GF Brewing with Chestnuts - Page 11

**Leeinwa** · 03-06-2010, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackhawkbrew

I finished this brew up a few hours ago. It went extremely well. I ended up with a little over 5 gallons of wort. The sample was very sweet, I guess from the 5 lbs. of corn sugar. The starting gravity was 1.060 going into the fermenter. I used 1 ounce of cascade and 1 ounce centenial. Does this beer come out kind of sweet? I pitched the yeast dry at about 60 degrees.

We shall see.

Shouldn't be to sweet. I always use 5 # CS and end up with a 7. -8 % alcohol content. It isn't a sissy beer. A good yeast will use up most of the sugar.

leeinwa

SexPanther13 · 03-06-2010, 11:15 PM

What fermentables did you have in there?

**Leeinwa** · 03-06-2010, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SexPanther13

What fermentables did you have in there?

Usually get a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2% brix from chestnut chips. 5 pounds corn sugar brings 6 gals to about 12-13 % brix. Post fermentation brix at about 4 %. I've always used Lallamend's Windsor Ale yeast following packet instructions. Usually done bubbling in 4-5 days.

**Blackhawkbrew** · 03-07-2010, 10:46 PM

Lee,
Is there a lag time for fermentation to start on this brew? I usually get some airlock activity on my regular beers within 24 hours, but it's bee over 24 for this one and no activity. I have it sitting at around 68 degrees. This only thing I did differently is that I did not rehydrate the yeast. Would this cause the lag time, or am I just getting paranoid?

SexPanther13 · 03-07-2010, 11:39 PM

I wouldn't worry about it, give it at least 24 more and then take a hydrometer reading. If it's still the same gravity then repitch.

**Leeinwa** · 03-08-2010, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackhawkbrew

Lee,
Is there a lag time for fermentation to start on this brew? I usually get some airlock activity on my regular beers within 24 hours, but it's bee over 24 for this one and no activity. I have it sitting at around 68 degrees. This only thing I did differently is that I did not rehydrate the yeast. Would this cause the lag time, or am I just getting paranoid?

Sexpanther had a correct answer. Give it another day. I never dry pitch yeast. I like to see that's it's a good working yeast before I add to wort. I usually add a packet to 2 cups warm water with a teasp. of corn sugar and don't stir for about an 1/2 hour. After I stir I'll wait about another hour and by then it will be working with a little foam. I've seen some yeasts that were not any good even though they had not expired. Lallamend rep says as any dry yeast gets with in 30 days of expiration date you'll start seeing half life deterioration. Some times you'll shock the yeast if not following directions on container. Let me know.

**Blackhawkbrew** · 03-08-2010, 12:21 AM

Thanks SexPanther13 and Lee. I'll keep an eye on it for the next day or so and let you know.

SexPanther13 · 03-08-2010, 03:36 AM

So I tasted my chestnut beer when I took the hydrometer reading today. The FG was was 1.000 so I knew before I tasted it that it was going to be dry, but WOW was it dry! lol. So I think I'm going to mix in 8oz of Maltodextrin powder when I go to prime it, and hope it conditions up in the bottle. Any other ideas on what I should do to save my 6%ABV Super Dry Gluten Free beer?

Also it was pretty cloudy still, would it be too late and the wrong temp to pitch some pectinase? I can't clear it up with gelatin because I'm a vegetarian.

**Leeinwa** · 03-08-2010, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SexPanther13

So I tasted my chestnut beer when I took the hydrometer reading today. The FG was was 1.000 so I knew before I tasted it that it was going to be dry, but WOW was it dry! lol. So I think I'm going to mix in 8oz of Maltodextrin powder when I go to prime it, and hope it conditions up in the bottle. Any other ideas on what I should do to save my 6%ABV Super Dry Gluten Free beer?

Also it was pretty cloudy still, would it be too late and the wrong temp to pitch some pectinase? I can't clear it up with gelatin because I'm a vegetarian.

Concentrated Irish moss powder works well.

Malto will add body and a certain amount of sweetness with out blowing bottles.. Must have had a really good high alcohol tolerant yeast.

Do you bottle carbonate? I add 1 level teasp. corn sugar to each bottle rather than batch mix.

I've had beers that were really cloudy but after a couple of weeks they settle out really good. Since there are no glutens that bind the foam, I often add a a head retainer.

leeinwa

SexPanther13 · 03-08-2010, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leeinwa

Concentrated Irish moss powder works well.

Malto will add body and a certain amount of sweetness with out blowing bottles.. Must have had a really good high alcohol tolerant yeast.

Do you bottle carbonate? I add 1 level teasp. corn sugar to each bottle rather than batch mix.

I've had beers that were really cloudy but after a couple of weeks they settle out really good. Since there are no glutens that bind the foam, I often add a a head retainer.

leeinwa

Yeah I bottle carbonate, but I usually rack onto my priming sugar in my bottling bucket. It is kind of early to be bottling so next weekend it should be less cloudy. I might cold crash it for 48 hours before bottling to clear it up some more.