1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!

[divrguy]

hey, i'm getting ready to do my first porter.

can anybody think of any value, either way, of using Irish Moss in a porter to clear it?

either yes, or no?

TIA

Irish moss or whirlfloc...unless you enter a comp or care about cloudy beer... Forgeddaboutit!

 

[divrguy]

I think I heard a few here mention the Brooklyn brew shop kits? Just went into Bevmo to grab a hard cider and they had bourbon dubbel recipe kits on sale here for $5 so I picked one up. But if you guys say you tried one and its good, I may swing back by.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/973a37171d8e4af71401ddc85ea91a6e389f31b8?authuser=0&hl=en


Some one let me know if that works. you will have to sign into google+

not being rude... pot on boil and need to pay attention

 

[cheesecake]

not being rude... pot on boil and need to pay attention

no problem. my pot was boiling too but i was like 10 minutes in

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I pitched mine cold:cross:

i'm way too OCD... I saved one of my old yeast tubes, boiled it, and sanitized it.

at the very start of brew day, i put whatever percentage, of whatever yeast, in there and let it sit out until it goes into the fermenter. this way it is at, or pretty close, to room temperature by then.

then, i wash, rinse, and re-sanitize, the yeast tube.

another thing i did, is i weighed an empty white labs tube (51g), and a full white labs tube (90g), giving the net weight of the content (39g).

so, i know that when mrmalty says I need .3 or .4 of a tube of yeast, what the total net weight of the yeast and tube i'm pitching will be.

so, if i want .4 (40%) of a tube, then it's (3.9g * 4) + 51 = 66.6 g (rounded up to 67g).

much more precise, at least for me, than using the old eyeballs.

 

[huntingohio]

Irish moss or whirlfloc...unless you enter a comp or care about cloudy beer... Forgeddaboutit!

This.. absolutely this
I have not had any luck with fining agents an this small of a batch. just let her sit a week and clear. The yeast also seem to keep working and clean up after themselves this way, leaving a "cleaner" taste

Someone was talking about SMaSH brews? Has anyone extensively played with marris otter? I have done a couple of smash brews with it and a couple of beers, I really love the results. Really considering lagering it sometimes soom.

 

[TreadmillAce]

Brooklyn Brew Shop was mentioned, I'm ready to bottle my forth and fifth batch; drinking my second. Tasty stuff.

 

[bmwmunk]

Brooklyn Brew Shop was mentioned, I'm ready to bottle my forth and fifth batch; drinking my second. Tasty stuff.

Used them for our first brew, IPA. Turned out great!

 

[divrguy]

Brooklyn Brew Shop was mentioned, I'm ready to bottle my forth and fifth batch; drinking my second. Tasty stuff.

Used them for our first brew, IPA. Turned out great!

You guys try the bourbon dubbel?

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

i'm way too OCD... I saved one of my old yeast tubes, boiled it, and sanitized it.

at the very start of brew day, i put whatever percentage, of whatever yeast, in there and let it sit out until it goes into the fermenter. this way it is at, or pretty close, to room temperature by then.

then, i wash, rinse, and re-sanitize, the yeast tube.

another thing i did, is i weighed an empty white labs tube (51g), and a full white labs tube (90g), giving the net weight of the content (39g).

so, i know that when mrmalty says I need .3 or .4 of a tube of yeast, what the total net weight of the yeast and tube i'm pitching will be.

so, if i want .4 (40%) of a tube, then it's (3.9g * 4) + 51 = 66.6 g (rounded up to 67g).

much more precise, at least for me, than using the old eyeballs.

I may do this now. I used dry yeast up until last night but that was a 25 Plato barleywine so one vial was the proper pitching rate haha.

 

[bmwmunk]

You guys try the bourbon dubbel?

Only the IPA. Which turned out tasty!

 

[divrguy]

This.. absolutely this
I have not had any luck with fining agents an this small of a batch. just let her sit a week and clear. The yeast also seem to keep working and clean up after themselves this way, leaving a "cleaner" taste

Someone was talking about SMaSH brews? Has anyone extensively played with marris otter? I have done a couple of smash brews with it and a couple of beers, I really love the results. Really considering lagering it sometimes soom.

I can't say extensive but Maris tastes great. If I make a beer where I want the malt to be the star, I'll go with Maris. In my IPA IIPA RIS or Cascadian I'd stick with 2-row. But in a nice mellow bitter or brown ale, Maris!

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

Maris Otter is really nice, just brewed up an English Barleywine with Golden Promise last night. Hoping that comes out well.

 

[huntingohio]

I ate some golden promise malt at a hbs.. tasted great never used it yet. homefully the barleywine turn out for oyu

 

[stevedore]

After having some great English IPAs which IMO are far more balanced than American IPAs which tend to be massive hop bombs, I think I'm going to have that as a brew after I bottle 6 gallons' worth of American IPAs..

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I may do this now. I used dry yeast up until last night but that was a 25 Plato barleywine so one vial was the proper pitching rate haha.

i'm so ridiculous, i would do a similar weight calculation for the dry yeast, and i bet it's even sold by weight, and it's on the label.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

ipa on the left

porter on the right

 

[bmwmunk]

ipa on the left

porter on the right

What kind of topper is on the porter?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

What kind of topper is on the porter?

the blow off tube. i took that picture right after i got it into the carboy

 

[divrguy]

Brooklyn Brew Shop was mentioned, I'm ready to bottle my forth and fifth batch; drinking my second. Tasty stuff.

For some reason I didn't notice this Until now. Are you leaving your fermenters out the whole time it's fermenting?

 

[mikegee]

Hi guys. I've done a couple of 5 gallon all grain brews and I've now decided I want to do a couple of 1 gallon brews for more experimental stuff.

I use those smack packets of yeast. If I do a 1 gallon brew can I still use one of these packets?

 

[divrguy]

Hi guys. I've done a couple of 5 gallon all grain brews and I've now decided I want to do a couple of 1 gallon brews for more experimental stuff.

I use those smack packets of yeast. If I do a 1 gallon brew can I still use one of these packets?

You could Check mrmalty pitching rate calculator to see how far over you may be. If its a basic ale can you save it and use dry yeast?

 

[jwalk4]

^^^ +1

Use dry yeast, or if you really want liquid, see if you can acquire a yeast in a vial. Of course, that is not to say that you absolutely cannot use the smack packs. It'll be easier to maintain accuracy with dry or vialed yeast.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Hi guys. I've done a couple of 5 gallon all grain brews and I've now decided I want to do a couple of 1 gallon brews for more experimental stuff.

I use those smack packets of yeast. If I do a 1 gallon brew can I still use one of these packets?

yes, but you won't use the whole packet.

that's why i have to "convert down". the big batch boys just toss in the whole packet of yeast.

i use white labs yeast in tubes, which can be closed. i don't know how it would work with the wyeast packets.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

Hi guys. I've done a couple of 5 gallon all grain brews and I've now decided I want to do a couple of 1 gallon brews for more experimental stuff.

I use those smack packets of yeast. If I do a 1 gallon brew can I still use one of these packets?

the issue is that depending upon the beer, and the O.G, you will use either 0.3 or 0.4 of a vial or packet of liquid yeast, which means that you need to be able to store up to 70% of a packet of yeast for later use.


if you aren't using yeast in a reclosable vial, i would think dry yeast is probably better.

 

[mikegee]

With yeast vials I'd need to make a started though wouldn't I? I've read you're supposed to do this 48hrs before you actually add it to your beer.

Is that the same for dry yeasts?

 

[dadshomebrewing]

With yeast vials I'd need to make a started though wouldn't I? I've read you're supposed to do this 48hrs before you actually add it to your beer.

Is that the same for dry yeasts?

i don't do a starter. never have, and i haven't seen a single reference that suggests it for small batches.

all you have to do is pour the amount you need into a sanitized container, and bring it up to room temp, then pitch it into your fermenter and shake, right before you put your blow off tube in.

 

[flipfloptan]

No starters here. i highly recommend dry yeast for your 1 gal. Batches much easier and cheaper.

Has anyone had success in using leftover dry yeast after you have opened it?

I dont like to throw out the leftover. I may make a starter and save the yeast that way.

 

[user 83772]

@flipfloptan: I'm a baker by trade, and if the yeasts we use for brewing are even remotely simliar to the yeast we use to make bread, it should be fine stored well closed in either the fridge or freezer for quite awhile. A few cells may die, but for us one-gallon brewers it shouldn't make a huge difference, IMHO.

 

[Leadgolem]

...Has anyone had success in using leftover dry yeast after you have opened it?...

Sure. Fold the packet over and stick some tape over it so it stays closed. Then stick it in the fridge.

I've got a 1lb package I keep in a freezer bag in my fridge for brewing. It's been in there for about 4 months and I haven't noticed a difference from when I first got it. If it's cold, it can take it an extra 30 minutes to an hour to really get moving. That hasn't varied since I got it though. If I let it warm on the counter before proofing or adding to the starter it's a little faster.

With yeast vials I'd need to make a started though wouldn't I? I've read you're supposed to do this 48hrs before you actually add it to your beer.

Is that the same for dry yeasts?

I've made starters for 1 gallon batches. Only when the OG was extremely high though. Up to about 1.1000 I wouldn't bother. Between 1.1000 and 1.1200 it's really a matter of personal preference. Over 1.1200 I'd make a starter. Though I did pitch a batch with an OG of 1.1320 with 4 grams of dry yeast and it did just fine. It did take the full 48 hours to really get going, but it didn't pick up any off flavors or anything.