Search results

OP, I think the issue most have with your suggestion is threefold: 1. Bitterness and sourness are not simple flavors whose only role is to balance sweet flavors. They do so much more. But, for argument's sake, say they don't...why not just call sweet the "antibitter" or "antisour" or...

Thanks for the laugh. ;) If you've already moved from 1 to 3 gallon batches, you'll likely want to move to 5 eventually. You can do 5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot, though the beginning of the boil can be a bit nerve wracking. I'd go for something in the 8-10 gallon size, and find ways other...

Drill larger and use a universal stopper and airlock. Or if you must, attach the stopper to the lid, not the airlock. Trust me, you're going to want to pull that airlock off to clean it before long. Or just save yourself some trouble and buy a new lid now.

Sure thing. I think there was a good article on blending sours in Zymurgy not so long ago, but I'd have to search a bit to find it. There are other interviews I've seen on how some go through the process, and it's not terribly different from wine blending. Mike Tonsmeire has a few blog posts...

Not all sour beers are the product of blending, and some non-sours are. That little caveat out of the way, I would imagine most blenders consider both sensory (primarily taste and smell) factors as well as chemically measured factors, like pH. Ultimately, it all comes down to taste and...

Yes, you did. Someone else said they were opposite, and my response was, in part, to address that. I still disagree about the "parallel" thing. No, they don't. No, it doesn't. The similar content measurement to IBU is pH, though they're not really analogous. Neither measures taste...

Exactly right. To further add to this, there are a multitude of compounds that have "bitter" and "sweet" flavors, each with its own unique taste, if you know how to identify it. Isomerized alpha acids taste bitter, but so do beta acids, many substances added by roast malt, multitudes of herbs...

I think you're overlooking some relevant differences. Sour and bitter aren't opposites, in any normal use of the term, and IBUs and pH aren't measuring bitterness and sourness any more than a hydrometer measures sugar. When discussing something this nuanced, it helps to be clear about these...

Flavors tend not to "cancel each other out," but they can provide some sort of balance to the product. Beer is like every other culinary product in this regard. It's difficult to measure all compounds that might play a role in certain flavors, but we can make rudimentary steps towards doing so...

Are you guys getting these direct from the plants, or from somewhere else? Anyone have one of these fancy charts for Hap Cremean?

I'd keep the same ratio. Just check your malt to make sure you still have sufficient DP for conversion. You probably will, but it's always wise to double check.

I've used as much as 50% wheat malt in an IPA. I rather liked it, and plan to rebrew with a very similar maltbill. I like that I can mash for high attenuation yet still keep a good body and low sweetness. The wheatiness tends to play well with citrusy hops, as well.

Looks good. I'll take one.

I'm not sure what the issue is. Is it that you mashed with more water than expected and sparged with less than expected, that your mash was too hot or variable in temperature, or both? If just the former, I wouldn't sweat it. Sparging is not necessary, though it does increase efficiency. If...

Nope. Just like with beer, the alcohol will be evenly distributed throughout.

There's problem #1. Don't use hand sanitizers in your brew. Or did you mean the ones with ethanol as the active ingredient? You should definitely stop using anything with ethanol.

I imagine he's going to lager it in the keg. Achieves the same thing and cuts down on a step.

/thread

Damn...now that I'm looking at that, it's pretty sexy. Might have to build that into my next kettle.

Obviously, yes. That or keep the level of the input higher than that of the wort, as in the picture. I'm not sure I'm a fan of that approach, from the perspective of facilitating a whirlpool, avoiding excessive aeration, or preventing infection (if this is used while cooling - and really, if...