OP
OP
My notes say that my efficiency improved so I started using less grain to get to the same OG. If your efficiency is 75% or so, the recipe on Brewmaster's is correct.
Munich Helles Dead Guy Clone (Extract & AG- see note)
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My notes say that my efficiency improved so I started using less grain to get to the same OG. If your efficiency is 75% or so, the recipe on Brewmaster's is correct.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
While I didn't calculate the efficiency, I am certain it was quite good. The wort was very sweet; the pre-boil gravity was 1.060 and after a 1 hour boil, 1.070. Volume post-boil was in the 5.25 gallon ballpark.
Fermentation is still at 60 degrees (+/- 2 degrees throughout the day). The vigorous airlock activity has slowed to approximately one off-gas every 5 seconds. It is slowing down. There wasn't much krausen, maybe 1/2 inch or so. The blow-off tube saw no activity. I presume this is due to the low temperature.
At what point do you suggest I bring it to ambient temperature (70 - 72) to finish fermentation. I am sure I don't need to leave it at 60 for weeks ....
Thank you Yooper for all the help in this thread and others.
Fermentation is still at 60 degrees (+/- 2 degrees throughout the day). The vigorous airlock activity has slowed to approximately one off-gas every 5 seconds. It is slowing down. There wasn't much krausen, maybe 1/2 inch or so. The blow-off tube saw no activity. I presume this is due to the low temperature.
At what point do you suggest I bring it to ambient temperature (70 - 72) to finish fermentation. I am sure I don't need to leave it at 60 for weeks ....
Thank you Yooper for all the help in this thread and others.
OP
OP
I know Jamil Zainasheff brings his ales up to a higher temperature for while to finish up, but I rarely do unless I have some diacetyl or Acetaldehyde. I'd leave it for three weeks or so, but if you have a room temperature of 68 degrees, it'd be fine to bring it up to that temperature.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
You mean keep it in an ice bath for a few weeks? That's a lot of water bottle rotation 
And I forgot to ask ... when you pitch the yeast, do you do it at ambient temperature, leaving it for a while before cooling it down to 60 or do you pitch at 60?
And I forgot to ask ... when you pitch the yeast, do you do it at ambient temperature, leaving it for a while before cooling it down to 60 or do you pitch at 60?
OP
OP
You mean keep it in an ice bath for a few weeks? That's a lot of water bottle rotation
And I forgot to ask ... when you pitch the yeast, do you do it at ambient temperature, leaving it for a while before cooling it down to 60 or do you pitch at 60?
Well, no. My house is COLD! No ice bottles needed, but I might need an aquarium heater to get up to 68 degrees!
I always pitch at or below optimum fermentation temperatures. If I want to ferment at 63 degrees, for example, I"ll pitch at 60 and let it rise. If I want to ferment at 50 degrees, I'll pitch at 48 degrees. I think it makes better beer.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
Do you have any resources bookmarked that discuss the pro & con of leaving it cold and for how long? I was under the impression that it should be kept @ 60 during active fermentation.
If you were me and had to swap water bottles twice a day, would you continue for two more weeks - if not, what would the schedule be?
Any idea how long Rogue keeps their brew @ 60?
For the next batch, I'll probably make room in the keezer, although that presents additional problems such as bringing the kegs and bottle beer up to 60 degrees instead of 40 where they are normally kept.
Do you still ice bath during fermentation or have you moved on to a refrigerated
system?
If you were me and had to swap water bottles twice a day, would you continue for two more weeks - if not, what would the schedule be?
Any idea how long Rogue keeps their brew @ 60?
For the next batch, I'll probably make room in the keezer, although that presents additional problems such as bringing the kegs and bottle beer up to 60 degrees instead of 40 where they are normally kept.
Do you still ice bath during fermentation or have you moved on to a refrigerated
system?
OP
OP
I don't have any resources about temperature that I keep bookmarked. I just always ferment all of my beers at the low end of the temperature range for each yeast strain, unless I'm looking for something specific. For example, if I want to bring out some esters with Wyeast 1332- sometimes I ferment that strain at 72 if I want the fruitiness in some of my ales.
For the most part, Dead Guy is very "clean". Rogue claims it's a "maibock style ale", so fruity esters would be out of place. Keeping it at 60-62 means that it will remain "clean" tasting. Two-three weeks isn't really a terribly long time to maintain fermentation temperatures but I don't think any harm will come to the beer if the temperature is allowed to rise a bit.
I don't usually need ice bottles to maintain fermentation temperatures, because I always have somewhere in my house that is cold. My laundry room right now is too cold for ales, since it's still winter.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
It's going to be fun when Vegas hits 110 this year. I'll have to figure something out by then. The keezer may have to be dual-purpose. I don't know what else to do.
The house will be in the 70 degree range throughout the summer.
The house will be in the 70 degree range throughout the summer.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
I took a hydro reading today, 12 days from brew day. Final gravity was 1.020 and it tasted great. Starting gravity was around 1.070 post-boil, a drop of nearly 50 points. It may continue a bit as it warms up from a chilly 60 to 72 (house temp).
This appears to be attenuation of 70, correct? Is this good, bad, or?
I've keep it at 60 degrees (+/-) 2 degrees since pitching the yeast. The large tub, volume of water (at least 5 gallons) and a few frozen bottles per day made for a clean ferment.
While it was not vigorous, and had only a small layer of krausen, it was churning pretty heaving and pushing gas through the airlock at 2 burps per second during active fermentation.
I am very happy to know that the underpitch came out OK.
The flavor was there, albeit flat, but tasted good.
I'll let it come up to room temperature and let it continue maturing for another three weeks or so.
Not only was this my first all grain, it will also be my first kegged brew. What is the best way to carbonate and get it ready for consumption.
Is it worth mixing priming sugar in the corny or just go with gas?
This appears to be attenuation of 70, correct? Is this good, bad, or?
I've keep it at 60 degrees (+/-) 2 degrees since pitching the yeast. The large tub, volume of water (at least 5 gallons) and a few frozen bottles per day made for a clean ferment.
While it was not vigorous, and had only a small layer of krausen, it was churning pretty heaving and pushing gas through the airlock at 2 burps per second during active fermentation.
I am very happy to know that the underpitch came out OK.
The flavor was there, albeit flat, but tasted good.
I'll let it come up to room temperature and let it continue maturing for another three weeks or so.
Not only was this my first all grain, it will also be my first kegged brew. What is the best way to carbonate and get it ready for consumption.
Is it worth mixing priming sugar in the corny or just go with gas?
I like the taste of Dead Guy but would like to brew something a little lighters. How do you think this would taste with the same hop schedule as the OP
8 lbs MO
1 lb caramunich
1 lb munich
0.5 lb crystal 40L
Notty yeast at 60F
8 lbs MO
1 lb caramunich
1 lb munich
0.5 lb crystal 40L
Notty yeast at 60F
Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
Just brewed this! OG was 1.067 for +/- 6 gallons in the fermentor and it's bubbling away at about 62*
Looking forward to trying the finished product!
Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
Batch Data:
Wort Collected (pre-boil): 7 gallons
Pre-boil Gravity Measurement: 1.056
Gravity at 100% Efficiency: 1.077 - max
Gravity at 75% Efficiency: 1.058
Brew House Efficiency: 72.73%
Points / Pound / Gallon (ppg): 27
from www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/
Pretty happy for my second all grain brew
Wort Collected (pre-boil): 7 gallons
Pre-boil Gravity Measurement: 1.056
Gravity at 100% Efficiency: 1.077 - max
Gravity at 75% Efficiency: 1.058
Brew House Efficiency: 72.73%
Points / Pound / Gallon (ppg): 27
from www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/
Pretty happy for my second all grain brew
OP
OP
I wouldn't think so, but I never used pacman that "warm" before! I like the maibock-ish flavor/texture and try to go as cool as possible for the most lager-like finish.
Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
I couldn't get pacman, so I'm using wyeast 1056... after two days at 57* the wort is starting to bubble through the airlock!! Much more vigorous than expected.
C2H6O
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Yikes.....that's a few degrees lower than the recommended range for that yeast strain. So am I correct in assuming that at 67 with the Pacman I have a good shot of making a mess?? Has anyone brewed this with the pacman at 67???
iijakii
Well-Known Member
Let me know how this turns out. I'm developing a beer belly, trying to find some good session styles that I enjoy. Been looking into making a good low ABV IPA, wouldn't mind DGA either.
Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
C2H6O
The fermometer strip says 60*/ 62* (even when the room hit 55*). I pitched a healthy starter and after I posted that last message I had to switch the airlock for a blowoff tube!
The exothermic yeasties will warm up the wort another 5-10* (at 67* that'd still be safe ale temps, but maybe a less lager-ish Dead Guy)...
Take it with a grain of salt, I'm pretty new to this... but that's been my experience.
The fermometer strip says 60*/ 62* (even when the room hit 55*). I pitched a healthy starter and after I posted that last message I had to switch the airlock for a blowoff tube!
The exothermic yeasties will warm up the wort another 5-10* (at 67* that'd still be safe ale temps, but maybe a less lager-ish Dead Guy)...
Take it with a grain of salt, I'm pretty new to this... but that's been my experience.
OP
OP
Did you top up with water after the wort was finished, mix well, and then take a hydrometer reading?
Yup. Topped up from approx 2.5 gal to 5 gal, put the top on, and shook/rolled the bucket for 2-3 min before opening to take the hydrometer reading.
OP
OP
Could you humor me and shake/roll again and go take another? Please?
It's also down to 64 deg so there is negative pressure on the airlock. If I open it to test I figure a bunch of air will flow in.
One thing it could be was this was the first time I used my new thief and it may have pulled from the bottom as it's pretty long. Could this have thrown it off by that much?
OP
OP
Air won't hurt the wort.
But if you pulled from the bottom, that would explain it. The heavier wort would sink, while the lighter wort would be more at the top.
You can just go by the OG suggested in the recipe, as you're probaby darn close to it.
That makes me feel better although it's strange that none of my other beers (3 so far) have had this issue. I know I shook it enough ( especially after pitching the yeast) so I'm somewhat tempted to check it again by pulling a bunch from the top rather than a big sample from the bottom but I am worried about oxygen. Isn't that the reason to seal it up?
OP
OP
Well, you seal it up mostly to protect it from fruitflies/bacteria/wild yeast. If you stir with a sanitized spoon, or use a sanitized wine thief, there isn't a problem. I mean, you're going to take it out of there sometime, right?
I am a winemaker, and I don't airlock my primaries at all. Only in secondary, when you don't want to oxidize it since after fermentation begins that can be a problem. You WANT plenty of oxygen in the wort pre-fermentation, and that's why you stir it up to begin with.
Well I think I'm pretty free of fruitflies and wild yeasts in my house
I may go take another reading without even stirring it up just to see what it says. I'm ultra curious right now!Well I think I'm pretty free of fruitflies and wild yeasts in my house
Checked it again, from the top this time and it came out 1.052! So very strange. Maybe it was 1.067 in the middle
I'm less worried about it now though!Hi all. I am a n00b to homebrew, but I really want to try this so I have a few questions to make sure I am getting the right stuff. I will be doing the extract brew, and this will only be my third brew (my first is bottle conditioning and second is in primary).
1) Is the extract recipe a 5 gallon boil?
2) I went on Northern Brewers website to look up the ingredients and I want to make sure I have picked the right stuff. They are as follows:
a) Briess Caramel 40L
b) Weyermann Caramunich I
c) German Munich
d) Munton's DME Extra Light (7lbs)
e) Czech Saaz Hop Pellets
f) German Perle Hop Pellets
g) Irish Moss
I really want this to turn out as good as my n00b abilities will allow, so please let me know if I should change out a selection for a better end result.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Braden
1) Is the extract recipe a 5 gallon boil?
2) I went on Northern Brewers website to look up the ingredients and I want to make sure I have picked the right stuff. They are as follows:
a) Briess Caramel 40L
b) Weyermann Caramunich I
c) German Munich
d) Munton's DME Extra Light (7lbs)
e) Czech Saaz Hop Pellets
f) German Perle Hop Pellets
g) Irish Moss
I really want this to turn out as good as my n00b abilities will allow, so please let me know if I should change out a selection for a better end result.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Braden
jerzeedevil13
Active Member
I've brewed this 3 times now and it came out great everytime. My supply shop never has any saaz so I just use perle for bittering and aroma. I use 8 lbs of dme so my abv tends to be higher. Great simple recipe, love it.
OP
OP
1. You can boil the whole thing if you want. I'm sure that when I created the recipe I was boiling about 3 gallons and topping up with water to make 5 gallons. Either way is fine!
2. Looks good!
Hopefully my directions are clear, but if not please let me know!
nchapelle
Member
Brewed this about 5 weeks ago
3 weeks in Primary
1.5 weeks in bottle
Missed the OG by a lot (1.046) it only fermented down to 1.020 it was my first all grain so it was definitely a poor mash-- too much strike water too much sparge water but somehow we didn't get a good conversion because the yeasties didn't eat all the sugar.
Just sampled some-- VERY sweet this should taste better with a little more carbonation so I'll wait a few days.
Great recipe!
3 weeks in Primary
1.5 weeks in bottle
Missed the OG by a lot (1.046) it only fermented down to 1.020 it was my first all grain so it was definitely a poor mash-- too much strike water too much sparge water but somehow we didn't get a good conversion because the yeasties didn't eat all the sugar.
Just sampled some-- VERY sweet this should taste better with a little more carbonation so I'll wait a few days.
Great recipe!
C2H6O
Primary
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I cold crashed it 4 hrs so I could decant. Not sure how much I got out of suspension but it did aggressively ferment. I didnt blow the airlock - some minor foam though from the star-san. I pitched at 67 - a day and half in it exothermed to 72-73 so I wrapped it in a wet towel and have kept it at about 66.
Grasslands
Well-Known Member
I made my first 10g AG batch of this yesterday morning with a modified version of the original recipe:
19 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Carapils
1.5 lbs Caramunich
1.5 lbs Caravienne
same hops
OG was 1.070
Because my previous (extract) batches I've never had Pacman on hand, I always used US05 and had great results. I've had a Pacman smackpack in the fridge for some time now but never got around to brewing this particular recipe. I divided into two 5g batches with US05 in one and a Pacman starter (w/12-13 hours on the stirplate) in the other.
The only thing: due to time constraints, I didn't let the smackpack fully swell before pitching into the starter. This morning, I've got healthy fermentation in the US05 batch and a slow fermentation (I'm guessing) in the other...there's a very thin layer of bubbles at the top. I'm assuming the slow fermentation in the Pacman batch is due to the age of the smackpack and now allowing it to fully swell.
I checked around HBT and it seems that some Pacman smackpacks (even fully swelled) took a while to get going in their respective beers. I'll look again at lunch today to see its progress - which will be around 22 hours after pitching - and see how the Pac is doing.
Depending on its progress, I'll have another packet of US05 at the ready if necessary.
19 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Carapils
1.5 lbs Caramunich
1.5 lbs Caravienne
same hops
OG was 1.070
Because my previous (extract) batches I've never had Pacman on hand, I always used US05 and had great results. I've had a Pacman smackpack in the fridge for some time now but never got around to brewing this particular recipe. I divided into two 5g batches with US05 in one and a Pacman starter (w/12-13 hours on the stirplate) in the other.
The only thing: due to time constraints, I didn't let the smackpack fully swell before pitching into the starter. This morning, I've got healthy fermentation in the US05 batch and a slow fermentation (I'm guessing) in the other...there's a very thin layer of bubbles at the top. I'm assuming the slow fermentation in the Pacman batch is due to the age of the smackpack and now allowing it to fully swell.
I checked around HBT and it seems that some Pacman smackpacks (even fully swelled) took a while to get going in their respective beers. I'll look again at lunch today to see its progress - which will be around 22 hours after pitching - and see how the Pac is doing.
Depending on its progress, I'll have another packet of US05 at the ready if necessary.
Grasslands
Well-Known Member
Update from previous post - finally some krauzen is starting to build after 24 hours. I'm guessing I should've given it more time on the stirplate to re-activate the old yeast.
Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
Just kegged this today and it tastes awesome!!
A few days shy of a month in the primary... it finished out at 1.020 (malty, but not overly sweet) a touch of alcohol warmth (at 6.5% ABV) and very, very close to the original!
A few days shy of a month in the primary... it finished out at 1.020 (malty, but not overly sweet) a touch of alcohol warmth (at 6.5% ABV) and very, very close to the original!
Grasslands
Well-Known Member
Update: after 7 days, my US05 batch went from 1.070 to 1.016 while the pacman batch is still, slowly but surely, chugging away.
Which do you recommend? The Safale Yeast or Wyeast Pacman? I know Rogue uses Pacman in most of their ales, but do you see a difference in either?
