Recent content by yesyves

Hi Thanks for this very interesting thread. There is something I don't get. Why pitch in secondary oak chips that have soaked a week in bourbon ? why not just pitch the bourbon ? Does the additional soak really make a difference ? Thanks !

Mmm ... Bulgur has no bran so I doubt it will be equivalent

I know raw wheat has its disadvantages as it needs a long (~45 min) beta-glucan rest and is very hard to grind, so I am very eager to know how Bulgur Wheat will turn out. And indeed, malted wheat does not cut it for belgian styles, especially Wit.

Good questions. I sure stirred quite a bit, but certainly not continuously because stirring gets the heat out of the mash. But I surely will stir more next time. I used a total of 40 qts of water while the recipe was calculated with 39. Thanks !

I brewed a Belgian Wit with 5 pounds of flaked wheat, as much Pilsner malt and 1/2 pound rice hulls, and had a terrible time adjusting the mash temperature, as if the flakes got the water but not its heat. I ended up with an efficiency around 63 %. My mash began with a 15 min step at 122°F...

Hi I'm wondering if brewing with corn and rice flakes makes a difference vs brewing with corn sugar and rice syrup. Thanks !

Nottingham dry yeast is quite tolerant to high alcool levels, so it could make a good choice too. I used 2 packs for a 1.102 OG BarleyWine and it worked quite well.

I read about time in primary vs harsh alcohol flavor in there : http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors I kept a steady 18°C for fermentation so no problem there I guess.

Bottled after 6 weeks in primary. Alcohol taste maybe a bit harsh which may well be related to too much time in primary ... But it is a 10,8 % Barley Wine after all ! We'll see how it fares in 6 months ...

I think the 6-8 weeks in primary gives the best safety / simplicity. All very sound advices. Thanks to everyone.

That is definitely good news ! I never left anything more than 1 month in primary for fear of off-flavors. It's going to be 10-11 % and bottled. So I was planning 3 weeks in primary then 3 months in secondary before bottling.

Hi I'm brewing my first BarleyWine and after a fews days of fermentation, a lot has gone through the blowoff and I think I have closer to 4 gallons than 5. What is the best way to move on to secondary fermentation from that point ? I don't want to leave to much air in the carboy and I...