Recent content by atouk

I'm using whole leaf for the first time to dry hop. I simply dumped them in the bucket so they were floating on the surface and replaced the lid. One week later when i opened up the fermenter to transfer to the keg I saw that the hops are still just floating on the surface with no perceptible...

The results came in and I got bronze in the category! I lost most of my points because it wasn't malty enough, which I expected since the primary malt was pils. I am especially happy that there were no negative remarks I would connect to the brewing process, which was my main concern since I am...

Quick update. I ended up entering it as a dunkel. The SRM was way darker than beersmith calculated because I used dark Munich malt instead of the regular found in typical marzens. Super dark, lots of malty character, just seemed closer to a dunkel. We'll see!

I just saw the entry form and while they do require that I list the yeast used, I still think I will just put it in the Marzen category and see what happens. It's getting better as it sits in the keg and my novice taste buds can't detect any esters, so maybe I'll get away with it. I used S04...

ABV 5%, IBU 21, SRM 12.5 I'm in it for the feedback at this point, but I wouldn't want to completely kill my chance at a medal by picking the wrong style 😉 I figured that if it happened to fit neatly into some ale category I'd go for that, but maybe sticking with marzen is best for...

I wanted to brew an octoberfest marzen but have no lagering fridge, so I used ale yeast instead. Grain bill is traditional for a marzen (pils, Munich, Vienna) with a bit of tettnang for the boil. It turned out quite good IMO and I'm thinking of entering it in a local competition but I can't...

It's an octoberfest that I'm brewing with ale yeast. No lagering fridge yet 😞

Wow, that was a strangely harsh reply... I'm just trying to spread my brewing happiness! :mug:

There's dark wort in the lines! Happy fall brewing everyone!

Here's my setup. Used a $9 plastic tub for the hood. Not pretty but I'm in the corner of my basement where beauty is not a requirement!

Brewed over the weekend and I am going to have to try to take the connector apart and see what's going on in there. The temp was bouncing all over the place until I managed to work the wire into just the right angle to hold steady. It was like tweaking the ol' rabbit ears to get a clear...

I have a electric setup I built that uses pt100 probes to take temp measurements for the PID controllers. The setup is still new and I am ironing bugs out, but this one has me stumped. The temp readings have started fluctuating wildly from the correct temp down to the lower limit and everywhere...

I will probably give it a try...someday. My system has a dedicated HERMS that should allow for decent control on temp steps, so it would be nice to prove my equipment can handle it even if its not always necessary. For now I'm glad to concentrate on getting single infusions right.

Thanks for the quick feedback. I am always happy to receive advice that results in a less complicated brew day!

I am planning to brew a Brooklyn Summer Ale clone this weekend, and the recipe I found is a little light on some details. It calls for a protein rest at 122 °F and a saccharifacation rest at 152 °F, but fails to say how long to rest for. This is only my second all grain brew, so while I've read...