Hi all. I'm a new brewer, but longtime beer fanatic. I live in SF, so i'm extremely fortunate to have access to the greatest beer in the world.
I recently purchased 2 kits of the "golden blonde ale" from a reputable online beer shop, morebeer.com....
-first batch i followed the instructions exactly. followed their outline, which was a bit different than how i am used to doing it. long story short, i am very unhappy with the final product. 2 weeks in. almost no carbonation. i feel it's probably my fault during bottling. not boiling the corn sugar long enough (i have used dextrose before...same thing, i know) and probably not sanitizing the pot i used to mix it with water in. it's almost sour. i can really taste the off-flavors. I could have left it on the yeast too long. it's not a huge deal as i bought the cheap packet and it was my first try at that specific type of extract brewing.
-2nd Batch - i repitched the yeast (with a lot of trub, unfor.) and made the same kit again. this time, i added 2 oz of Simcoe (1 oz at 60, 1 oz at 30) and created a vanilla kit (see below). i let the vanilla mixture sit in the fridge for almost a week. after racking, i added the vanilla mixture and 1 lb of wildflower honey to the top. I used my auto siphon cane with the L shape to stir up the carboy every day. strange gravity flux - started at 1.048 - 1.006 (sweeet!) and after additions to racking, then it was around 1.14 at bottling. This thing is already carbed up at 1 week. tastes AMAZING. tons of vanilla on the nose, but not too much on the back. honey comes through.
*should i be careful for bottle bombs with a high FG?
-BIG QUESTION - How does my increase in Gravity affect the final beer? can i just take a hydro reading?
vanilla mixture:
-3 vanilla beans sliced, cut into 1" pieces
-3/4 cup Stoli Vanilla Vodka
-1/3 cupt Vanilla Concentrate (mine i purchased in mexico....pretty same as "extract", but i prefer the concentrate)
any questions or requests for the full recipe, just let me know.
been a lurker and wanted to share my experience.
*i have also heard rumors that using local honey can help those with allergies. you must use local bees to your area, but from what i've been told by many friends, it can work.
thanks for reading. keep on brewing!
I recently purchased 2 kits of the "golden blonde ale" from a reputable online beer shop, morebeer.com....
-first batch i followed the instructions exactly. followed their outline, which was a bit different than how i am used to doing it. long story short, i am very unhappy with the final product. 2 weeks in. almost no carbonation. i feel it's probably my fault during bottling. not boiling the corn sugar long enough (i have used dextrose before...same thing, i know) and probably not sanitizing the pot i used to mix it with water in. it's almost sour. i can really taste the off-flavors. I could have left it on the yeast too long. it's not a huge deal as i bought the cheap packet and it was my first try at that specific type of extract brewing.
-2nd Batch - i repitched the yeast (with a lot of trub, unfor.) and made the same kit again. this time, i added 2 oz of Simcoe (1 oz at 60, 1 oz at 30) and created a vanilla kit (see below). i let the vanilla mixture sit in the fridge for almost a week. after racking, i added the vanilla mixture and 1 lb of wildflower honey to the top. I used my auto siphon cane with the L shape to stir up the carboy every day. strange gravity flux - started at 1.048 - 1.006 (sweeet!) and after additions to racking, then it was around 1.14 at bottling. This thing is already carbed up at 1 week. tastes AMAZING. tons of vanilla on the nose, but not too much on the back. honey comes through.
*should i be careful for bottle bombs with a high FG?
-BIG QUESTION - How does my increase in Gravity affect the final beer? can i just take a hydro reading?
vanilla mixture:
-3 vanilla beans sliced, cut into 1" pieces
-3/4 cup Stoli Vanilla Vodka
-1/3 cupt Vanilla Concentrate (mine i purchased in mexico....pretty same as "extract", but i prefer the concentrate)
any questions or requests for the full recipe, just let me know.
been a lurker and wanted to share my experience.
*i have also heard rumors that using local honey can help those with allergies. you must use local bees to your area, but from what i've been told by many friends, it can work.
thanks for reading. keep on brewing!