Random Brewing Thoughts

[Phischy1]

Beersmith 3.0 comes out this month. Ap upgrade next month.

 

[MooseLang]

I don't know why I thought brewing on a weeknight would be a good idea. I figured I could do my normal routine with the kids, while also trying out a BIAB brew for the first time. I ended up just running around like an idiot and making lazy mistakes. On top of that, I am always exhausted during the week, as my kids are up by 5:30am every day. So by the time 10pm rolls around, I am usually sound asleep.

So, things were going OK (considering the circumstances). Mashed in too high. Whatever. Ran out of propane, luckily had a backup tank. Decided on a whim to ferment in a bucket instead of my usual glass carboy, filled it up with two gallons of starsan solution and swished it around. Let it sit. Added my flameout hops and started the wort chiller. Unfortunately, I started to drift asleep on the couch while I was letting the wort chill. Got up - a bit drowsy - and proceeded to rack the beer into the bucket.

When the supposed 5 gallons of wort reached the top of the bucket, I realized that I never dumped out the 2 gallons of Starsan solution. I would've noticed if I had used my glass carboy, as I normally do. So, my Saison is starting with a 1.030 OG, and is nicely diluted with two gallons of my ****** ass tapwater. Maybe it will still be drinkable? No ******* idea. On another note, I really enjoyed BIAB. Probably how I am going to brew going forward. On weekends. Earlier in the day.



tl;dr I just had to vent. **** me....

 

[Phischy1]

StarSan solution should have a pH less than 3 to be effective. You just made some sort of sanitizer sour. I'd just dump it.

 

[MooseLang]

StarSan solution should have a pH less than 3 to be effective. You just made some sort of sanitizer sour. I'd just dump it.

Maybe I'm not understanding, because I'm still tired as **** from last night. But what I meant was I just had two gallons of diluted starsan solution sitting in the bucket. So less than 1/2 an ounce of star san in 2 gallons of water. 1/2 ounce of star san total in what is now 7 gallons of liquid is definitely safe to drink.

Regardless though, I'm sure this beer will get dumped.

 

[neorunner]

I give it two weeks before a VA brewery releases a StarSan Gose dry hopped with SOS pads.

 

[doobiegoobie]

One time I accidentally left about half a gallon of Star San in a carboy and racked on top. I did a double batch that day so I fermented it side by side with another beer, and the Star San one had a much better ferment. I think bc that **** breaks down into O2 or something? Regardless, it's a **** ton less than 2 gal but it might be worth seeing how it does. No real reason to dump it at this point, as Star San isn't toxic (I think - you should double check that).

 

[MooseLang]

One time I accidentally left about half a gallon of Star San in a carboy and racked on top. I did a double batch that day so I fermented it side by side with another beer, and the Star San one had a much better ferment. I think bc that **** breaks down into O2 or something? Regardless, it's a **** ton less than 2 gal but it might be worth seeing how it does. No real reason to dump it at this point, as Star San isn't toxic (I think - you should double check that).

From what I have read, when properly diluted Star San is roughly as acidic as Coca Cola. So it should be fine. And I made a Saison with only a flameout addition of Mosaic, so neither the 1.030 OG nor the IBU will be something to worry about.

The main thing to worry about is how bad my tap water is. You cannot brew a single style of beer with it. Depending on how the chlorine levels were last night, that's what could make this thing a dumped batch.

 

[Phischy1]

From what I have read, when properly diluted Star San is roughly as acidic as Coca Cola. So it should be fine. And I made a Saison with only a flameout addition of Mosaic, so neither the 1.030 OG nor the IBU will be something to worry about.

The main thing to worry about is how bad my tap water is. You cannot brew a single style of beer with it. Depending on how the chlorine levels were last night, that's what could make this thing a dumped batch.

Man...buy water if your tap water is that bad. I was buying RO water.in 5 gallon jugs and then adding salts.back.

 

[jivex5k1]

Man...buy water if your tap water is that bad. I was buying RO water.in 5 gallon jugs and then adding salts.back.

He probably does but uses tap water to mix with starsan.

 

[MooseLang]

Man...buy water if your tap water is that bad. I was buying RO water.in 5 gallon jugs and then adding salts.back.

What jivex5k said.

I buy distilled water every time I brew and add salts.

I use my ****** ass tap water (170ppm NaCl, 400+ alkalinity) to sanitize with star San.

 

[user 307594]

What jivex5k said.

I buy distilled water every time I brew and add salts.

I use my ****** ass tap water (170ppm NaCl, 400+ alkalinity) to sanitize with star San.

holy ****, those mineral ppms are crazy. Very thankful for my 40-50ppm of total dissolved solids.

 

[Phischy1]

I eventually.boughy a brewing RO system with an extra filter to remove chloroamines.and a 37 gallon corny keg reservoir. I make my own water for everything. That was a long term brewing goal....only took 12 years.

 

[More Betterness]

I eventually.boughy a brewing RO system with an extra filter to remove chloroamines.and a 37 gallon corny keg reservoir. I make my own water for everything. That was a long term brewing goal....only took 12 years.

I gotta do this at some point.. sick of buying distilled every time I brew..

 

[Phischy1]

I gotta do this at some point.. sick of buying distilled every time I brew..

The hard part is figuring out how you want to store it. My tank is a recycled emergency eyewash station so it's all SS and then I modified and did some welding to it so I can draw from the bottom via march pump and push water to the kettles. I have a bad back and I try to lift very little anymore. Casters and ramps on everything.

The RO unit itself is the easy part, but you do need to find out if your local water has chloramines and then just buy another filter to strip that out if needed. This is the system I use:

http://koolermax.com/ro-water-systems/hk120-hydroponics-ro-water-system-150gpd-watergeneral.html

Tank is similar to this: https://www.eyewashdirect.com/haws-760137-eye-wash-station-c1977925/ but I found it at a surplus center locally and paid a few hundred bucks for it after talking the guy down over 6 months.

 

[ncaudle]

I give it two weeks before a VA brewery releases a StarSan Gose dry hopped with SOS pads.

SSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!

 

[ncaudle]

made a Saison with only a flameout addition of Mosaic ... 1.030 OG

 

[MooseLang]

Pulled a sample yesterday. Couldn't help myself. Aroma was bangin'. I used BE-134 on a whim, only because I heard some good things about it. Unfortunately, my horrendous water was just too much to overcome.

She gettin' dumped.

 

[Rau711]

What is the best technique on a counter flow chiller? I ran one today 2 brew days and I can't get anywhere near pitching temps. Should I high flow water low flow wort? Low flow water and high flow wort (This can't be right)?

 

[coldcrash1]

What is the best technique on a counter flow chiller? I ran one today 2 brew days and I can't get anywhere near pitching temps. Should I high flow water low flow wort? Low flow water and high flow wort (This can't be right)?

Are you recirculating back into the kettle?

Depends on your ground water temp but I can usually get 5 gal from boiling down into the 70s in 15 mins. This time of year I knock out mid-to low-70s then go into the ferm chamber to get the last few degrees down to pitching temp

 

[Rau711]

Are you recirculating back into the kettle?

Depends on your ground water temp but I can usually get 5 gal from boiling down into the 70s in 15 mins. This time of year I knock out mid-to low-70s then go into the ferm chamber to get the last few degrees down to pitching temp

No, is that the step I am missing?

 

[coldcrash1]

No, is that the step I am missing?

Yup. Something like this

First pass out of the chiller is in the 190s

 

[user 307594]

What is the best technique on a counter flow chiller? I ran one today 2 brew days and I can't get anywhere near pitching temps. Should I high flow water low flow wort? Low flow water and high flow wort (This can't be right)?

You can’t chill below your incoming water temp. What’s your ground water temp? For maximum chilling, high water flow, low wort flow, which is the least water efficient.

 

[Rau711]

You can’t chill below your incoming water temp. What’s your ground water temp? For maximum chilling, high water flow, low wort flow, which is the least water efficient.

I have the hose dunked in an ice bucket, where I store the chiller before I sanitize to keep it cold. I get it down to about 90 in 1 pass, but need to do more passes, have a new kettle coming Monday so I can whirlpool.

 

[Phischy1]

In TX in the hot summer and hot water hose temps, several guys use 2 plate chillers, 1st using hose water, second in an ice bath with a recirculating pump moving the same ice water through the chiller.

 

[axeman91821]

So I overshot the OG on my barleywine by a bit and fermentation has crapped out at about 1.050, but that also puts it at near 12% ABV. I'm not sure whether I should try to pitch some White Labs Super High Gravity to bring it down another 20-25 points, which would push it up near 15% ABV, or just rack it onto some bourbon soaked oak and hope that the bourbon and oak from the tannins balance out the extra sweetness.

 

[Rau711]

5 year old hops, don't smell like cheese, lets see if this works. haha.

 

[coldcrash1]

So I overshot the OG on my barleywine by a bit and fermentation has crapped out at about 1.050, but that also puts it at near 12% ABV. I'm not sure whether I should try to pitch some White Labs Super High Gravity to bring it down another 20-25 points, which would push it up near 15% ABV, or just rack it onto some bourbon soaked oak and hope that the bourbon and oak from the tannins balance out the extra sweetness.

 

[axeman91821]

I've actually settled on brewing another similar, ~8% beer that I'll try to have finish on the dry side. Will then blend them 50/50 and get five gallons of straight barleywine and five that I can age on bourbon soaked oak.

 

[Rau711]

So I got my water report from Ward Labs today, but I am a complete novice at water profiles. Looking through my friend googles first page sources I seem to have a pretty abnormal water profile. I am going to start looking looking into how to make profiles for each brew I make going forward, anybody have any preferred sites or info to give me a head start?

Attached below is my water profile.

 

[JCastle1]

So I got my water report from Ward Labs today, but I am a complete novice at water profiles. Looking through my friend googles first page sources I seem to have a pretty abnormal water profile. I am going to start looking looking into how to make profiles for each brew I make going forward, anybody have any preferred sites or info to give me a head start?

Attached below is my water profile.

https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/ is a great resource to get you started. Tons of info and calculations to get your water profile right. I'm too lazy for the manual calculations and use an app though.