Recent content by nolasuperbass

It is a standard SS MLT with a false bottom. I think that I got it from Brew International. I only brew 10 gallon batches, so there's always 20 or more pounds of grain in it. That makes it most of the way full, and provides a deep grain bed. How clear are you getting the wort with your...

About a year ago, I upgraded from my cooler MLT that I'd had forever to a traditional keggle-style MTL. Previously, when recirculating with the cooler MLT, I would use my chugger pump for about 15 minutes. The wort would be crystal clear going into the boil kettle. At the time, I never used...

I was hoping that I could trouble you guys for some more advice. The 18 month mark is coming up, and I am excited to finally bottle and taste this. I am going to make the next batch simultaneously and dump it on the cake from the previous batch. Since I am sure that my ale yeast is long dead...

I took the advice of this forum and kettle-soured a batch with L Planarum. It worked like a beast, and got the pH down to 3.2 in less than 48 hours. The second time I used it, I was trying to keep it from getting quite that sour, so I reduced the dose from the recommended 5 pills (in 5...

Thanks RedlegEd, that's great idea! Definitely going to try it with the next lager.

Thanks for the response. I played around with your calculator and got a similar response to Mr. Malty's. The yeast will be a pint of slurry of White Labs Mexican lager yeast saved from a batch in January and kept in the fridge. I will be using a stir plate. According to Mr. Malty, I have...

For a 10 gallon lager, Mr. Malty suggests something like a 2 gallon starter, even for normal gravity lagers. Because that is huge pain, I was wondering if I could avoid it by pitching something easier, like a half gallon, using pure O2 for 60 seconds, then giving the beer a second dose of pure...

Thanks for the reply. I think I am just going to put another flanders red on the roeselare cake, and then kettle sour a 10 gallon brown to whatever appropriate pH. For the brown, I am probably going to keep the IBU's to about 15, use generous amounts of caramunich, kettle caramelize about 2...

In 2014, I put half a 10 gallon sweet stout on 2 oz of (dry) oak chips. Even after 6 months of warm aging, it just tasted like straight-up tree. Not bourbon per se, but like when you rake leaves in the yard. It also tasted completely different from the other half, despite being the same beer...

I am making plans to bottle a flanders red, and I am thinking about what to pitch on the Roeselare cake. I was considering an Oud Bruin, but when I started researching the style, it raised several questions. I was hoping that the experts on here with lots of experience could chime in and help...

I read somewhere that it's best never to rack it all, rather to let it sit on the yeast cake for the whole 18 months. They said that the autolysis byproducts that would normally kill the beer instead get used by the bugs for more complexity. That idea made me a little nervous. I was going to...

Thanks for the response. I am not a huge oak person, so I was going to keep it to no more than an ounce or two of cubes. I was also going to boil them first and then soak them in a neutral beer to tone them down. The reason I want to oak it now is so the oak has a chance to age and mellow...

I just made my first flanders red and it’s going into the secondary soon to age for about 18 months. It is a split 10 gallon batch with WLP665 and Wyeast 3763 Roeselare. My question is when to oak it and for how long. I have read that 3 to 6 months is about right, but if you leave it on the...

+1 on taking your time with the run-off and sparge. You need at least an hour or your efficiency will suffer. Also, if you haven't calibrated your mill, you might want to get a feeler gauge. Gap setting definitely influences efficiency. I got mine online from sears. I set my gap to .034"...

I recently kegged a 10 gallon batch of Belgian dark strong that I made without pure O2 or temperature control. I used WLP500. It took it down from 1.089 to 1.001, which is 99% apparent attenuation and 11.5% ABV. I had airlock activity for two months. I then left it alone for another month...