So for my second batch i decided to add some extra herbs and spices in the final hop addition time. Its been almost 24 hours now and no signs of fermentation. One of the herbs i added was bay leaf, i realize now it is an antiseptic, could this be stopping the yeast? am i a fool? the other herbs i added were sage and rosemary. just a very small amount of all of them.
Brewing with bay leaf
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What are you using to define fermentation, airlock bubbling? That's not a good sign. besides, Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs, and by visible signs we don't necessarily mean a bubbling airlock.
It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall.
I'm sure there is nothing wrong...just relax.
Boy, I'm dissapointed, I thought this was going to actually be a brewing with bay leaves thread, and not a parnaoid new brewer one. I love bay leafs, I just could not imagine it in beer thhough.
WHat's your recipe?
It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall.
I'm sure there is nothing wrong...just relax.
Boy, I'm dissapointed, I thought this was going to actually be a brewing with bay leaves thread, and not a parnaoid new brewer one.
I love bay leafs, I just could not imagine it in beer thhough.WHat's your recipe?
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
I don't think the bay leaf will have any negative effect on the yeast. On the flavor, yes. Just kidding, I've played around with sage and rosemary in my beers but never bay leaves. Let us know how it turns out!
Just kidding, I've played around with sage and rosemary in my beers but never bay leaves. Let us know how it turns out!such kind words from yoda. actually buddy i put it in the beginner section myself. i am aware that i am new to brewing. I only added 2 bay leaves to a 5 gallon batch so im sure there wont be much of a taste difference. well see
snipper_cr
Well-Known Member
Hmm bay leaf. Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your news letter.
I could imagien a bayleaf in a really hop-aromatic IPA with a bit more spicier hops. I have on in the primary now and when I dry hop, that may be an interesting idea...
I could imagien a bayleaf in a really hop-aromatic IPA with a bit more spicier hops. I have on in the primary now and when I dry hop, that may be an interesting idea...
glad i could inspire. it really boggles my mind that out of all the herbs and spices in the world we chose hops as the sole flavoring agent in our beers. i mean dont get me wrong i love hops as much as the next guy, in fact more than some of the next guys. IPAs are my favorite style. but i yearn to see a world full of craft brews with a little more creativity involved. i mean when our ancestors made beer they were just throwing some **** together and hoping it worked and got them drunk. we need to do more of this type of alchemy.
That's what homebrewing is for
I'm considering a mix of bay leaf, mint and rosemary for a holiday brew, maybe a little cinnamon also. But I was still going to put some bittering hops in. I don't think I am ready to experiment with other herbs as my sole flavor balancing agents.
I'm considering a mix of bay leaf, mint and rosemary for a holiday brew, maybe a little cinnamon also. But I was still going to put some bittering hops in. I don't think I am ready to experiment with other herbs as my sole flavor balancing agents.
I agree i would still stick with the hops at least for a while. if i was you i would do cinnamon instead of mint, depending on what kind of mint. also another herb that has a history of use in brewing and i think is a fine prospect is yarrow., also tansy
I didn't know there was different mint. I grew it and froze a whole bunch. What are the different kinds and what's better for brewing?
I wonder if I still have that little card that came with the plant so I can find out which one I have.
I wonder if I still have that little card that came with the plant so I can find out which one I have.
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
I keep saying one of these days I'll do a gruit using only yarrow, mugwort, sweet gale, etc. and no hops, but I haven't yet. I actually grew some yarrow and mugwort this year but the yarrow never really took off and the mugwort got ate to hell by aphids. Having said that yarrow is said to increase the intoxication value of beer and can cause uncomfortable headaches apparently. Mugwort, on the other hand, is supposed to be pretty interesting in that it is supposed to increase dreams and dream vividness. It also smells really good. I can see a straight mugwort gruit being very nice, but it would probably take some experimenting to get the amounts and times of boil right.
How do I get my hands on these plants?
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
A lot of homebrew stores have at least a small selection of brewing herbs. For pretty much any herb you might want to try, go to http://wildweeds.com/herbs/index.html. But be very careful, they sell highly toxic plants there as well so be 100% sure anything you order is "safeish" to brew with. I say "safeish" because many of the historical gruit herbs are considered psychotropic and even harmful in large quantities.
If you know what yarrow looks like it is easy to spot in the summer and spring. I have harvested tons of it, made tinctures, smoked the leaves, flowers, made tea, eaten it raw, you name it, it is really good for you. never got any headaches as for the euphoric qualities of it, i have not really experienced them although ive heard of it too, i heard its affects can only really be felt with mixed with booze so there ya go. my goal is next year to brew wine and beer using only wild plants that i collect. there are some amazing edible plant wine recipes on jacks website.
asfor mint there are tons and tons of different kinds. the most common being peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, sage, catnip and hyssop, which is mentioned in the old testament.
Personally if i were to use mint, i would probably go with wintergreen(which im not sure is really in the mint family), or the sage that i already tried using. maybe some hyssop.
as for my beer (a slightly spiced barleywine ale) called "Double Dragon Barley Baby" DDBB it is starting to slightly bubble, and the foam on the head is starting to form.
asfor mint there are tons and tons of different kinds. the most common being peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, sage, catnip and hyssop, which is mentioned in the old testament.
Personally if i were to use mint, i would probably go with wintergreen(which im not sure is really in the mint family), or the sage that i already tried using. maybe some hyssop.
as for my beer (a slightly spiced barleywine ale) called "Double Dragon Barley Baby" DDBB it is starting to slightly bubble, and the foam on the head is starting to form.
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
I'm curious to know how this bay leaf works out, keep us posted on your progress. Regards, GF.
Shes been bubbling along happily now for about 3 days, im going away tomorrow for 3 days you guys think i should transfer to secondary a little early, or wait until i get back 3 or so days late? Shes been looking real nice, lotsa brown stuff in the head, thats now sticking to the walls of the carboy, i believe its called the krausen?
No problem leaving it. I leave my beers in the primary for three weeks and never do a secondary. Never had a bad batch.
Def. not needed. Just depends on what you are going to do with the beer (dry hop, infuse fruit/coffee).
I'd say a lot of people do 2-3 weeks in primary, crash cool, then keg. Secondaries are not necessary, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place.
I'd say a lot of people do 2-3 weeks in primary, crash cool, then keg. Secondaries are not necessary, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place.
oh man...better be careful with your next batch
You're right: famous last words! And right as I am about to add peppers for the first time...
I'm only doing half the batch though just in case!
So its been about 11 days now and im probably gonna bottle in another week or so, only thing is theres a layer of splotchy light brown residue on the top, with my last brew after the krausen went down the top of the beer was clearish. this one theres this layer of splotchy brown freckles that looks like mold to me. i know yeast is a fungus but is this ok?
is the splotchy freckled top part mold? or is it just excess sugar or something? im definately gonna bottle it and see what happens, but does anybody know anything about this? my last batch was just regular brown liquid on the top when i bottled it, this batch has speckled chunks,
Picture? You're describing it as brown, which means it is probably just yeast that didn't get to the bottom, but it could be an infection.
ejearn
Active Member
Yeah. Did you use a dry bay leaf (crunchy, dry, typical in home use, found in grocery store by dry herbs and spices), or a fresh bay leaf (moist, sometimes found in a grocery store by the fresh herbs in the produce area)? Theres a huge flavor difference.
You want an educated answer you are going to have to post a picture.
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
Chunks of yeast will commonly float on the top of a beer long after fermentation is complete. Having said that so do a lot of other things you may not want in your beer. If you want anything more than guesses from us you'll need to do as airborne said and post a pic.
Two people gave you the same answer, but we can't be more specific without a picture. Your description was pretty close to what you would see with a low-floculating yeast, but if you want to know for sure, then we have to see it.
