back in the game after 5-year hiatus - what did I miss?

[twd000]

Got my new dryer outlet wired in the garage, and hot/cold water plumbing to the garage utility sink. Dusted the cobwebs off my electric keggle and heated some water. Dusted off my notes from 5 years ago and trying to remember how to do all this brewing stuff....it's coming back to me, but wanted to hear some input on things I should consider with fresh eyes.

My plan is to brew a few simple batches ( I typically fall back to Brewing Classic Styles recipes) to rebuild some confidence, then move onto some lagers, sour beers, aged beers, etc.

When I last brewed 5 years ago, I had more time than money, now I'm in the opposite situation, so a shorter more efficient brew day is important, without sacrificing too much quality.

I've been listening to the Brulosophy podcast and evaluating my process compared to their Short and Shoddy...sounds appealing...

So I imagine every homebrewer has their process preferences, but are their any breakthroughs I should know about? Is BIAB still a big thing? Batch sparging still most popular? No-sparge? No chill? No boil? Short boil?

Here's what I have:

Hot side: 5500W Auber-controlled electric keggle, 10-gallon cooler mash tun with false bottom, March pump, 1/2" Camlock fittings and hoses
I need to replace my immersion chiller - is the Jaded Hydra the way to go?
Cold side: 4 glass carboys, chest freezer fermentation chamber with Ranco controller.
Serving: 4 ball-lock kegs, 3-tap refrigerator keezer. I remember procrastinating on cleaning carboys and kegs - any new innovations to speed that up?

Psyched to get back in the game!

 

[hilts]

Biab is very popular.
Haven't tried short and shoddy.
Batch sparging is great and easy.
30 minute boil works.
Hydra chiller is a great replacement.
Best new thing to me in the last five years are recipe design apps. I use 'wort calculator' and I think it's great.

 

[twd000]

Biab is very popular.
Haven't tried short and shoddy.
Batch sparging is great and easy.
30 minute boil works.
Hydra chiller is a great replacement.
Best new thing to me in the last five years are recipe design apps. I use 'wort calculator' and I think it's great.

thanks - I remember using BeerSmith. I'll check out 'wort calculator'. I assume it's easy to adjust your hop additions to account for a shortened boil time?

 

[SRJHops]

Here's my two cents about changes and things that I've personally been thinking about lately:

1. Skip the transfer to secondary - not worth the risk of oxidation and infection. Sitting on the yeast cake for a few weeks or even a few months is not going to harm the beer.

2. No big rush to chill down the wort -- lots of whirlpool hopping as the wort cools below 180 to 140.

3. Shorter boils and no-boils if you aren't using much hops in the boil.

4. More dry hopping more often, including during active fermentation.

5. If time is an issue, consider a split brew day, where you let the mash sit in the tun overnight (try to keep it above 130). Maybe also try no-boil using DME recipes to really save time.

6. Do everything you can think of to keep oxygen away from your beer during fermentation and packaging (whether you are bottling or kegging).

 

[twd000]

what about this "overnight mash" idea? seems like a great way to split a long brew day in half across two days. Any risk of "over-converting" starches?

 

[twd000]

Here's my two cents about changes and things that I've personally been thinking about lately:

1. Skip the transfer to secondary - not worth the risk of oxidation and infection. Sitting on the yeast cake for a few weeks or even a few months is not going to harm the beer.

2. No big rush to chill down the wort -- lots of whirlpool hopping as the wort cools below 180 to 140.

3. Shorter boils and no-boils if you aren't using much hops in the boil.

4. More dry hopping more often, including during active fermentation.

5. If time is an issue, consider a split brew day, where you let the mash sit in the tun overnight (try to keep it above 130). Maybe also try no-boil using DME recipes to really save time.

6. Do everything you can think of to keep oxygen away from your beer during fermentation and packaging (whether you are bottling or kegging).

thanks we posted at the same time about the overnight idea. That's appealing b/c I can make wort after the kids go to bed, then boil in the morning. If I went to BIAB in my keggle, I could use the auto-control on my PID to hold mash temp of 154 all night easily, rather than relying on the mash cooler to hold temp.

the oxygen in packaging has always bothered me. I see the sterile siphon on the Brulosopher page for pushing from carboy to keg. I also saw a post on closed transfers using Co2 to push beer around, but the plumbing confused me...

 

[Tidwellc]

Welcome back! I'm kind of in the same boat. Been out of the game for almost 5 years and just recently started back up. I started with some straightforward extract recipes to reacquaint myself and am now getting back into all-grain. Went the eBIAB route this time.

 

[SRJHops]

what about this "overnight mash" idea? seems like a great way to split a long brew day in half across two days. Any risk of "over-converting" starches?

The theory is that all the converting is done within the first 2 hours, and then you just have wort sitting in the tun. Some folks drain the wort and store it overnight and say there is no problem, but that adds an hour or so while you wait. It also introduces a slight risk of infection and off flavors, even though any infection would be killed by the boil.

I have not done it yet personally, but I am going to soon -- and my plan is to keep it in the tun and try to keep it above 130 degrees to fight off any possible infection. From what I seen from people posting, I bet the mash in my insulated tun will stay above 130, but I think I'll wrap it with some thermowrap and blankets, and maybe even attach my carboy heater to the side for good measure. ..

There are some split brew day threads on here that you can look through for research... I believe in the general brew discussion page.

BTW, I did my first BIAB for my last brew. It worked fine and the beer is solid, but afterward I realized it didn't make a ton of sense (for me) because I own all the all-grain equipment. I didn't really save much time, and I had a hard time keeping the mash temp at 152 for an hour. Next time I'm just going to use my mash tun...

 

[deadwolfbones]

The real advantage to BIAB comes when you do it all in one vessel. (Some even ferment in the mash/boil kettle.)

 

[SRJHops]

thanks we posted at the same time about the overnight idea. That's appealing b/c I can make wort after the kids go to bed, then boil in the morning. If I went to BIAB in my keggle, I could use the auto-control on my PID to hold mash temp of 154 all night easily, rather than relying on the mash cooler to hold temp.

the oxygen in packaging has always bothered me. I see the sterile siphon on the Brulosopher page for pushing from carboy to keg. I also saw on post on closed transfers using Co2 to push beer around, but the plumbing confused me...

Yeah, I've been brewing New Englands, and I think everyone can agree that oxygen is the big enemy, perhaps more so than for any other beer (though it applies to all beer).

I am not sure what the real definition of a closed transfer is, but ever since I stopped transferring to secondary and bottling from primary using sugar tablets in each bomber, my beers have improved significantly. Here is how I do it:

1. Keep everything in the primary fermenter -- don't transfer to secondary.
2. Make a big enough batch to fill up your carboy and reduce head space.
3. Limit opening the carboy to just once or twice total, and purge with Co2 if you do. Trust that you have reached FG after a week - and certainly after two weeks.
4. Dry hop during active fermentation.
5. Consider not doing another dry hop after fermentation ends, especially if you can't purge the headspace (though so people advocate dropping in some sugar to re-start fermentation a bit).

I see that you keg, so these would not apply to you:

6. Bottle right into bombers with sugar tablets.
7. Cap with oxygen absorbing caps -- not sure of they really work, but can't hurt!

If I wanted to reduce oxygen even more, I might purge the headspace in the bottles. But the truth is that my NEIPA's taste even better at week 3 and 4 and probably well past week 6 -- but I drink or give them all away by then!

 

[SRJHops]

The real advantage to BIAB comes when you do it all in one vessel. (Some even ferment in the mash/boil kettle.)

That makes sense. I was actually hoping it would save me time, but the main reason I did it was because I was brewing on an indoor stovetop that could only boil 3 gallons. So I did 3 gallons all grain BIAB and added DME & LME to the boil, then topped off the fermenter with 3 gallons of water.

The beer turned out pretty excellent, so I think I'll keep exploring ways to make good beer on my weak stovetop, while I wait for the weather to warm up and I can go back outside to my burner!

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

What you missed in the last 5 years -
Everything new is called IPA
Whirlpool additions are very popular
No chill brewing is catching on
Dry hopping during active fermentation for NEIPA's
Fermenting with enzymes
BIAB is very popular as is electric brewing
No boil seems to be becoming a more common thing
Galaxy hops are insanely popular
Imperial/Giga/Omega yeast brands are highly available and excellent

 

[deadwolfbones]

What you missed in the last 5 years -
Everything new is called IPA

Kettle sours tho!

 

[twd000]

The real advantage to BIAB comes when you do it all in one vessel. (Some even ferment in the mash/boil kettle.)

yes if I switched to BIAB I would do it in my kettle, so I wouldn't have to wash the mash tun. Not sure how I would ferment in my electric keggle, so I would still have to transfer to carboys.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Kettle sours tho!

Yea but then someone does this

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/kettle-soured-ipas.456669/

 

[twd000]

talk to me about grain crush and milling

I was buying grain at my LHBS in Arizona before I moved, with whatever mill gap settings they used. One of the appeals to BIAB for me, is that I understand it allows for a finer crush without any risk of a stuck sparge, and the finer crush yields higher efficiency.

Does it make sense to buy 50-lb sacks of base malt and a mill to get finer crush and higher efficiency? Would I still buy specialty grain at my LHBS for each batch and mix them with my base malt at home?

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

What'd you miss? How about No-Boil brewing or no heating brewing. Low oxygen Fermentaion and transfers. Dry hop only NEIPAs. Fermenting with Kievk yeast at 95F.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Yea but then someone does this

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/kettle-soured-ipas.456669/

I'm into it.

 

[deadwolfbones]

talk to me about grain crush and milling

I was buying grain at my LHBS in Arizona before I moved, with whatever mill gap settings they used. One of the appeals to BIAB for me, is that I understand it allows for a finer crush without any risk of a stuck sparge, and the finer crush yields higher efficiency.

Does it make sense to buy 50-lb sacks of base malt and a mill to get finer crush and higher efficiency? Would I still buy specialty grain at my LHBS for each batch and mix them with my base malt at home?

Yep, exactly. You can crush almost to flour and get 80-85% efficiency from BIAB. Controlling your own crush is super important/helpful. I still don't have a mill and get my grain double or triple crushed from the online store I shop at (Atlantic Brew Supply). I usually get 75-80% efficiency.

 

[TechFanMD]

Because heating water takes time - splitting the brew day means, overall, you spend more time heating water (since the mash will cool overnight). It depends on what your schedule is.

I use a timer to heat strike water so that it's ready first thing in the morning or as soon as I get off of work. Mill grain the night before, and first thing when you get up start your mash. You can let the mash ride until you get a shower, get the kids breakfast, or whatever, then go back to it.

 

[twd000]

Because heating water takes time - splitting the brew day means, overall, you spend more time heating water (since the mash will cool overnight). It depends on what your schedule is.

I use a timer to heat strike water so that it's ready first thing in the morning or as soon as I get off of work. Mill grain the night before, and first thing when you get up start your mash. You can let the mash ride until you get a shower, get the kids breakfast, or whatever, then go back to it.

cool I wasn't aware how flexible the total mash time was, as long as it's "long enough"

in my case I wouldn't spend any more time heating water, since my PID could hold temperature all night, then just bump it up to boil in the AM

 

[Jayjay1976]

While you were away you missed "glitter beer", it was a nauseating 15 minutes.

 

[LittleRiver]

A 3hr BIAB brew day is certainly possible. My current time runs about 3:45, that's everything from starting to fill the kettle to everything washed and put away, no prior prep, 60min mash & boil, with a crappy burner. I've just replaced my burner to cut down on my ramp times, and I'm going to reduce my mash and boil times by 15min each, so I should be able to hit 3hrs. I don't rush at all, brew days are always relaxed and fun.

If you keep your rig simple you'll have less problems and hassles, and you'll have less to clean each time you brew.

...One of the appeals to BIAB for me, is that I understand it allows for a finer crush without any risk of a stuck sparge, and the finer crush yields higher efficiency.

Does it make sense to buy 50-lb sacks of base malt and a mill to get finer crush and higher efficiency? Would I still buy specialty grain at my LHBS for each batch and mix them with my base malt at home?

Definitely get your own mill and buy base malts in bulk. The savings on grain costs will pay for the mill. I use a .025 mill gap and get low 80's efficiency, without a separate sparge step. No worries of stuck sparges, just hoist the bag and let it fully drain into the kettle during the boil. No need to do a separate sparge unless you are shooting for a high ABV. You'll have no problem doing ~6% beers without a separate sparge step.

I buy different types of roast barley in 1-2lb increments to keep on hand. Those get thrown in the hopper with the base malt for milling.

You may want a Corona style mill for wheat, so you don't have to mess with changing your roller mill when you use wheat.

 

[Jayjay1976]

cool I wasn't aware how flexible the total mash time was, as long as it's "long enough"

in my case I wouldn't spend any more time heating water, since my PID could hold temperature all night, then just bump it up to boil in the AM

If you wanted to get fancy, set your PID up with a mechanical timer outlet between the element and the controller, and set it to start heating a couple hours before you wake up on brew day. Another option would be to get an EZ-Boil controller and set the step mash to have a long (overnight) interval for the first stage at some low temp like 50f, then time it so the second step is your strike temp, and have it ready and waiting when you get up. Then make the third step your mash temp, 154f or whatever, and then make the last step your mash out temp. I do this to give me time in the morning to crush all my pre-measured grain immediately before mashing in, and it really shortens my brew day.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Check out the cereal killer mill, they are excellent quality mills for under a hundred bucks with free shipping. A couple of weeks back they were about $85. I've run 5 whole sacks of grain through mine so far and it has already paid for itself. I keep it set to the smallest gap and mix my wheat in with the rest of the grain bill to make it easier to crush.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

A 3hr BIAB brew day is certainly possible.

3hrs? Pfff... my 15min DME only Hefeweisen comes out awesome. Have other styles planned also.

 

[TechFanMD]

3hrs? Pfff... my 15min DME only Hefeweisen comes out awesome. Have other styles planned also.

When people talk 3hrs I’m pretty sure setup and cleanup are included. I don’t think you’re doing the entire brew day in 15min.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

When people talk 3hrs I’m pretty sure setup and cleanup are included. I don’t think you’re doing the entire brew day in 15min.

hahaha..I timed it. From gathering ingredients to cleaning....15min.

 

[Jayjay1976]

hahaha..I timed it. From gathering ingredients to cleaning....15min.

Recipe? Is there a thread about it?

 

[Gravity]

What you missed in the last 5 years -
Everything new is called IPA
Dry hopping during active fermentation for NEIPA's

mmm...I'd say New England IPA's as a whole