What I did for beer today

[Dave Sarber]

Got a high ABV RIS put to bed. Pitched yeast last night, got the ferm freezer set for a long, slow ferment. Got a stuck ferment on a Scotch ale, trying everything to get the FG down.

 

[dwhite60]

Changed the ice pack in my fermentation chamber.

Counted inventory. (I need to make more beer!).

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Imhoppy]

Brewed some Brickwarmer Holiday Red (5 gallon extract kit) and dryed the 1 pound of spent grains in the oven. The lingering aroma of brew day is so awesome.

 

[Imhoppy]

Brewed some Brickwarmer Holiday Red (5 gallon extract kit) and dryed the 1 pound of spent grains in the oven. The lingering aroma of brew day is so awesome.

Then early this morning, about 15 hours after yeast pitching, I cleaned up the mess created from my Big Mouth Bubbler blowoff. So I had to jury rig a fix since my large diameter blowoff tube was nowhere to be found.

Safale S-04 Dry Ale yeast is like rocket fuel. Just sprinkled it on dry and within a couple of hours it just sort of ignited. Wow!

 

[Dave Sarber]

Then early this morning, about 15 hours after yeast pitching, I cleaned up the mess created from my Big Mouth Bubbler blowoff. So I had to jury rig a fix since my large diameter blowoff tube was nowhere to be found.

Safale S-04 Dry Ale yeast is like rocket fuel. Just sprinkled it on dry and within a couple of hours it just sort of ignited. Wow!View attachment 647627

Northern Brewer now has a lifting harness for the big mouth bubbler that has straps that go over the top and hold it down.

 

[Dave Sarber]

 

[Immocles]

Northern Brewer now has a lifting harness for the big mouth bubbler that has straps that go over the top and hold it down.

oh cool, never saw that item. The flipped gasket trick seems to work for me. I’ve definitely duct taped the sucker down, too.

 

[Dave Sarber]

oh cool, never saw that item. The flipped gasket trick seems to work for me. I’ve definitely duct taped the sucker down, too.

Yeah, last time I ordered a couple Bubblers, they came with that harness. Now I need to order a couple more harnesses to update the rest of the flock.
How do like that blowoff elbow made from a broken racking came?

 

[JAReeves]

Just purchased one of these Clear Beer Draught System float-filters for my kegging system. I hear good things about it, so down the rabbit hole I go in this whole kegging thing. I have to say, though, it is real nice just pouring a beer off a keg in the garage.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

So 3 years ago I made a party portable “kegerator” from a trash can and tower and since I only had 2 brews to serve I only had 2 faucets hooked up and dispensing. Last year I didn’t have time to hook up the third one, but had three beers to serve. I ran a picnic tap out of the top of the tower. That looked a little more pathetic than a trash can “kegerator”. Today I got that low one set to pour without the proper tool. Cheers

 

[501irishred]

Are those weights for practicing your 12oz curls without the hangover?

 

[brewbama]

Set up the brewery for tomorrow’s brew day plus tapped the Czech Lager for a taste test. Mmmmmm....Saaz.

 

[Immocles]

Brewed a small batch stout!

Also washed 2 cases worth of bottles for my Hefeweizen, hopefully on Monday.

bottled/secondary some kombucha, and noticed my jaom is dropped clear and ready for bottling, again hopefully Monday

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Transferred the hefe to the keg cleaned keg for the rye Schwartz bier going to transfer it in a couple minutes. Force carbing for tomorrow.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Imported brew buddy's recipe into BS for our brew day tomorrow. Maibock.

 

[kmarkstevens]

Made 2.5 gallons of English Old Ale with WLP026 to test out in my 30 liter Speidel. The Speidel has been infected with pichia apotheca. This is my last attempt to purge that hell spawn from my best fermenter. Hence, a small batch just to make sure it ferments clean.

I bought a 50# bag of Pilsner DME from my HBS a month ago. Sometimes I just wanna partial mash and be done in under an hour. Sometimes I do the all grain. Anyhoo, used the DME for the English Old Ale.

I've got RedX and Red Wheat standing by to do a Red Wheat Ale. Also, it's gotten to natural lager temp in the Seattle area, so about time to do some Czech lagers.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

^^^ hope your speidel is clean... but all that head space, might foil you test batch, no?

 

[kmarkstevens]

Thanks Hoppy2bmerry, 6 gallons of head space should act in some ways like open ferment, no? And 2.5 gallons of beer should produce CO2 to fill that head space. Or am I missing something?

 

[Dave Sarber]

Just upped the temp on my fermentation freezer, for an RIS that is winding down. Preparing vodka tinctures of cacao, vanilla and cinnamon for secondary.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Brewed 10 gal of Maibock

 

[brewbama]

Brewed MyBock

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Thanks Hoppy2bmerry, 6 gallons of head space should act in some ways like open ferment, no? And 2.5 gallons of beer should produce CO2 to fill that head space. Or am I missing something?

Just myself and others have run into problems from too much head space, but in my case the fermenter had been opened for a transfer.

 

[brewbama]

Cleaned my pump after yesterday’s brewday

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Pitched yeast to the Maibock but I still have to finish cleaning the brewery...

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

Comparison taste of last 2 porters. Latest version better

 

[seatazzz]

Ignored the one in the ferment fridge. Had intended to taste it today (Strata SMaSH) but life, work, and nap got in the way. Dropped the dry hop on Thursday, next available time to taste it will be Wednesday. For once the pipeline is full, so can let this one go a bit longer. And looked into a competition coming up, would have to join AHA to enter (yikes $$) but I'm tempted. The latest lager and the NB Blonde I have on tap would do well. Brewpub owner friend is pushing me to enter as many competitions as I can to get my beers out there and noticed, but I'm chicken.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Ignored the one in the ferment fridge. Had intended to taste it today (Strata SMaSH) but life, work, and nap got in the way. Dropped the dry hop on Thursday, next available time to taste it will be Wednesday. For once the pipeline is full, so can let this one go a bit longer. And looked into a competition coming up, would have to join AHA to enter (yikes $$) but I'm tempted. The latest lager and the NB Blonde I have on tap would do well. Brewpub owner friend is pushing me to enter as many competitions as I can to get my beers out there and noticed, but I'm chicken.

Jump in there and enter those beers. You can learn a lot from the score sheets. You won't always like it but the feedback is very useful. I've entered competitions from the start and still do each year. Use the info to tweak your recipes.

 

[BrewMan13]

Kicked the black IPA, cleaned the line, kegged and tapped the pumpkin ale.
Wanted to brew and had time for it, but held off as I've got plenty to drink as it is.

 

[Dave Sarber]

Made a large dent in the cellared beer inventory. Met a cousin I didn't even know existed until a few years ago ( found him on Facebook). Also found out I have 2 more cousins I haven't met yet. Along with my 2 brothers, turned into an all day drinking and ancient family photo viewing party.
Looking at the aftermath this morning, I found 2 12 packs of Bud in the fridge, that somehow never even got opened, the new cousin must have brought them, because my brothers know better!

 

[thehaze]

Scraped, chopped and soaked 4 vanilla beans in some 8 years old El Dorado rum. I need to buy more vanilla and get it ready for the upcoming Small Table Milk Stout ( around 4.5% ABV ).

Ordered some Simpsons Golden Naked Oats for the Milk Stout and hops: Southern Cross, Sticklebract, Topaz, Motueka, Wai-Iti.

 

[Immocles]

Bottled 5 gallons of Hefeweizen. Didn't get quite as much banana as I wanted, but still sampled well.
Bottled the JAOM I threw together back in July. First attempt, and only my second taste of mead. I think I like it, but I also think I'd need a bigger taste to make certain, but my shift starts this afternoon, so I don't need to go overboard haha. I decided instead that I'm going to let it sit in bottles until New Years before I crack one of the smaller ones open.

Also sampled my azacca hopped blonde last night. Terrible off taste. I think its that dreaded bandaid-y taste I've read about. It's the first time Ive come across it, so I'm blaming the yeast slurry that I used. I was slightly skeptical about it to begin with, but tend to just let things ride. Big disappointment though if it doesn't mellow out, I was pretty excited about it and I can just make out an otherwise great hoppy, grapefruity flavor before getting bombarded with it.

 

[brewbama]

Made a large dent in the cellared beer inventory. Met a cousin I didn't even know existed until a few years ago ( found him on Facebook). Also found out I have 2 more cousins I haven't met yet. Along with my 2 brothers, turned into an all day drinking and ancient family photo viewing party.
Looking at the aftermath this morning, I found 2 12 packs of Bud in the fridge, that somehow never even got opened, the new cousin must have brought them, because my brothers know better!

View attachment 648160

Awesome!

 

[Dave Sarber]

Nursing along a batch of hi test RIS, on 5th day with active krausen. Doing very well for something of this ABV. Will pull a gravity sample later today. Or maybe not. Doing good, leave it alone. Hmmm.....

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Made a large dent in the cellared beer inventory. Met a cousin I didn't even know existed until a few years ago ( found him on Facebook). Also found out I have 2 more cousins I haven't met yet. Along with my 2 brothers, turned into an all day drinking and ancient family photo viewing party.
Looking at the aftermath this morning, I found 2 12 packs of Bud in the fridge, that somehow never even got opened, the new cousin must have brought them, because my brothers know better!

View attachment 648160

They make good rinse water.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Cleaned the brewery and drink a HB.

 

[davidabcd]

enter as many competitions

I gave a coworker a few bottles of my second brew ever, an extract kit from Brewer's Best. It was the Golden Ale. In any case, he entered it in a local competition and got third place. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he shouldn't have done that.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

I gave a coworker a few bottles of my second brew ever, an extract kit from Brewer's Best. It was the Golden Ale. In any case, he entered it in a local competition and got third place. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he shouldn't have done that.

He did give you the medal I hope

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Did he list himself as a co-brewer?

I gave a coworker a few bottles of my second brew ever, an extract kit from Brewer's Best. It was the Golden Ale. In any case, he entered it in a local competition and got third place. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he shouldn't have done that.

 

[davidabcd]

Did he list himself as a co-brewer?

That's funny. No, he's like one of the nicest people ever.

 

[JAReeves]

So Friday at the school's tailgate, I supplied my coworkers with: British IPA, Stout, Imperial Stout, and Barleywine.

The British IPA went over well, though I am not as happy with it as I could be (aren't we our worst critics?) as I think it needs more aroma hops, the Stout I am thinking might need to be dumped (it hasn't gotten better with aging and the recipe needs a rework), the Imperial Stout has not carbed after 6 months in the bottle and is too sweet, and the Barleywine is good, but will probably be amazing by Christmas.

I am thinking of dropping a couple grains of Red Star Champagne Yeast into each bottle of the Imperial Stout. Good idea? Bad idea? Alternatives?