Improving My Technique

[brew-bandit]

Hello all,

I have been lurking around for a few weeks and what a lot of great information! Look forward to keeping this new hobby going.

So to the point. I am about to brew batch number three, NB's Big Honkin' Stout. My first batch was their Irish Red and I followed the recipe but it did not turn out as well as I hoped. It has some slight off flavors and in general I find the flavor very very light (may be by design).

Here are a few things I think contributed. I did a high gravity boil (~2.5g) and did not stir frequently. I also did not wait for the hot break prior to starting my 60 min boil. Finally I did not control my frem temps. The highest temp it reach during active fermentation was 76-78 degrees F.

Based on reading "How To Brew" and all of your posts this is what I am planning for the stout (OG of 1.068).

1. Full boil of 6 gallons with big kettle on propane burner
2. Wait for hotbreak to start the 60 min timer
3. Stir, stir and stir some more
4. Large tub of cool water to keep my ferm temp between 65-70 degrees F
5. Make a yeast starter

If anyone has any feedback or tips I would love to hear them. With a stout should I consider late additions of LME?

Thanks in advance and great to "meet" you all.

 

[flars]

You do not need volcanic action during the boil. Apply just enough heat to keep most of the surface rolling. To much heat only causes extra evaporation and darkening of the extract.

What yeast are you using. 65° to 70° is to warm for some ale yeasts. Use a calculator for your yeast starter. These are two good ones, especially for a realistic calculation of viability according to the age of the yeast.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/
http://www.homebrewdad.com/yeast_calculator.php

 

[Quaker]

Your items 4 and 5 are the ones which will make the difference for you. Focus on the ferment first. Especially with extract brewing, the hot side is extremely forgiving. Your first batch definitely got warmer than I prefer for anything other than a saison. I aim to chill to 64-66, pitch the yeast then, and let it warm up naturally, but limiting it to 70 for most typical ale yeasts.

#3 is only a concern while adding the extract to ensure none of it settles to the bottom of the kettle and is scorched. Once mixed, the natural movement from a boil will keep things moving well enough unless you have a really high power burner and a thin bottom kettle.

#2 I never heard this before or a forgot it quickly. I start my timer when it boils, hot break or no.

#1 if you've got the equipment, go for it. It definitely won't hurt.

 

[Sailingeric]

I remove my pot from the heat when adding LME, and then once it get boilings I typically don't stir too much unless the hops start looking like they are clumping together.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

I agree with the other posters. The water bath to control temperature and a yeast starter are going to be the most effective at improving beer quality.

If you already have a huge pot and propane burner, great, go for the full boil. If you haven't made that purchase you might consider holding off on the full boil for a few brews . Especially with extract brewing the full boil isn't really necessary , but some people do like the effect it has on the beer. The maillard reactions will darken the beer and produce a more caramel or malty flavor. An alternative to a long full boil is replacing some of the base malt extract with Munich malt extract. This will produce a similar (although not identical) flavor profile.

 

[brew-bandit]

Thank you all for the feedback. I will let you know how the next batch goes!

 

[eadavis80]

1. I enjoy doing full boils also. However, since you'll now be doing that, chilling your wort will almost require a wort chiller. Doing an ice bath with a full boil is annoying.
2. That's when I start my timer. Not sure if it makes a real difference, but I do the same.
3. I stir every 10 or so minutes - especially on cold brew days. My kettle is in my garage and I don't want to be out there in the cold the entire hour. It's just important to stir at extract and hop additions to prevent boil overs.
4. Yup - pitch cool. Do you have a basement or anything? I usually pitch shy of 70, but the floor of my laundry room in my basement is shy of 60 so if I pitch in the afternoon, by morning the next day the wort is around 60-62. Just check your yeast and be sure you do what you can to put them in a good temp and keep them that way.
5. Always a good idea with liquid or harvested yeast. Yeast calculators, I've been told, are not all that accurate - even the much praised Mr.Malty. I e-mailed and NB themselves on this. Yeast calculators suggested a 5L starter for a batch I did earlier this week. That seemed way too big to me. Both NB and WYeast said 2L was fine. But, in general - better to overpitch than underpitch. Be sure to aerate too! Either shake that carboy (safely) like crazy or use an aeration or diffusion stone. Another good way to aerate, I've found, is to pour my wort through a double-mesh stainless steel sanitized strainer - really generates a lot of foam itself and keeps hop/sludge out of that primary.

 

[brew-bandit]

Thanks for the tips easdavis80.

One other question. I normally rack to a secondary after 2 weeks. How important is temp control during the secondary phase? As I mentioned everything settles to 68-70 degree F once main fermentation is complete. Is that too warm for secondary?

 

[brew-bandit]

Used search and got the answer. Thanks again all.

 

[DennisinIowa]

I messed around for a couple of years making drinkable? brew.
Finally got serious and brewed the same Smash kit 6 times in a row.
The improvement of my beers is beyond what I expected, I now have a baseline and am confidant of my process.
D

 

[brew-bandit]

Dennis,

I was thinking of doing the same thing since it is impossible to baseline when switching recipes. What tweaks did you make during the process?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[DennisinIowa]

One was just procedure, why, what, when and how.
One of the biggest improvements was getting a handle on fermentation temps and by having some that fermented in the 80s and the difference proper temps have. I use extract and moved to flame-out additions, great improvement in color. The last thing is patience, in the fermenter and in the bottle or keg. I had some I was going to dump but never got around to it. 8 months later tried some and had some very drinkable brews. I now have the ability to change only one item (hop or yeast) and be able to tell what's changing. Am now filling up my pipeline doing 1 a week, mostly different, right now to have the time to age any that need it.
Cheers,
D

 

[joshesmusica]

to add to what they're all advising here, i will say check out this site:

http://brulosophy.com/exbeeriments/

it will help you to pick exactly which of your steps you're going to stress the most about. i don't bother with getting the trub out or racking to a secondary, for example. i also stirred very gently until i reached a low enough temp before, but now after seeing one of these experiments, i stir vigorously right when i start chilling. it helps it chill faster, and you start oxygenating it early.

i agree with most of your extract additions coming at flameout. 25-30% of your fermentables at the beginning, all the rest at the end. This will bump up your perceived bitterness, though, so be aware of that.

I would also recommend investing in beersmith soon, and coming on this forum, then creating your own recipes. i've been reading a lot of people having below average beers because of old ingredients in kits already put together.

i would also say if you've got that big of a kettle, look into steeping grains for sure, and possibly even BIAB partial mash or all grain. the more control you have over the ingredients, the easier you'll be able to tell where the off-flavors are coming from.