confused over german HB advice vs american HB techniques

[unionrdr]

I have the red & white Italian spigots on my fermenters & bottling bucket. Save for the old Cooper's Micro Brew FV, it uses the Cooper's style screw in one. I take'em apart every time & soak in PBW, scrubbing them inside with a set of three aquarium filter lift-tube brushes. Then rinse well, sanitize with Starsan, & re-assemble wet to the bucket.
They don't cause infections if you keep them clean & sanitary. When I brew my dampfbier & kottbusser, I use as many German grains, extracts & yeast as I can get over here to keep them more authentic flavor & aroma-wise. But I use the processes that've worked for me. So I think that is what you need to figure out. What particular processes that'll work in your situation.

 

[tektonjp]

Wow, I love your drive to get an understanding of the brew process. I got into homebrewing as a chance to replicate the great wiezen beers I had enjoyed in Bavaria years ago. And your mention of Augustiner brought back memories of drinking the Weihnachtsbock at the brewery. Good luck on your brewing.

One thing I found when I started, which you are experiencing now, is information overload. Many of the pieces didn't seem to fit together. What helped me was to start brewing simply, then I kept going back to Palmer's book after brewing a batch or two and re-reading sections of it. "Ah, that what is means to mash at a lower temperature.!" "That's why pH makes a difference."

Getting started and then revisiting the literature made things come together. Study is great. But if you can match it with experience, it will become knowledge and wisdom. Have a good brew career!

 

[SFOtoMUC]

Best advice ever is to start out doing a couple extract kits. Easy, fun and helps with understanding the whole process.

Once you get comfortable with that, then you might consider doing a batch when you go back to Bavaria. I did this myself after discovering Augustiner, but keep in mind they have thier own well and are not using "Munich" city water so even then we can never produce an Augustiner vollbier helles "exactly" they way that the KG does and that is part of what makes them the Champagne of Bavaria.

By contrast, the Paulaner brewery on the Isar river has a channel diverted into the brewery itself so again just what you consider "Munich water" can really vary.


When next you visit München, please visit the Forschungsbräuerei across the river in Neuperlach.

http://forschungsbrauerei.de


They are the only 'micro-brewery' in MUC and the family that owns, runs and brews is very happy to talk about the biers they make and helpful explaining the process they undertake which is way more than you will ever get from the Augustiner boffins. They are also very knowledgeable about thier water so could help ya gleen some insight with what you have you work with in PA when ya cross that bridge......not to mention they are second only to Augustiner Landesbergerstrasse in every measurable way which i'd call excellant company indeed.

 

[Braumeise]

I have the red & white Italian spigots on my fermenters & bottling bucket. Save for the old Cooper's Micro Brew FV, it uses the Cooper's style screw in one. I take'em apart every time & soak in PBW, scrubbing them inside with a set of three aquarium filter lift-tube brushes. Then rinse well, sanitize with Starsan, & re-assemble wet to the bucket.
They don't cause infections if you keep them clean & sanitary. When I brew my dampfbier & kottbusser, I use as many German grains, extracts & yeast as I can get over here to keep them more authentic flavor & aroma-wise. But I use the processes that've worked for me. So I think that is what you need to figure out. What particular processes that'll work in your situation.

as of now I have a ball valve (drilled the hole into the kettle myself! no leaks!) and a spigot on my lautering tun.

Guys in my HB-Store convinced me to siphon out of a fermenting bucket. I will upgrade to spiedel fermenters at one point though.

 

[Braumeise]

Wow, I love your drive to get an understanding of the brew process. I got into homebrewing as a chance to replicate the great wiezen beers I had enjoyed in Bavaria years ago. And your mention of Augustiner brought back memories of drinking the Weihnachtsbock at the brewery. Good luck on your brewing.

One thing I found when I started, which you are experiencing now, is information overload. Many of the pieces didn't seem to fit together. What helped me was to start brewing simply, then I kept going back to Palmer's book after brewing a batch or two and re-reading sections of it. "Ah, that what is means to mash at a lower temperature.!" "That's why pH makes a difference."

Getting started and then revisiting the literature made things come together. Study is great. But if you can match it with experience, it will become knowledge and wisdom. Have a good brew career!

Thank you

i would probably never have started this endeavor had I just stayed in Munich (living next to Paulaner, able to walk to Augustiner and having Alt Ötting and tegernsee in my "back yard".)

Happy that I did though because as of now I am having a lot of fun and after brewing twice I can definitely say, that brewing beats "stress-baking" by far.

I found cooking and baking very relaxing, something to shut my mind down and just focus on one single thing.... maybe it is because I am outside on the Patio and it is so nice and quiet - with occasional squirrels stopping by... love my experience so far.

And I learned, that all the best theory makes nothing for practice

presumably screwed up my first two brews but hey, I will be the worst night mare for the guys in my brew store...

yo, I need exactly what I have bought the last 10 times I was in here... ... again...

Thanks for the well wishing... looks like I will need it!

 

[Braumeise]

Best advice ever is to start out doing a couple extract kits. Easy, fun and helps with understanding the whole process.

German house wife (well, sort of... not really, but some stuff that contradict German pride like processed and pre packaged...) here. So, too late... i already started and all grain, no bags, no kits, no extracts...

and presumably screwed up badly...
but I calculated that.
I guess I will brew the same wit beer at least ten times and then start to alter the recipe until I get one that I find worthy of being called beer!
Might take years

Once you get comfortable with that, then you might consider doing a batch when you go back to Bavaria. I did this myself after discovering Augustiner, but keep in mind they have thier own well and are not using "Munich" city water so even then we can never produce an Augustiner vollbier helles "exactly" they way that the KG does and that is part of what makes them the Champagne of Bavaria.

I know! yet, I can try to get as close as I can...
And if I ever win the lottery, I will build my own filtering system that reproduces the best tasting water on earth...

By contrast, the Paulaner brewery on the Isar river has a channel diverted into the brewery itself so again just what you consider "Munich water" can really vary.

Thats interessting, did not know that, even I lived next to Paulaner!

When next you visit München, please visit the Forschungsbräuerei across the river in Neuperlach.

http://forschungsbrauerei.de


They are the only 'micro-brewery' in MUC and the family that owns, runs and brews is very happy to talk about the biers they make and helpful explaining the process they undertake which is way more than you will ever get from the Augustiner boffins. They are also very knowledgeable about thier water so could help ya gleen some insight with what you have you work with in PA when ya cross that bridge......not to mention they are second only to Augustiner Landesbergerstrasse in every measurable way which i'd call excellant company indeed.

Wow! Did not know that either! Thanks for info

will let you guys know if I dump my beer after fermenting and how many batches it took for me to get something drinkable