Next step to increasing quality of beer.

Hello All,
I started homebrewing about three months ago. I have since done three brews and am about to do a fourth. I am looking for opinions on what would be the next step to take in increasing the quality of my beers. I have outlined my brewing process as it stands now, any suggestions on what you think would help are welcome.

I so far have used extract kits ordered online mostly from midwest. I already do a full boil, I use a wort chiller, and only primary fermentation so far. Tried a secondary once, and it was a PITA. Right now I usually go about two weeks in a primary fermentor, then into a keg and carbed with CO2 in the keg over a week. Right now I document gravities ... but that is about it. Being as I am brewing from kits I don't know what there is to gain from better documentation.

Ideas for improving:

Going all grain?
Using a secondary?
Letting beers age more?
Slower carbing or done with priming sugar and not CO2?
Better documentation?

My beer so far is by no means bad, just I want to keep improving until I can consistently brew something better than just "good" on a regular basis.

I can suggest two steps. The first is moving to partial mash. It's not much more complicated than doing an extract brew and it can REALLY increase what you can do.

The other step is temperature control. If you can keep your nail your fermentation temp and keep it steady, it's a huge step.

edit: Giving your beer more time to condition before drinking it will help as well. Three weeks grain to glass isn't much for most beer styles.

ChshreCat said:

I can suggest two steps. The first is moving to partial mash. It's not much more complicated than doing an extract brew and it can REALLY increase what you can do.

The other step is temperature control. If you can keep your nail your fermentation temp and keep it steady, it's a huge step.

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Thanks for the suggestions. When talking about fermentation temp, right now I just sit the fermentors in the basement, which in summer is at 70 and in winter is 65.... am I missing something here? I know some varieties require certain temps, but what about for your basic ales?

This may be a bigger step than you were looking for, but personally I would start trolling Craig's List for a chest freezer to use as a temperature-controlled fermenter. I've found that, after proper sanitation, the biggest key to consistent beer is temperature control. Now I should add that I brew a lot of German and Scottish-style beers where low fermentation temperatures are appropriate, but even with many British and American-style ales the difference between fermenting at 65°F and 75°F can be huge.

BTW ChshreCat is your "Do you have a flag?" below you name there a reference to Eddie Izzard? I recall him talking about colonization of India using that line. Hilarious.

Temp control. If your air is 70, the beer is warmer

Trooper-Orange said:

BTW ChshreCat is your "Do you have a flag?" below you name there a reference to Eddie Izzard? I recall him talking about colonization of India using that line. Hilarious.

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No flag, no country! That's the rule... I... just made up...

For most ales, mid 60's is a good temp. So, if the air temp in your basement is 70, then your beer is likely in the mid to upper 70's. A fridge or a freezer with a temperature controller, or even an insulated box with frozen water bottles would be a step up. The main idea is to hit about 65, and keep it steady. Even if you're in the right range, it can have an effect on your beer if your temp is swinging up and down from day to day or from day to night.

If your basement is down in the lower-mid 60's in the winter, just putting your fermenter in a big tub of water will help. The extra thermal mass of the water will keep your beer at a more steady temp as the air temp changes.

Now I am starting to wonder how much of a pain it would be to get a freezer to my basement. lol

Ideas for improving:

Going all grain?
Using a secondary?
Letting beers age more?
Slower carbing or done with priming sugar and not CO2?
Better documentation?

Click to expand...

I'm going to say none of the above. There was a contest held in the past few weeks on these boards. The runner up for BOS was an extract/steep brewer. All grain will not necessarily improve the quality of your beers.

Yes, you should document your brewdays well. Yes, most of the time, longer aging will lead to better tasting beers. Controlling fermentation temps will greatly improve the quality of your beer. I don't know what your budget is, but a craig's list fridge/freezer and a temp controller will allow you to ferment at the EXACT temperature desired. Controlled temps, coupled with a proper pitch rate, will help to improve the quality of your brews

Good luck and cheers

EDIT: fat fingers are typing slow today

Hugh_Jass said:

I'm going to say none of the above. There was a contest held in the past few weeks on these boards. The runner up for BOS was an extract/steep brewer.

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Actually, that was a pretty big partial mash brew, not an extract/steep. 6lbs of grains to 4 lbs of extract.

Thanks for all the confirmation! I'm brewing up an extract/steeping kit IPA this weekend and will be christening my temp controlled refrigerator. I have an old canned kit sitting around that I need to brew after that and then it's on to my first partial mash. I haven't been able to brew for a couple of months and I'm way too excited about this weekend!!

So it looks like controlling the temperature might be the way to go for now. Time to start researching.....

temp control during primary fermentation and pitching the appropriate amount of yeast cells. These are very important, you can make a great beer but it can all be ruined after your brew day is done.

Here is my suggestion for a ferm chamber:

Find a fridge or freezer to your liking on CL. ~$100 for a nice energy efficient one
Dual stage temperature switch, °F, 115 VAC. $69.00
Probe, PVC, 5 ft (1.5 m) cable. $6.00
Electric heater $14.99

It is pretty easy to wire up. I have it detailed in my ferm chamber build in my sig.

After that, I think you should look into http://www.brewershardware.com/stirplate.htm. Pitching the proper yeast at the proper temp will make a big difference.

Then you could look at aeration.

In the meantime, check out braukaiser.com for some great log book pages to really help you dial in your process.

After you are making some good beer with extract, if you feel like taking hte next step (IMO) research going AG. I find it much more satisfying and think I make better beer from grains. But the other stuff is more important in hindsight.

+1 to temperature control, best thing I ever did for my brews.

In the future, I'll be doing a chest freezer + thermostat, but right now, my process is VERY simple. I have a regular picnic cooler, I put my fermentation bucket in there, and fill the thing up with water. I soak a tshirt in water and drape it over my bucket (airlock sticking out of the neck hole). I make sure the tshirt is sitting in the water to wick up the water around the fermenter, and then I point an 8 inch fan at it. The evaporation combined with the wicking effect of the tshirt keeps my brews at a steady 63F, and that is in an apartment that sits around 73F.

My last brew was the first to come out of this process, and I can't stop drinking it. There is definitely a flavor associated with the byproducts created during a hot fermentation, and when you get rid of those (assuming the style of beer does not call for those flavors) the drinkability skyrockets.

Trooper-Orange said:

So it looks like controlling the temperature might be the way to go for now. Time to start researching.....

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humann_brewing said:

temp control during primary fermentation and pitching the appropriate amount of yeast cells. These are very important, you can make a great beer but it can all be ruined after your brew day is done.

Click to expand...

For me, too, the single best thing I ever did was control fermentation temperatures. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it really is huge.

I'm now dabbling in water chemistry, because it just never ends. Still, pitching the correct amount of yeast (most brewers grossly underpitch) and temperature control are probably the easiest and yet most important ways to vastly improve your beer.

Maybe 'cause I"m a noob, and because I just built it, but I"m still diggin' my recently completed "son of fermenter" chiller. $80 total, weights maybe 8 lbs empty. I have the thermostat set for 66, and wort is rock solid at 68 (ambient room temp 80). Almost no electricity. Also geeking out on Pro Mash software so I have everything documented.

ChshreCat said:

Actually, that was a pretty big partial mash brew, not an extract/steep. 6lbs of grains to 4 lbs of extract.

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Many apologies

***Bows in reverence***

Congrats, BTW.

OP: I found myself, when I first took up the hobby again, tweaking grain bills, obsessing over hop varieties and schedules....then I'd just dump the yeast in and let'em have at it without much consideration for the lil buggers.

The beers improved when I obsessed as much with da yeasties as I did the other parts of the process. In hindsight, I wish I had concerned myself with proper pitching levels and temps as I did with the grains and hops.

Hugh_Jass said:

Many apologies

***Bows in reverence***

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Hey, where the nekkid chicks with the grapes?!?

Thanks. I wasn't meaning to sound touchy about my recipe. Just pointing out a difference. Partial mash brewing is almost as easy as extract is and can really improve your product.

ChshreCat said:

Thanks. I wasn't meaning to sound touchy about my recipe. Just pointing out a difference. Partial mash brewing is almost as easy as extract is and can really improve your product.

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No, you're completely correct to differentiate between PM and steep, especially in this section of the forum. Sorry for the confusion.:cross:

I'm still not sharing any of my nekked harem, though

Slightly off topic - Zakleeright, can you post a link to the chiller you made?

Thanks!

I don't have as much experience as some around here but I do agree with fermenation temp control. Just bringing my fermentation temps down from 70 ambient to 65-63 ambient helped immensly. The beer tastes so much cleaner and the malt, hops and good yeast flavors shine through so much more.

If you wanted a proof of concept you could always try a swamp cooler and fan on a batch to see if you want to invest the money and time for a dedicated fermenation fridge. Just a thought.

The simplest improvement I made to my brews was dry hopping. It made an absolutely amazing difference to the quality of my brews compared to just pre hopped kits.

I think I will start with the bucket and t-shirt method and see how that goes. If everything works out OK I will start looking into throwing some money at a better setup.

The other two things I gleaned here ... pitching rates ... in my book that means going to good healthy starters, and perhaps some dry hopping.

First one I try with temp control and a great starter will be a Night Cap Cherry Stout! Sounds good for winter.

Thanks all, appreciate the input.

Trooper-Orange said:

Now I am starting to wonder how much of a pain it would be to get a freezer to my basement. lol

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Small chest freezers (big enough for two carboys, for example) are neither big nor heavy. It would be easy for two people to carry the freezer into most basement.

New, I bought a freezer like this for under $200 and a digital temp controller is about $60. This would be my first step. If you can find a freezer used, it will obviously be cheaper.

Partial mash would be my second. It is absolutely true that you can brew great beer with extract/steeped grains, but you some grains have to be mashed, so you miss out on some styles. DeathBrewer's stovetop PM sticky shows how to do this without a lot of money or effort.