HeadyG
Active Member
Hello, my name is Matt and I live in Minneapolis. I've been a lurker for a while and have used this forum for a ton of research, so I figured I should probably join the conversations at some point.
I'm pretty new to homebrewing. I have my third-ever batch glugging away in the fermenter as I type this. I got into it because I want to learn how to make beers I want to drink. I'm mostly into IPAs in warm weather, but once it gets cold I only want to drink stouts. My first batch was from an extract kit (Fresh Squished IPA) that came out great, then I got overly ambitious, upgraded my equipment and took a swing at an all-grain clone of Stone's Xocoveza Mexican chocolate stout. It turned out to be a cinnamon bomb and the fermentation got stuck due to low oxygenation and underpitched yeast, but I learned a ton in the process (and the beer is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream at least).
I partnered with a friend who has some homebrewing experience for batch #3, an imperial chocolate/coffee stout that seems very promising. The efficiency came in a bit lower than I hoped (about 60%, I may have mashed a little hot). I hit it with pure oxygen for 60 seconds and pitched four packages of WLP007 in 5.5 gallons (haven't had the time to get into starters yet). If it clears 8% ABV I'll be delighted.
Here's my current rig:
10 gallon Northern Brewer cooler mash tun
40-quart Concord stainless steel kettle
7.5-gallon Anvil stainless steel bucket fermenter (I use it for primary and secondary)
Northern Brewer oxygenation kit 2.0
5-gallon plastic carboy for bottling
I've been working on my home gas stove, which has done reasonably well, but I will be looking to upgrade to a standalone propane burner in the spring.
Anyway, happy to talk about any of this anytime. Thanks for having me!
I'm pretty new to homebrewing. I have my third-ever batch glugging away in the fermenter as I type this. I got into it because I want to learn how to make beers I want to drink. I'm mostly into IPAs in warm weather, but once it gets cold I only want to drink stouts. My first batch was from an extract kit (Fresh Squished IPA) that came out great, then I got overly ambitious, upgraded my equipment and took a swing at an all-grain clone of Stone's Xocoveza Mexican chocolate stout. It turned out to be a cinnamon bomb and the fermentation got stuck due to low oxygenation and underpitched yeast, but I learned a ton in the process (and the beer is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream at least).
I partnered with a friend who has some homebrewing experience for batch #3, an imperial chocolate/coffee stout that seems very promising. The efficiency came in a bit lower than I hoped (about 60%, I may have mashed a little hot). I hit it with pure oxygen for 60 seconds and pitched four packages of WLP007 in 5.5 gallons (haven't had the time to get into starters yet). If it clears 8% ABV I'll be delighted.
Here's my current rig:
10 gallon Northern Brewer cooler mash tun
40-quart Concord stainless steel kettle
7.5-gallon Anvil stainless steel bucket fermenter (I use it for primary and secondary)
Northern Brewer oxygenation kit 2.0
5-gallon plastic carboy for bottling
I've been working on my home gas stove, which has done reasonably well, but I will be looking to upgrade to a standalone propane burner in the spring.
Anyway, happy to talk about any of this anytime. Thanks for having me!
