnK Dex

KnK Brew Enhancers

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt plus Steeping Crystal Malts or Roasted Grains

KnK with Partial Malt

KnK with Partial Malt and Steeped Grains and Hops

.... eventually all the way with all of the above combinations and permutations through to All Grain brewing ; )

And @pilotsh I believe that the more you 'Beef-Up' your Fermentables with steeping, partial mashing and or liquid malts, the greater the likelihood of you generating a beer with a nice creamy top and associated head retention... happy for critique on this from all ye Brewers within cooeee    ; )

Bloody excellent festive post BB.

[Pezzza]

10 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Bloody excellent festive post BB.

Ha ha festive PM... truly spoken ha ha.... it is a beautiful thing though clarifying these things...  and I think making yerself work it out in yer own mind and express it for others actually then helps yer own brewing and working out the best and most festive ways forward.

I am at the moment struggling a bit with blllloooody Guinness Gas Nitro Mix - for Gas-n-Pour kegs for the creamy Guinness-like thing... and doing some experimentation to try to resolve the best way forward... mmm.... not quite as simple as it seems I don' reggin... but I think I am on the way forward.   It's all part of the festive brewing journey ; )

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Bearded Burbler

[pilotsh]

Brew 010: Coopers Stout Can- Monday 7th September: 147 hours (6.13 days) since pitch.

Brew Temp: 21.7C. Sunny days, warmer ambient weather. Might buy a wine fridge.

Comments: Good activity. Normal Progress. SG and taste test tomorrow.

Photo(s): Nil

[pilotsh]

7 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

11 hours ago, Pale Man said:

A partial is exactly the same as doing a full all grain mash over an hour but with less grain and adding extract to complete the recipe. Steeping is just that. Steeping chrystal malts to extract sugars. They sound similar but there's a difference. Someone may be able to explain better.

I think your explanation is great PM....  with all these things as Heidegger says: There is no necessary connection between words and the objects they signify...  Ha Ha

However, I think that the naming convention for 'a Partial' in common use and parlance on this site, is short for a 'Partial Mash', hence it would not be 'a Partial' per se

So it is not a Partial MASH as it is STEEPING not mashing... i.e. you are just bringing the sugars into solution - you are not doing enzymatic catalytic conversion of long chain complex carbohydrates into shorter change sugars able to be metabolised by yeast in the Primary Ferment.  In Crystal Malts... the complex carbs have to a certain extent been 'mashed in the seed' during the specialty malt process... think this is keeping the soaked grain with baby plant (coleoptile) produced enzymes at mash temp for a while like 62-68 ish before kilning so mashing happens within the grain.

I would dare to suggest Pilot's use of malt in his Wort may be termed a "Partial Grain/Malt Brew"... as actual grain malt is utilised...   ; )

But I think that @Pale Man your incisive view on this has been of great assistance to @pilotsh and other brewers at the earlier stage of their path... as it assists in identifying and clarifying the different opportunities one may pursue to improve the quality of the Wort!

 

Anyway - Steeps and Partial Mashes are all part of that beautiful logical brewing development successional evolutionary pathway ha ha!

...that goes something like the below:

KnK Sugar

KnK Dex

KnK Brew Enhancers

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt

KnK Brew Enhancers plus Liquid Malt plus Steeping Crystal Malts or Roasted Grains

KnK with Partial Malt

KnK with Partial Malt and Steeped Grains and Hops

.... eventually all the way with all of the above combinations and permutations through to All Grain brewing ; )

And @pilotsh I believe that the more you 'Beef-Up' your Fermentables with steeping, partial mashing and or liquid malts, the greater the likelihood of you generating a beer with a nice creamy top and associated head retention... happy for critique on this from all ye Brewers within cooeee    ; )

Thanks BB. I didn't mean to "quote" the whole post and take up heaps of space but the information/knowledge you posted is appreciated.

Also Thank you to Pale Man for lead-in post.

I have plenty of 'learning' sponges, notepads and pens here... and I'm not flying anywhere soon, so I am really looking forward to measuring the SG of my "stock" Coopers Stout, and even more so to mashing/pitching my ROTM Belgian Chocolate Stout in the next week!

Oh, and I think I finally found a dual zone wine fridge I can put my FV in the bottom half of... win-win!  .... shhhh don't tell my SO!   

[pilotsh]

From my other thread:

To buy or not to buy! Anybody see any glaring negatives I might have missed?

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by pilotsh

[Pezzza]

16 minutes ago, pilotsh said:

Anybody see any glaring negatives I might have missed?

Mate depending on how much space you have got in your brewery - I see that above unit as a beautiful thing - but possibly an expensive way to procure a brew-fridge...  though you do have temp control so you don't need an inkbird or other controller... so that is highly positive.

I suspect you may also increase the Relative Humidity in that cabinet by quite a lot I believe - am saying this only as I had a few brews in a small room a while ago and was warming them nicely and they were bubbling along famously but in the end it seemed to grow some mould on some cloth/material cases of equipment because of it... have relocated FVs into a single-fridge (no freezer) brew fridge that fortuitously arrived in my lap...  and that lives in an environment with more air-flow.   Mmm back then too my FV heating/insulation may have been a bit wayward too i.e. the rest of the room was warming up as well...

So dunno if your vino likes to be humid or not...?  Or whether it matters at all anyway...

And if you ain't got swags of room... and you can broker an arrangement with other key stakeholders ; ) then it could be a beautiful thing!

[pilotsh]

Brew 010: Coopers Stout Can- Tuesday 8th September: 170hours (7.08 days) since pitch.

Brew Temp: 21.9C. Steady.

SG: 1012

Appearance: Black coffee, plenty of fizz.

Nose: Same as always: stone fruit.

Palate: Tart tropical fruit, burnt caramel, treacle.

Comments: Still tastes a little green. Still some fine bubbling activity on the surface so I think maybe still 3-4 point drop of SG to go...

Photo(s):

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by pilotsh

[pilotsh]

Brew 010: Coopers Stout Can- Wednesday 9th September: 196hours (8.16 days) since pitch.

Brew Temp: 21.8C. Steady.

Comments: Normal Progress, no major change. Another SG/taste test tomorrow.

Photo(s): Nil

[Pezzza]

56 minutes ago, pilotsh said:

Brew 010: Coopers Stout Can-

with Yeast and Water?

 

[pilotsh]

Yes, obviously! *confused*

[pilotsh]

Brew 010: Coopers Stout Can- Thursday 10th September: 215 hours (8.99days) since pitch.

Brew Temp: 21.6 up to 22.1C now.

SG: 1012

Appearance: Black Coffee, less fizz.

Nose: Stone fruit, hints if burnt sugar.

Palate: Similar to Dark Ale, bitter tropical hints, green coffee. Certainly no where near the dark, deep tasting beer I was expecting.

Comments: Might bottle tomorrow, or Saturday. Looking at maybe half Batch Priming with Maple Syrup to hopefully thicken mouthfeel.

Photo(s): 
 

[Pezzza]

2 hours ago, pilotsh said:

Priming with Maple Syrup to hopefully thicken mouthfeel.

Yeah mate don't think it is gunna help - need the non-fermentables.

Just need to chase bigger gravity body - via BEs and Liquid Malts n Partial Mash --> and you will get all of the desirables...

Look at this lovely pair... mmm... this is Altbier not stout... but has some connexions...

[pilotsh]

Very very nice! I also have a lovely pair that I expect to have running by Monday...... (depending on how the delivery companies perform.... lol)

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by pilotsh

[pilotsh]

Coopers has free shipping on so thinking of stocking up for Brews 13-16:

What do others think of these brews/ingredients, and would more yeast be needed?

 

Peacher's Hefe Wheat Can (1.7kg)

Wheat Malt Can (1.5kg)

½ box Brew Enhancer 2 (500g)

400g sugars worth of honey

maybe?? Extra Yeast- Sachet of Munich Classic (Lallemand)

Followed by honey batch prime

 

Family Secret Amber Ale Can (1.7kg)

Amber Malt Can (1.5kg)

½ box Brew Enhancer 2 (500g)

400g sugars worth of Maple Syrup

Followed by maple batch prime

 

Bootmakers Pale Ale Can (1.7kg)

Light Malt Can (1.5kg)

1 box Brew Enhancer 3 (1kg)

 

AIPA Can (1.7kg)

Light Malt Can (1.5kg)

1 box Brew Enhancer 3 (1kg)

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by pilotsh

[Pale Man]

8 hours ago, pilotsh said:

Coopers has free shipping on so thinking of stocking up for Brews 13-16:

What do others think of these brews/ingredients, and would more yeast be needed?

 

Peacher's Hefe Wheat Can (1.7kg)

Wheat Malt Can (1.5kg)

½ box Brew Enhancer 2 (500g)

400g sugars worth of honey

maybe?? Extra Yeast- Sachet of Munich Classic (Lallemand)

Followed by honey batch prime

 

Family Secret Amber Ale Can (1.7kg)

Amber Malt Can (1.5kg)

½ box Brew Enhancer 2 (500g)

400g sugars worth of Maple Syrup

Followed by maple batch prime

 

Bootmakers Pale Ale Can (1.7kg)

Light Malt Can (1.5kg)

1 box Brew Enhancer 3 (1kg)

 

AIPA Can (1.7kg)

Light Malt Can (1.5kg)

1 box Brew Enhancer 3 (1kg)

 

I like the looks of your wheat beer recipe. Great time of year to be attacking one of these. I'm about to put down a partial mash using the Coopers Hefe can, and keg it.

[Pezzza]

9 hours ago, pilotsh said:

Coopers has free shipping on so thinking of stocking up for Brews 13-16:

What do others think of these brews/ingredients, and would more yeast be needed?

 

Peacher's Hefe Wheat Can (1.7kg)

Wheat Malt Can (1.5kg)

½ box Brew Enhancer 2 (500g)

400g sugars worth of honey

maybe?? Extra Yeast- Sachet of Munich Classic (Lallemand)

 

 

Sounds good - crack on with all those brews.... with the full body - liq malt... good stuff.

Re PHW and 400g Honey sugar's worth... not really thinking much benefit - but may be wrong... suggest instead dry malt... 

Great to see you cracking on!

Edited September 11, 2020 by Bearded Burbler

[Pezzza]

21 hours ago, pilotsh said:

Very very nice! I also have a lovely pair that I expect to have running by Monday...... (depending on how the delivery companies perform.... lol)

...vvvvvverrrra verry nice

[pilotsh]

4 hours ago, Bearded Burbler said:

... suggest instead dry malt... 

Hey, "Mr.Liquid Malt", did you bump your head?!......You seem to be recommending Dry Malt!!

Seems 'unusual'!

(Please explain.... so I can absorb/learn thinking!)