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So, I thought this tread could use a little update. I decided (was highly annoyed by my club leader) to submit a proposal to speak on at NHC 2015. I was accepted and spoke on the two experiments I chronicled here on HBT and on another.... This Fermenter shape. I finally put together a side by...

I wish I had better news for you. But it ended up infected. One of my only infected batches ever. It was good when I first made it... not sure where the defect in my process came in. Good luck if you make it, let us know how it went. Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Wow, There has been quite a bit of discussion on this while I was gone! Suffice it to say, perhaps the depth of the fermenter on a homebrew scale has less to do with the increased ester levels than the psuedo-open aspect of it. But it does make a difference… and a tastable one at that. Even the...

You are on the right track. I make real caramels as well and the biggest thing there is to wipe down the sides of the pot. If stirred too much afterward or if even a single crystal remains it becomes the seed crystal for the rest to start forming. Since this is usually going into a brew and...

Here's my final update on the Saison. I have not yet had time to brew my Hefe... But my basement is pretty close to optimal temp for a well controlled Hefe at 63-66°F. I served the saison keg at Great Lakes brew fest this Saturday. The beer was well received. No indication of oxidation, and the...

Not a link, but the 2nd photo in the first post is the chart. It's from "brewing with wheat" mid chapter in the German Hefeweizen section. Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Here are some photos from the transfer. Seriously easiest transfer I've had in a long time. I put the fermenter up on my freezer yesterday to let it settle before moving to keg. Yeast cake was well set. Saison has cleared nicely, and the transfer did not pick up much, if any sediment. I did...

If my new Refractometer is calibrated correctly and I can trust the online calculators for SG conversion from brix, I'm at final gravity. 1.003 or 1.004. I'll transfer to keg and take a hydrometer reading tonight to verify. The saison is hugely estery. About 2-3 times more estery than at this...

At this point I'd put money on the geometry over open factor. I've done a number of open fermentations, all in a 7 gallon bucket with lid offset by an inch, lid completely off with my filter bag covering it, and even just completely off. All the results have been similar, and just not as...

My update on the saison. I left the fermenter open for about 18 hours. On Tuesday night I closed it as the krausen was starting to compact and I wanted the yeast to develop a nice CO2 blanket over the beer so I wouldn't need to transfer the beer so quickly, and would limit the effects of...

My update on the saison. This morning the fermenter is sitting happily at 74° F, a nice temperature for a saison. The aroma is extremely estery, but in the best way. Krausen has started to fall, and checking the airlock, the headspace in my closed up fermenter is definitely filled with CO2. I...

I question that as well, since a few times "brewing with wheat" referenced franzisksner doing taste trials with their Hefe and the average consumer not being able to tell the difference as well as Sierra Nevada doing a single infusion for kellerweis... But I am a super taster, and I am fairly...

For this saison, I wasn't ready to leave it fully open. It was cracked, but my basement is a typical basement and the wort needed a little protection from the elements, while still allowing for oxygen & CO2 exchange. When I do my Hefe it is truly open. And will be in a darker and cooler part of...

I know it's NOT really a coolship, but what else do you call a shallow flat open fermenter? Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Instead of a fish tank I went with a food safe air/water resistant sterilite 13.5 gallon bin. Looks to be working beautifully. This is a saison in there now. Next up my Hefe recipe. Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

A few more of the hop drive and skimming. The krausen wasn't as high tonight, so I sealed the fermenter. The aroma was brilliant. Phenolic, spicy, fruity, cherries, citrusy perhaps from hops, very high on esters. Hopefully it will finish dry like the last time with a hint of tartness, like a...

I skipped the second build up and pitched just the 1/2 L starter into my saison in a modified open fermentation. The following picture is of the hop drive and beautiful krausen at 12 hours since pitching. Don't worry the fermenter/bin is covered in clean towels to shield from light when I'm not...

Over the last 3 years I have been perfecting my Hefe. It's good, but not where I want it to be. I've run experiments on pitching rate, fermentation temperature, open vs closed fermentation, yeast trials, and malt comparisons. I've tweaked it from something good to something great... But it's...

Yes, it will be worth the trip. The dry stuff does in a pinch, but there is much better Hefe expression from the liquid yeast. Grab the 3068, or look into White Labs 380 if your LHS has it... It's my favorite. Then aim your fermentation temp to get your desired expression. Low temp 60-65°F)...

Thanks, I have great activity on this stuff. I'm glad I was able to salvage some from my extremely old keg (brewed in January, kegged early Feb). I will do a second step, since I had so little to start with, and only have it in 1/2 L. Next step 2 L... Should give me enough to save some properly...