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[Paul PT]

Hey Homebrewtalk people,

First-time homebrewer as of today. I'm from Cornwall in the UK but now live in Bavaria, near Munich. I brewed a New England IPA earlier and it's now sitting in the fermenter bucket. I made quite a few mistakes and that's how I found this community through googling answers. One of my mistakes was to put the beer in the fermenter bucket with tap, so I guess I'll just carefully bottle it direct, rather than transfer to another bucket, if the sediment seems calm and low.

I would like try to add some grapefruit notes to my next IPA, any tips on how and when to do this? Would it be with just the peel and after the boil in the cooling process, at the same time as the hop infusion? I also read that you can do it in the bucket transfer process after two weeks, but not sure how.

Many thanks, I hope I can learn from you all and eventually give something back through my own experience or trial and error.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[JohnSand]

Welcome aboard Paul!
I have used orange peel in a brew, in the boil. You might also consider using hops that have grapefruit notes.
While we all want to create our own recipes, I think it's a good idea for new brewers to use established recipes until they have the process down pat, and understand what different ingredients bring.

 

[DBhomebrew]

One of my mistakes was to put the beer in the fermenter bucket with tap, so I guess I'll just carefully bottle it direct, rather than transfer to another bucket, if the sediment seems calm and low.

I've been doing this for the last few brews. Kind of liking it. I'll start off by drawing the first few ounces into a glass until it runs clear. Then start filling bottles, adding priming sugar direct to the filled bottles before capping.

That said, those haven't had any dry hops. The batch I bottle in the next day or so does. See it how it goes, I guess.

 

[ncbrewer]

While we all want to create our own recipes, I think it's a good idea for new brewers to use established recipes until they have the process down pat, and understand what different ingredients bring.

I agree with this advice. You could use something like Citra hops to get the citrus flavor without varying from an existing recipe.

 

[Paul PT]

I've been doing this for the last few brews. Kind of liking it. I'll start off by drawing the first few ounces into a glass until it runs clear. Then start filling bottles, adding priming sugar direct to the filled bottles before capping.

That said, those haven't had any dry hops. The batch I bottle in the next day or so does. See it how it goes, I guess.

 

[Paul PT]

Thanks, yeah I am using dry hops and was surprised that I need to add in more hops in day three of the fermentation (tomorrow) and day 10. Why would the first few ounces be cloudy though?

 

[Paul PT]

Welcome aboard Paul!
I have used orange peel in a brew, in the boil. You might also consider using hops that have grapefruit notes.
While we all want to create our own recipes, I think it's a good idea for new brewers to use established recipes until they have the process down pat, and understand what different ingredients bring.

Thanks John, makes sense

 

[TheCache]

Welcome Paul, you're certain to find some good info on these forums, and more than that, some fun people.

I just started siphoning from a kettle into a ferment bucket with a spigot (tap) about a year ago. I use a fermonster, but it should be about the same as your bucket. I always cold crash for 48-36 hours at the end of fermentation so the trub tends to pack fairly tightly into the bottom of the bucket. If you can't cold crash, try to move the fermenting bucket to a counter top a few days before bottling to help it settle.

I add priming sugar by dissolving it into enough boiling water to get 5-6ml per bottle and then use a food syringe to add it to each bottle. Then I attache a bottle wand to the spigot with about a 6" piece of tubing. The fermonster sits on the counter with the spigot/wand hanging over the edge. It makes filling a snap and helps minimize the oxygenation that transferring to a bottling bucket can introduce (plus there is less to clean up). It's the only way I bottle now. Quick and easy.

I got the idea somewhere on these forums. Like I said, lots of good info here.

Cheers, Craig

 

[IslandLizard]

Welcome to our forums, Paul!
Are you using any temperature control during your fermentation?

I am using dry hops and was surprised that I need to add in more hops in day three of the fermentation (tomorrow) and day 10.

Hops added directly to your fermenter are considered "dry hop" additions.
You can add them just as is, no need for a bag. If they're pellets most will have sunk after a few days.

If flowers (whole hops) they'll remain afloat. A gentle swirl of your fermentation vessel (bucket) every day will keep them doused with beer, helping with better extraction.

Try not to open the lid, you'd lose the CO2 in the headspace that prevents your beer from oxidizing and other potential mayhem.
You can add the dry hops through the hole in the lid your airlock is in, one pellet or flower at a time. Work quickly, so most of the CO2 will remain in there.

When it comes to bottling just place an inch thick stick or a towel under the spigot side of the fermenter bucket, to give it a little tilt backward. That helps prevent trub and yeast from coming out of the spigot when bottling. Do that a few hours before you start bottling.

To bottle from the bucket, you'll need a "bottling wand." You can connect it directly to the spigot with a piece of tubing, either long or short, to your preference.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Thanks, yeah I am using dry hops and was surprised that I need to add in more hops in day three of the fermentation (tomorrow) and day 10. Why would the first few ounces be cloudy though?

There's usually some settled yeast and stuff hanging on or near the interior of the spigot.

 

[Paul PT]

Welcome to our forums, Paul!
Are you using any temperature control during your fermentation?


Hops added directly to your fermenter are considered "dry hop" additions.
You can add them just as is, no need for a bag. If they're pellets most will have sunk after a few days.

If flowers (whole hops) they'll remain afloat. A gentle swirl of your fermentation vessel (bucket) every day will keep them doused with beer, helping with better extraction.

Try not to open the lid, you'd lose the CO2 in the headspace that prevents your beer from oxidizing and other potential mayhem.
You can add the dry hops through the hole in the lid your airlock is in, one pellet or flower at a time. Work quickly, so most of the CO2 will remain in there.

When it comes to bottling just place an inch thick stick or a towel under the spigot side of the fermenter bucket, to give it a little tilt backward. That helps prevent trub and yeast from coming out of the spigot when bottling. Do that a few hours before you start bottling.

To bottle from the bucket, you'll need a "bottling wand." You can connect it directly to the spigot with a piece of tubing, either long or short, to your preference.

Not sure if the hops will fit through that little whole. Will have a look, otherwise I was going to just lift a bit of the lid up and pour the hops in as fast and calm as possible. Thanks

 

[DBhomebrew]

That said, those haven't had any dry hops. The batch I bottle in the next day or so does. See it how it goes, I guess.

Not so good. The wand got clogged. I gave up on the last couple bottles' worth because I was tired of the slow flow.

 

[Paul PT]

Not so good. The wand got clogged. I gave up on the last couple bottles' worth because I was tired of the slow flow

So it was a clear flow until the end when it was pulling up trub?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Pretty much from the start it was pulling little bits of hops (free floating pellets) into the wand. At first, the hop block made a great filter. Eventually flow slowed to a trickle. When I pulled it apart for cleaning, there was a good inch of hops in the wand's auto stop mechanism.

 

[Paul PT]

Now I'm concerned the hops I add today and next week won't dissolve properly, any advice on how to ensure it does fully dissolve? Or perhaps tilt the fermenter with an inch block under one side before pouring...

 

[DBhomebrew]

Hop pellets don't dissolve, they break up and hydrate into little bits of leaf (really petal).

Sorry, no suggestions here.

 

[Nubiwan]

Hey Homebrewtalk people,

First-time homebrewer as of today. I'm from Cornwall in the UK but now live in Bavaria, near Munich. I brewed a New England IPA earlier and it's now sitting in the fermenter bucket. I made quite a few mistakes and that's how I found this community through googling answers. One of my mistakes was to put the beer in the fermenter bucket with tap, so I guess I'll just carefully bottle it direct, rather than transfer to another bucket, if the sediment seems calm and low.

I would like try to add some grapefruit notes to my next IPA, any tips on how and when to do this? Would it be with just the peel and after the boil in the cooling process, at the same time as the hop infusion? I also read that you can do it in the bucket transfer process after two weeks, but not sure how.

Many thanks, I hope I can learn from you all and eventually give something back through my own experience or trial and error.

Cheers,
Paul

my question would be how you plan to equally mix in the carbonation sugar in lie of a bottling bucket.

While O2 and sanitation are your enemy, its rather simpler to transfer into a bottling bucket, mix your carbing sugars whilst that is happening, then bottle, than to try and put some sugar in each individual bottle.

But that is just how I've done it. Maybe you can describe your process. Might be something I want to try.