Man I guess! Wow!Very Un-Dude said:
06.06.06 Brew day, post your results, tips, gripes...
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Darth Konvel
Well-Known Member
Wow, two marks so far up on the "citrusy" column. Wasn't expecting that.
Thanks for the heads up regarding head space for dry hopping, Rich. I hadn't even thought about that. Did you have any similar issues, anti-Dude? Or are you waiting to dry hop later?
Thanks for the heads up regarding head space for dry hopping, Rich. I hadn't even thought about that. Did you have any similar issues, anti-Dude? Or are you waiting to dry hop later?
I don't know how Rye flavors a beer and I was wondering if this is part of what I'm tasting.Darth Konvel said:
I'm going to have to keep my eye on this one. I think the hops hinder the CO2 bubbles from escaping. I can see the air lock getting blow off.
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RichBrewer said:I don't know how Rye flavors a beer and I was wondering if this is part of what I'm tasting.
I'm going to have to keep my eye on this one. I think the hops hinder the CO2 bubbles from escaping. I can see the air lock getting blow off.
Yeah, I'm guessing the rye is giving it that "tang"......it isn't a bad thing I don't think, I just wasn't expecting it.
Rich, did you get a hint of smoke at all?
Darth,
I haven't dry-hopped yet. I'm going to let the gravity go down a few more points and then put in the oak chips, then dry hop.....
I didn't get any smoke character at all. I was thinking that when the citrusy tang mellows, maybe the smoke character will come through but I'm not too sure right now.Very Un-Dude said:Rich, did you get a hint of smoke at all?
Darth,
The Oak Chip package says to soak them in the beer for 3 or 4 days. Is this correct? It says wine can go for months. I haven't put mine in yet.
I keep saying it but no one listens
It's goning to take a long time after it's in bottles befor it tastes "right". My Wee Heavy had a OG of 1.081 and it took 3 months b4 I would say it was "drinkable" (very sherry tasting b4 that) and now that I'm coming up on like 5 months it's till getting better and better.
This bad boy is going to take a LONG time to be done.
If ya dont believe me swing on by and I'll pop open a couple of the Wee Heavys and you can see for yourself. (PM me for adress and cell phone #
)Hell, even the guy at the LHBS said it probably would be NEARING peak at like 6 months
BTW I picked up my stuff for it today. Couldnt get any flaked rye so I went with a extra pound of rye malt. I'll probably be brewing on Wednesday (15 MAR)
Tony
Well-Known Member
Pumbaa said:I keep saying it but no one listens
It's goning to take a long time after it's in bottles befor it tastes "right"...
I know what you are saying, and I expect the same thing when I brew mine. Especially with the late addition of honey. It will definately take a awhile to mellow out, and hopefully I remember this Thursday to make my stater for Saturday. I dont know if mine will be ready by 06.06.06., maybe 09.09.06 LOL
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
I'm planning to brew this Saturday morning. Hopefully early, but I have Friday off. Some buddies and I are going to be drinking plenty of brew and watch the NCAA playoffs that day. 
So who knows how soon I'll start.
I'm guessing the citrusy flavor is coming form the Chinooks and, more likely, the rye. When I did an extract/steep Hop Rod Rye, I noticed a citrus taste. Of course, that used Cascades, too. But it mellowed over time. Orange blossom honey adds dryness, but it doesn't have an orange flavor, so it wouldn't be that.
So who knows how soon I'll start. I'm guessing the citrusy flavor is coming form the Chinooks and, more likely, the rye. When I did an extract/steep Hop Rod Rye, I noticed a citrus taste. Of course, that used Cascades, too. But it mellowed over time. Orange blossom honey adds dryness, but it doesn't have an orange flavor, so it wouldn't be that.
magno
Sound Level Technician
Well I brewed mine (extract version) yesterday. So far so good, bubbling like crazy. I pretty much nailed the target gravity at 1.076
I'll see how it comes out, and keep everyone posted.
-magno
I'll see how it comes out, and keep everyone posted.
-magno
Well I was HOPING to brew it today, but got a fire last night about 2AM and hung out there until about 6AM so I was spent. We are supposed to get a good deal of snow here tomarrow so tomarrow is the day, and my first all grain batch. :rockin:
I got the grain in my cooler, hops and yeast in the fridge and propane sitting next to the garage door. Think I'm going to get up early, check the snow, maybe clear the driveway befor the wife drives over it then get a brewing.
Just thought I would mention this . . . as we are picking up from that fire last night the wind was blowing out of the east and all of a sudden I get a sniff. At first i wasnt sure what it was but it was VERY familuar. A couple of the guys were trying to figure it out then all of a sudden it dawned on me . . .IT'S MALT!!!!
Miller Brewery was about 40 blocks due east of us and they had started their boil on their latest batch . . . OMFG . . . I tell ya what, after busting your arse for a solid 3-4 hours there is NOTHING better then smelling a couple hundred thousand gallons of brew being whipped up, even if it was from Miller
I got the grain in my cooler, hops and yeast in the fridge and propane sitting next to the garage door. Think I'm going to get up early, check the snow, maybe clear the driveway befor the wife drives over it then get a brewing.
Just thought I would mention this . . . as we are picking up from that fire last night the wind was blowing out of the east and all of a sudden I get a sniff. At first i wasnt sure what it was but it was VERY familuar. A couple of the guys were trying to figure it out then all of a sudden it dawned on me . . .IT'S MALT!!!!
Miller Brewery was about 40 blocks due east of us and they had started their boil on their latest batch . . . OMFG . . . I tell ya what, after busting your arse for a solid 3-4 hours there is NOTHING better then smelling a couple hundred thousand gallons of brew being whipped up, even if it was from Miller
I racked mine to secondary today (needed to free up primary) it is still at 1.030 and I had a ****ton of trub... 10 min in secondary a solid inch settled out. Still really sweet, I concur with Citrus flavor.. my color is close to a red.. I'm probably going to leave it for two weeks then rack it again for another week or two..
autoferret
Well-Known Member
Just brewed mine up. Very sweet!! Will be interesting...
Got mine boiling as we speak . . . and GD it's a long arse boil to get to 5.5 gallons. Started the boil at about 2:00 Central and just finally added the first round of hops at about 6:30 Central
used 13.5 quarts for the mash and just under 7 gallons for the sparge. This is my first all grain batch did I figure that out right cuz GD this has been boiling for like 3 hours now
used 13.5 quarts for the mash and just under 7 gallons for the sparge. This is my first all grain batch did I figure that out right cuz GD this has been boiling for like 3 hours now
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Pumbaa said:
What was your boil volume to start with? Sounds like an awful long time to be boiling....your gravity is going to be through the roof (unless you were low on your efficiency), or your wort is going to be darker than the recipe states. Not that either of those are bad things.....jus' sayin'.
10 gallons . . . 13qts for the mash and + 27 quarts for the sparge
I have no clue what my effciency was, like I said my first AG batch
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Pumbaa said:
Cheese and rice, dude!!!!!!!!!!!
You only need about 7-8 gallons of wort to start with....stop sparging no matter what after you get to that volume. One of the main reasons for that is after you get to a certain point of sparging, you can release unwanted tannins from the grains. Usually this happens when the wort gets to around 1.005-1.010 out of the lauter tun.
Don't worry though, you'll probably still have a good beer.
You deserve it after boiling down 4.5 gallons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I won't even tell you the mistakes I made after my first AG. It only gets easier from here on out!!!!!!
>.< Charlie led me astray?
I was following his chart on page 297 . . . well extrapolated to 13.5 pounds
**added in Edit**
BTW ended up with a OG of 1.064 . . . /shrug I have no clue how that is for a first AG but I'm disapointed
I had a hard time getting my mash temp right, first it was a bit higher then I wanted so I aded some cold and it got worse from there . . . mash temp finally settled out at 150.
Just got it into the carboy, took me a while to cool it down because it decided to freeze tonight and I didnt want my driveway to be a sheet of ice so I didnt use the counterflow wort chiller.
My new keg/kettle also has a very small leek at the valve when I took a closer look at it and compared it to the ones I have seen online it seems I need a 2nd O-ring . . . seems to make sense.
All considered even though it took me about 11 hours and I had to run out and get some tubing I thought I had in the middle it seemed to go pretty well. I got a few kinks I need to work out and think I am going to go out and get a 2nd turkey fryer. The one I have has a bit smaller platform then I would like and the kettle wobbled a bit more the nI would like once I got down to about 5gallonsish
It tasted real good (drank the sample) and I love the bite it has in the back of my throat, must be them Chinooks (used a full ounce cuz the ones I had were a bit lower AA then the recipie called for)
I was following his chart on page 297 . . . well extrapolated to 13.5 pounds
**added in Edit**
BTW ended up with a OG of 1.064 . . . /shrug I have no clue how that is for a first AG but I'm disapointed
I had a hard time getting my mash temp right, first it was a bit higher then I wanted so I aded some cold and it got worse from there . . . mash temp finally settled out at 150.
Just got it into the carboy, took me a while to cool it down because it decided to freeze tonight and I didnt want my driveway to be a sheet of ice so I didnt use the counterflow wort chiller.
My new keg/kettle also has a very small leek at the valve when I took a closer look at it and compared it to the ones I have seen online it seems I need a 2nd O-ring . . . seems to make sense.
All considered even though it took me about 11 hours and I had to run out and get some tubing I thought I had in the middle it seemed to go pretty well. I got a few kinks I need to work out and think I am going to go out and get a 2nd turkey fryer. The one I have has a bit smaller platform then I would like and the kettle wobbled a bit more the nI would like once I got down to about 5gallonsish
It tasted real good (drank the sample) and I love the bite it has in the back of my throat, must be them Chinooks (used a full ounce cuz the ones I had were a bit lower AA then the recipie called for)
Bernie Brewer
Grouchy Old Fart
Don't feel bad Pumbaa- I just pitched yeast on mine and my OG was a full 11 points low- only hit 1.065. That puts my eff in the 50's. I don't know WTF happened- maybe God is punishing me for brewing beer in honor of such a devilish day. I get my Crankandstein mill soon- maybe that'll help.
BTW I've never dry hopped before nor used oak chips. Anything special I need to know?
I don't know WTF happened- maybe God is punishing me for brewing beer in honor of such a devilish day. I get my Crankandstein mill soon- maybe that'll help. BTW I've never dry hopped before nor used oak chips. Anything special I need to know?
I had the exact same problem. My OG was also 1.065. Worst efficiency I've ever had.ablrbrau said:Don't feel bad Pumbaa- I just pitched yeast on mine and my OG was a full 11 points low- only hit 1.065. That puts my eff in the 50's.
BTW I've never dry hopped before nor used oak chips. Anything special I need to know?
If you are using whole hops for dry hopping be sure to use a big enough fermenter. I used a 5 gallon carboy and the hops are right up to the neck and they clog the air lock.
I'm not sure about the oak chips. Mine say they should be added for 3 or 4 days before bottling. Doesn't sound long enough to me.
deranged_hermit
Well-Known Member
hey all... brewed mine today. extract version. however i am very upset at my OG. its only 1.060. what could've happened for it to be so LOW! i followed the recipe very strictly. just dont know what happened. any suggestions? also, what does a low OG do to a beer? does it make it sweeter? lighter? less alcohol content?... which means more leftover sugar? what are ways to fix this? already added the yeast, and dont have a LHBS to get more. oh well... i'll see how it ends up. i had fun tho!
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deranged_hermit said:
Don't be upset. It is probably my fault in the conversion from AG to extract. You guys who are doing extract/partial mash versions, take notes and write down what you'd change--especially after tasting it. If it has too much (or not enough) of something, we need to know that.
As for my batch, I'm swirling it every so often--it is going to get racked into a keg on top some wood chips Wednesday. Will keep it on those for 5 days, taste and decide if it needs longer. Then I'll dry hop it and bottle some (if deemed worthy) for the nationals. I'll be sending some out to some peeps for tasting too. Then the rest goes on tap for me!!!!!
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
I brewed mine last Saturday. I made a starter for this and it was the first time I had to use a blow-off tube on a starter!
My OG was 1.072, but I made two mistakes. I forgot to add my Irish Moss but, more importantly, I wasn’t thinking and did a 60-minute boil instead of a 90-minute. I’m sure that made a difference in the OG. Still, it should work out to about 8% ABV, which isn’t bad. I ended up with about 5.5 gals. I had to use a blow-off tube on the carboy up until last night. It is still bubbling in the airlock at a rate of about once every five seconds.
The wort tasted sweet with a tannin taste on the back end, probably from the hops. The tannins weren’t overpowering, so I think it’ll be okay. The color was a hazy amber. I was thinking of using some form of finings to clarify it. Then again, that might very well be futile since the rye is probably contributing to that haze.
My OG was 1.072, but I made two mistakes. I forgot to add my Irish Moss but, more importantly, I wasn’t thinking and did a 60-minute boil instead of a 90-minute. I’m sure that made a difference in the OG. Still, it should work out to about 8% ABV, which isn’t bad. I ended up with about 5.5 gals. I had to use a blow-off tube on the carboy up until last night. It is still bubbling in the airlock at a rate of about once every five seconds.
The wort tasted sweet with a tannin taste on the back end, probably from the hops. The tannins weren’t overpowering, so I think it’ll be okay. The color was a hazy amber. I was thinking of using some form of finings to clarify it. Then again, that might very well be futile since the rye is probably contributing to that haze.
I'm going to rack mine maybe next weekend onto the oak chips. Give it a week or two then bottle or keg. I hope I didn't screw up by dry hopping too early.Dude said:
I'm still getting about 1 bubble a minute from the air lock so I think it is still fermenting which would make sense because the gravity at racking was 1.020. The primary fermentation was done at 68° to 70°. Secondary has been at 62°. This brew had many firsts for me. I can't wait to try it and see how it turned out. I bet it will take a LONG time to be at its best. Can't wait to brew it again.
Any of you guys know where to get oak chips besides a HBS, my guy doesn't have them and I'm not paying 10 bucks from midwest supplies to order them online... I'm too mmuch of a poor college student
Bernie Brewer
Grouchy Old Fart
Dude said:
Ok, but like i said I've never dryhopped nor used chips, so I got some dummy questions, mostly about sanitation. what do I do with the hops and oak chips to keep from spoiling the brew? The hops are so acidic that i'm guessing that it's not even an issue with them, but I'd like to know for sure. Thanks in advance.
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SkewedAle said:
Know what I scored at the grocery store the other night? Jack Daniels chips made from the real whiskey barrels. They are used for grilling. You might be able to find some in your area.
I bought 3 big bags just for the heck of it.
ablrbrau said:
I'm not sure yet either. I was thinking of steaming them to hopefully sanitize them.
Bernie Brewer
Grouchy Old Fart
Dude said:
Yeah I thought of that and also of just putting them in the oven to toast them, or is that a dumb idea? I am guessing that it would sanitize and give a bit of burnt flavor?
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ablrbrau said:
I dunno if I'd toast them.
EvilTOJ
Well-Known Member
I would boil the oak chips for 10 minutes, or microwave them for 10 minutes to sanitize them. Actually, that is what I did. I have a lager that has oak cubes in it right now. No fuzzy beasties at all, but who knows how it'll taste.
I've used oak chips before and have had no problems. What I do is put them in the microwave with just enough water to cover them/make them wet, for a couple minutes. Get them to boil and let them cool off, then rack on top of the oakchip 'tea.' This is probably not needed as it is because by the time you go to secondary, your beer has enough alcohol in it to kill most stuff. Better safe than sorry though.
Ivan Lendl
Well-Known Member
Chairman Cheyco said:
ive done this, just boil the chips in a pint of water, cool and pitch the 'tea' into secondary...Warning: it took a LONG time for the oak flavor to mellow out, once it did it was nice.
Darth Konvel
Well-Known Member
Finally got around to racking this to secondary. Been in primary for three weeks now, and finally looked like it was done doing its thing (gave it an extra week just to make sure.) OG of 1.073, gravity at time of racking 1.016
Tastes great so far, although no trace of smoke that I could detect. Great citrus, honey, and caramel flavors in there so far. Not exactly red, but lighter then what I had thought (was very afraid it'd be brown when I brewed it) with a nice redish-copper color.
A couple of weeks in secondary to settle out, then to tertiary to get the dry hop and oak chips, then to a keg (quaternary?) for final aging and consumption
Tastes great so far, although no trace of smoke that I could detect. Great citrus, honey, and caramel flavors in there so far. Not exactly red, but lighter then what I had thought (was very afraid it'd be brown when I brewed it) with a nice redish-copper color.
A couple of weeks in secondary to settle out, then to tertiary to get the dry hop and oak chips, then to a keg (quaternary?) for final aging and consumption
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Darth Konvel said:Finally got around to racking this to secondary. Been in primary for three weeks now, and finally looked like it was done doing its thing (gave it an extra week just to make sure.) OG of 1.073, gravity at time of racking 1.016
Tastes great so far, although no trace of smoke that I could detect. Great citrus, honey, and caramel flavors in there so far. Not exactly red, but lighter then what I had thought (was very afraid it'd be brown when I brewed it) with a nice redish-copper color.
A couple of weeks in secondary to settle out, then to tertiary to get the dry hop and oak chips, then to a keg (quaternary?) for final aging and consumption
Sounds awesome! Looks like you hit the mark nicely!!!!
magno
Sound Level Technician
Racked mine to secondary today. SG was 1.020. Color looks pretty red, although a little cloudy. Tastes good, but I cannot taste any smoke.
Can someone recomend any commercial rye beer? It is not a flavor that I am familiar with.
Cant wait to see how this turns out...
- magno
Can someone recomend any commercial rye beer? It is not a flavor that I am familiar with.
Cant wait to see how this turns out...
- magno
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magno said:
Hop Rod Rye would be the benchmark commercial rye beer,, IMHO.
Tony
Well-Known Member
Dude said:
Oh yeah! Its possibly the best Rye you can buy! DEEEE-Licious!
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Hmmmm.....I just racked this into a keg. Gravity is still 1.016. Tstes WAY sweet. I drank a bit of the sample, it still has a slight citrusy taste but the sweetness is overpowering it. I've got to get this down another 6-8 points or it isn't going to be much of a beer.
One other thing I was pleasantly surprised at is I chilled part of th esample in teh fridge and tried it later. It is still really sweet of course, but I detected smoke in teh profile, finally.
Anyway....with the gravity still so high, I'm going to hold off on the chips and dry-hopping. I'm thinking about re-pitching with some dry 1056, but I'll wait another week and see where it is at before I do that. I doubt this will be good enough to send to nationals though. We have to get started on 07.07.07 right now for a fighting chance for next year. Any ideas?
One other thing I was pleasantly surprised at is I chilled part of th esample in teh fridge and tried it later. It is still really sweet of course, but I detected smoke in teh profile, finally.
Anyway....with the gravity still so high, I'm going to hold off on the chips and dry-hopping. I'm thinking about re-pitching with some dry 1056, but I'll wait another week and see where it is at before I do that. I doubt this will be good enough to send to nationals though. We have to get started on 07.07.07 right now for a fighting chance for next year. Any ideas?
After seeing how yours is going, I think I will rack mine off the hops this weekend and check the gravity. It is still producing a bubble every 25 seconds and I brewed it 2 1/2 weeks ago.Dude said:Hmmmm.....I just racked this into a keg. Gravity is still 1.016. Tstes WAY sweet. I drank a bit of the sample, it still has a slight citrusy taste but the sweetness is overpowering it. I've got to get this down another 6-8 points or it isn't going to be much of a beer.
One other thing I was pleasantly surprised at is I chilled part of th esample in teh fridge and tried it later. It is still really sweet of course, but I detected smoke in teh profile, finally.
Anyway....with the gravity still so high, I'm going to hold off on the chips and dry-hopping. I'm thinking about re-pitching with some dry 1056, but I'll wait another week and see where it is at before I do that. I doubt this will be good enough to send to nationals though. We have to get started on 07.07.07 right now for a fighting chance for next year. Any ideas?
Just got done racking it and it less citrusy than before but still pretty intense. I'm starting to taste the malt some now. May be a good beer if I didn't ruin it while racking. SG is now at 1.015 but I expect it to drop at least another point or two.
That damn racking siphon did not work well. I think it got hops clogged in the valve and it forced air in around the seal. I aerated it pretty bad. Dang I hope I didn't ruin it!
I don't know if I will ever dry hop again. It definitely took some fun out of this batch.
That damn racking siphon did not work well. I think it got hops clogged in the valve and it forced air in around the seal. I aerated it pretty bad. Dang I hope I didn't ruin it!
I don't know if I will ever dry hop again. It definitely took some fun out of this batch.
I'm Dry hopping in a bag.. Put a handfull of Marbles in it soaked in Sanitizer and dropped in It is hanging out at the bottom.. not sure how well this will work but I'm hoping it eliminates some of the mess.
