8$ wheat bush beer

[bottlebomber]

Yeah that was probably excessive. Oh well

 

[Jsmith82]

BB - If you could sir, go ahead and box that up then mail it to

Joshua Smith
......
......


Looks awesome!

OP - thanks for clarifying, I'm going for a half batch.. I saw it getting dogged on in here earlier but I'm going to dust off the ol' Mr. Beer keg and let it do its think in there. I'll definitely post pictures once completed.

 

[passedpawn]

I applaud you for your efforts. Being innovative and thinking outside the norm is what spurs on new ideas and what sometimes becomes the norm for the masses. I like your honesty about this brew. You are not trying to turn the brewing world upside down, but experimenting and utilizing what you have. Think of all the people we see as great minds today, and imagine what some of them were thought of in their time. The mark of a true individual is one that ignores the naysayers and pushes on. We need more free thinkers in this country. Too many sheep.

I grew up in a house where my mom did not want to cook and there was not much money, and not much to pick from in the fridge, freezer, or pantry. Out of necessity I learned to cook with what I had and learned what works together. I am thankful for that as it made me a great cook (I normally don't blow my own horn), and what eventually spurred me on to go to culinary school.

I have considered making a beer out of cereal. Every time I mash it smells like grape nuts to me. My wife even says the smell makes her want some grape nuts. Guess what cereal she bought at the store last time? Grape nuts. I see no reason a palatable beer cannot be brewed this way.

IMO, this will produce something that is not drinkable. Yes, that's only an opinion based on the raw ingredients going into it.

So, you all can start applauding and awarding prizes and such, but since the OP admits himself that this "won't produce an award-winning beer" and should be treated like "cheap beer", skunks easily, etc, I won't be nominating it for the Nobel Beer Prize until some other parties produce pics and reviews.

Until then, I'll nominate it for either the Inventive Use of Things I Found in the Back Of the Pantry Prize, or the April 1st "Gotcha" Prize.

 

[ozzy1038]

bottlebomber- VERY nice! I love blueberry pie. What is the one with white chocolate on top?

I have cooked and I have baked professionally. My wife and I are actually considering buying the bakery she is a cake decorator at. Baking has never been my preferred path in foodservice, but the profitability is there, and it is unlike opening a restaurant as this has an established reputation and clientele. I have many ideas for boosting both sales and clientele.

Now I think you have inspired me to finish off the apple pie that my wife brought home!

 

[ozzy1038]

IMO, this will produce something that is not drinkable. Yes, that's only an opinion based on the raw ingredients going into it.

So, you all can start applauding and awarding prizes and such, but since the OP admits himself that this "won't produce an award-winning beer" and should be treated like "cheap beer", skunks easily, etc, I won't be nominating it for the Nobel Beer Prize until some other parties produce pics and reviews.

Until then, I'll nominate if for either the Inventive Use of Things I Found in the Back Of the Pantry Prize, or the April 1st "Gotcha" Prize.

Well it's a good thing then that we all know what opinions are like......

Yes, it sounds gross to me too. But the thought behind it is what I am applauding.

BTW, I was referring to making a wort with cereals/grains at the store and utilizing traditional all grain techniques. Sorry for not clarifying.

 

[Jsmith82]

Passedpawn if you're correct, pin the sucker badge right on my chest because I fell for it!! :cross:

I took off at lunch and went to the store, slow day around here at work. I have everything noted for a 1/2 batch with the exception that I'm going to use light brown sugar instead of regular sugar or honey. Total cost was $17.51, therefore calculating the price of the leftovers I'll have, total cost was really around 10 dollars. Didn't want to go full batch, even if it turns out okay I don't see myself downing that much in the next couple months..

If it's terrible, well.. There is always football Sundays and that one guy who likes to run his mouth..

Here Bob, drink this, you'll love it!

 

[bottlebomber]

IMO, this will produce something that is not drinkable. Yes, that's only an opinion based on the raw ingredients going into it.

I guess we'll be excluding you from the bush beer swap then

bottlebomber- VERY nice! I love blueberry pie. What is the one with white chocolate on top?

It was the good ol banana cream pie. Deadly.

 

[passedpawn]

BTW, I was referring to making a wort with cereals/grains at the store and utilizing traditional all grain techniques. Sorry for not clarifying.

Since you mentioned grape nuts, that would be a good place to start. They are made of mostly barley and wheat.

 

[vonderbrink]

subscribed

 

[spam]

I made a batch 2 days ago just for the hell of it. the wort does not taste to bad but is very tea-like ,,the color is not bad but a little yellow..I will let ya know!

 

[Jsmith82]

My 2 gallon batch (amounts slightly altered):

1.25 gallons water brought to a boil

Added:
2lbs brown sugar
1 13oz container Malted Milk (dry)
1 small box Wheat All Bran
1/2 box Celestial Tension Tamer (10 packets cut open and poured directly into the... well, would this be wort?)


Boiled down to 1 gallon, about 30 minutes
Killed the heat, stirred the hell out of it, then ice bathed it for 15 minutes
Poured directly into the Mr. Beer keg using a screened funnel to filter out the additives
Took my additional water out of the fridge and poured it in until I was at the 8.5 liter mark
Vigorously stirred for another minute then pitched 1 pack of Fleischmanns yeast

1.052 OG haha... May pitch a second packet tonight, we'll see how it's going.

Once I added the sugar and Malted Milk, I took a big sniff, it wasn't good.. Once the wheat bran and 10 packets of tea were added, totally different story. My wife though I was making banana nut bread or a spiced bread of sorts, the whole house smelled of it (not a bad thing, good scent!). I did get a small boil over - the bran kept forming a cover at the top of my pot and wouldn't let the boil through but it eventually liquefied and allowed for a normal boil.

The gravity sample actually tasted really good! Nothing like beer, but it was good, very sweet, again had notes of nutty and sweet spiced bread. Definitely lacked bitterness, that was the big thing I noticed and what may cause the alcohol scent and flavor to dominate. I'll post again on bottling day with a flavor update.

At this point I have no idea what to expect in the end, definitely not beer, perhaps a hard spiced tea / cookie / bread beverage, who knows - maybe this will be a good holiday drink, but I'll admit after tasting everything last night and brewing up the batch I'm more curious about the end result now than ever.

 

[2brew1cup]

Hell yeah. The aroma is like you are making old fashioned candy or something. Holiday cookie gruit, ftw.

underground and under the influence

 

[Jsmith82]

Hell yeah. The aroma is like you are making old fashioned candy or something. Holiday cookie gruit, ftw.

underground and under the influence

Totally.. I had half a mind to throw a cinnamon stick into the boil but I figured I'd stick to the plan LOL.

I'm already thinking what could bring more bitterness to the table but I'm also trying to keep the mind frame of "what can I purchase at the local grocer"; First thought was to double the amount of tea per batch, take this extra amount, and steep it in a sauce pot while the boil goes - the longer you steep a tea, the more bitter a tea you get, then add it to the primary but that may overwhelm with the flavor.

A couple seasonings / items that come to mind that may bring up the bitter level a bit but go along with the current flavor:

Dried Bay leaves - Herbal, flowery aroma, slight spice, bitter
Raw Cocoa - Nutty, Rich, Sweet, bitter
Coffee Beans, depending the type and brand could offer a bitterness as well though I'm not sold on this flavor..

Perhaps you combine a couple ounces of crushed cocoa and crushed roasted coffee beans in some cheesecloth, steep in the water while bringing up the boil, then pull them out and add your regular ingredients, brew your first Bush Stout! That will put hair on your knuckles.

 

[charesty]

I'm going to push my batch along to bottling soon. After about 10 days in cold crash secondary with two rounds of gelatin, the bush beer is about as clear as looking through a clear shower curtain. The top is more clear.

But I'm anxious to get something else into my fermenation chamber, so I'll bottle and cold crash the bottles when carbed.

Time to make bubbles. I'm thinking about 3.6-4.5 volumes of CO2 based on the Carbonator Weizen style.

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

 

[sgoehner]

I whipped up a batch of this tonight. I figured what is the down side, I stuck close to the OP, but threw in some hops that I picked at a friends house and did not have enough for a REAL batch. Only made one mistake, had the wrong size stopper for a carboy I got from my parents, and it would not stay in the opening, so I had to dump it in my bucket primary. Unfortunately I had pitched the yeast, but again it was only $6 or $7 total, so I am going to let it ride.

 

[ozzy1038]

I whipped up a batch of this tonight. I figured what is the down side, I stuck close to the OP, but threw in some hops that I picked at a friends house and did not have enough for a REAL batch. Only made one mistake, had the wrong size stopper for a carboy I got from my parents, and it would not stay in the opening, so I had to dump it in my bucket primary. Unfortunately I had pitched the yeast, but again it was only $6 or $7 total, so I am going to let it ride.

You'll be fine. The only concern is once fermentation begins you don't want to oxidize.

 

[2brew1cup]

I had a batch oxidize during fermentation. No mold. But just an entire 5 gals of skunk bladder wash. They wouldnt havr even tried this stuff in prison. So watch out.

underground and under the influence

 

[rod734]

I had a batch oxidize during fermentation. No mold. But just an entire 5 gals of skunk bladder wash. They wouldnt havr even tried this stuff in prison. So watch out.

underground and under the influence

It shouldn't skunk unless you used hops and let it get sunlight or florescent light. I don't know if tea will skunk.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I'm subbed. And terrified.

 

[sgoehner]

charesty and jsmith I have a questions for the two of you. I just took a look at my primary and smelled the primary, and it smells like sulphur. If it has turned already I want to toss it asap, but there is definitely fermentation going on.

 

[2brew1cup]

It shouldn't skunk unless you used hops and let it get sunlight or florescent light. I don't know if tea will skunk.

Tea has hops in it!

underground and under the influence

 

[charesty]

charesty and jsmith I have a questions for the two of you. I just took a look at my primary and smelled the primary, and it smells like sulphur. If it has turned already I want to toss it asap, but there is definitely fermentation going on.

I would let it keep going. There are many different processes going on in fermentation and many different smells. Give it some time to see how it settles down after primary 10-12 days. You used bread yeast? I did too. It might just be part of the process. Not many have ventured into such dark territory.

 

[2brew1cup]

We do.

underground and under the influence

 

[sgoehner]

I did use bread yeast as I figured that I would try the cheapest route possible. I plan on trying an all grain shortly, so figured I would give a cheap and easy route first.

 

[Jsmith82]

charesty and jsmith I have a questions for the two of you. I just took a look at my primary and smelled the primary, and it smells like sulphur. If it has turned already I want to toss it asap, but there is definitely fermentation going on.

Honestly I haven't had the guts to open my MB keg yet and take a real peek. I stuck my nose right in the groves of the lid where it allows CO2 to escape and I'm still getting the scent of bread but now with a sting which is a good sign, CO2 burn, no sulfur though.

I held a flashlight up to the keg to get a better look inside a couple days ago and this morning - it's undoubtedly fermenting, most likely as of this morning ferment-ED. It took about 12 hours before I had a great krausen layer but it appears rafty now and most of it has dropped. Luckily the MB keg has a spout on it so I'm going to pull a gravity sample tonight - we shall see.

My recommendation - ride it out to the end. It's a cheap 50/50 brew experiment anyways, might as well take it the distance and let the yeast do their thing.

would let it keep going. There are many different processes going on in fermentation and many different smells. Give it some time to see how it settles down after primary 10-12 days. You used bread yeast? I did too. It might just be part of the process. Not many have ventured into such dark territory.

+1

I'll post a pic of the gravity sample tonight.


**EDIT** - to add in, you said you're going to try all grain soon. If I had to compare the brew day for Bush Beer to anything, we just made a complete extract beer, no steeping grains, no mash, no sparge, everything gets tossed into the boil. This and all grain will be 2 different animals all together so definitely read up elsewhere before going for it.. That said though, good luck! I went all grain and haven't turned back since! (Unless I'm feeling lazy haha)

 

[awoodring]

subscribed

 

[sgoehner]

**EDIT** - to add in, you said you're going to try all grain soon. If I had to compare the brew day for Bush Beer to anything, we just made a complete extract beer, no steeping grains, no mash, no sparge, everything gets tossed into the boil. This and all grain will be 2 different animals all together so definitely read up elsewhere before going for it.. That said though, good luck! I went all grain and haven't turned back since! (Unless I'm feeling lazy haha)

Oh, I completely get that this was more extract than anything else. I have been doing extract with steeping grains for my other batches and have been doing a ton of reading. I am more than likely going to be doing BIAB route for the all grain as funds are tight and I can't get the clearance from the Mrs to get a mash tun setup and such. Thanks for the heads up though and I am really looking forward to trying a batch without extract.

 

[Jsmith82]

Oh, I completely get that this was more extract than anything else. I have been doing extract with steeping grains for my other batches and have been doing a ton of reading. I am more than likely going to be doing BIAB route for the all grain as funds are tight and I can't get the clearance from the Mrs to get a mash tun setup and such. Thanks for the heads up though and I am really looking forward to trying a batch without extract.

I TOTALLY hear you on funds, brewing all grain will help with that for sure - a couple recommendations that will shave a 20 here, 10 bucks there - Buy your 2-row in bulk and learn to harvest yeast. SWMBO wasn't really keen on me spending a bill on a fancy new mash tun either so I went the DYI route - check out ->THIS<- topic. Easy, efficient, and (for the sake of female brewers as well) it is "significant other" pricing approved.

I'm actually a little excited to pull the gravity sample tonight, spicy sweet alcohol bread brew! Hope the taste follows the smell!

 

[bottlebomber]

+1 to the cheap and easy mash tun. Besides, those big thick BIAB nylon bags arent exactly cheap, and they don't last all that long either. You are better off in the long haul just building the mash tun. It will cost you $75, and you can just heat strike and sparge water in your boil kettle, and run your wort into a bucket before transferring back to the BK

 

[rancidcrabtree]

Another +1 to the cheap and easy mash tun, my efficiency went up almost 10% when I finally made the move from BIAB to a full fledged mash tun.

 

[Jsmith82]

Down to 1.020 from 1.052. Roughly 4.5%abv, I'm curious to see just how far down out will go, I have suspicion that the yeast is dropping out, I dont know how far baker's yeast will go.

Dumped the sample into a brandy glass and buried my nose. It smelled kinda like beer! That was surprising, I wasn't expecting it.. Has a faint smell of bread but the alcohol unfortunately is very present in the scent. The flavor was doughy, bread, not to be funny or a jerk or anything but cardboard came to mind at one point. The tea was nice and mellow, the alcohol taste was hidden.

Will give it another go in 10 days or so when I crash it..

 

[Flomaster]

in for pics as well.

-=Jason=-

 

[charesty]

Down to 1.020 from 1.052. Roughly 4.5%abv, I'm curious to see just how far down out will go..

Mine went to 1010 from 1040. Might bottle tomorrow but not totally clear yet. The top of the Carboy though is very clear. On the bottom I can see my opposing hand but not crystal clear. I don't have anything yet to brew next so I may wait for total clarity

 

[Jsmith82]

Mine went to 1010 from 1040. Might bottle tomorrow but not totally clear yet. The top of the Carboy though is very clear. On the bottom I can see my opposing hand but not crystal clear. I don't have anything yet to brew next so I may wait for total clarity

I've been contemplating clarity after reading your posts.. I literally just plugged in my new beer fridge so by tommorow, temperature control! Yeaaaah buddy! I'm going with gelatin and crash temperatures the same way you did - don't know if there is a better option..

Thinking on it, I dont know why I didn't drop a spoonful of irish moss in the boil.. Doh!

 

[bottlebomber]

I think the beauty of this recipe resides in not using any ingredients not found in the store. If you were going to clarify try using knoxx unflavored gelatin, for example. Otherwise, might as well as well ferment it out with some WLP565 and make it a really funky saison.

 

[Jsmith82]

You by chance wouldn't be talking about this would ya..

:cheers:

 

[bottlebomber]

That's the stuff. No irish moss though. Use agar agar

 

[sgoehner]

SO this stuff still has me just dumbfounded. Just took a sniff and for the first time since it started fermenting it doesn't smell like someone dumped a bunch of eggs in my primary, it is actually starting to smell "normal?" It is going to be an interesting day when this stuff is done.

 

[2brew1cup]

I love reading the new posts. I used knoxx in mine. Worked well. I love this thread!!

underground and under the influence

 

[charesty]

Bottled yesterday. This one will stay in the dark due to the skunk warning.

The sample I tasted was dry, with the lingering taste and aromas of the tea. It was not bready at all. I'll try again in 3 weeks.