JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
Double post
How has Brulosophy changed your brewing habits?
- Thread starter Silver_Is_Money
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JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't think filling the filter canister or air in the lines would make much difference than using an auto siphon and filling a keg as long as its not splashing. Maybe it would, haven't tried it out yet.
I would want a separate co2 tank to purge. Whats the cheapest route? A paintball tank with a vinyl tube with one of those little air/dust blower things on the end comes to mind? Open the tank and blow some co2 through the line starting with the fermenter side and ending in the keg. It would purge the lines filter and keg all at the same time
How easily any of this is to do depends on available space, the setup, whether you can leave things in place and don't have to tear it down to make room in the kitchen, things like that.
I'm also aware that how people perceive certain flavors (and off-flavors!) depends on the person. Palates differ.
I don't have a particularly refined palate, though I'm getting better at perceiving flavors. Maybe I can be trained?
But since others drink my beer too, I'm aiming for best practices even if I can't be sure there's a flavor difference there. So purge everything I can, even the smallest area of air that comes into contact w/ the beer. When I rack from my fermenter using the spigot, I'll purge the line connected to the QD on the keg w/ residual CO2 from the slight positive pressure left in the keg. I'll even use that CO2 coming out of the tube to purge the area inside the spout of the spigot just before I connect it.
Too much? Too much hassle? Every brewer gets to make up her/his own mind about it. Would running beer through a filter that hasn't been purged add O2 to the system? I can't see how it wouldn't--all the air in there would end up where? In the keg. Is it enough to matter? I don't know--all I know is O2 is the enemy of packaged beer, and I am doing everything I can to eliminate it.
Your mileage--and flavors--may vary.
I no longer use a secondary fermenter unless I have an addition to make thanks to the Brulosophy guys. I just started listening to their podcast about 3 months ago. It's really good except for the "Jersey and Tim" segment.
If anything, Brulosophy has encouraged me try different techniques to dial in my brewing style. One thing I've taken away is that I can get away with a 30 minute mash and 30 minute boil if I'm pressed for time. I just add a bit more base grain to make up for the loss in efficiency and can knock an hour off my brew day. The experiments also help me to take all of the "tried and true" brewing methods with a grain of salt. Some of the traditional brewing methods were based upon the equipment, ingredients, water available at the time. Now we have much more control over these variables, it's sometimes easier to modify them than use the traditional techniques.
Would you like to share with the class? That seems like a very interesting and useful technique, good job!
OP
OP
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Brulosophy has taught me to save money by using Magnum as my bittering hop in place of the nobles.
But one time I believe they led me astray, wherein I took things too far with Magnum in a sort of Eliot Ness style Vienna Lager I brewed, and I added in some Magnum as part of each of my flavoring and aroma additions as well as the bittering addition. The resulting hop flavor was cuttingly biting, and not at all noble hop like mellow or pleasing. The batch only mellowed to what I will refer to as "acceptability" after sitting for nearly a full 3 months in the bottles. Never again will I venture beyond bittering with Magnum.
Sometimes I wonder if many of the Brulosophy taste testers are like my friends and relatives, wherein no matter what I serve them, and how honest I ask them to be, and even when I point out the obvious flaws I detect, they always insist it is the best beer ever (while telling me that I'm too critical and analytical). Perhaps in a similar fashion the testers fear of rocking the boat and upsetting the brewer keeps them from letting it all hang out and telling it like it really is. Maybe they should all be BJCP certified, and go at it specifically from that perspective.
But one time I believe they led me astray, wherein I took things too far with Magnum in a sort of Eliot Ness style Vienna Lager I brewed, and I added in some Magnum as part of each of my flavoring and aroma additions as well as the bittering addition. The resulting hop flavor was cuttingly biting, and not at all noble hop like mellow or pleasing. The batch only mellowed to what I will refer to as "acceptability" after sitting for nearly a full 3 months in the bottles. Never again will I venture beyond bittering with Magnum.
Sometimes I wonder if many of the Brulosophy taste testers are like my friends and relatives, wherein no matter what I serve them, and how honest I ask them to be, and even when I point out the obvious flaws I detect, they always insist it is the best beer ever (while telling me that I'm too critical and analytical). Perhaps in a similar fashion the testers fear of rocking the boat and upsetting the brewer keeps them from letting it all hang out and telling it like it really is. Maybe they should all be BJCP certified, and go at it specifically from that perspective.
I am also wary of the friends/family propensity to be nice, instead of being accurate.
How do I get past that? I use the "second beer" indicator, that is, whatever someone says after one beer I take with a grain of salt. If they decide to have a second, that speaks in much greater volume than what they might say after one.
Though, if you're lucky to have someone tasting you who is honest, they may not have another. I had one of Morrey's belgians, and it was great, for a belgian. It was what I'd expect it to be, flavorful, no weird off flavors, a very nice beer. And I would never have a second one because I do not care for Belgians.
But it was a very good beer.
