Stupid Stupid Stupid

[torilen]

I made my butternut squash wheat beer Saturday evening. Only Sunday evening, when I was making my Wheat Porter, did I realize that I put only 1lb of wheat LME into the squash beer. It was supposed to have 1.5lb. It is a difference of 4.96 ABV and 6.35 ABV or so. Ah well, 4.96 is still average for beer...I just like my beer to be a bit better than average.

You live, you brew, you learn...am I right?

 

[torilen]

The good news, I suppose - I was going to have only a half pound of lme to create a small 1/2 gallon batch of something. Now I have a whole pound to create a third whole gallon batch of something.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Or you could boil up the missing LME for a few minutes, cool it, and add it to your fermenter while the rest of the batch is still fermenting.

 

[bobeer]

The good news, I suppose - I was going to have only a half pound of lme to create a small 1/2 gallon batch of something. Now I have a whole pound to create a third whole gallon batch of something.

more beer is never a problem.

 

[Brewenstein]

Or you could boil up the missing LME for a few minutes, cool it, and add it to your fermenter while the rest of the batch is still fermenting.

^^^This.

 

[torilen]

LLBeanJ - that's a great idea, and I'll remember that for next time - but I have no room in the fermenter. I do one gallon batches, and I fill those suckers as much as possible...gotta get the most out of a gallon, you know.

 

[torilen]

Let me explain that a little further, before there's questions. I fill them up to about 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches from the top, maybe 2-1/2 inches. I don't measure it...so I don't know. I fill it to where the heavy curve starts. I figured this usually gives me some good space (when I make wine, anyhow).

 

[Norselord]

I had no idea that better meant more ABV. This explains why Bud Light Platinum and Busch Ice are so good.

 

[torilen]

Well, the good thing is that the beer still TASTES great. And the wheat Porter I brewed last night is shaping up to be quite good, too, I think.

To me, though...ABV is a little important. I see no reason to drink something with a simple 4% ABV. It might taste good, but so does fruit juice and soda.

 

[RM-MN]

Let me explain that a little further, before there's questions. I fill them up to about 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches from the top, maybe 2-1/2 inches. I don't measure it...so I don't know. I fill it to where the heavy curve starts. I figured this usually gives me some good space (when I make wine, anyhow).

Um....beer is not wine. Beer has proteins in it the creates a krausen when it ferments and that needs more space. Be prepared for your krausen to spill out of the fermenter.

You don't need to boil the LME. The point is to make sure it is pasteurized and that can happen at a much cooler temperature. If you heat it to 160F it should pasteurize within about 10 seconds so keep it at that temp for a whole minute to make sure, then cool it so it doesn't kill the yeast when you add it to the fermenter.

 

[torilen]

RM-MN - I am aware of all you have said. Thank you, though...it would've been helpful if I didn't. Typically, my wine doesn't take up the entire gallon fermentor just because of what I brew (either juice from bottles, or ginger beer...which I start with about 1/2 gallon and add to it over a few days). I did make sure to leave that space for the beer, though, because of the krausen.

As for adding the LME...that's actually what I do with my wine and ginger beer. I pasteurize it at 160F to kill the yeast so I don't have any bottles blow up. Had that happen once (I had pasteurized at 140F a few times, after reading that yeast dies at that temp), and we were still finding glass three months later. As I understand it, pretty much all bacteria dies at 160F.

Again, thank you, though.