So what next?

[shelbymedic]

Been brewing a few years now; probably 150+ gallons under my belt. I’m trying to figure out what’s my next big improvement for my brewing.
At this point, this is what I’ve done.
- I have a nice brew cart that holds everything I need for brew day.
- I have a big burner that heats up 15+ gallons quickly.
- I batch sparge
- I also have a new counterflow chiller with in-line oxygenation stone.
- I use glass carboys and plastic buckets for fermenting
- I use 5.2 ph balancer for mash but haven’t done a water profile yet
- I have a stir plate and make yeast starters for everything
- pretty good kegging system
- I’ve written a few SMaSH recipes but still writing more
- brewed a ton of IPAs, a few porters and a couple pale ales


Things I don’t do yet:
- whirlpool (what exactly is this and why do I need to do it?!)
- build my water profile to the recipe type
- cold crash (why do this? Will this actually improve my beer overall?)
- perfect fermentation temp control (although I do stay with a degree or two of 68 degrees in my house)
- stainless fermenting?
- ph meter?
- more challenging recipes?


So what should my next big improvement be? I don’t want to ever be the ‘well this has always worked well for me so why change it’ type of brewer. I always want to improve and make every aspect as accurate and consistent as possible.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Whirlpooling doesnt do anything a spoon cant do
Cold crash will get your beer clear fast but many say it suckes in Oxygen and is detrimental. I like my beers quick and clear so I always CC...I havent picked up on the oxidation but but beers get kicked pretty quick, maybe before it sets in.

Fermentation control is nice to have for certain yeast that go hot and heavy...and summer brewing. I generally can get away with no temp control in the winter.

Stainless fermenting is for the brewer not the beer

PH meter would be a good investment. Cheap ones DONT work...ask me how I know

REcipes are all the same with different stuff. Non more challenging than the other

Water will your your biggest improvement

Sounds like you WANT more than you NEED...and that opens up the floodgates

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Definitely start working up water profiles, practice pH measurement and control, and fermentation temp control. Until those three things happen, there is no need to consider more challenging recipes and styles.

Also very important is mastering your processes and being repeatable. Nailing your pre-boil and post-boil volumes and efficiencies (i.e. are your end runnings below 1.010 or are you leaving goodness in the grain?). Are your gravities within a couple points of planned? If not, why? and correct for them.

Then move on to doing some beers that can't hide errors and issues. I don't mean to sound bad but its hard to detect some of the more common flaws with a heavy stout or extreme hoppiness. Try a cream ale, kolsh, or a nice German lager. Fermenting processes where things like sulfur and diacetyl are dealt with. Dealing with pH and DMS issues when using pilsner base malts. One of the toughest beers for many people is a good solid Bavarian or German wheat beer. Find a commercial version you like and try to duplicate it. Clove, Banana, or a blend of both, pick one. You gotta get the mashing, fermentation, ingredient, hop balance, and yeast selection correct and do the right things from start to finish. Sounds simple enough but a heffy is a fun and tasty way of learning a hellova lot about brewing.

 

[shelbymedic]

Definitely start working up water profiles, practice pH measurement and control, and fermentation temp control. Until those three things happen, there is no need to consider more challenging recipes and styles.

So I’ll get a water profile mailed out this week. Then should I get a meter? Aren’t the nice ones a couple hundred??

 

[Bigs166]

COLD SIDE UPGRADES!
I went nuts building out all of my hot side components. They make the process smoother, easier, sexier and more efficient. But other than water profile management I believe that your cold side abilities drastically improve and change the quality of your end product. How does it go: Brewers make wort, yeast make BEER!
give your yeast as much help as you can. It’s the quickest way to see big returns/changes and the ONLY way to truly duplicate a great recipe!!
Good luck I suggest an SS unitank. If ur handy enough an Air Conditioner glycol chiller will do wonders for pretty much anything up to 1bbl.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[shelbymedic]

COLD SIDE UPGRADES!. But other than water profile management I believe that your cold side abilities drastically improve and change the quality of your end product. How does it go: Brewers make wort, yeast make BEER!
give your yeast as much help as you can. It’s the quickest way to see big returns/changes and the ONLY way to truly duplicate a great recipe!!

GOOD LUCK!

I currently make big yeast starters with a stir plate. What else do you recommend? I’ve thought of growing my own with agar plates.
I also oxygenate during kettle to fermenter transfer. I usually get airlock activity within a couple hours of pitching.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Aren’t the nice ones a couple hundred?

Not sure what part of the world you are in, but you can order a good Milwaukee for about $130 or less. No need to go lab grade nuts, but don't go super cheapo either.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

I’ve thought of growing my own with agar plates

Plates are generally used for isolating. If you want to save your yeast for long term storage, reusing and trading strains with people, consider slants instead. Streaking plates is definitely fun, but unless the container is sealed and filled with glycerin or mineral oil, storage life is limited.

I started slanting after my 4th or 5th purchase of near dead yeast. I figured I have to do starters anyway, so why not save it, store it, and not buy it again. Slant tubes and agar are cheap and with a $5 inoculating loop and a $7 alcohol burner, its super cheap and easy to do. The only trick is an auto-clave. To do it right, you'll either need an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker for sterilizing your supplies. Go for it ! Just remember... Getting that slant back up to a 1 or 2 liter starter is a multi-step process and you need to give yourself a week before brewing to have your yeast ready.

You can also start heisting yeast from bottle conditioned commercial beers. One of my favorites is from Allegash White. Their house yeast is super awesome for wheat and wit beers.

 

[Bigs166]

I currently make big yeast starters with a stir plate. What else do you recommend? I’ve thought of growing my own with agar plates.
I also oxygenate during kettle to fermenter transfer. I usually get airlock activity within a couple hours of pitching.

That’s awesome. What I mean by helping your yeast as much as possible is accurately controlling the fermentation temp. Pitching yeast in and letting the temp free rise and fall always works but you’re basically at the mercy of the ambient temps and hope the yeast won’t get too hot (or cold) in a given amount of time. “Pitch at 65ish, rises to 70,71,72,73,74..... oh no.... ok... I think I’m good....uhhhh yea it’s beer”. That’s basically wasting all of the predictable hot side work you did brewing it to have no control over the exact temp of the fermentation. What if you wanted to ferment at 65 on the nose?
Point is, the ability to specifically ferment at an exact degree will allow your yeast to reach its full potential. I’ve done the same batches with the same yeasts and fermented with different temperature schedules to make the yeast bring out all kind of different flavors in the beers. It’s awesome. It’s a big step to make though, as it’s basically a whole new set of equipment. The advantage of a unitank is that you can do EVERYTHING in it. Temp controlled fermentation, primary, secondary, trub/yeast dumping, cold crashing, carbonation, pressure transfer. Hell you can even drink a chilled and carbonated beer right out of the damn thing! No need to transfer. Also, having the ability to carbonate in the fermenter means that the beer is actively pushing oxygen away from it so it drastically cuts down on the risk of introducing oxygen when transferring. It’s a beautiful thing. It has changed the game for me.
My advise also is: spend the extra cash. Don’t buy twice.... like I constantly do!! Ha

 

[shelbymedic]

The advantage of a unitank is that you can do EVERYTHING in it.

What brands do you recommend?

 

[shelbymedic]

Go for it .

Videos on making slants? Link for materials and instruments? Mind if I pm you to pick your brain in the future?

 

[Bigs166]

What brands do you recommend?

I have a 1/2bbl SS brewtech unitank and it’s amazing. I had the SS Chronical fermenter and they are very nice too but the unitank holds pressure and is just a very impressive design. The unitank will be more expensive but trust me it’s well worthy every penny.
Friend of mine who I brew with has 2 1/2bbl spike brewing unitanks. They look sexy and are cheaper BUT their design is pretty flawed if you ask me. Almost dangerous 3 legged design. Port placements, sizes and attachments aren’t that well thought out either. Don’t get me wrong the spike brewing tanks are crazy high quality too but lack in the design. My friend has since bought 2 1bbl SS brewtech unitanks and he tells me they are waaaaay better. And safer.

All this being said you WILL need a way chill the tanks. After you factor everything in (tube, fittings, etc) Glycol systems run around $1000 and up for the most part. I have an icemaster 100 and it’s a great piece of equipment.
Search for the thread “ole ac unit glycol “ to see how to build your own. I priced it out right around $200-300some. Depending how deep you want to go with fittings and electronics and if you want to buy a brand new AC unit.

 

[Bigs166]

The Ole' Window AC - Glycol Chiller Build
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...Ole'-Window-AC---Glycol-Chiller-Build.650039/

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Videos on making slants? Link for materials and instruments? Mind if I pm you to pick your brain in the future?

Pick away! There's a ton of video and links but don't go hell bent on any one of them, like anything else on the interwebs, there can be bad information. Start youtubing "yeast slanting" or similar terms. View many and get the concepts of it with common processes and points.

As far as supplies, amazon is your friend. Some agar powder (also can be had at your local Asian market), DME, slant tubes, an inoculation loop, and a alcohol burner (I used a small tiki torch head that I had in the garage and filled it with denatured alcohol from home depot. works great). Also grab some sterile latex gloves, mineral oil, and some rubbing alcohol to wipe down your equipment and work area, from your local pharmacy, CVS, rite aid, or whatever.

It's actually fun and can save a lot of money on yeast. Build up a bank and trade yeasts with friends. Culture some yeasts from commercial beers. You basically are setting up a little amateur biology lab. Totally nerd geek stuff but its not difficult at all.

Almost forgot to mention... You'll need to sterilize your equipment and supplies. In a lab they use an autoclave. Fancy word for pressure cooker. Either grab a $20 pressure cooker from Walmart or if you have an instant pot, use that. Both are identical to an autoclave. Some bacteria, fungus and spores can live beyond boiling temperatures. In a pressure cooker (10 to 15 psi typically) the steam is actually getting up around 260F and is way more efficient in killing things you do not want to grow. In short, you are no longer "sanitizing" you are "sterilizing".

 

[CascadesBrewer]

perfect fermentation temp control (although I do stay with a degree or two of 68 degrees in my house)

This is where I would start, and it is on my list. I currently ferment in the lower level of my house, but the temps there can fluctuate a bit and it really limits my ability to brew in the spring and fall (my AC keeps the lower level cool in the summer). I also have to play around too much if I actually want to control fermentation temps. There are some styles that I just cannot brew. While I don't have plans to brew a pilsner, I would love to brew a nice malty Bock, Rauchbier, Schwarzbier, or Octoberfest or other beers that can use better temp controls (Alt, Kolsch)...and also have better temp control for high gravity beers.

This is one area I believe has a clear impact on beer quality.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I am divided between upgrading from out of my cooler mash-tun to something stainless steel or replacing my glass carboys with stainless steel ferm buckets or a series of kegs. I recently built a ferm chamber and I have one brew on it with my new thermo wells which leads me to want to wait and go over all my options before i decide.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

replacing my glass carboys with stainless steel ferm buckets or a series of kegs

I ferment in glass. I recently built some small fermenters out of stainless pots. I am not sure how much I like not being able to see the beer ferment. I feel like with glass I am in touch with exactly what is happening at each phase of fermentation...where with stainless it seemed more like "wait 2 weeks and hope it is done". It would probably just be an adjustment, but I am not sure I want to lose that part of the process.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

If you don't want to take the leap into zillion dollar SS conicals, start with a $125 plastic conical like a fermentasaurus or other brand. You can still sample, dump trub, dry hop, use a temp chamber or old fridge for temp control, and do CO2 pressure transfers. It just wont shine blingy like SS. Your workload will decrease, flexibility will increase, and quality should increase.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

I currently ferment in the lower level of my house, but the temps there can fluctuate a bit

In the spring and summer, brew up some refreshing Saison. It loves the 80F to 90F range and small fluctuations wont hurt it. No need for a temp chamber.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I ferment in glass. I recently built some small fermenters out of stainless pots. I am not sure how much I like not being able to see the beer ferment. I feel like with glass I am in touch with exactly what is happening at each phase of fermentation...where with stainless it seemed more like "wait 2 weeks and hope it is done". It would probably just be an adjustment, but I am not sure I want to lose that part of the process.

I do like seeing the beer do its thing but the dangers of glass are definitly not understated. Im leaning towards eventually doing keg fermentation and co2 harvesting but that is a ways out. Im sure eventually I will have complete confidence in my process to let it go based entirely on gravity samples. Set it and forget it, sight unseen.