Search results

I've used the plastic corks with some success. A bit more cost than caps, but nice for those 29mm bottles. Most of the times, those work great, but I have popped a few flat bottles. Not sure if it's the bottle or re-used plastic corks, but I think I'm done with those.

Yep.

In March, I checked the gravity on my barrel-aged sour red - this was about 1/3 18-month old beer, and 2/3 younger beer at about 9 months old - gravity was at 1.010 - was thinking about packaging before that hydrometer sample, but decided it probably needed more time. Last night (2 months...

I think Motueka would work very well - it was in fact at one time called Belgian-Saaz. I think Nelson can make just about anything great. But, those are both Kiwi hops ;). I have a single on tap that used Mt. Hood and Sterling, both technically American, but probably not what you meant. I...

Care to share tasting notes for this one? Get much from the sourdough yeast?

I've been using Premier Cuvee from Red Star. I may be wrong, but I think it's similar to EC-118. The first time I didn't re-yeast, I got poor bottle attenuation. THP will reportedly fade in time, but why chance it? If only pitching dregs from a bottle or two, you shouldn't have to worry about...

Is this a sour beer with living bacteria and/or wild yeast? Most would consider a pellicle a type of infection. I can't really tell from the photo.

The blend is once again available online. Seems they're making cultures available more often, perhaps just during the pandemic?

At any rate, it's good to know that I'm not just a spaz. I mean I am a spaz, but maybe more than that.

Then that would beg the question - why suggest one should wait until the pellicle is gone before packaging?

Occasionally I see recommendations that one shouldn't disturb the pellicle on a sour beer, and/or packaging should be delayed until the pellicle is gone. I think more often I see that it's fine to package while there is a pellicle present, and I follow this guidance. However, I've been brewing...

I've used a couple Imperial strains and have been happy with them. That said, I think they are much more aggressively marketing than any other lab out there. My preferred online HBS doesn't carry Imperial, and I'm not going out if my way to get it. Before my most "L" LHBS closed down, I could...

The difference is that the MF used bugged wood from Russian River. The LAB in the wood is likely more hop-tolerant than any commercial strains. I normally use hops, at least some, in my sours, but then again, I rarely rely on commercial strains alone. The rate at which I use them is normally...

Agree with all the above. Dupont yeast (Wyeast 3724 or WLP 565) are the stallers (a claim I refute), not Belle. RDWHAHB

I thought so - either on MTF or American Sour Beers or a podcast or something. Now I can't find it and don't know where I picked it up. Oh well. Maybe it's true!

Hmm, good question. As I'm sure you know, pedio tends to be a little more hop tolerant than lacto, but the commercial strains are a little wimpy when it comes to hops. IBU will fade in time, allowing LAB to do their thing, but 12 months in the fermenter isn't that long. Perhaps the acidity comes...

This looks and sounds fantastic. Living in the Midwest, Russian River is not available (I don't trade online). I've been meaning to dabble in blending wines into sours, perhaps this is the direction I go.

I haven't heard of this hack. My slow cooker only has "low" and "high," and while I've never checked the temperature of either, I suspect even the low is too high. If you can control the temp between 145 and 160 F, I suppose you could mash. Volume might be the limiting factor, but they do come...

Not great attenuation either. Likely not a great brewing yeast.

From a practical standpoint, there's almost no difference between 68 and 70. Move it to the house - it's a Belgian yeast, it'll be happy.