Recent content by MicroMickey

Lots of brewers try to speed up the clock here and there. The lauter and sparge IS NOT the place to save a few minutes.

The lauter and sparge is the area in which most of us can really improve our efficiency. A slow lauter is the number one trick in coaxing the sugars out of our mashed grist. Close down the valve to the point of taking about 90 minutes or more to finish running the wort into the kettle. On a...

Rye at !/3 the grain bill is exactly what I use. If you're looking for "rye-bread" aroma and flavor, start with a tsp. of crushed caraway seeds in the last 10 minutes of the boil. See if that works and adjust on the next batch. However it goes, let us know.

Here's how I do it. The Insta-Pot has some advantages. https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/pressure-cooker-decoction/

My sources say it comes from Wissenschaftliche Station which is a yeast bank in Munich. Their designation of the strain is #308

The article I referred to is by Mary Anne Gruber at Briess.

When I first started brewing, it was indoors on the stove top. My wife had no problem with boiling wort until I dropped in the hops. It didn't take long until I moved outside. I started with a Bru-Heat setup and eventually settled on a propane burner and S/S kettle.

I read an article written by a woman with Briess Malting on the subject of Cold Steeping. I think it is on their website. Definitely worth the read.

I wrote an article about cold steeping some time back. It might bring out a few facts and clear up a few thoughts. https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/cold-steeping/

Boys and girls, it's all about technique. I would venture to say that DBhomebrew pays attention to detail and doesn't try to rush every detail of his brew day. Well done!

I used to be plagued with boil-overs. I used my long handled spoon to stir the foam back into the wort and that seemed to work. Sometimes I couldn’t keep up with the foam and I’d have a boil-over anyway. Then I got the bright idea of simply skimming the foam from the kettle to solve my hot...

Here are some old references – You decide. The American Handybook of Brewing 1902 THE DECOCTION OR THICK MASH METHOD “The initial or doughing-in temperature is about 28° to 30° R. (95° to I00° F). If hot water is run in, it should be done slowly and while keeping the mashing machine moving, so...

Many old German brewing texts say something quite different. The use of the term "dough in" in 1920's, '30's, and '40's may have been misapplied.

Doughing-in is an old traditional mash step but the term is normally misused today. With under-modified malts and decoction mashing, it really was a big deal. The original dough-in was just that – a minimal amount of water was added to the grist and it was kneaded like bread dough. Many...

Those times cited are for the decoction boil. After the decoction mash, the lauter and sparge are conducted before the main boil commences. This is why many brewers eschew a decoction mash as it really takes some time. However, keep in mind that decoction doesn't produce more malt flavor but...