So who's brewing this weekend?

[evchenko]

I'm doing an IPA this weekend with Jester 2015 hops...

 

[Pyra]

Yesterday I started and completed brewing for a Belle Saison rye. I used ~9 lbs 6-row malt, ~2.5 lbs honey malt, 2 lbs rye 2.5 gal strike and ~2 gal sparge water. Midboil was 1 oz Australian galaxy for 50 min and end was 1 oz of Moteuka and 1 oz of styrian goldings for 35 min. I upped the OG by adding 1 lb briess DME, 3/4 c. of sucranat, and 1 c. white sugar which gave me a ~1.077 and I added 1/2 gal water to bring to 5 gal volume to finish my wort OG @ 1.071. Maybe this should give me something like 7-9.3% ABV at time of bottling, I dunno. Lallemand Belle Saison yeast was used and rehydrated prior to pitching. Irish moss used 15 min before end of boil.

I have no idea if this recipe will be good or not; I just made it up since it is very hard to get any good saison recipes using rye.

 

[SeraW]

President's Day brew of a Franziskaner clone is in the works.

 

[Genghis]

Dry stout sounds like a good idea, and Sunday or Monday morning seems like a good time. Now, I just need to get organized before then.

 

[kombat]

Well, I was planning on brewing a Munich Helles this weekend, but when I received the ingredients in the mail from my preferred supplier, I noticed that the yeast (Wyeast Munich Lager 2308) was packaged on August 27, 2015. According to a couple of different calculators, it has a viability of somewhere between 10 - 25%. Nevertheless, I made a 5L starter last night and put it on the stir plate. This morning, not many signs of life. If it's showing activity (in the form of CO2 bubbles) by the time I get home today, I'll let it finish out, then crash it and feed it another 5L. Otherwise, I'll have to come up with another plan.

Also, the high here forecast for Saturday is -6° F, so postponing the brew day isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[ImNoExpert]

Well, I was planning on brewing a Munich Helles this weekend...

Also, the high here forecast for Saturday is -6° F, so postponing the brew day isn't necessarily a bad thing.

We were also planning a Munich Helles on Saturday but our high is supposed to be in the single digits. We've postponed. It's difficult and painful to brew when it's that cold. Just rinsing out the mash tun is a challenge.

 

[iijakii]

Think I'm going to do an IPA this weekend. I have some Chico slurry still. Might try it with ESB strain instead though. Probably go Columbus/Centennial. Maybe zest some greatfruit or something too.

 

[BigMack]

I'm brewing a Belgian wit for the SWMBO. Running out of empty kegs though. I guess I should start drinking more...

 

[Auger]

Got my plans straight. Doing another batch of my double IPA, same grain bill but different yeast, on Sat morning, then doing something new, a sweet stout, on Monday. I may have a few friends over who are just getting into brewing to help them through the first batch as well. Group brew day!

 

[BrooklynTom]

I have the makings for a Mosaic IPA. It is going to be too cold here in NYC to go out, so a brew day it's going to be.

 

[hanuswalrus]

It's been over a month since I've brewed. I just bottled my last non-sour beer that was in a fermenter so I have nothing in the short-term pipeline at this point. I feel so empty inside.

I should FINALLY be able to brew on Monday though. Planning on a Red Rye IPA w/ Nelson and Columbus.

 

[Pkrd]

Just chilling a Black IPA. Its half of a clone kit of a local pale I wasn't that happy with the first time so I've added a big flameout cascade addition and some carafa III. Wrangling the kids into bed during the mash so I completely forgot the carafa until I was draining the bag (I put the carafa in for only the last 15 minutes). Back in the pot it all went.

 

[masonsjax]

I'm still dialing in my numbers for 10 gal batches on my new electric keggle. I might get started on a batch of IPA in a few mins.

 

[kombat]

Well, I was planning on brewing a Munich Helles this weekend, but when I received the ingredients in the mail from my preferred supplier, I noticed that the yeast (Wyeast Munich Lager 2308) was packaged on August 27, 2015. According to a couple of different calculators, it has a viability of somewhere between 10 - 25%. Nevertheless, I made a 5L starter last night and put it on the stir plate. This morning, not many signs of life. If it's showing activity (in the form of CO2 bubbles) by the time I get home today, I'll let it finish out, then crash it and feed it another 5L. Otherwise, I'll have to come up with another plan.

Well, crap.

I came home last night, and after 2 days on the stir plate, there was no significant activity in the starter. To be sure, I took a gravity sample: 1.041. So the yeast is dead. I turned off the stir plate and left the flask to be dumped and cleaned when I had a little more time.

I checked it this morning and it's fizzing like it's carbonated. This is *without* the stir plate being on. So it's definitely fermenting. My question is, is this going to be healthy yeast, or will they have been stressed from pitching so few viable cells into such a big (5L) starter? I'll leave them alone to finish, then taste a sample of the starter wort, I guess.

Still not sure if I should use this yeast or not.

 

[Auger]

Well, crap.

I came home last night, and after 2 days on the stir plate, there was no significant activity in the starter. To be sure, I took a gravity sample: 1.041. So the yeast is dead. I turned off the stir plate and left the flask to be dumped and cleaned when I had a little more time.

I checked it this morning and it's fizzing like it's carbonated. This is *without* the stir plate being on. So it's definitely fermenting. My question is, is this going to be healthy yeast, or will they have been stressed from pitching so few viable cells into such a big (5L) starter? I'll leave them alone to finish, then taste a sample of the starter wort, I guess.

Still not sure if I should use this yeast or not.

I'd smell it and taste it, if nothing really sticks out it might be fine, but I might cold crash it and step it again prior to pitching.

What size batches are you brewing that you're doing 5L starters?

 

[Auger]

Good stuff going on up in here this weekend...

 

[kombat]

What size batches are you brewing that you're doing 5L starters?

It's a 5 gallon batch, but it's a lager, so that doubles the yeast cell requirement.

 

[iijakii]

Recently sampled a porter that was brewed with a hefty amount of brown malt, and it was lovely. Toast for days. Then a nice blend of coffee/nutty/toffee flavors once the toast wore off. Now I want to brew something tomorrow with it. I have some ESB yeast on hand, thinking I can make a nut brown or brown porter with it. Any recipe suggesstions? Otherwise I'll probably just wing something, 1.050 range, 10-20% brown malt, 2row (should use MO, but I have 2row on hand...), 5%ish pale chocolate, maybe a little mild crystal, haven't decided. Fuggles or EKG or what not to the low 20s.

 

[Elkobrewer]

All right fellow home brewers brew day is on oh yeah.

 

[KWright_VT]

This weekend, my first big beer. And they say these big girls go crazy when you pitch a little yeast in them, hence the name.

Recipe: Woman Goin' Crazy on Caroline Street

Style: Imperial Stout

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.47 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.112 SG
Estimated Color: 63.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 83.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name
15 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1 lbs 8.0 oz Roasted Barley (500.0 SRM)
1 lbs Special B Malt (180.0 SRM)
12.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Molasses (80.0 SRM)
4.00 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min
1.0 pkg Belgian Abbey II (Wyeast Labs #1762)

 

[buckinin]

Have not brewed for about three months waiting for my first lager (Pilsner) to finish up in the fermentation chamber. Excited to be brewing a Gumballhead clone tonight!

 

[Alpotun]

First since October, but yeah.

 

[lazarwolf]

Simple German Pilsner today with Weyermann Barke Pilsner Malt and Hallertauer. About 26 IBUs just barley a pilsner. Should be ready for spring.

 

[Lepetitnormand]

1 gallon test batch kentucky common 1 minute left in the batch, started it 2.5 h ago let's see if I can go under 3 h

 

[z-bob]

I've got the malt milled and the water heating for an English brown ale. Just making the last minute decisions on what hops to use.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Time for RIS #3 attempt. Bit less darks, using brew'n water/different profile and starter yeast is cake from lighter stout.

 

[mrgoodlife]

Brewing a NB kit Northy 12 belgian qaud. Been looking forward to this one!

 

[spdalton]

Brewing my second attempt at the Sierra Nevada Tropical IPA.
1 gallon all grain, using a 2 gallon drink cooler mash tun I cobbled together today. Currently have the same brew in the fermenter, dry hopped. Will try this one without dry hopping to test the difference.

 

[MoodyLane]

I'm brewing my first stout tonight. 1 gallon all grain. Then on to an IPA!

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I'm brewing my first stout tonight. 1 gallon all grain. Then on to an IPA!

Any particular recipes?