More to it than I thought.

[McKnuckle]

Of all the advice and banter on this thread, I would just say this:

Don't go big till you are able to reliably and predictably make decent beer and have a handle on things. Ten gallons (or even five) of lame beer is just a waste. You won't want to drink it. But it will be too much to dump, so you'll keep it around and choke it down, then eventually dump it anyway.

I actually think your initial setup with very small batches is a perfect stepping stone and NOT wasteful in terms of gear investment. You will always be able to use 1-2 gallon brewing gear. Even some day when you're brewing 10 gallons at a time, you'll be able to experiment and do test batches with the small stuff.

 

[Altrez]

Update:

Batch three is in the books! I now have 6 gallons fermenting in the chamber. I brewed the Mr. Beer Oktoberfest tonight. I tasted a sample and it did have that classic taste to it and was not bad at all.

All three of my Mr. Beer kits have had the same OG of 1.042. I took a sample vile of B3 and will cross check it with my digital refractometer.

-Altez

 

[Altrez]

Of all the advice and banter on this thread, I would just say this:

Don't go big till you are able to reliably and predictably make decent beer and have a handle on things. Ten gallons (or even five) of lame beer is just a waste. You won't want to drink it. But it will be too much to dump, so you'll keep it around and choke it down, then eventually dump it anyway.

I actually think your initial setup with very small batches is a perfect stepping stone and NOT wasteful in terms of gear investment. You will always be able to use 1-2 gallon brewing gear. Even some day when you're brewing 10 gallons at a time, you'll be able to experiment and do test batches with the small stuff.

Yeah that is kinda what I am thinking. Once I can get 1 or 2 gallon batches constant and repeatable then I can start going bigger.

I love the idea of tying 3 or 4 different 1 gallon brews, getting them just right and then going up to 5 gallon. Once I got the beer good at 5 gallons I can move up to 10.

And while I am fermenting 10 gallons. I can start working on new batches of 1 gallon recipes.



-Altrez

 

[Jwin]

Hello Jwin,

Could you please post some more information about the fermenters and co2 hookup?

Thank you!

-Altrez

I just modified mine by adding a ball lock post to a solid cap for the fermenter
I replace the air lock with it when I cold crash and apply 1-2 psi for a couple days. I just swell the lid 2-3 timea a day. No suck back that way
Then, open the valve and push to purged kegs at 2-3 psi.
The only oxygen ever introduced is when I pull the air lock, which is totally negligible

 

[FatDragon]

Hi FatDragon,

I think short term the basic model has a place as I am only doing 1 gallon and 2 gallon brews. However when I move up to 10 plus gallons a week or more I do not want to spend 3 days distilling water.

The big issue is do I just go ahead and buy all the stuff to make the big batches now and save money.

-Altrez

The biggest distiller you linked is still a manual-fill and will take three days to distill enough water for a ten-gallon batch, albeit with less hands-on time than the smaller distillers. RO is already an excellent base water for a fraction of the price and less time invested. Distilling just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Altrez]

The biggest distiller you linked is still a manual-fill and will take three days to distill enough water for a ten-gallon batch, albeit with less hands-on time than the smaller distillers. RO is already an excellent base water for a fraction of the price and less time invested. Distilling just doesn't make sense to me.

The big one does 8 gallons a day.

Durastill 8 Gallons per Day, Manual Water Distiller. Good for second homes, cabins, apartments or rental home situations where connection to a water line is not possible or desirable. Includes a 4.5 gallon reserve tank. Made in USA.

-Altrez

 

[FatDragon]

The big one does 8 gallons a day.

Durastill 8 Gallons per Day, Manual Water Distiller. Good for second homes, cabins, apartments or rental home situations where connection to a water line is not possible or desirable. Includes a 4.5 gallon reserve tank. Made in USA.

-Altrez

Gotcha, so if you transfer the distilled water to a secondary holding vessel and refill the distiller's reservoir once in the morning, once in the evening, you'll collect just about enough water for a ten gallon batch in two days with a total of four dump-and-fill trips.

Don't they make whole-house RO systems with bigger filters for higher throughput and big tanks so you've always got ample RO water on hand? If I were in your position I'd be looking for the most hands-off solution, and unless you're running a distiller that auto-fills and has a big reserve tank for an ample supply of distilled water, RO seems like the easier solution, and it's almost certainly much cheaper than distilling.

Then again, I don't really understand the benefit of distilled water versus RO for building a water profile, as RO seems to be the standard most of the water chemistry brewers here start from. Perhaps one of our resident water chemists can chime in here.

 

[MaryB]

Any pressure tank will work for RO water, like the ones used on wells.

 

[McKnuckle]

I don't really understand the benefit of distilled water versus RO for building a water profile, as RO seems to be the standard most of the water chemistry brewers here start from.

There's no benefit in the composition of distilled vs. RO in any practical terms. Composition is not the reason why brewers seem to use RO more often.

It is more about the method by which each is procured. You can go to the store and buy either one in some places. Distilled comes in one gallon jugs. RO, when available, comes in those machines I keep hearing about (but have never seen in my area).

For those preparing these waters at home, the devices are different: RO is passive filtered in-line with plumbing, requiring no power, so in theory it can be continuous and endless in supply. Distilled water is boiled, so that is a major limiting factor in the volume that can be produced with 110V power.

 

[FatDragon]

There's no benefit in the composition of distilled vs. RO in any practical terms. Composition is not the reason why brewers seem to use RO more often.

It is more about the method by which each is procured. You can go to the store and buy either one in some places. Distilled comes in one gallon jugs. RO, when available, comes in those machines I keep hearing about (but have never seen in my area).

For those preparing these waters at home, the devices are different: RO is passive filtered in-line with plumbing, requiring no power, so in theory it can be continuous and endless in supply. Distilled water is boiled, so that is a major limiting factor in the volume that can be produced with 110V power.

Thanks, that's pretty much in line with what I believed but the idea that someone would prefer to use a distiller rather than an RO system at home gave me pause and made me wonder if there were some reason distilling would be worth the hassle and expense considering that a home RO system is cheaper and requires less hands-on effort.

 

[Altrez]

Update:

Batch from last night is fermenting away just fine. Every batch of Mr. Beer I have made so far has acted the same way at the start so it seems consistent.

Looking forward to trying one in a few weeks!

-Altrez

 

[Altrez]

Hello All,

I have a question. I took a sample of my brew from last night. It's a Mr. Beer Oktoberfest with a booster pack. I tested the sample with my Refarctometer and it read 12.6

I went to this website that I have read has the best calculator to use for conversion:

http://seanterrill.com/2012/01/06/refractometer-calculator/

The calculator says my final ABV should be around 9.9 and that seems really high to me. I calibrated the meter twice and ran the sample at room temp. Last night I also took a reading with my Hydrometer as well.

Does that sound right based on my readings?



-Altrez

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

No that doesn't sound right. If your using a Mr.Beer kit unaltered your ABV should be whatever the kit is telling you it will be.
To calculate your own ABV you need original gravity - final gravity * 131 = ABV.
So you need to know your starting brix then convert to SG then your final brix and convert to SG. THEN take your (OG-FG)*131 to = ABV.

I think by default the undoctored mr.beer kits come in around 4.5ABV.

Hope some of this helps

 

[FatDragon]

That site wants refractometer readings from before and after fermentation. You're showing us hydrometer readings for OG and current SG (possibly FG if it's finished by now) and one refractometer reading. You can't use that calculator without two brix values, so what numbers did you plug into that calculator to get your 9.9% ABV estimate?

Your hydrometer reads on the Specific Gravity scale, while your refractometer reads Brix (which equates almost 1:1 with the Plato scale that pros typically use and that I use because I broke my SG hydrometer and Plato hydrometers are easier to find in China). However, when I convert the OG reading on your hydrometer to Plato and put it into the calculator as the "Original RI" variable and use your refractometer reading as the "Final RI" variable, it tells me your brew has a negative value of alcohol. What that tells me is that there's something wrong with your refractometer reading. Your OG equates to roughly 10.9 Plato/Brix, while your FG reads as 12.6. I know alcohol in solution throws off refractometer readings (hence the calculator), but even with the correction factor your refractometer reading is telling us there's more sugar in your wort than there was before it fermented, which doesn't mesh with your hydrometer readings in the slightest.

My guess is that your refractometer is improperly calibrated or you somehow used it wrong. Going by your hydrometer readings your beer appears to have gone from 1.044 to 1.014, for an ABV of approximately 3.9%. That's a reasonable FG for a kit like this but might still be on the higher end of the range, so it's possible that you'll see it drop another couple points if you let it sit for another week or two, especially if you let it warm up a bit.

 

[Altrez]

That site wants refractometer readings from before and after fermentation. You're showing us hydrometer readings for OG and current SG (possibly FG if it's finished by now) and one refractometer reading. You can't use that calculator without two brix values, so what numbers did you plug into that calculator to get your 9.9% ABV estimate?

Your hydrometer reads on the Specific Gravity scale, while your refractometer reads Brix (which equates almost 1:1 with the Plato scale that pros typically use and that I use because I broke my SG hydrometer and Plato hydrometers are easier to find in China). However, when I convert the OG reading on your hydrometer to Plato and put it into the calculator as the "Original RI" variable and use your refractometer reading as the "Final RI" variable, it tells me your brew has a negative value of alcohol. What that tells me is that there's something wrong with your refractometer reading. Your OG equates to roughly 10.9 Plato/Brix, while your FG reads as 12.6. I know alcohol in solution throws off refractometer readings (hence the calculator), but even with the correction factor your refractometer reading is telling us there's more sugar in your wort than there was before it fermented, which doesn't mesh with your hydrometer readings in the slightest.

My guess is that your refractometer is improperly calibrated or you somehow used it wrong. Going by your hydrometer readings your beer appears to have gone from 1.044 to 1.014, for an ABV of approximately 3.9%. That's a reasonable FG for a kit like this but might still be on the higher end of the range, so it's possible that you'll see it drop another couple points if you let it sit for another week or two, especially if you let it warm up a bit.

Hello,

I understand now. I have not taken a FG reading yet. The pictures I posted was of my OG and Starting brix.

Thanks for the help!

-Altrez

 

[FatDragon]

Hello,

I understand now. I have not taken a FG reading yet. The pictures I posted was of my OG and Starting brix.

Thanks for the help!

-Altrez

The first picture certainly appears to be an FG reading, or at least a reading late in ferementation. I guess that's another brew, then?

 

[Altrez]

The first picture certainly appears to be an FG reading, or at least a reading late in ferementation. I guess that's another brew, then?

They are all test samples taken before pitching. The first picture is the Brix reading on the Hydrometer.

-Altrez

 

[FatDragon]

They are all test samples taken before pitching. The first picture is the Brix reading on the Hydrometer.

-Altrez

Now it makes sense to me.

 

[MaryB]

When I was right out of high school I worked in a feed testing lab. We used RO water for everything except gas spectrometer testing. RO water is consider pure and is far less cost to obtain. Unless you plan on a whole house RO system the amount of waste water is negligible. I back flushed the filters at the lab once a month and we used over 1,000 gallons of RO water per month.

 

[Altrez]

I have finished testing the new fermentation chamber and it works great! So tomorrow I am going to brew a one gallon NB test batch. I am thinking about starting with Zombie dirt. Here is a pic of the data logging I did for the temperature.

-Altrez

 

[Atlmustang]

It is a hobby, some folks enjoy the analytical aspect.

Clearly....wow.

 

[Altrez]

Got my Oxygenation 2.0 kit in and it looks cool! i can wait o try it in he nex few days!

-Altrez

 

[PADave]

Got my Oxygenation 2.0 kit in and it looks cool! i can wait o try it in he nex few days!

-Altrez

I got my eye on one of those kits. Not sure if I can benefit from it or not right now since I am not yet doing any big beers. I've got other things that would yield more benefits. But it's on my want list. Keep us posted.

 

[Altrez]

Update:

My first batch has been fermenting for 8 days so I decided to take a reading. the good news is that its at 4.4 ABV or there bouts. The bad news is it tastes and smells like green apple's?

Any ideas? It tasted very good going into the fermenter.

-Altrez

 

[PADave]

Update:

My first batch has been fermenting for 8 days so I decided to take a reading. the good news is that its at 4.4 ABV or there bouts. The bad news is it tastes and smells like green apple's?

Any ideas? It tasted very good going into the fermenter.

-Altrez

Why do people insist on checking so soon? Let it sit for at least 2 weeks. I just do 3 weeks and bottle. I take one reading as I'm bottling just for info. Let it alone, let the yeast work!

 

[Altrez]

Why do people insist on checking so soon? Let it sit for at least 2 weeks. I just do 3 weeks and bottle. I take one reading as I'm bottling just for info. Let it alone, let the yeast work!

I thought it might be ready. I do not think it is!

-Altrez

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Update:

My first batch has been fermenting for 8 days so I decided to take a reading. the good news is that its at 4.4 ABV or there bouts. The bad news is it tastes and smells like green apple's?

Any ideas? It tasted very good going into the fermenter.

-Altrez

"This flavor is usually caused by not enough time to clean up after FG is reached from higher than desirable ferment temps."

Not my quote...but true. Often lighter beers can exhibit it more clearly.

Let it sit and even raise the temp for a week to "room temp" now that fermentation is complete.

 

[FatDragon]

I though it might be ready. I do not think it is!

-Altrez

This is why we were so insistent that you finally start brewing. You could read a thousand posts telling you the beer wouldn't be ready in eight days, but you still don't really know until you've tried flat, eight day old beer yourself.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

This is why we were so insistent that you finally start brewing. You could read a thousand posts telling you the beer wouldn't be ready in eight days, but you still don't really know until you've tried flat, eight day old beer yourself.

That and get a few hundred gallons of beer under your belt and you can find ways to "cheat" these situations when you want or need beer in 9-10 days.

I regularly push low alcohol beers in that time frame but it has to be the right wort, right yeast and right conditions.

Out of curiosity, any chance you checked the date on the yeast? Properly stored dry yeast is virtually timeless but Mr Beer kits likely sat at room temp.

 

[Altrez]

That and get a few hundred gallons of beer under your belt and you can find ways to "cheat" these situations when you want or need beer in 9-10 days.

I regularly push low alcohol beers in that time frame but it has to be the right wort, right yeast and right conditions.

Out of curiosity, any chance you checked the date on the yeast? Properly stored dry yeast is virtually timeless but Mr Beer kits likely sat at room temp.

Hi,

I did not check the date of the yeast. I will remember to do that next time.

-Altrez