(Final Attempt) Switch to AG: Worried

[TheCADJockey]

Did you rehydrate or just sprinkle in? Just one pack?

And that dorm freezer you mentioned - is it big enough to hold a carboy with an airlock? Have you considered using it as a fermentation chamber to really dial-in your fermentation temperatures?

I always just open the (1) pack and sprinkle it on top. Always 1 pack, always US-05. Oh... I've tried getting my carboy in there. It's too small sadly. That would've been perfect.

 

[kombat]

I always just open the (1) pack and sprinkle it on top. Always 1 pack, always US-05.

This is a little bit of a controversial subject, but the science shows that sprinkling dry yeast directly into the beer can reduce yeast cell viability by up to 50% (ref: "Yeast", by White/Zainasheff). So this is another clue that you've probably been underpitching, which stresses the yeast and produces unpredictable (and often undesirable) flavours.

 

[TheCADJockey]

This is a little bit of a controversial subject, but the science shows that sprinkling dry yeast directly into the beer can reduce yeast cell viability by up to 50% (ref: "Yeast", by White/Zainasheff). So this is another clue that you've probably been underpitching, which stresses the yeast and produces unpredictable (and often undesirable) flavours.

Gaah... Its just how I learned, never made any attempts to change that. I'll have to figure out what goes into rehydrating then. For thinking I was doing okay, this thread makes it seem like half of what I was doing was wrong... or at least sub-par.

 

[chato]

I was thinking of getting one of those rubbermaid tubs with the rope handles that people like to put kegs in at frat parties and cover with ice. Maybe put a little water in it and use frozen water bottles to try and keep it low, cover with a towel and see if that helps?

This is what I use and I'm able to control my fermentation temps pretty well. I fill the tub up with water that is a few degrees below my target pitch temp, drop the fermenter in, then fill it up to within a few inches of the level of the wort in the fermenter. I then add frozen liter-sized water bottles during the early exothermic stage to keep it at my target temp. I use a big mouth bubbler with the two-hole lid and have a 24" long Thermoworks thermometer that I keep in the wort to show me the actual wort temp. Now that winter has hit, I have to take the fermenter out of the tub after fermentation dies down and use a heating pad to keep the wort warm.

 

[kombat]

Gaah... Its just how I learned, never made any attempts to change that. I'll have to figure out what goes into rehydrating then. For thinking I was doing okay, this thread makes it seem like half of what I was doing was wrong... or at least sub-par.

Don't be so hard on yourself - you still made beer, didn't you? Taking these few extra steps will simply help you make BETTER beer, which is the entire point of this thread, isn't it?

Rehydrating is VERY easy. You can find the manufacturer's data sheet here, but the instructions for rehydration are as follows:

Sprinkle the yeast in minimum 10 times its weight of sterile water or wort at 27°C ± 3°C (80°F ± 6°F). Leave to rest 15 to 30 minutes.
Gently stir for 30 minutes, and pitch the resultant cream into the fermentation vessel.

I start prepping my yeast with about 10 minutes left in the boil. I take a (sanitized) graduated beaker and add 115 mL of tap water, checking the temperature with my (sanitized) thermometer and adjusting (by dumping a little out and adding hot/cold water as needed) until it's right at 80°F. I then sprinkle in the yeast (some will just sit on top, not contacting the water - that's fine), cover the beaker with (sanitized) aluminum foil and go chill my beer.

Once the beer is chilled and I'm racking it to the carboy, I run back inside and give the yeast a stir with a (sanitized) spoon, then recover it and go back to my beer. I aerate, move it downstairs, and by the time I'm ready to pitch the yeast, it's got a nice little creamy foam on the surface.

I've found that when I follow the above procedure, and I'm particularly careful about the temperature and water volume, I have noticeably faster and more vigorous fermentations.

 

[TheCADJockey]

That doesn't seem bad at all, I wish I had known how important that was in the beginning. I'm going to start doing this; I assume I should purchase stuff for a blow-off tube then too just in case. Can not thank you enough for the generous information.

 

[kombat]

A blow-off is good insurance, but (again, just in my experience) I've found that if you're having a fermentation violent enough to push up through the airlock, then you either filled the carboy too full, or are fermenting too warm. When I control my fermentation temperatures (I use a plastic laundry tub and water bath, with a wet t-shirt draped over the carboys, controlling the water bath temperature with frozen 2L pop bottles), and hold the temperature right around 63-65° F, the fermentation doesn't go too crazy, and I get a nice, controlled krausen for 3-5 days. I then take the carboys out of the water bath and let them warm up to room temperature to finish the fermentation. Doing it this way, the krausen rarely fouls up the airlock, and even then, only on high-gravity beers, or if I let it get too warm.

 

[TheCADJockey]

A blow-off is good insurance, but (again, just in my experience) I've found that if you're having a fermentation violent enough to push up through the airlock, then you either filled the carboy too full, or are fermenting too warm. When I control my fermentation temperatures (I use a plastic laundry tub and water bath, with a wet t-shirt draped over the carboys, controlling the water bath temperature with frozen 2L pop bottles), and hold the temperature right around 63-65° F, the fermentation doesn't go too crazy, and I get a nice, controlled krausen for 3-5 days. I then take the carboys out of the water bath and let them warm up to room temperature to finish the fermentation. Doing it this way, the krausen rarely fouls up the airlock, and even then, only on high-gravity beers, or if I let it get too warm.

That sounds right down my alley and is exactly what I am doing with the cider I made to test out the swamp cooler thing. The only thing I was missing was the wet t-shirts. This is very reassuring. I can not wait to make beer Saturday now. Confirmed from a few guys in a local brewing club through facebook that they use Campden tabs too. This thread has been so very helpful.

 

[Gavin C]

Gaah... Its just how I learned, never made any attempts to change that. I'll have to figure out what goes into rehydrating then. For thinking I was doing okay, this thread makes it seem like half of what I was doing was wrong... or at least sub-par.

The various yeast companies' websites give detailed instructions on the optimal way to handle the yeast. Hydration of the yeast is important enough that the manufacturers give detailed instructions on how to do it. Why just one type of yeast? Many beers rely on a specific yeast for flavor. An obvious example is a Hefeweizen.

This is redundant info as I have just read prior posts in the thread on the subject. Sorry

 

[TheCADJockey]

The various yeast companies' websites give detailed instructions on the optimal way to handle the yeast. Hydration of the yeast is important enough that the manufacturers give detailed instructions on how to do it. Why just one type of yeast? Many beers rely on a specific yeast for flavor. An obvious example is a Hefeweizen.

This is redundant info as I have just read prior posts in the thread on the subject. Sorry

Its all good man. Every time I think I have a grasp on how things work, something comes up and makes my head esplode. I usually just ask my LHBS what I should use and they keep handing me the 05. I need to start going in with more confidence, but they are just as bad as this forum sometimes. If I ask them (what I think is) the most simple question, they retort with a question that makes me question everything I've been doing! Oh well. It gives me something to think about at work when the work is so repetitive that I have black and white lines burned into my vision when I close my eyes.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

For getting started on recipes, Homebrewtalk has good ones. I have used a few from Ed Wort that were great. I like my Beersmith and you can do almost computer prototypes before you waste time and ingredients. After only two years of using other people's recipes, I feel confident to do my own, even using up leftover ingredients. Again-plugging into Beersmith lets you predict what it will be like. Watch your IBU's! One of the brewers from Deshutes told me that for homebrewing, the bitterness and hop flavor almost always undershoots the expected. So make sure that you are using plenty of fresh hops.

 

[Happywanderer]

Just read as much as you can. Lots of really good information out there.

For rehydrating dry yeast....if your tap water has tons of chlorine, use bottled spring water that you have boiled and cooled to needed temps.

I use bottled spring water for all yeast hydration and yeast starters.

Works nicely.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[RunLongVT]

CADJockey, I just wanted to chime in and say that you are getting very good advice here, and that I know that feeling of (a) information overload, and (b) wanting your perfectly drinkable homebrew to be something truly great, that you're really pumped about and eager to share with friends.

Last year I had one of these "I need to up my game" episodes as well. My beers are now coming out of the fermenter better and better each time because of the changes that are being suggested to you here. It's so much more enjoyable once you're over that hump and all the work becomes worth it. You CAN do it!

If you can, stick with your known brewing methods for the time being and work, as has been wisely suggested, on the fermentation side of things: Temp and yeast pitch rate. You can learn the ins and outs of using your new mash tun once you get a really good confidence-booting batch of tasty brew out of your existing methods.

In my case, I built a fermentation chamber (plywood box lined with 3" housing insulation, heated by light bulb in a paint can controlled by a Johnson II controller), started making solid yeast starters using a stir plate (even pitching a Wyyeast smack pack into 4 cups of water cooled after boiling for 15 mins with 2/3 cups DME, 24 hours before your brew session, would be a huge improvement over your current method). These changes yielded a noticeable improvement in the first batch.

As a die hard hop-head, learning to add the bulk of my hops very late in the boil, or after the boil in a hop stand period in order to make an IPA that POPPED with hop aroma was at least as gratifying as graduating from graduate school. Seriously.

Do yourself one more favor - while this next batch is bubbling away in the fermenter, check the sticky in the Yeast forum about "yeast washing." Bam. There's your pitch rate issue solved for the batch after this one.

 

[TheCADJockey]

CADJockey, I just wanted to chime in and say that you are getting very good advice here, and that I know that feeling of (a) information overload, and (b) wanting your perfectly drinkable homebrew to be something truly great, that you're really pumped about and eager to share with friends.

Last year I had one of these "I need to up my game" episodes as well. My beers are now coming out of the fermenter better and better each time because of the changes that are being suggested to you here. It's so much more enjoyable once you're over that hump and all the work becomes worth it. You CAN do it!

If you can, stick with your known brewing methods for the time being and work, as has been wisely suggested, on the fermentation side of things: Temp and yeast pitch rate. You can learn the ins and outs of using your new mash tun once you get a really good confidence-booting batch of tasty brew out of your existing methods.

In my case, I built a fermentation chamber (plywood box lined with 3" housing insulation, heated by light bulb in a paint can controlled by a Johnson II controller), started making solid yeast starters using a stir plate (even pitching a Wyyeast smack pack into 4 cups of water cooled after boiling for 15 mins with 2/3 cups DME, 24 hours before your brew session, would be a huge improvement over your current method). These changes yielded a noticeable improvement in the first batch.

As a die hard hop-head, learning to add the bulk of my hops very late in the boil, or after the boil in a hop stand period in order to make an IPA that POPPED with hop aroma was at least as gratifying as graduating from graduate school. Seriously.

Do yourself one more favor - while this next batch is bubbling away in the fermenter, check the sticky in the Yeast forum about "yeast washing." Bam. There's your pitch rate issue solved for the batch after this one.

^ This means the world to me. My questions always end up so annoying and turn into a downward spiral of one dumb question after another. The thread has helped a ton already though. I'll read through that yeast washing... not sure what to expect. I am going to try rehydrating at least. I have never considered making my own insulated ferm chamber like that... I can handle woodworking no problem. I just kept thinking I need a freezer and to get into plumbing and stuff. I'd like to know more about what you did.

Yesterday before the football games started, I was out shopping with my wife and noticed our lhbs was open. So I told her I wanted to stop to pick up a wine thief for the hard cider I started. She doesn't drink beer, or at least I haven't found one that she likes yet...I'm trying. She does help me make beer though, and this was the first time I've taken her to the store. After my obligatory couple laps around the little store looking at equipment I can not afford (let alone have room for), I grabbed the wine thief and put it on the counter. Next thing I know, my wife puts next to it a bag of campden tabs, some 1" tubing, a new airlock, a pound of crystal malt and a bag of caps with little apples printed on them. Then pulls me away to show me the 100 quart brewpot they have and says we should get that when we have room.

I was floored. There was also a lady working the store that day that I have never seen. A little older than the young guys that work there when I normally come; I assume she is the owner or owners wife. She was amazing! Very sociable and knew so much...Told us a few stories and made us laugh, then gave me a hop candy to try before sending us on our way. I felt like a little kid in a candy store yesterday. Time to get some recipes together and do work.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement

 

[RunLongVT]

Glad you had a good experience. As tempting as it can be to order everything online to save $$, your local home-brew shop survives on your business, and can be an incredible resource of knowledge and advice.

Here's to supportive spouses, too!

 

[j1n]

If you have temp issues then a Fermentation chamber is needed as an upgrade to your setup. I honestly would not brew if i didn't have one.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

Nobody talked about aeration yet. Doesn't require new equipment. After transferring to fermenter, seal it up (sanitized hand works fine) and give it a good shaking. Let the foam settle, and do it again. You won't get as much dissolved O2 as with an aeration stone and pure O2 source, but it is sufficient for most beers.

As for ferm temps... when I first started, I took a tiny dorm fridge and made an extension for it out of 2" rigid foam insulation and ducktape. Probably cost 25 bucks for the whole thing, as I already had the fridge. And, it looked beautiful. In an ironic sort of way.

Essentially, I made a box out of the insulation with a removable bottom. Cut a whole in the side that fit the opening of the fridge (with the fridge door removed). Make sure to seal the seams well with duct tape. Also, if you can get the pink panther brand insulation, leave the logo on the outside. It really tied the room together

I'd put the carboy or bucket on the removable bottom, put the fridge next to it, and the rest of the box just drops on, so the opening fits the fridge and the bottom is snug in the box.

I ran it with a homemade STC controller, worked really well and made a big difference in my beers. That was still in my extract days too.

What sort of beers are you interested in making? I'm sure everybody would help you build a recipe that fits your tastes perfectly. I'm a big fan of malt-forward IPAs, and its hard to find one that isn't 9% ABV or more, so I made (and tinkered with) a recipe that is exactly what I'm looking for. You can do the same sort of thing. Think of exactly what it is you want in your beer, and folks here will help you achieve that.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Nobody talked about aeration yet. Doesn't require new equipment. After transferring to fermenter, seal it up (sanitized hand works fine) and give it a good shaking. Let the foam settle, and do it again. You won't get as much dissolved O2 as with an aeration stone and pure O2 source, but it is sufficient for most beers.

As for ferm temps... when I first started, I took a tiny dorm fridge and made an extension for it out of 2" rigid foam insulation and ducktape. Probably cost 25 bucks for the whole thing, as I already had the fridge. And, it looked beautiful. In an ironic sort of way.

Essentially, I made a box out of the insulation with a removable bottom. Cut a whole in the side that fit the opening of the fridge (with the fridge door removed). Make sure to seal the seams well with duct tape. Also, if you can get the pink panther brand insulation, leave the logo on the outside. It really tied the room together

What sort of beers are you interested in making? I'm sure everybody would help you build a recipe that fits your tastes perfectly. I'm a big fan of malt-forward IPAs, and its hard to find one that isn't 9% ABV or more, so I made (and tinkered with) a recipe that is exactly what I'm looking for. You can do the same sort of thing. Think of exactly what it is you want in your beer, and folks here will help you achieve that.

This is pretty amazing. I've read all these threads on ferm temps and people have crazy builds. I'm so burnt out from designing for this aerospace company all day that when I get home and think about fermentation, I just don't want to. I never imagined something so simple. I know I have room to pop the door off a mini fridge and make an insulated chamber. Thought it had to be so much more. I'll have to look into the STC controllers everyone is mentioning though.

As far as beer goes, man I love all beers. I've made a pale ale, IPA, hefe and wheat beer. The best beer to me, is what you said though.. a malt forward IPA. I've had a few hoppy brown ales lately, I think Magic Hat and Sierra Nevada but neither as good as one I had on my honeymoon in November. The bar gave me one on tap that was labeled Hopcity. I expected a bomb but it was literally the perfect malt/hop combo, although I don't know if it was perfect because of taste or if it just tasted perfect because I was on honeymoon with no responsibility, drinking a beer at noon in another country. That being said, I would like to try to make a coffee or breakfast stout some time as well.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Do yourself one more favor - while this next batch is bubbling away in the fermenter, check the sticky in the Yeast forum about "yeast washing." Bam. There's your pitch rate issue solved for the batch after this one.

So I read about 10 pages of that thread. It just made more questions but that is way easier than I had imagined. I do just use the little packets of dry yeast though, they are only 2-3 dollars I think; it was never really an issue to me. I do however want to try pouring a new wort right on top of a cake that was just used though. That sounds really interesting to me. I have kind of been thinking about trying a cider or something on top of a cake from a pale or ipa. That way its a cheap experiment if it doesn't work out.

 

[nianticcardplayer]

Recipe this months brew your own magazine has an Anchor Steam recipe for liberty ale it's a SMaSH recipe 12.5 lbs of pale 2 row and 3 ounces of cascade hops

I am at work and don't have the recipe in front of me I brewed this yesterday very easy to do. I started extract brewing to get basics down sanitation temp control and did a lot of reading on the science and asked questions here. Went partial mash and did about 8-9 recipes that route getting the "mashing" process down all the while adding a larger brew kettle adding a wort chiller a little at a time to finally all grain.

I still do extract and partial mash when it gets to cold to sit in garage though. There have been a ton of great tips and questions and answers here. I am glad I wasn't the only one who was very tentative when taking this on.

 

[RunLongVT]

Here's my ferm chamber. I just built a really basic basement shelf system out of 2x4s and plywood from Lowes. One quarter of the shelf area I boxed in. There's room for supplies underneath and on top, and for bottles and finished beer on the right:

Here's the temp controller, available from any major online brewing retailer. I set the temp and basically forget it. When it senses the temp dropping below the set point, it turns on a light bulb mounted inside a paint can which is inside the chamber. It's a pretty meak heating element, but works just fine for this small, sealed environment.

Finally, the inside view. That's a 5 gal carboy, but a 6.5 with blowoff fits, too. Stirplate is still in there from the last starter I was putting together, and you can see the paint can. There's plenty of room for a couple of carboys, and I also put my bottled beer in there for two weeks so the yeast still has that nice happy temp to work with for carbonation. Two weeks in there is plenty, then it goes on the shelf to the right for cooler storage.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Here's my ferm chamber. I just built a really basic basement shelf system out of 2x4s and plywood from Lowes. One quarter of the shelf area I boxed in. There's room for supplies underneath and on top, and for bottles and finished beer on the right:

Here's the temp controller, available from any major online brewing retailer. I set the temp and basically forget it. When it senses the temp dropping below the set point, it turns on a light bulb mounted inside a paint can which is inside the chamber. It's a pretty meak heating element, but works just fine for this small, sealed environment.

Finally, the inside view. That's a 5 gal carboy, but a 6.5 with blowoff fits, too. Stirplate is still in there from the last starter I was putting together, and you can see the paint can. There's plenty of room for a couple of carboys, and I also put my bottled beer in there for two weeks so the yeast still has that nice happy temp to work with for carbonation. Two weeks in there is plenty, then it goes on the shelf to the right for cooler storage.

What a great idea, thank you. Sure wish I had a basement. Soon! Maybe I can make something similar that she can store her endless supply of shoes under so I don't have to kick her out of the little bit of room we have left.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

^ This means the world to me. My questions always end up so annoying and turn into a downward spiral of one dumb question after another. The thread has helped a ton already though. I'll read through that yeast washing... not sure what to expect. I am going to try rehydrating at least. I have never considered making my own insulated ferm chamber like that... I can handle woodworking no problem. I just kept thinking I need a freezer and to get into plumbing and stuff. I'd like to know more about what you did.

Yesterday before the football games started, I was out shopping with my wife and noticed our lhbs was open. So I told her I wanted to stop to pick up a wine thief for the hard cider I started. She doesn't drink beer, or at least I haven't found one that she likes yet...I'm trying. She does help me make beer though, and this was the first time I've taken her to the store. After my obligatory couple laps around the little store looking at equipment I can not afford (let alone have room for), I grabbed the wine thief and put it on the counter. Next thing I know, my wife puts next to it a bag of campden tabs, some 1" tubing, a new airlock, a pound of crystal malt and a bag of caps with little apples printed on them. Then pulls me away to show me the 100 quart brewpot they have and says we should get that when we have room.

I was floored. There was also a lady working the store that day that I have never seen. A little older than the young guys that work there when I normally come; I assume she is the owner or owners wife. She was amazing! Very sociable and knew so much...Told us a few stories and made us laugh, then gave me a hop candy to try before sending us on our way. I felt like a little kid in a candy store yesterday. Time to get some recipes together and do work.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement

Glad to hear your wife has bigger dreams for your brewing than you do! Haha. If only my fiancee had dreams of upgrading my equipment.

That's the owner that you were talking to. She's pointed me in the right direction several times when I didn't know what to substitute.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Glad to hear your wife has bigger dreams for your brewing than you do! Haha. If only my fiancee had dreams of upgrading my equipment.

That's the owner that you were talking to. She's pointed me in the right direction several times when I didn't know what to substitute.

Oh I've got the dreams, I just live in the reality where we have no room to put anything while she lives in the one where she will pack that house until we can no longer get in the door If she was the owner then, I have so much more respect and love for that store. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to go in there.

I can't wait to brew tonight, I was going to last night but the kitchen was out of shape. Spent the evening cooking, cleaning, and got everything set up so when I get home from work all I have to do is light the fire. I also used brewersfriend.com for the first time; huge fan!

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I just moved last summer from a 1000 sq ft condo with no closets, garage, basement, or storage. It was a huge change to suddenly have room for everything. My wife gave me the basement to do with as I please. I have a dedicated brewing space, woodworking shop, and enough room left over for a giant TV and couch. Now she is mad I never leave the basement.

Good luck on the brew today. If questions pop up mid-brew, people are usually fast to respond.

 

[TheCADJockey]

I just moved last summer from a 1000 sq ft condo with no closets, garage, basement, or storage. It was a huge change to suddenly have room for everything. My wife gave me the basement to do with as I please. I have a dedicated brewing space, woodworking shop, and enough room left over for a giant TV and couch. Now she is mad I never leave the basement.

Good luck on the brew today. If questions pop up mid-brew, people are usually fast to respond.

Thats sweet! I found a house for sale near where we work that has a completely finished basement and a FULL bar. The previous owner definitely loved his space. Pushing real hard to make it happen but its all pretty fast after just getting married in Nov.

The only question I think I have left is whether or not to rehydrate my yeast. I've found information going both ways for US-05. There are a lot of people that just say to pitch it right from the packet. A few people that have rehydrated it have had issues. Because of the conflicting ideas with this yeast, I may just pitch as usual and start with the other two small changes: campden tablets and swamp cooler for cooler temperatures. I've always pitched 05 dry and fermentation has always started within a few hours.

 

[Brewenstein]

The only thing I was missing was the wet t-shirts.

Whoa ... Sounds like a great party! Or maybe a new sig.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I'm not proud, but I've just dumped the yeast in without rehydrating. I haven't noticed any problems. I only use dry for ipas though, where the yeast doesn't seem critical as long as it attenuates and doesn't ferment too hot

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I have a DIPA sitting on S-05 right now that is chugging along in the basement. I haven't had issues with it before with just sprinkling it in, even with a higher gravity.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Any thoughts whether or not 3 oz whole leaf nugget hops is enough for 5gal APA? I know you can't really measure or know what to expect from whole leaf. But brewers friend said it too much.