Salvaging the Hobby

[ericbw]

Hobbies are supposed to be enjoyable. You're freaking out over the little stuff and not enjoying the big success of hitting the right FG, etc.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Having done exactly the same thing you're describing once, it's nothing but a mess trying to restart the autosiphon when you're close to the trub. You'll just end up piping up a bunch of the muck that you racked to secondary to avoid, plus a lot of air as well. Let it be!

I was just so furious to waste so much. It was exactly that. As soon as I gave the autosiphon one more pump to get it back going, it had a tube full of goodies. So I caught it and took it as a loss. Nothing unwanted got into secondary. There is a decent amount of head space, obviously.. I'll likely hop tonight and bottle by the end of the week I think. That will make it bottled about 2-3 days short of recipe suggestion. I just don't want to risk anything happening to the rest.

Hobbies are supposed to be enjoyable. You're freaking out over the little stuff and not enjoying the big success of hitting the right FG, etc.

I am enjoying it, but I originally quit because of an infected beer. This is my first one back and was just using the forum to critique this batch to help me assess my weaknesses and understanding, or lack of.

 

[ericbw]

I was just so furious to waste so much. It was exactly that. As soon as I gave the autosiphon one more pump to get it back going, it had a tube full of goodies. So I caught it and took it as a loss. Nothing unwanted got into secondary. There is a decent amount of head space, obviously.. I'll likely hop tonight and bottle by the end of the week I think. That will make it bottled about 2-3 days short of recipe suggestion. I just don't want to risk anything happening to the rest.



I am enjoying it, but I originally quit because of an infected beer. This is my first one back and was just using the forum to critique this batch to help me assess my weaknesses and understanding, or lack of.

Also remember that by the time you get to secondary, you have alcohol and additional hops that should help keep bacteria at bay. If you're bottling earlier than the recipe says, just make sure that the fermentation is complete before you bottle.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Now that I've had time to stew on the mishaps of last night, I am grateful for what I do have. The 4 gallons I did get into secondary looks clear, smells wonderful and had an entertaining taste of sweet to bitter as it rolled around the mouth. I will snap a picture of it tonight now that I feel better about it. The color did lighten up a bit, its more of a coffee color now rather than dark chocolate it started as when going into primary.

Looking ahead as I have done throughout this entire process, I would like to get some input as to wrapping up this salvage project. Due to current events, I am going to dry hop tonight and bottle at the end of the week.

- What could I do to ensure a nicely carbonated beer? How long am I looking at keeping it bottled before enjoying?

 

[Homercidal]

I think the usual 4 ounces of corn sugar for priming would be fine. It takes about 3 weeks to get a full carb. Keep the bottles at 70F or so.

Revvy has a nice thread on bottling tips. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

The basic rundown is to use a bottling bucket (Fermentor bucket with a plastic spigot) a plastic hose and a bottling wand. Boil sugar water to sanitize it, pour into sanitized bucket, rack beer from secondary into bottling bucket (Careful not to suck up the gunk on the bottom) and make sure it's well mixed with the sugar water while also being gentle enough to prevent splashing and oxidation.

Then fill each bottle and place cap. Two people are more effective at this part than 1, but it's not too bad either way.

 

[TheCADJockey]

I've definitely got the bottling process down in a clean and efficient fashion. I just was not sure if there was a magical amount of sugar, or fancy pixie dust to put in to make things right. Thanks for the article Homer, going to read through it on lunch.

 

[Homercidal]

Someone made a chart describing how much of each type of sugar you would use to get a certain level of carbonation. I think it would well with a chart describing the different volumes of CO2 that are common to each style of beer. You may want to look those up and refresh your memory. I think Howtobrew.com has a chart.

And be sure to measure by weight if you can.

 

[fosaisu]

Someone made a chart describing how much of each type of sugar you would use to get a certain level of carbonation. I think it would well with a chart describing the different volumes of CO2 that are common to each style of beer. You may want to look those up and refresh your memory. I think Howtobrew.com has a chart.

And be sure to measure by weight if you can.

The Tastybrew Bottle Priming Calculator is very helpful, you can select your style from the dropdown to get a suggested carb level for your beer or input your own if you like.

If you don't have the dextrose/corn sugar on hand, table sugar works perfectly well for bottle priming, and I (and many other folks at HBT) have noticed no difference in flavor/carbonation, you just have to make sure you add the suggested amount for the product you're using -- since table sugar is slightly more fermentable, you use less of it than you would corn sugar.

A big +1 for the suggestion to consult Revy's bottling guide, that thing is perfect! The only suggestion I would add is that when I was bottling regularly I found that I often got inconsistent carbonation (some bottles overcarbed, some undercarbed). My solution for this was, instead of just dumping the priming sugar solution in at some point while racking to the bottling bucket, to add it in several small segments, and then after racking completed, to gently stir the beer with my brewing spoon to ensure that the priming sugar solution was well mixed in. Though many (including Revy) find stirring is unnecessary, my carbonation levels were much more consistent when I followed this approach.

And be sure to measure by weight if you can.

Also key advice. No reason not to buy one of these cheap scales from Harbor Freight if you don't have a measurement option already, gives you precision when measuring out priming sugar and also perfect for weighing hops and any other adjuncts you may end up adding to your beer.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Hey! I actually just got a really nice digital scale. I think it was the only thing I got to put on the wedding registry Which also reminds me...

My dog ate my big brewing paddle. Bleh. Drinks my beer. Eats my beer spoons.

 

[Homercidal]

Another trick I think Revvy gave (Which may be in his sticky thread) is to screw a 3/4" or 1" Whichever fits the spigots threads) 90 degree plastic elbow onto the spigot on the INSIDE of the bottling bucket. This addition puts the spigot near the very bottom of the bucket, and it makes it possible to get nearly every last drop of beer to draw out of the bucket.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Another trick I think Revvy gave (Which may be in his sticky thread) is to screw a 3/4" or 1" Whichever fits the spigots threads) 90 degree plastic elbow onto the spigot on the INSIDE of the bottling bucket. This addition puts the spigot near the very bottom of the bucket, and it makes it possible to get nearly every last drop of beer to draw out of the bucket.

I saw that little trick. Not sure if I could pull off something like that, might try though. The beer seems really clear, or it did until I dry hopped last night. When I woke up there was a perfectly even layer of hops on the top, is this going to sink or just something that I'll avoid when bottling?

 

[Homercidal]

Just siphon from underneath it. It's very common. Normally I give the fermentor a small jiggle to get them started downwards, but I've also siphoned from under and it works about the same. Somehow the siphon end prevents the hops from passing or clogging, and you can get all the beer out. Jiggling too close to the bottling date will create a slightly more cloudy beer, but it's not bad.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Just siphon from underneath it. It's very common. Normally I give the fermentor a small jiggle to get them started downwards, but I've also siphoned from under and it works about the same. Somehow the siphon end prevents the hops from passing or clogging, and you can get all the beer out. Jiggling too close to the bottling date will create a slightly more cloudy beer, but it's not bad.

Cool, thanks for the continued input Homer. I'll likely leave it be. I can't wait to bottle up and start a new one Saturday. I've finally read up on the SMaSH thing I was hearing about and I love it, it sounds to be exactly what I need to get to know my malts and hops. The weather in Buffalo is perfect for brewing this time of year too. Good times.

 

[SteinCastle]

Hi! Brewer here at Steincastle...Just checking in on how our Chainmail Pale Ale was turning out for you? If you have a good address we can send a sticker or two from the brewery your way

PS- 4.5 gals isn't a bad number especially if you haven't brewed in awhile

 

[Homercidal]

Hi! Brewer here at Steincastle...Just checking in on how our Chainmail Pale Ale was turning out for you? If you have a good address we can send a sticker or two from the brewery your way

PS- 4.5 gals isn't a bad number especially if you haven't brewed in awhile

I concur. I still struggle with my volumes. Beersmith seems to be off for me and I can't figure out where the problem is and my system is changing, so there is no real impetus to figure it out at this point.

 

[unionrdr]

I've been following Beersmith's numbers to a point. I feel it'll take a lot more tweaking to get them to come out closer to actual in my experiences with it. I just tweaked the numbers for my dampfbier v2 yesterday. It even carried over the brewing notes from version one? That was a bit odd. I have my own process that I follow, but I've been trying to learn how to carry these over to BS2 so my process will match what it gives. There's a lot of trial & error involved in my opinion.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Just got a text saying I got my personalized bottle caps in the mail today. I guessed correctly on Name A Style Picture Thread for the first time, on my first guess. 45 min left of the work week... Bottle the Chainmail Pale Ale tomorrow. Life is good!

 

[Hello]

I've been following Beersmith's numbers to a point. I feel it'll take a lot more tweaking to get them to come out closer to actual in my experiences with it. I just tweaked the numbers for my dampfbier v2 yesterday. It even carried over the brewing notes from version one? That was a bit odd. I have my own process that I follow, but I've been trying to learn how to carry these over to BS2 so my process will match what it gives. There's a lot of trial & error involved in my opinion.

But don't you do PM and partial boils and top off? At that point don't you always hit your volumes?

Just got a text saying I got my personalized bottle caps in the mail today. I guessed correctly on Name A Style Picture Thread for the first time, on my first guess. 45 min left of the work week... Bottle the Chainmail Pale Ale tomorrow. Life is good!

Perfect news! It is all going so well!

 

[unionrdr]

But don't you do PM and partial boils and top off? At that point don't you always hit your volumes?

Perfect news! It is all going so well!

Volumes are easy with topping off. My OG's are always higher with the Barley Crusher grain mill & dunk sparge. Boil off can be a problem as well, but turning it down to a gently rolling boil definitely helps too.

 

[fuzzy2133]

But don't you do PM and partial boils and top off? At that point don't you always hit your volumes?

Perfect news! It is all going so well!

Volumes are easy with topping off. My OG's are always higher with the Barley Crusher grain mill & dunk sparge. Boil off can be a problem as well, but turning it down to a gently rolling boil definitely helps too.

My boil off was a wild card area too. Fixed that by using a marker to make reference points on the regulator of the out door burner. Once I get past 1 1/4 turns open the boil of a 5 gallon batch looks the same but the evaporation rate difference is huge.

 

[unionrdr]

I have aftermarket elements on the electric stove from amazon. The link is in my profile for anyone interested. I turn it up to "HI" when I get the mash & sparge together in the BK. it gets through hot break to boiling hard in about 18 minutes. Then I turn it down to about 8.8 on the dial to get a gentle, rolling boil. This cuts boil off a bit more.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Sorry to interrupt what you guys are talking about (kinda lost me a page or so back), just curious about a SMaSH I was considering trying.

I recently acquired about 6lbs of Munton DME and I have a freezer full of the Nugget hops I just picked from the garden. In the spirit of SMaSH idea, since I have never done one before... does that mean I could just start the boil for an hour, put in the DME and add my nugget hops now and then? Or am I completely missing something?

 

[ericbw]

You'll want to add some DME at the beginning, along with some hops for bitterness. You won't know your AA%, so it might be a crap shoot. Using hops with a known AA for bittering might be more predictable then your homegrowns for aroma.

 

[unionrdr]

In a partial boil of 2,5-3.5 gallons in a 5 gallon kettle, use about 3lbs of the DME. 60 minute bittering addition. Then maybe 20, 15 & 5 for flavor & aroma. Remaining DME at flame out.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Ok I am bottling 4.5 gallons of this pale ale. Calculator says use 2.5 oz dex, someone on this thread said 3.7 oz and guy at lhbs said use 4.5 oz. Any last minute suggestions?

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I calculated 4 oz at 70 degrees for 2.5 volumes of co2

 

[Hello]

I'd go 2.5. That's what I get. You could bump to 3 of you're sure you have 4.5 gallons. My tastybrew calc says 2.5 using the IPA (chosen by style).

 

[TheCADJockey]

As always, thank you Hello. Also, as always... Since nothing has gone right with this project, I can't find my capper. Every single thing I own is here, except that. Have to run down street and borrow friends. On hold again with everything waiting in sanitizer. Upsetting.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I'd go 2.5. That's what I get. You could bump to 3 of you're sure you have 4.5 gallons. My tastybrew calc says 2.5 using the IPA (chosen by style).

Isn't it a pale ale he made, not an ipa?

 

[TheCADJockey]

It's bottled. Tucked away. Ended up 4 gallons total. Did what I could and appreciate everyone's help. Only time will tell now, so... 2-3 weeks before moment of truth right?

Well. At least my entire kitchen (and body) is covered in starsan. Time to open the last two surviving bottles of gusher batch I found today on their 1 yr anniversary. See if they still explosive or if I get a drink.

 

[TheCADJockey]

The last of the Hefeweizen gusher batch that made me give up. The last two I just opened just foamed to the end. Super sparkly on tongue, tastes and feels like a hard cider, banana aftertaste. Les Sigh. Good riddance.



New beginnings.

 

[TheCADJockey]

A few positives have come from this revitalization of the hobby at least...

My fiance, who hates beer even though I assure her there is one out there she would like if she would lose her preconceived idea of what beer is, has helped me with this batch from start to finish even through my frustrating moments. The idea was that while she was helping me or at least just providing company, we would talk about the last of our wedding plans that needed to be tied up. In the course of doing so, we end up talking about possible locations to move to since we are in a rough part of the neighborhood and would like to GTFO and buy a house in a nice area. The first thing she says is, "We need a place that has a garage or finished basement you can turn into a man cave to do this stuff instead of in the kitchen."

Score one for the good guys.

 

[Hello]

As always, thank you Hello. Also, as always... Since nothing has gone right with this project, I can't find my capper. Every single thing I own is here, except that. Have to run down street and borrow friends. On hold again with everything waiting in sanitizer. Upsetting.

You're welcome. We're all here to help. I don't think this process has been filled with mishaps at all. It actually sounds like it has been going good and you're just slightly stressed. Which I will say...now relax.

Isn't it a pale ale he made, not an ipa?

You are right, I misspoke on the style. If he used the priming calculator then he should be good. If anything, he won't have gushers!

A few positives have come from this revitalization of the hobby at least...

My fiance, who hates beer even though I assure her there is one out there she would like if she would lose her preconceived idea of what beer is, has helped me with this batch from start to finish even through my frustrating moments. The idea was that while she was helping me or at least just providing company, we would talk about the last of our wedding plans that needed to be tied up. In the course of doing so, we end up talking about possible locations to move to since we are in a rough part of the neighborhood and would like to GTFO and buy a house in a nice area. The first thing she says is, "We need a place that has a garage or finished basement you can turn into a man cave to do this stuff instead of in the kitchen."

Score one for the good guys.

That is awesome. As far as finding a beer she'll like, every beer I have brewed, even sub 20 IBU beer, has been deemed "too bitter" by a close friend. He loves Bass, Blue Moon, Fat Tire, and Smithwicks and yet my sub 20 IBU beers are bitter. I can't quite figure it out so I gave up. I'll buy beer for him. Don't stress too much about her loving a beer finally. What is on the agenda for the next batch?

 

[TheCADJockey]

I have almost $50 worth of Munton plain light DME that was given to me for some reason, so I was thinking of trying a SMaSH with that and a whole bunch of the Nugget hops from the garden. I don't know enough about malts etc to know what it will turn out like but it should be a simple process and I assume, maybe showcase the hops we grew? Regardless, it will be nice to do a nice easy one after this, even if its just for a little extra practice with my technique and to build my personal stock. Also after buying new bottles last night, to make sure everything I had was as new as could be... I realized I have a large amount of bottles stored away now. So i'll also take a night cleaning old bottles and sanitizing and storing away in the new large totes that she picked up for me

The only thing I worry about is the priming sugar. I got it nicely dissolved and cooled and should've been evenly distributed before I bottled. If this turns out okay it will be finished (assuming again, that 2-3 weeks is enough in the bottle) a couple days before my bachelor party. That would be so great. Really hope its good enough to share.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Going back to the researching now, I've found a bunch of opinions on bottle conditioning times. The general idea seems to be 2-3 weeks, until I read just now that a pale ale could take less than 2 weeks.

Anyone have insight on this matter? Normally I would've popped one a week and taken notes but given the smaller size of this batch and effort I have made to do this one the right way (despite the little mishaps), I would like to let this one be for a more accurate time.

edit: Given the pictures I posted of that Hefeweizen, does that seem like it was a carbonation issue or infection? Other? More reading up makes me think it may have fermented too warm. Just curious. Its water under the bridge, but I would like to try to prevent that from happening again.

 

[unionrdr]

My pale ales have taken as little as 11 days & as much as 4 weeks or so. they're like BBq, they're ready when they're ready. It depends on ambient air temps where the bottles sit in there boxes to carb & condition. Mo' warmer, mo' faster.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Haha, nice thank you Union.. I unfortunately have little control over temperatures in my house but with the fall weather hitting now my upstairs room where I have them is pretty much steady 70 degrees. I fermented in our room with AC at 68 degrees. So I guess I'll just have to try one at some point then. I was shocked when I was bottling; I expected it to be an assault of hops and it smelled like a fruit/citrus hop...smelled so good and almost exactly as described on the recipe. Unbelievably excited. I want it now!

 

[CBXBob]

I've just begun my fourth year as a homebrewer, I started with extract kits, and have stuck with extract because of the ease of use, and the great selection of extracts, and kit styles. I still buy kits from different online suppliers, and have done a few of my own "kits". I stressed on my first half dozen kits, but soon it became easier from repetition of the process. I'm so relaxed now, brewing seems almost Zen like for me. From the urban dictionary "One way to think of zen is this: a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. " My only stress is if the propane tank runs out, I'll have to carry the pot in to the stove Fermentation is no longer stressful because of a $160 (sale!) chest freezer and temp controller. I hope your beer turns out good enough to share at your bachelor party, but if not, don't give up.

 

[Hello]

Haha, nice thank you Union.. I unfortunately have little control over temperatures in my house but with the fall weather hitting now my upstairs room where I have them is pretty much steady 70 degrees. I fermented in our room with AC at 68 degrees. So I guess I'll just have to try one at some point then. I was shocked when I was bottling; I expected it to be an assault of hops and it smelled like a fruit/citrus hop...smelled so good and almost exactly as described on the recipe. Unbelievably excited. I want it now!

You did take a sip, yes? That is a right of passage, to drink a healthy sample of that beer you're bottling.

This is going to be good. After all of this and all of the help, I cannot imagine anything going wrong now. Even if slightly under-carbonated, I think it is always better to be under than over and in the end, no one will likely care or notice.

Congrats on the wedding as well!

 

[ericbw]

Going back to the researching now, I've found a bunch of opinions on bottle conditioning times. The general idea seems to be 2-3 weeks, until I read just now that a pale ale could take less than 2 weeks.

Anyone have insight on this matter? Normally I would've popped one a week and taken notes but given the smaller size of this batch and effort I have made to do this one the right way (despite the little mishaps), I would like to let this one be for a more accurate time.

edit: Given the pictures I posted of that Hefeweizen, does that seem like it was a carbonation issue or infection? Other? More reading up makes me think it may have fermented too warm. Just curious. Its water under the bridge, but I would like to try to prevent that from happening again.

Is there a reason you think there is a problem with your priming sugar? You calculated the amount, dissolved it in water, added to the wort and mixed well? The only thing that I always question is about the residual CO2, which is based on the temperature. But seriously, the difference between 2.5 volumes and 2.75 volumes... are you really going to be able to tell?

Your hefeweizen looks infected to me. Especially since you said some bottles foamed to the end. Did you taste it? Even slightly infected lighter beers will taste sour or off.

You should challenge yourself to let these sit for 2 week minimum before you open one. And then wait one more week. 2 weeks will get carbonation, but it always seems better after 3 or 4. And during those 2-3 weeks, don't read anything about carbonation or conditioning!

I still don't see why you say nothing has gone right with this.