I brewed an experimental recipe a few weeks ago...

[D.B.Moody]

Are you willing to outline what your bottling process is?

Of course:

1. All bottles and equipment except bottle caps washed and stored for use from the time last used. There is no sanitizer involved at any time. Bottle caps, oxygen absorbing these days, are used straight from the packaging they come in.
2. Beer transferred from secondary to bottling bucket via racking cane and vinyl tubing. Siphon started by mouth. Flow is directed to avoid splashing and excessive roiling. Boiled and cooled priming sugar water is added to the bucket while it is filling. Beer is stirred gently after transfer is finished to ensure proper mixing of priming sugar.
3. Bottles are filled with a spring loaded bottling wand and vinyl tubing from tap in bottling bucket. Bottles are filled to top with wand in the bottle leaving the space as seen in the pictures in post #114 when the wand is withdrawn. If I remember, and I mostly don't, the bottles are tilted to wet and activate the oxygen absorbing caps.

I don't think I do anything special in my bottling. My non-use of sanitizer is unusual.
I don't know if this is something or just an observation, but back when I did some comparisons of beers put through a secondary to those not, the Centennial and Cascades hopped to 10.9 HBUs darkened the most, even more than the Nugget and East Kent Goldings hopped to 15.6. The 8.5 hopped batch didn't show a darkening. Batch #300 was hopped to 11 with East Kent Goldings. Batch #301 was hoped to only 6.4.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Thank you @D.B.Moody . In contrast, I bottle from the fermenter, dose individual bottles, and sanitize ("no rinse") bottles / tubing.

I don't know if this is something or just an observation, but back when I did some comparisons of beers put through a secondary to those not, the Centennial and Cascades hopped to 10.9 HBUs darkened the most, even more than the East Kent Holdings hopped to 15.6. The 8.5 hopped batch didn't show a darkening.

The low level of hopping (and the lack of whirlpool / dry hops) seems to be a factor to pay attention to.

It may be that different bottling techniques are 'necessary' for different styles of beer.

---

One of my recent "hop steep" batches went bad unusually quickly so I'm reviewing/revising my packaging process. PET bottles (zero head space) should arrive in time for the next bottling day. That should also give me some time to review/research sanitizers.

---

Disclaimers:

Correlation does not imply causation​

... but anecdotal stories can lead to curiosity - and more research.​

​

---

eta: after a couple of web searches, it appears it is a product by product consideration.

 

[D.B.Moody]

it appears it is a product by product consideration.

I don't understand this. Could you clarify what you mean?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

it appears it is a product by product consideration.

I don't understand this. Could you clarify why you mean?

This comment (link) from 2012 mentions that some sanitizers can be oxidizers - with a link to a web page that is no longer available.

There are also HomeBrewTalk topics from around 2016 and around 2020 (seems to be a question the returns every 3 or 4 years) that mention this (some sanitizers can be oxidizers, but names were not named).

IIRC, the video segment (follow the links in #120 to get to the video) names a specific product.

---

FWIW, the recent HomeBrewTalk topics (as well as similar topics in other forums) repeatedly state that Star San is not in the list of sanitizers that can be oxidizers.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I would use this grain bill for a Pale Ale again without any changes!

Fermentables for 2.5 gallon batch:

• 4 oz Crystal 40L - Steeped
• 3 lb Briess Pilsen Light
• 5 oz Corn Sugar

My theory is that steeping a little Crystal malt gives some grainy character that is often missing with 100% extract beers, and a little sugar will help to lessen the body, sweetness and color that is typical of extract. [...]

(bump & visual +1).

 

[CascadesBrewer]

This comment (link) from 2012 mentions that some sanitizers can be oxidizers - with a link to a web page that is no longer available.

Not sure if it was mentioned on this thread, but in a Craft Beer and Brewing video (on their YouTube channel) with Binnie Cilurzo (Russian River) he talks about Peracetic Acid (I believe) being an oxidizer. He mentioned they have a supply of de-oxygenated that they use to rinse vessels and to flush out transfer lines. I have no idea how Peracetic Acid compares to an acid like StarSan in oxidation. My bottles are often wet with some StarSan foam in them. I did recently acquire a bottle tree from a friend, so I should be able to train my bottles better now (if that matters).

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Not sure if it was mentioned on this thread, but in a Craft Beer and Brewing video (on their YouTube channel) with Binnie Cilurzo (Russian River) he talks about Peracetic Acid (I believe) being an oxidizer. He mentioned they have a supply of de-oxygenated that they use to rinse vessels and to flush out transfer lines. I have no idea how Peracetic Acid compares to an acid like StarSan in oxidation. My bottles are often wet with some StarSan foam in them. I did recently acquire a bottle tree from a friend, so I should be able to train my bottles better now (if that matters).

Thanks for pointing out the specific sanitizer that was mentioned in the video. I did listen to that segment (and listening to the entire video is on my "to do" list).

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brewed a Brown Ale yesterday (2.75 gal batch, 3.0 gal at start of boil) with a couple of minor process 'experiments':

• added 2.5 gal water to the kettle, then gently sprinkled the Briess DME (1.75 lbs) on top of the water. As the water was heating, the DME dissolved as it settled, leaving a few clumps on the top. With an occasional gentle stirring, the clumps dissolved when the wort reached around 140F. (I probably didn't need to stir).

• cold steeped the crystal/roasted malts in an 0.5 gal OG 20-ish wort. Placed the crushed grains in a container, added 4 oz DME, stir; then added 0.5 gal water and stir gently (no clumps). With the cold steep, I stirred the wort briefly every five minutes. The wort color darkened for the first 25-ish minutes (didn't record the exact time) before arriving at it's 'final' color.

edit: updated to include amount of DME added to main kettle.

 

[D.B.Moody]

added 2.5 gal water to the kettle, then gently sprinkled the Briess DME on top of the water.

How much DME here?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

How much DME here?

1.75 lbs.

The recipe includes sugar and brewers crystals which were added (with stirring) before the DME.

 

[ncbrewer]

added 2.5 gal water to the kettle, then gently sprinkled the Briess DME (1.75 lbs) on top of the water. As the water was heating, the DME dissolved as it settled, leaving a few clumps on the top. With an occasional gentle stirring, the clumps dissolved when the wort reached around 140F. (I probably didn't need to stir).

That seems like an unusual procedure. I've never heated the water with DME added with only occasional stirring. I assumed that it would scorch without constant stirring. Apparently, I was wrong. Or maybe you were on the ragged edge, and sometimes the same procedure (or as close as you can tell) would result in scorching. It does seem that it is much more forgiving than I had thought. If stirring really isn't necessary, a DME brew day would be faster than what I've been doing. Did you heat it on high heat?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

That seems like an unusual procedure. I've never heated the water with DME added with only occasional stirring. I assumed that it would scorch without constant stirring.

The 'experiment' was driven more by curiosity than practicality (for example, wort heats slower than water). In this case, I set the induction cooktop to 140 (lowest power setting) while the DME was dissolving. Nothing stuck to the bottom of the kettle.

Typically, I heat the water to 140F-ish, then stir in the DME. Above about 160F, I start having problems pouring the DME from the container. As I heat to a boil (and during the boil), I will check the kettle every 5 minutes (a watched pot rarely boils over). Often, I'll give the wort a quick stir.

maybe you were on the ragged edge, and sometimes the same procedure (or as close as you can tell) would result in scorching. It does seem that it is much more forgiving than I had thought.

This time the DME dissolved before reaching the bottom of the kettle. Maybe next time will be different.

I suspect I can eliminate the clumps by adding the DME in smaller layers and letting each smaller layer dissolve completely before adding more DME. Like I said earlier, this is (at the moment anyway) more about curiosity than practicality.

If I get back into "speed" brewing with DME, I'd heat just the water to a boil, dissolve the DME in side dish (making a 'slurry'), and add the DME slurry.

Did you heat it on high heat?

I've been heating my wort (DME or BIAB) a little slower recently ("280" or "320"). Also, kettle is double wrapped with reflextx.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... will be brewing this over the weekend

Red IPA

Scaled the batch size to match the available base malt.

• 35 min boil
• 1.25 gal into fermenter
• ABV 6.4% (est); OG 62; FG 13 (est); IBUs: ~ 70 (est, 'classic' Tinseth)

Ingredients

• 24 oz Muntons Amber DME
• 4 oz sugar
• 1 oz Briess Crystal Wheat
• "no mineral" water; plus 0.1 g CaCl, 1.25g CaS04, 0.20 g NaCl /1/
• (bittering hop of your choice)
• 14 g Citra (12.5 AA) added at ~ 175° while slowly chilling wort /2/
• Irish Moss, Yeast Nutrient, BrewTan-B /4/
• Lallemand Verdant yeast

Wort preparation

• cold steep for 30 min in 1 qt OG 22 wort (2 oz DME)
• add sugar, salts, then DME at flame-on, wait for DME to dissolve (no stir) /3/
• add cold steeped wort to kettle just before boil
• add ingredients at appropriate times

Notes

1. Salt additions are brand specific; these amounts may be high (IMO) for Muntons DME.
2. I have measured my chilling process enough to anticipate that the wort will be between 175° and 165° for 10 minutes.
3. experimenting with how well and how quickly a large amount Muntons DME will dissolve in the kettle without stirring.
4. maybe "wort is wort"; maybe not; time will tell.

 

[D.B.Moody]

• cold steep for 30 min in 1 qt OG 22 wort (2 oz DME

Is this just for the crystal wheat? I mean why put 2 0z DME in the steep?
What is the "/3/" after "(no stir)"?

BTW: in my experience, Muntons dissolves more easily than Briess.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Is this just for the crystal wheat? I mean why put 2 0z DME in the steep?
What is the "/3/" after "(no stir)"?

Yes, it's just for the crystal wheat. May not be necessary; however, a short cold steep is currently 'standard' on my experimental extract batches.

The idea for a short cold steep comes from a couple of places:

• The idea of steeping in warm (150° F) wort comes from How to Brew, 4e p 12 (steeping in wort "improves the wort pH"
• The short cold steep idea was inspired by "Get Experimental!" side bar in an AHA article ("Cold Steeping: Getting the Most Out of Dark Grains" (link))
• the Zymurgy Jan 2002 article “Cold Water Extraction of Dark Grains” remains an excellent starting point for understanding the various types of steeping. Brewing Better Beer and/or Modern Homebrew Recipes is also a good source for cold steeping information.
• "Homebrew Digest" topics in the late 1990s and early 2000s (yes, some content does age very, very well). There's some discussion on steeping crushed Munich malts @150° (and cold) when using DME (or LME) as the base malt. There's also the idea of overnight cold extraction (Briess, Feb 2020) of base malts.

The "simplest thing possible" is probably steeping in the main kettle (but that wouldn't be 'experimental').

BTW: in my experience, Muntons dissolves more easily than Briess.

Your experience is the inspiration for me to try it with Muntons DME. I tried this with Briess DME a batch or two ago - and the results were promising.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... will be brewing this over the weekend

Red IPA

and a couple of follow-up notes.

• The hop steep (10 min from 175 to 165) went as expected. To help "slow down" the cooling process, I started chilling with 120° tap water. No problem chilling to 175° and the warmer tap water may have dded a couple of minutes to the steep.
• Dissolving the DME went pretty much as expected (and similar to the previous Briess DME 'experiment'). Not sure that I'll continue to use this technique with cold water.
• The wort had a nice red color pouring into the fermenter.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

a follow-up to the bottle conditioning trials back in May

fast bottle condition (75F with CBC-1 & ascorbic acid)

I have also bottle conditioned a couple of batches at 65F and 70F (roughly ambient temperature) and the results are very similar to bottle conditioning at 75F. It's a small number of trials, but to me it does ...

... suggest that fresh yeast when packaging the beer produces a more consistent result in a shorter time period.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

... suggest that fresh yeast when packaging the beer produces a more consistent result in a shorter time period.

I would also not be surprised if it helps with avoiding oxidation. It makes sense that healthy active yeast could consume the oxygen before it caused oxidation. I don't have any hard data though. In a split batch a while back, I saw more oxidation in the bottles fermented with US-05 than the bottles with Lutra or Voss, though all 3 had at least some oxidation character.

I also don't have any data, but I would agree with the "fresh yeast when packaging the beer produces a more consistent result in a shorter time period" statement. I have started adding some CBC-1 at bottling for higher abv beers, and it worked well for a recent Brett Saison that has been in secondary for ~7 months.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Only thing I would add to this "adding yeast at bottling" sub-thread is this: EC-1118 ($0.89 / 5grams) worked every bit as well as CBC-1 ($3.59 /11 grams) [ritebrew.com pricing], and didn't generate any weird flavors.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

EC-1118 ($0.89 / 5grams)

Thanks! Both the price and package size are attractive. It takes me a while to use 11 g of CBC-1 - and I'd rather not re-open a package so many times.

I would also not be surprised if it [fresh yeast] helps with avoiding oxidation.

It seems reasonable that being able to bottle condition cooler (65F rather than 75F) and faster (7 to 10 days rather than 2 to 3 weeks) could add a week (or two) to shelf life.

My guess is that minimizing/purging bottle head space will have a greater impact in reducing oxidation.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Only thing I would add to this "adding yeast at bottling" sub-thread is this: EC-1118 ($0.89 / 5grams) worked every bit as well as CBC-1 ($3.59 /11 grams) [ritebrew.com pricing], and didn't generate any weird flavors.

I should try some. It is also a more convenient package size. You could use the entire 5g, or use 3g and not feel bad about tossing the rest. While I have not had issues with using a partial pack of CBC-1 and storing the left over in my fridge, I would feel more confident using a fresh pack for each time.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Did a trial batch with a longer boil, a dry hop, and adding CBC-1 / ascorbic acid at bottling time. "Three Paths Pale Ale" (50 min boil, not 75 min). This is from the Nottingham yeast & Centennial dry hops path. brewed: 7/22; dry hopped: 8/1; bottled: 8/6; chilled: 8/13; poured: 8/14.

eta: there were only two pathes in this batch (it was a 2.5-ish gal batch) and the other path was BRY-97 & Golding. I may try dry hopping a brown ale (or dark mild) with Golding.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

maybe "wort is wort"; maybe not; time will tell.

Interesting topic (started on Aug 4, 2023), titled Brewtan, over at "The Biergarten"'s "The Brewhouse" forum. The anecdotal observations on clearer beer match what I've been seeing in my recent mix of BIAB and DME recipes.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Back on the Sept 23rd, I brewed an experiment, that I was hoping would turn into an amazing imperial stout, mostly by looking at clone recipes for beers I've had where I thought I could go a little less roasty or whatever:

3 gallons RO water (no added salts or anything)
3 lbs Briess Golden Lite DME
3 lbs Briess Amber DME
6 oz roasted barley 550L
2 oz chocolate 350L
1.5 oz caramel 120L
.6 oz Magnum (12% AA) @ 30 min
.7 oz Willamette (5.7% AA) @ 30 min
1 oz Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) @ 15 min
Nottingham, fermented in a bucket, 4 weeks.
OG: 1.093, FG: 1.015, ABV: 10.2-ish, IBU: 60-ish

Just bottled this evening. The beer tastes very boozy, and still super hoppy and harsh all around. With some luck, it'll age out, but I'm not overly confident, primarily because of the muck at the bottom of my fermenter: looked (and smelled!) like it came straight out of a swamp.

This never did carbonate, dumped (cuz I needed bottles)...

Also: lesson learned - all beers over 9% now get bottling yeast. CBC-1 of course is the standard, but being the cheapskate that I am, EC-1118 seems to work every bit as well for all 5 of the high-octane beers I've tried it with.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I will be brewing another variation on my "Citra Hop Steep" in the near future (maybe this weekend, maybe next weekend).

I have some PET bottles, so the primary experiment will be "no head space" vs "CO2 flush with wine preserver" in the bottles.

tentative recipe / process:

• OG 80ish; FG 15-ish (tentative, may target 6% rather than 8%)
• 2.25 gal at end of boil, 1.75 gal to fermenter; targeting 12 16 oz PET bottles
• 4 # DME, brewers crystals, sugar (exact combination to be determined)
• lotz-o-hopz for a 20 min steep at 175F
• "no chill" to around 90F then transfer to fermenter for final cool down
• Lallemand New England @ ~ 65F
• Fast bottle condition (75F) using CBC-1 & ascorbic acid; half with "no head space", half with "wine preserver CO2 flush"

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brewed the "Citra Hop Steep" this morning; went with a 6%-ish recipe.

• OG 62; FG 15; Lallemand New England @ 65F-ish
• 3 gal no-mineral water; 1 g CaCl; 3# Briess Pale Ale DME, 1# Brewers Crystals, 4 oz sugar
• 1 oz Citra (12.5 AA); 1 oz Citra (Cryo: 25.0 AA)
• hop steep @175-ish for 30 minutes; "no chill"
• (also 'practicing' some reduced oxygen techniques for my BIAB recipes)

The wort will be split into two fermenters. 1st fermenter gets 1.75 of the 'cleaner' wort. The 2nd fermenter gets the rest. Bottle condition at 75F with CBC-1 & ascorbic acid additions. With the 1st fermenter (1.75 gal), I will package in 16 oz PET bottles (6 "no head space" vs 6 "CO2 flush with wine preserver"). Packaging for the 2nd fermenter is to be determined. May sample first bottle at 7 (or 10) days.

follow-up (Sept 30): something went wrong along the way, so I won't be bottling this batch. I may revisit this recipe (and brewing experiments) next spring. The brewing pipeline is filling up with all-grain published recipes that I want to brew (and I'm currently out of DME).

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

a follow-up on using PET bottles. I had intended to try PET bottles in a side-by-side ...

With the 1st fermenter (1.75 gal), I will package in 16 oz PET bottles (6 "no head space" vs 6 "CO2 flush with wine preserver"). Packaging for the 2nd fermenter is to be determined. May sample first bottle at 7 (or 10) days.

... but with the failure of the batch (see above), I used the bottles for a BIAB batch.

So far, I'm pleased with the PET bottles. I used the "no head space" technique in combination with my current process (bottle condition at 75F for about a week with CBC-1 & ascorbic acid additions). Carbonation is mostly complete after about 3 days (conditioning obviously will take some additional time).

... EC-1118 seems to work every bit as well as ...

One of my regional online stores stocks it so I put some in the cart for the next order.

 

[ncbrewer]

So far, I'm pleased with the PET bottles. I used the "no head space" technique in combination with my current process (bottle condition at 75F for about a week with CBC-1 & ascorbic acid additions). Carbonation is mostly complete after about 3 days (conditioning obviously will take some additional time).

I considered moving to PET bottles, but cleaning seemed to be touchy. I read not to use hot tap water because it would deform the plastic, and anything less seems questionable as far as complete cleaning. What is your cleaning method?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The mrbeer web site also offers ideas for cleaning PET bottles.

What is your cleaning method?

With my glass bottles, I do an initial hot water soak to get the labels off. After that, it's generally 1) when packaging: a StarSan rinse before bottling, and 2) when enjoying: a triple-rinse with water after pouring (and before the 1st sip).

Many of the anecdotal stories associated with PET bottles (that I found) have a similar approach - but there are other approaches.

Many of the anecdotal stories seem to be similar to the ideas at the mrbeer web site.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Sounds like it's already perfect. Just the right hop and your basically good.

(re: Briess Sparkling Amber being 85% base, 10% 60L, 5% munich 10L)

I need to thank you, @Miraculix! I took your comment to heart, and this has turned into a family favorite. It's long since been turned into an all-grain recipe, but in case anyone wants a pretty simple, yet delicious easy drinker, here it is:

3 gallons into fermenter, "balanced" water profile OG: 1055, FG: 1008, ABV: 6%, IBU: 32
lauter efficiency: 80% (biab with a healthy squeeze), mash 151F for 60 min
4 lbs Briess 2-row brewer's malt
8 oz caramel 60L
4 oz munich 10L
8 oz brown sugar (late)
Cascade @60 for 26 IBU
Cascade @10 for 6 IBU
US-05
dry-hop 0.5 oz Cascade 2 days before bottling

For DME-only recipe:
2.75 gallons into fermenter, RO water only
3 lbs Briess Sparkling Amber DME
8 oz brown sugar (late)
Cascade @60 for 26 IBU
Cascade @10 for 6 IBU
US-05
dry-hop 0.5 oz Cascade 2 days before bottling

Personally, I think the all-grain is a little better, not sure if that's the water profile target (versus just RO for the extract version), or that I've gotten better as a brewer!

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

@BrewnWKopperKat do you think a drop or two (per bottle) of plain old lemon juice would equal your "dash" of ascorbic acid powder?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

@Hoochin'Fool : I don't know if lemon juice could be use in place of ascorbic acid powder.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Basic Brewing (10-19-23) is back with a Hop Sampler episode.

There is process description: heat water to 140F, add DME at 140F , heat to boil, flame-out, hop stand for 10 min , the rapid cool to pitching temperature.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Basic Brewing (10-19-23) is back with a Hop Sampler episode.

It was good to see them cycle back to these. Idaho 7 vs Vic Secret vs Nectaron.

I have been wanting to cycle back to doing these myself. It is a great way to evaluate a hop and you end up with a pretty decent Pale Ale style 6 pack of beer. The last time I made one was over a year ago. I did notice oxidation in the bottles after a few weeks that muted some of the hop flavors.

I also made a few with dry Lutra yeast. As I recall they turned out great just fermented at around 75F ambient temps. For these ones I did purge the bottle headspace with CO2, but I did not notice a difference between bottles that were purged and not purged. I have some anecdotal evident that Kveik beers are less prone to oxidation...maybe the yeast scavenges oxygen faster?

Recipe for Simcoe and Azacca Samplers.
• 1.25 gal [4.75L] Water (was a little too much, would drop to 1.15 or 1.20 gal)
• 1 lb [450g] of Golden Light Dry Malt Extract
• 0.15 lbs [2.4 oz or 68 g] Table Sugar
• 0.25 oz [7 g] Hops - boil 10 minutes
• 0.75 oz [21 g] Hops - steep 20 minute steep at 180°F [82°C]
• 2.75 g Lutra dry yeast

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

It was good to see them cycle back to these.

There was some talk at the end of the episode about brewing some two hop combinations.

Since we're on the topic of single hop beers, there a recent topic over in AHA forums (link) with links to things people did a number of years ago.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

There was some talk at the end of the episode about brewing some two hop combinations.

For the past 3 years I have had a plan to brew a series of 2 hop combo pale ales. Stuff like Citra + Amarillo, Cascade + Idaho 7, Simcoe + Centennial, Mosaic + Azacca, etc. For whatever reason, they just keep getting pushed to the side for more "exciting" beers. Most of my IPA and Pale Ale recipes feature a 2 hop combo, often with a little Columbus on the hot side.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have been wanting to cycle back to doing these myself. It is a great way to evaluate a hop and you end up with a pretty decent Pale Ale style 6 pack of beer. The last time I made one was over a year ago. I did notice oxidation in the bottles after a few weeks that muted some of the hop flavors.

I also made a few with dry Lutra yeast. As I recall they turned out great just fermented at around 75F ambient temps. For these ones I did purge the bottle headspace with CO2, but I did not notice a difference between bottles that were purged and not purged. I have some anecdotal evident that Kveik beers are less prone to oxidation...maybe the yeast scavenges oxygen faster?

aside: I have some "one month old" Bells Two Hearted. It's different from a 2 (or 3) month old beer.

My guess is that minimizing head space using PET bottles will be easier (and more consistent) for me. I also have some 'wine preserver' to attempt to reproduce "cap on foam". The "basement" home brew store has some styles of Muntons DME (as well as WLP001 and WLP066 dry) in stock, so I may line up couple of hop samplers and run some bottling tests on the side.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Follow-up

EC-1118 seems to work every bit as well

One of my regional online stores stocks it so I put some in the cart for the next order.

I bottled a SNPA-ish pale ale this morning; did a "split packaging" with 4 bottles of EC-1118 and 16 of CBC-1. I'll bottle condition this batch at 75F.

I will likely check the carbonation of the 'test' bottles in about a week; and then a "side-by-side" in about two weeks.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Never used it (EC-1118, or CBC-1 for that matter) on anything other than a big 10%+ stout. Looking forward to your side-by-side tasting notes!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

(final) follow-up EC-1118 / CBC-1 to bottle condition a pale ale.

I didn't notice flavor or performance differences after 7 days bottle conditioning. Here's a photo from the carbonation check (note that the beer was not chilled to 40F for this photo). I'll let the remaining bottles sit at basement temperatures (58F-ish) for another week.