Kegged my Cali Cream Ale lager. Pitched the yeast from that 3gal batch into a 10gal batch of Helles Lager I brewed today. Without being crashed I expect the yeast to be roaring in the morning.
What I did for beer today
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2nd sample of my winter hoppy ale, down 2-3 points and now at 1.009. Pretty tasty so far. It is still active too so maybe a few more days till it stops. I think I'll transfer to secondary in my twin 3gal Better Bottles to dry hop and clear it in the fridge and then keg it. My keg is buried in the NYC snow at the moment. 6%abv at this point, another couple of points to drop will make it a little stronger.
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Spent some more time trying to convince my wife why I need a Ss Brewtech Brew Bucket.
Just attached the new pump to the old base (fit perfectly), got the connectors on it, now I'm waiting on 5g of water to boil to give it its first test run. Going to run boiling water through the plate chiller (both ways) to clean it good, and get the manufacturing oils out of the pump preparatory to brewday this weekend. Also it's fun to be doing something brew-related on a weeknight. And sipping (who am I kidding, it was a horrendous day at work, I'm chugging it) on the latest truly delicious WF lager that I kegged the other day. Husband is off to bowling practice since we finally got upgraded to stage 2, night to myself. Life is good, good, GOOD! Yes I'm gloating. 
which pump did you go with?Just attached the new pump to the old base (fit perfectly), got the connectors on it, now I'm waiting on 5g of water to boil to give it its first test run. Going to run boiling water through the plate chiller (both ways) to clean it good, and get the manufacturing oils out of the pump preparatory to brewday this weekend. Also it's fun to be doing something brew-related on a weeknight. And sipping (who am I kidding, it was a horrendous day at work, I'm chugging it) on the latest truly delicious WF lager that I kegged the other day. Husband is off to bowling practice since we finally got upgraded to stage 2, night to myself. Life is good, good, GOOD! Yes I'm gloating.
Seeing how you are up in the Seattle area, have you used any of the Skagit malting Malts? Some look interesting and have wanted to try them but shipping cost was always, but now steinbart's in portland has reasonable rate so might try some.
How'd it go?!
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41vpOQ2OvTL._SL500_.jpg)
While I did make the case for the merits of stainless steel, the price tag is still going to be the biggest challenge to overcome. She did like when I pointed out that I could upgrade and get the cooling coils and make more of the lagers that she likes, but again that doubles the price tag.
That’s how they get ya.
Ordered the inkbird ten controller and mat. Started to research mini fridges. Time to get serious about controlling fermentation temperature. About to go bottle a Belgian Tripel in about 20 minutes too.
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This is going to not be helpful but I too am in the Seattle area. I've been to the Skagit valley or driven thru there dozens of times but haven't tried the malt. Skagit Valley is more famous for their tulips. My HBS doesn't carry this, but the HBS in Kenmore had some the last time I visited about 2 years ago. I'm actually just chiming in to say I recently discovered Steinbart's and think they are pretty awesome.
I bottled a yeast off between Pub, WLP085, S-04 and WLP017 on Saturday. At the same time, I spunded/kegged a London Porter clone with the leftovers of all 4 yeasts. This is one of my top 10 recipes although it may not be exactly replicating Long Porter (for example, it lacks brown malt, but I think brown malt tastes like ass) The resulting mélange tested for the first time today is pretty tasty. Gotta wait about 2 more weekends before taking the bottled yeast off to my LHBS.
I have discovered that a simple recipe to test different yeasts isn't enough. Sure, it will give an indication on yeast taste and effect. However, I recently found a mild yeast off that had bottle conditioned for a few months. The WLP085 had zero chocolate on my palate but the S-04 did. So, when culling the herd of my yeast bank, I've also added a more complex grain recipe to see how that turns out. Anyhoo, the suicide porter with 4 different yeast fermentations came out nicely.
Haven't tried Skagit yet, it's a bit pricey. Jon at Jon's Homebrew in Puyallup carries them and has used them, says they're great. One of these days I'll buy a bag when I'm flush. Went with the MrBrew magnetic pump; ran for over 30 minutes last night with boiling water and not one hiccup. I'm very happy with it.
I just checked my hydrometer because it bothered me a bit to see my ale going down to 1.009 yesterday and it is still actively fermenting, not that it's a bad thing. It just didn't seem right. In plain water at 72 it is reading .996 so it is reading low. It doesn't change the ABV because both the post boil and post ferment reading adjust by the same amount but it does impact my brewhouse efficiency. This was a replacement hydrometer for the one I broke a few years ago but never gave it any thought as I didn't brew much in those years either.
I still need to let the brew finish fermenting in any case.
I still need to let the brew finish fermenting in any case.
Bottling day. First up was an Irish red ale. Should clear up nicely while conditioning. I think the color will poke out better at that point but otherwise satisfie
Second batch was a dopplebock. Super excited for this one! Comes in at 8.5% and tastes nice already, but I imagine it’ll only get better (and clearer!) with time. First time using S189
Second batch was a dopplebock. Super excited for this one! Comes in at 8.5% and tastes nice already, but I imagine it’ll only get better (and clearer!) with time. First time using S189
Sipping on some more lager, and building an IPA recipe for this weekend to inaugurate the new pump. Got plenty of hops, decided to go with Crystal & Mosaic on a nice two-row/pilsner/light Munich base with heavy hitting on the late additions/dry hop. Also contemplating how to convince the husband that I need a new laptop for the brewery; keyboard is getting wonky (the "n" just doesn't want to work, taking forever to type this). I use it for work as well, they won't pay for diddly so I need to find one myself.
Washed bottles, so I can package an amber ale tomorrow. A few of them will be going to a competition.
Been brewing pretty dark or hoppy lately. Decided to brew a nice simple pale lager. It’s a hair higher gravity than I wanted, but I’ll live.
That last photo makes my thumb hurt.
Here's a 100mL starter I'm just getting going from frozen WY1272.
I'll step it up twice more, then pitch into 5 gal.
Here's a 100mL starter I'm just getting going from frozen WY1272.
I'll step it up twice more, then pitch into 5 gal.
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I just put my AHS Hoppy Winter Ale into my twin Better Bottles to dry hop and cold crash in my fridge. OG was 1.055, FG is 1.008, 6.2%abv by my calc.
The Brooklyn EIPA bottles in the back are to drink until this gets ready, and I felt like I'll have enough left over from kegging to bottle a few. And here is the funny thing, that Vintage seltzer bottle is to hold the temp probe at a steady temp when I open the fridge. I place it underneath. The Better Bottles also have a well at the bottom (you see that in front) where I can put the probe between the two so it measures the fermentation for lagers pretty precisely. I don't need that since this is a secondary and it is already fermented.
The Brooklyn EIPA bottles in the back are to drink until this gets ready, and I felt like I'll have enough left over from kegging to bottle a few. And here is the funny thing, that Vintage seltzer bottle is to hold the temp probe at a steady temp when I open the fridge. I place it underneath. The Better Bottles also have a well at the bottom (you see that in front) where I can put the probe between the two so it measures the fermentation for lagers pretty precisely. I don't need that since this is a secondary and it is already fermented.
Ordered my first Tilt today.
Considered brewing something this weekend but plans tomorrow, and some game to watch and meats to smoke on Sunday so checked the forecast for next weekend....maybe not
I have the opposite conditions. I tell my wife I wanna sell the $1k thing I bought a couple years ago and buy a $2k thing that will pretty much do the same thing. She sorta shrugged and said, "yeah go for it. If you'll like it more, buy it"
That is how I convince myself at times. I look at what I could I sell if for only need to justify the difference. Did that for my mill then started using the saving on grain to buy other stuff at half price.
Haha it's leftover nail polish, thank goodness. Been a while since I smashed my thumb that badly
Just finished kegging the 4 gallons of Golden Ale I brewed last month. The kegerator is full so I just hit it with 50 psi and put it in my cold storage room where, this time of year, the temp is just over 40° F.
Edward's Beer Cellar
Edward's Beer Cellar
Snowed in, frozen Saturday - too cold now and for the next week or two to tap maple trees, so I'm in the cellar brewing. Nice mellow porter tonight
Selling point: Stimulus check in the mail!
Meanwhile, cracked open one of the Munich In Tents I bottled last Saturday to see how it's coming. Great flavor, but hardly any carbonation yet. I guess this and the ANY APA will need extended aging in the bottle to get up to the pressure I like.
Brewed another small batch today, 2gal of English porter. Dont drink too much dark beers so a couple gallons will last a while. Smelled really good in the kettle, look forward to seeing how it turns out.
Iowa Home Brewer
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Cooked up another batch of Cream Ale and have it bubbling away. Now the wait....oh the wait
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I believe we have made reverse migrations, thought I seen that you are originally from California and moved to Washington State. I did not grow up there but was born there and that was the last place I lived before moving to California. Had only planned to be here for a few years then go back but after almost 40years it does not look to be happening. I have never been to the skagit river but know of the area, seen their ad in a beer magazine a while back. The Pilot malt seem interesting in that it has a more active Beta amylase and can produce drier beers at higher temp. The Cope pilsner I want to try for the low protein levels.
I was thinking the skagit malt might be more reasonably priced closer to the source, but maybe they are more geared to selling into the breweries than the home brewers. Still good to know it seems to be a worthwhile malt to try for a beer or two. We have a local malter near me but the price is even higher than imported malt for Europe so I have only did a few beers just to try it.
Looks to be a decent pump. I have been thinking about adding a second pump to my setup for recycling/moving the sparging water and as backup incase of emergencies. Could not really justify the cost for another march type pump, but that pumps seem more reasonable.
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haha, grew up in a little **** farm town called colusa, high school in Folsom (when it was a prison town and not the wealthy suburb it is today), UC Davis. Then flew the coop for mega cities in Asia for 20+ years before moving to the Seattle Area.
There is a craft maltster near Davis (Willows?) but i haven't tried their stuff.
I have tried some of the Shaniko malts from Western Oregon. Good but honestly, need to revisit to see if they make a real difference. I was planning to visit actually (it's on the way to Bend ORegon), but that road trip was interrupted by covid.
There is a craft maltster near Davis (Willows?) but i haven't tried their stuff.
I have tried some of the Shaniko malts from Western Oregon. Good but honestly, need to revisit to see if they make a real difference. I was planning to visit actually (it's on the way to Bend ORegon), but that road trip was interrupted by covid.
Did a lot for beer today. Ordered a chest freezer to use for part of my fermentation chamber set up. More wire shelves and storage bins for the garage for my gear, a new Fermonster, and an Anvil oxygenation wand. Drank some home brew too. So, Beer did pay me back. Excited to really step my game up a bit.
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I brewed up this evening
- 5 gallon Czech hack (5# Munich, 5# Vienna, 1/2# Carabohemia, 34/70)
- 4 gallon cyser with 5# Costco honey, 2 gallons Costco Apple juice, a big pitch of nottingham, and then will add in a big can of sour cherries when the fermentation drops down
- Half batch of Tony's Pre-1970's Boddington
- made a batch of rye crackers whilst juggling the above.
- cleaned 2 kegs
- put the 5 gallon Boddington's 1939 into the warmer bathroom for the yeast to do any clean up
I made 3 gals of cold-mash NA beer for a friend. Still working on the recipe. It's nothing like real beer, but he says he likes it. It has little body and tastes kinda grainy, but it is beer-like.
It's my first batch underletting the mash. By happy coincidence, the mill base that I made to fit my bucket also is a "good-enough" fit on my MLT, so I just milled directly into it.
Normally I wouldn't mill in the brewery, but very little dust escaped. I think I'll make this my SOP.
Not much dust gets out. Even less if the plastic shields were extended into the opening.
It's my first batch underletting the mash. By happy coincidence, the mill base that I made to fit my bucket also is a "good-enough" fit on my MLT, so I just milled directly into it.
Normally I wouldn't mill in the brewery, but very little dust escaped. I think I'll make this my SOP.
Not much dust gets out. Even less if the plastic shields were extended into the opening.
So Saturday's SMaSH, Maris Otter and Comet, went into the bucket with a lot of harvested yeast. Sadly, it appears that I had been holding onto the culture for too long and by the time the game was over on Sunday, no activity at all. Took a chance and opened the fermenter to check on it and it smelled like raw wort.
Sprinkled a pack of S-05 on it and the garage smelled yeasty this morning. Always have a back-up plan.
Sprinkled a pack of S-05 on it and the garage smelled yeasty this morning. Always have a back-up plan.
danimal92sport
Undefeated at naps
Found this mess this morning, which did shoot some yeast on the wall before I could get a blowoff rigged up. I’m tired of this with most of my ales. This is 1318 in a 1.056 SG ipa at about 38hrs in.
Dan
edit; NVM, can see the yeast on the wall in the pic, so it did that overnight.
Dan
edit; NVM, can see the yeast on the wall in the pic, so it did that overnight.
Note to self: install blow-off tube right after pitching and keep it in place until kreusen subsides.
That's what my fermenter looked like a couple weeks ago with my BGSA after 12 hours. I love my OK(OverKill) blow off tube, use it for the first two or three days until the krausen subsides as well.
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