I'm a noob with general questions. Also, ready for a habanero beer!

[Henbrew]

That sounds awesome! Like finding the worm in a bottle of mezcal! I wonder if there’s a way to get a whole pepper in a beer bottle (think 7th grade science class pulling a boiled egg into a coke bottle)?

Tough part would be getting it out afterwards!

 

[fendersrule]

Well, I've been a beer making machine in past 30 days.

The IPA turned out great. Even though the FG (1.020) wasn't where I wanted it, it still packed a punch (6.6%). I brought it to my Thanksgiving party and poured quite a bit of it. Even people that didn't drink beer had two glasses. They loved it! This was my first beer that I could get drunk off of, which is awesome. Also my first beer that I was proud to share.

The habanero batch was not as spicy as I would like. I was too conservative with the tincture. With that said, the mild habanero taste that it had complemented it wonderfully.

The porter that I'm making was bottled on 12/1. It finished at 1.022 and will be 7.7%. Do porters/stouts need to be aged longer? I typically have been giving my ales 3 weeks in the bottles, and 2-3 weeks in the primary.

I made an amber ale last weekend. mini mash like everything else I do. I used DME this time around. I was really worried given all the horror stories of "boil-overs" but it was very uneventful. That one came in at 1.058. Hoping it finishes to where I can get 6.1% out of it. I decided per advice on here to not use heated splarge water.

btw, I've also made 7 small batches of cider as well.

Starting in spring, I will start brewing outside. Will be doing BIAB techniques. Also will finally get a wort chiller since my counterflow one broke. An immersion chiller makes the most sense when brewing outside because I'll have tons of space!

What I really want to know is how to really get a dry IPA...most IPAs are dry. What I mean by dry is very low malt taste, if any. My guess to obtain that, is that you have to have a low FG. Do LME and DME inhibit from low finishing?

 

[FatDragon]

Do LME and DME inhibit from low finishing?

Generally, yes. You could dry out the beer by using sugar in place of some of the extract. I think subbing out a pound of DME (or a bit more than a pound of LME) for a pound of sugar in a five gallon batch is a pretty standard place to start. The more simple sugar as a percentage of your grain bill, the drier the beer will finish.

 

[TechFanMD]

I agree with @FatDragon You could also do a partial mash with a small grain bag and mash low, replacing some of the DME/LME with wort made from all grain. The low mash temp will make a higher percentage of fermentables which will allow for a drier beer. The beer may also come out with a 'cleaner' taste

 

[ncbrewer]

I've read that as a general rule, it's best not to use simple sugars for over 15% of the fermentables. Not a hard and fast rule - just a guideline for "typical" beers. I haven't tried going over 15%, so I have no experience with it. I think 15% would accomplish what you're going for.

 

[fendersrule]

The porter turned out excellent. I just sampled my red Amber (5.5%) and I was shocked how much it tastes like Mac and Jacks.

At this point, I may be leaving "noob" territory. My beers keep improving, and I feel like they are improved to the point of being in the realm of craft brewery. Most importantly, I know what improves, and "how" to improve.

Rating my beers with an objective eye from first to current:

Basic Bitch Amber. Extract. I was just an assistant and my instructor was teaching me. Didn't Mash. Didn't pay attention to wort temp before pitching yeast. It was drinkable, but ABV was super low (never measured, but going by taste) and it lacked body. I would never hand this out for someone to try. 1.5/5.

Mosiac IPA. Partial Mash. My first beer by myself. The mash temp was too high as there is some unfermentable/malt/body taste so it wasn't as clean-tasting as it could have been. Habanero extract was too conservative, although still improved the finish and gives it something unique. This is really where I realized that mashing temps is probably the most important part of making beer. I'd give this beer a 3/5 based on feedback, but as I was getting down to the last few beers of a double batch I was getting tired of drinking it.

Brown Sugar Porter. Partial Mash. This brew day was a nightmare because I was 1.5 gallons too short when it reached the carboy. My wort chiller blew up so I had to wait a long time before pitching. The gravity was a little low so I had to quickly innovate and boil brown sugar to compensate. The beer came out surprisingly good. It was on the drier side, and the chocolate malts came through perfectly. The head was perfect, as well as the color. I'd give this beer a strong 3.5/5 and would have no problem bringing this to a tasting show. I consider this my first "great" beer.

Red Amber Ale. Partial Mash. Uneventful brew day, brewed without wort chiller (single batch). Dry hopped. During bottling, I "thought" I was tasting some slight skunkiness because I didn't cover my glass carboys. I popped this open last night and was amazed how close it tasted to mac and jacks. Very clean flavor and very enjoyable to drink. Almost to the point of dangerous. I'd be inclined to rate this a 3.5-3.75. Definitely a "great" beer.

Orange Coriander Pale ale. We will see!

 

[501irishred]

Sounds like you have certainly gotten sucked down the brewing rabbit hole. Your friends are now destined to think youre off your rocker, daydreams will be filled with possible new adjuncts for a recipe you thought about the night before, and other hobbies will take a backseat position. Welcome to the fold! It’s a hell of a lotta fun, and the beer only gets better (or at least more interesting)!

 

[fendersrule]

The Orange Coriander Pale Ale started at 1.055 gravity. I checked it tonight after 9 days in the the fermenter. It's 1.009 now.

I did some tasting it was quite possibly my magnum opus. please check out the recipe on here.......it's amazing. I LOVE low finishing IPAs and Pales. I did mix some table sugar in there to bump the gravity because I prefer beer around the 6% mark, and it's amazing. I love US-04 for this beer.

I would seriously drink this beer right from the fermenter...it's that good.