Hairy Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Acetobacter sucks Better to pitch at 25C than leave it too long. But it is easy to say when you have a fridge. My last beer was pitched at 25C but was down to better temps within a couple of hours. I usually put my cube in the fridge overnight at pitching temp before pouring in the FV but sometimes the timing doesn't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Bad luck Lusty, hope it doesn't happen again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I don't know if this quite constitutes a fail, but I just went through the freezer while I was waiting for the FV to drain out the sod perc before filling with the latest Bo Pils, and I found about 200g of Cascade hops in there that I didn't even know were there. I could have been brewing proper red ales all this time! Anyway, since I've found that and also have some Perle on hand, I'm tossing up whether to do a third SNPA clone or just a simple Cascade pale recipe with a bit of Magnum for bittering... hm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headmaster Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I'd go the SNPA. It's a winner I reckon. I have something to add to this thread now.. As mentioned in another thread, had two bottle bombs recently, luckily they went off while I was not nearby them.. Interestingly it was only two of the weaker 330ml bottles, couldn’t identify them apart from being brown glass and having a small say 7mm diam. circle at base of neck. Bottles blew pretty cleanly, with only a couple of pieces of glass involved, mostly the bottom section blowing off, no shards or really dangerous bits. The beer was my latest Pilsner Urquell clone, finished at 1012, slightly higher than expected, but I did make sure it was finished, it spent some 8 days at 18°C for the diacetyl rest. I did not bring back to room temp from lagering temp however, I see most recipes in the ‘Clone’ book recommend doing this with lagers to ensure they are finished. Not sure if I’ll take to doing this, maybe if the FG is a bit higher than expected as in this case. Measuring the brew now it’s 1008, after bulk priming, bottling and carbonating, several weeks in the bottle. That .004 is equivalent to at least doubling priming sugar. Have put the whole batch in one of my two brewing fridges to reduce CO2 pressure, which means I have to drink it all before I can use the fridge for brewing or cold conditioning… It’s very carbonated, not pleasant to drink that way, so I’m putting it into a big tulip and swirling out the CO2 when drinking. Interesting it does not gush when opened. I think gushers have a lot more to do with nucleation caused by particles suspended in the beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Hi Kelsey. I don't know if this quite constitutes a fail' date=' but I just went through the freezer while I was waiting for the FV to drain out the sod perc before filling with the latest Bo Pils, and I found about 200g of Cascade hops in there that I didn't even know were there. I could have been brewing proper red ales all this time! [img']pinched[/img] Hahaha! I know you brewed your most recent Red Ale believing you didn't have any cascade! Anyway' date=' since I've found that and also have some Perle on hand, I'm tossing up whether to do a third SNPA clone or just a simple Cascade pale recipe with a bit of Magnum for bittering... hm...[/quote']Apart from that recent Mosaic Pale Ale, you've been cycling 3 beers for a while now. Bo Pilsner, Red Ale, & SNPA. Time to branch out & throw some caution to the wind I reckon Kelsey! We're Australian, so don't be a wussy like the Canuck has been of late! Show me something. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I know! Haha wish I'd found it before that brew day! I haven't actually brewed a Sierra Nevada since about this time last year, but up until now it's mainly been pilsner due to them being bottled (I find ales don't carbonate well in winter). Before that I did a few pale ales with different hops to experiment. I might do a Sierra Nevada next then have a look at what I have in stock before creating the next recipe. I thought I had some Chinook but I can't find it at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I thought I had some Chinook but I can't find it at the moment. Lol, if history is anything to go by you'll find it after you've brewed a couple of beers substituting something else for it. What other styles do you like to drink? What about German wheats or lagers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Yeah, that'd be right too. Not a fan of wheat beers, I do enjoy German lagers although my preference is Czech pilsners. I also enjoy English ales, and I plan to brew a couple of those over the next few months too. That's one style I haven't paid a lot of attention to, but since I've got APAs and pilsners pretty worked out, and that regular red ale recipe, I'll start playing with some English ales. I enjoy porter/stout as well but mainly in the colder months, so I usually brew one batch around this time of year to be ready for the following winter. I want to get a good stockpile of kegs up before I do that this time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 ...I thought I had some Chinook but I can't find it at the moment. I'll take a stab in the dark & say it's buried somewhere in the freezer! So many lovely new hops out there Kelsey that you could easily sub in with some of your favourite malt bills that would just give those beers a new zing! Just remember how much you enjoyed that Mosaic hopped beer recently! I'm starting to give my annual dark beer a bit of thought too atm. It'll probably be a spin on my oaked vanilla porter. I might choc it up a bit more & use that 1728 yeast on it this time! Yum! No hurry though. As long as I get it brewed & bottled before the end of January. Cheers' date=' Lusty.[/size'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 That's exactly where I reckon it is too I'll have a look soon when I go see if there's a krausen on my pilsner batch. I definitely plan on trying out some new hops too, but I want to get rid of the ones already here before I order any. I won't be doing another pilsner til probably next year now as I need faster turnover to fill kegs, so I can at least use up these hops in pales/reds etc. and the English ones in those styles. In any case as long as I have tasty beer on tap I'm happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird1986 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Forgot to sanitize can opener Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I don't think I ever sanitised the can opener when I was making kits/extracts. Not saying that it was best practice obviously, but it caused no issues either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird1986 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I don't think I ever sanitised the can opener when I was making kits/extracts. Not saying that it was best practice obviously' date=' but it caused no issues either.[/quote'] If you saw the old can opener I had to use you would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoast85 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 I broke my hydrometer getting it out in preparation for brew night I wish there was 24 hour LHBS then when I went to rehydrate my yeast (purchased specifically for this brew) I discovered it was 6 months out of date!!! The one packet I didn't check the date on in the shop because I was too busy gasbagging with the owner. Solutions: no OG reading and gave the yeast a go with some spare coopers ale yeasts chucked in for insurance, fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the villain Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 doing brew day preps, normally sanitise a 20L cube and fill with water and throw in big freezer for a while to get my pitching temps spot on, had crazy storm late yesterday arvo and halfway through my preps had to run around getting the cars under cover from the hail ect....came back inside cracked a beer and watched the storm forgotting about my brew day.... woke up this morning and remembered my cube....now i have a 20kg ice block haha defrosting before i can start my czech pils today......... there is always something.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Well at least you're in no danger of pitching it warm. Yesterday I discovered my brilliant wire brush for cleaning my urn element is beginning to rust. Obviously isn't stainless steel... now I'm gonna have to find another one that is. Or maybe figure some way out to attach some steel wool to the long handle. I guess I'll use the rusted one to clean the mower blades now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Set temp for mash out 75°... go out to the shop quickly. Come home and the temp is 91.5° with a bag full of grains in the urn. Fuddugklylkcjhjhjh%$#^&&. I'll be testing the astringency theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I used a fermented out yeast starter that I left sitting out at warm ambient temperatures for over a week on a recent brew. Infected. Tipped. Won't do that again. Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 G'day my Vinous Voluptuary I can assure you it's only been luck that I haven't had the same experience. I'll try to track down the link but about 12 months ago I accidentally found an interesting article that demonstrated (and I experimented with as well and it turned out the same for me) that irrespective of how sanitary your procedures are, wort will be affected by growing wild yeasts etc after only a few days at room temp. It's not the reason why I refuse to do "no-chill", but it's one of the pointers why I'd prefer to pitch as soon as possible (and I'm aware of the reasons why no-chillers are happy to keep doing it their way, but it's just not for me). Make a wort, pour some into a sanitised bottle/jar/whatever, seal it up properly immediatedly, leave it at room temp, and you can guarantee you'll see visible fermentation within 2 to 5 days. I'd prefer to get the yeast I want winning the battle with a good pitch ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Away Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Being a veteran of 12 brews of experience I can truthfully say that I have not stuffed up.... except for that brew a few times ago where I was pouring the ingredients into the FV and did not notice that it was all pouring straight out the tap at the bottom - until the puddle was big enough that even a dunderklumpen like me could see it easily. Easy mistake to make, but one that you should only make once, right? Yeah, right, except that I did exactly the same thing again a couple of brews later..... Doh! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Hello Fernando. I can assure you it's only been luck that I haven't had the same experience. I'll try to track down the link but about 12 months ago I accidentally found an interesting article that demonstrated (and I experimented with as well and it turned out the same for me) that irrespective of how sanitary your procedures are' date=' wort will be affected by growing wild yeasts etc after only a few days at room temp.[/quote']It's one of those areas that despite how much I've read about brewing, I hadn't come across any info on. That info may (yes may) have influenced me enough not to pitch it when I posed a query about doing just that. It's my own fault though. I think when you're questioning something you're about to do, it's the sensible part of your brain telling you that you probably shouldn't do it in the first place. I really should listen to me more often! It's not the reason why I refuse to do "no-chill"' date=' but it's one of the pointers why I'd prefer to pitch as soon as possible (and I'm aware of the reasons why no-chillers are happy to keep doing it their way, but it's just not for me).[/quote']Me too. That said, the no-chillers seem to have us on this one, as of those on the forum that do this, I can't remember too many of them complaining about infected brews. Maybe 'there was something in the air that night Fernando'? Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 One that could affect the grain bill. Using my Mill Master mini mill to mill the grain for my latest Golden Ale Maris Otter 61% Munich 25% Wheat 6% Crystal 6% Acid 2.5% Three kilos down and I top up my 1.5kg hopper from my 19 litre SS pot holding just one handle with my left hand, just as the bit of grain goes in I give the bottom of the pot a couple of taps with my right hand release the grip on the pot with my left had and take the side clean out of my hopper. Roughly 500g onto the garage floor and the rest of the unmilled grain straight into the bucket atop my already milled grain. I always mix the grain before milling, as some grains are harder than others, so I make up another 500g and re-mill the whole lot. Cheers & Beers Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payno Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Bottling yesterday while trying to entertain my 5 year old........ Picked up a bag of Oxyper (sodium perc) thinking it was Dex and almost starting priming my bottles with it......only realised because of the difference in weight of the bags! Could only imagine how that would've turned out. So not a real mistake - but close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 That said' date=' the no-chillers seem to have us on this one, as of those on the forum that do this, I can't remember too many of them complaining about infected brews. [img']unsure[/img] Never had an infected brew that I could attribute to the no-chilling method. I did have a minor mould in one batch that came from an infected yeast starter, but I was able to save the batch. I even no-chill my yeast starters now and have had no issues - although the yeast is pitched as soon as they get to room temp rather than being left for days or weeks. Incidentally, that infected starter was covered with glad wrap. That's twice in my brewing history that I have used glad wrap to cover a fermentation and twice the results have been f@%$@d. Y'all can keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 That said' date=' the no-chillers seem to have us on this one, as of those on the forum that do this, I can't remember too many of them complaining about infected brews. [img']unsure[/img] Never had an infected brew that I could attribute to the no-chilling method. I did have a minor mould in one batch that came from an infected yeast starter, but I was able to save the batch. I even no-chill my yeast starters now and have had no issues - although the yeast is pitched as soon as they get to room temp rather than being left for days or weeks. Incidentally, that infected starter was covered with glad wrap. That's twice in my brewing history that I have used glad wrap to cover a fermentation and twice the results have been f@%$@d. Y'all can keep it. I had an infected brew the second time I used my plate chiller. 100% sure it was the chiller, you need to way more pedantic with these than any other brewing equipment, I haven't been caught again. Basically after chilling the brew you need to back flush the wort side with water, I do this for 10 minutes using the water out for clean up. Before using the chiller I flush with boiling water, fill and soak with PBW solution, flush with boiling water and then soak in Starsan. I only no chilled once, straight into the FV, placed in the fridge set at 20 degrees and pitched the yeast the next day, no infection problems at all. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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