I added waaaay too much sugar, right?
- Thread starter BookofNick
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BookofNick
Member
Unfortunately, I didn't own a hydrometer when I made this. The Mr. Beer manual I have has a rough guide to ABV. For instance, it says a cup of honey will raise a 2 gal beer by 0.7% ABV. It's probably not perfect, but I put enough stuff to make it an 8.2-8.4%, according to the guide. Not sure it all fermented, though. Maybe it's around 7 or 7.5%.
ChshreCat
Well-Known Member
If you're curious, you could plug everything into beer calculus and get a good estimate. http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe
McKraken
Member
breweRN said:
A little off topic:
That just sounds weird to me. In my line of work, HME is "home made explosives".
I love the fact that this was your first post on HBT!
ChshreCat
Well-Known Member
And homeland security is reading this thread now. 
two_one_seven
Well-Known Member
boil it and get some alcohol out of it when its done. Careful though, it might be flammable
You can't get alcohol out of it if you boil it. About 175 F and you will evaporate the alcohol and leave behind the H2O. Who says TV rots your mind.......Moonshiners FTW.
ChshreCat
Well-Known Member
wouldn't that get the alcohol out, then?
BookofNick
Member
What a terrible calculator! It wouldn't adjust ABV based on any of the sugar fermentables, only on the malt fermentables.
BookofNick said:
I think you're doing it wrong then. Works fine for me.
McKraken
Member
Haha, Sorry for the Hijack, but I'm in the Canadian Forces. Combat Engineer. My job in Kandahar was finding IED's, that's why "HME" sounds wierd to me when talking about homebrew. Hell, when I went sky diving "IAD" (Instructor Assisted Deployment) sounded a hell of a lot like IED.
Back on topic; adding sugar and other adjuncts just for the purpose of slightly increasing abv % seems to be counterproductive. Me and my friends like the flavour of the beer, otherwise we would drink vodka.
I have a sweet tooth, myself, and that actually sounds pretty tasty! Tempting to make a batch myself... lol! Is this something you could drink more than one of?
And homeland security is reading this thread now.
How do you think I feel. I'm in the UK and this forum is plastered in fire arms and "Glock" forum adverts!
Wasn't ale originally brewed without hops? Was it not one of the great kings like Henry the 8th that made it illegal to put hops in ale because it was make it impure?
I believe people started adding bittering herbs until the churches started to control these as well.
I'm led to believe that herbs was the better solution, but by the time the churches lifted their "restrictions" on herbs everyone had gone back to using hops which were freely available and unrestricted.
But... my history is fairly weak.
I believe people started adding bittering herbs until the churches started to control these as well.
I'm led to believe that herbs was the better solution, but by the time the churches lifted their "restrictions" on herbs everyone had gone back to using hops which were freely available and unrestricted.
But... my history is fairly weak.
hwilshusen
Well-Known Member
Fizzycist
Well-Known Member
Why the heck would this still taste sweet? Did OP's yeast peter out before if could finish fermenting everything in there? Doesn't he risk bottle bombs with all that residual sugar?
CreamyGoodness
Well-Known Member
Kind of reminds me of that time at the Vietnamese restaurant. "I havent the foggiest clue what this is that I'm eating, but I like it. Don't tell me, you'll likely spoil it".
BookofNick
Member
No, I'd be content with one. As a dessert or something. I would recommend replacing a bit of the sugar wih malt to make it more drinkable.
BookofNick
Member
I didn't have a hydrometer, but I was getting one bubble in the airlock every 3 min. I do think the yeast began to die on me. Makes sense, since it's still really sweet. Looking back, I ought to have re-pitched. Yes, I am worried about bottle bombs, but so far it's been okay.
Some people here are saying I should let it mellow for a year to better the taste, others are now saying drink it now before they all explode, and another says drink it because they are no anti-bacterial hops to protect it long-term.
I'm gonna keep drinking one every once in a while, and risk mellowing the rest a bit - if it gets infected, it gets infected. Might make a good nightcap for Thanksgiving 2012
Yes, they were. Furthermore, this recipe, while not a beer, is in-fact an ale. It is funny how people use the term ale now-days, I guess it is simply to contrast it from a lager. Technically, people are brewing lager-type beer and non-lager-type beer. An ale would be brewed without hops. Wikipedia says people are calling them "real ales" now to differentiate them from their modern misnomer.
But, yeah. From what you have said, it seems that your drink did not finish fermenting. The sugar content was too high and the viscosity of your liquid likely killed and/or otherwise stalled your yeasts.
I doubt this will be a permanent situation and the yeast, as-well-as other micro-organisms, will likely continue to work slowly at fermenting the sugars present. Ultimately, you could end up with bottle bombs. I would be curious to know if the beer is at all carbonated now. If not or only very slightly, this would imply you have a decent amount of time before it reaches a dangerous level of build-up because the fermentation is happening so slowly. If it is already decently carbonated, I would be more concerned.
Burgs
Well-Known Member
Yes, they were. Furthermore, this recipe, while not a beer, is in-fact an ale. It is funny how people use the term ale now-days, I guess it is simply to contrast it from a lager. Technically, people are brewing lager-type beer and non-lager-type beer. An ale would be brewed without hops. Wikipedia says people are calling them "real ales" now to differentiate them from their modern misnomer.
That is not what "real ale" means. Real ale means that it is matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.
I believe what you are referring to is cask beer. I googled "real ale" to see what the net had to say and found an advocacy group.
http://www.camra.org.uk/
They seem to be a very confused lot as they state both that a real ale is brewed using the traditional British method and then go on to say that is uses hops. It then goes even further to say that it is the top-fermenting yeast that makes it a true-to--tradition ale. If I take them at their definition of it being an ale brewed the traditional British way, I would have no choice but to conclude that it would not include hops.
Of-course, language is subject to change. I guess the common usage of "real beer" would be properly defined as a beer that isn't "TOTALLY SOLD OUT AND CORPORATE, MAN! LIKE TOTALLY!".
I believe what you are referring to is cask beer. I googled "real ale" to see what the net had to say and found an advocacy group.
http://www.camra.org.uk/
They seem to be a very confused lot as they state both that a real ale is brewed using the traditional British method and then go on to say that is uses hops. It then goes even further to say that it is the top-fermenting yeast that makes it a true-to--tradition ale. If I take them at their definition of it being an ale brewed the traditional British way, I would have no choice but to conclude that it would not include hops.
Of-course, language is subject to change. I guess the common usage of "real beer" would be properly defined as a beer that isn't "TOTALLY SOLD OUT AND CORPORATE, MAN! LIKE TOTALLY!".
There's nothing confused about it. They just put "traditional" at a different point on the timeline than you do. There was a time when hops weren't used. There was also a time when hopped ale was served cellar-cool out of casks without the addition of CO2. Before either of those things, beer was made with millet left to rot in the sun. That's the really authentic stuff.
Burgs
Well-Known Member
+1
And as far as common usage - when you see "real ale" around here (and in my post above), people are most likely talking about the CAMRA definition.
I think more to the point is whether the degree of carbonation is increasing. It could be good, and safe, with carbonation but if the carbonation is increasing then there is danger of bottle bombs.
Rotten millet, now that's the good stuff.
Anyway, not to be antagonistic but ales was first realized in Europe some several thousand years BC. Hops were illegal in Britain till sometime after 15 or 16 hundred. Tradition is defined as a long established practice passed from generation to generation. In that since using hops is not at all a tradition and was only realized at a very recent time. Further, it would not have been past generationally but rather from books and or study.
But, regardless, I was just giving the guy a hard time to begin with. Of-course it is standard to call a top fermenting beer an ale and bottom a lager. He stated that I was wrong and I simply pointed out that his source of information on the subject was technically flawed for good fun. If the lot of you want to call a beer with hops an ale go for it, I do too.
Back onto the subject of safety though, it would seem wise for the op to finish these beers hastily. He has already stated that they are still very sweet. We are safe to assume that they are not sterile. Given those t
Anyway, not to be antagonistic but ales was first realized in Europe some several thousand years BC. Hops were illegal in Britain till sometime after 15 or 16 hundred. Tradition is defined as a long established practice passed from generation to generation. In that since using hops is not at all a tradition and was only realized at a very recent time. Further, it would not have been past generationally but rather from books and or study.
But, regardless, I was just giving the guy a hard time to begin with. Of-course it is standard to call a top fermenting beer an ale and bottom a lager. He stated that I was wrong and I simply pointed out that his source of information on the subject was technically flawed for good fun. If the lot of you want to call a beer with hops an ale go for it, I do too.
Back onto the subject of safety though, it would seem wise for the op to finish these beers hastily. He has already stated that they are still very sweet. We are safe to assume that they are not sterile. Given those t
The OP stated in the opening post that he used Sticky Wicket UME (un-hopped malt extract). Though I also believe he added some hop tea at some point during or post-fermentation.
BookofNick
Member
Wow, Azmark is right. Sticky Wicket by Mr. Beer is hopped! It is a beer after all!
As to the people asking if there is already carbonation - yes, plenty. I suppose the future is party cloudy with a chance of bottle bombs.
Also, it is really sweet, but I did put in a pound of lactose sugar, which obviously sweetens it but doesn't ferment further. That being said, the high sugar content could be fatal.
I'm gonna chill another one and report later.
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