What I did for beer today

[BrewMan13]

Finally kicked a beer (keptinis) so that I could put the oatmeal stout on. Also it has been a bit since I actually brewed due to not really needing to, and dealing with the weather. But final prep was made to brew a koyt beer tomorrow.

 

[BrewZer]

Inverted and shook Frankenweizen's Monster to evenly disperse the sugar from the carb drops we used. Put a Summer 48 in the 'fridge to test a 22-oz bottle when I grill a bit later today.

Grilling is the perfect excuse to test a new brew... Brewing is the perfect excuse to put something on the grill.

 

[jcav]

Today I kegged my Vienna Lager for my upcoming Oktoberfest party. Gonna give it a 7 week lager. Also cleaned 4 kegs today on my keg washer.

John

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I kegged up ten gallons of Saison.
Now to cleaning the fermenter.

 

[day_trippr]

Brewing my raspberry hibiscus wheat beer, the base beer had fully fermented out by Friday night, and then was soft-crashed for two days, to be fruited today (Monday). I had to prep the berries and hibiscus yesterday morning, so I gathered together 9 pounds of frozen berries, a bag of dried hibiscus flower, some corn sugar and maltodextrin, and some pectin enzyme.

I use 6 ounces of hibiscus for a 10 gallon batch.

6 cups of tap water brought to a boil, flowers added, then lidded and taken off the heat. They steeped for 30 minutes.

While the flowers were steeping I blasted the berries in the Cuisinart using a plastic blade to leave the seeds intact. I sanitized all implements to start as the berry/'biscus mixture will sit at a vulnerable temperature for awhile...

With the berries all pureed I strained the hot hibiscus tea on top...

I bring the mix up to 85°F and stir in 5 ounces of corn sugar, 8 ounces of maltodextrin, and two teaspoons of pectin enzyme to break down the berries.

I lidded the pot and swaddled it in a heavy bath towel and let it sit from noon until 11 pm Sunday. At that time I put the pot back on the stove and slowly brought the temperature up to 145°F while sitting constantly. At that point I turned off the heat and re-swaddled the pot, leaving it until this morning (Monday).

This morning I set the pot in cold water to bring the temperature down to 70°F - the same temperature as a fresh pair of sanitized and CO2-flushed carboys - then poured half of the berry mix into each carboy.

Racked the base beer on top.

Stuffed the carboys back in the chamber set to fermentation temperature (68°F) for a few days before cold-crashing and kegging...

I brewed this for the third time in April of 2023 and have been nursing the last of it until I could get around to another brew. My tap list says I have 98 ounces left to get through the next week or so until this batch is ready. It's obviously not a fast mover so it takes second place to pretty much everything else I brew...

Cheers!

 

[tdf]

brewing a wet hop pale ale with my homegrown Chinook and Comet hops. The first harvest gave me enough hops for a 10L batch. The hopstand is smelling phenomenal.

 

[HM-2]

Brew day take #2 for my imperial rice lager. Just finishing up a conference call before I dough in!

 

[HM-2]

...and it's hit the fermenter.

20% flaked torrified rice made for a very sticky mash that lightly stuck a couple of times but hit my numbers with minimal effort. Very easy overall.

Could only get it down to 20°C but pitched in two packs of NovaLager and pressurised up to 8 PSI. Happy days.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I brewed 20 litres of Mosaic IPA
4700g Maris Otter
200g Naked Golden Oats
100g Biscuit malt
Mosaic
20g 60 minutes
20g 15 minutes
30g 20 minutes whirlpool @ 75C
To come 30g DH in 2FV for 4 days
Yeast was Clipper
OG 1058 BHE 75%
Expecting an ABV of 6.2%

 

[day_trippr]

Yet another hazy brew in the immediate future so I'm spinning up a 1318 overbuild again...

 

[ClaudiusB]

It's brew day. I am watching the grain processing system doing its thing.
After receiving the grain bill the system makes sure all required silos are available. Should a silo be missing the system lets the operator know and decide how to proceed.
Attached are a few pics from the grain processing system's animation. The sensors' feedback controls the animation.

 

[BrewZer]

It's brew day. I am watching the grain processing system doing its thing.
After receiving the grain bill the system makes sure all required silos are available. Should a silo be missing the system lets the operator know and decide how to proceed.
Attached are a few pics from the grain processing system's animation. The sensors' feedback controls the animation.
View attachment 855432
View attachment 855449

You know this is just a hobby, right?

 

[T Murph]

Yesterday I transferred the two porters that I made to do a yeast test. Each fermenter had 4 gallons which was half of an eight gallon batch. One fermenter was given US 05 and the other Chico 1056. The test went well with very little differences between the two fermenters sitting side by side. Initially the 1056 took off much quicker, about 3 hours after pitch it was producing krausen and pressure. It was a ninth generation repitch. The US 05 took approximately 18 hours to show krausen but no pressure. By 36 hours after pitch the 1056 was bubbling away holding 5 psi. Still no pressure building in the US 05 fermenter. Additionally I was not getting bubbles into the blow off bottle.

I gave until the next day but still no bubbles from the US 05. It had a nice krausen on top basically equal to the krausen on the 1056. Why is there no pressure or bubbles? I started checking for air leaks and finally found the prv on the lid of the US 05 Fermzilla to be leaking. Can't change it at this point so that adds another consideration to the final taste test.

Both were transferred into Sanke kegs to cold crash and carbonate. Sample taste test indicated no detectable difference between the two at this point. I will follow up next week with the final taste results.

 

[ClaudiusB]

You know this is just a hobby, right?

Homebrewing requires a lot of dedication and equipment and is not an easy hobby for me.
I would love to hear your opinion on what I should change to improve this hobby.
Cheers

 

[BrewZer]

Homebrewing requires a lot of dedication and equipment and is not an easy hobby for me.
I would love to hear your opinion on what I should change to improve this hobby.
Cheers

Have you considered a canning line and distribution warehouse?

 

[ba-brewer]

Homebrewing requires a lot of dedication and equipment and is not an easy hobby for me.
I would love to hear your opinion on what I should change to improve this hobby.
Cheers

Just make sure it is still fun.

Your setup is very impressive, always wondered if you were a commercial brewer or home brewer.

Brewing is such a nice hobby in that you can have a sophisticated setup like yours or a pot and a bucket and still end up with something drinkable.

 

[Bramling Cross]

To acquire the last of the cheap Wyeast at myLHBS, I risked life, limb, and the very purity of my soul on an excursion into the hellscape of N. Virginia. I have arrived home safe in body but tarnished and diminished in spirit.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

brewing a wet hop pale ale with my homegrown Chinook and Comet hops. The first harvest gave me enough hops for a 10L batch. The hopstand is smelling phenomenal.

View attachment 855378

Those are some beautiful looking hops!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

To acquire the last of the cheap Wyeast at myLHBS, I risked life, limb, and the very purity of my soul on an excursion into the hellscape of N. Virginia. I have arrived home safe in body but tarnished and diminished in spirit.

My heart goes out to you! To risk so much for the pursuit of your hobby, I applaud you!!

 

[ClaudiusB]

Have you considered a canning line and distribution warehouse?

I may have a canning line if this setup qualifies. My bottling line can fill cans or bottles at the same time.
A sensor distinguishes between glass and metal cans to change the filling process. The system is useless and lacks the seamer. It's only used for Grand Kids beer camps.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Just make sure it is still fun.

Your setup is very impressive, always wondered if you were a commercial brewer or home brewer.

Brewing is such a nice hobby in that you can have a sophisticated setup like yours or a pot and a bucket and still end up with something drinkable.

After 30 years of brewing, it is still fun.
"Your setup is very impressive" Thanks. "commercial brewer or home brewer" A home brewer, I don't charge for my beers.

 

[Bramling Cross]

After 30 years of brewing, it is still fun.
"Your setup is very impressive" Thanks. "commercial brewer or home brewer" A home brewer, I don't charge for my beers.

Holy smokes! I always assumed you were working at a smaller micro.

Damn, your rig is light years ahead of any rig I've ever seen. Good on you!

 

[ClaudiusB]

Holy smokes! I always assumed you were working at a smaller micro.

Damn, your rig is light years ahead of any rig I've ever seen. Good on you!

"Damn, your rig is light years ahead of any rig I've ever seen" Thanks.
80% of it is 30 years old.

 

[ba-brewer]

Put my citra golden ale in a keg, seemed to get expected attenuation.

Why I like WLP007, done in 4days and clear in 8days. Was actually clean on day 4, started at 1044.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yesterday a dumped an old spoiled from oxidation and acetic contamination hellesbock it had to go. Did a deep clean and sanitized 2 ways in preparation for a small batch competition beer that I don’t want to bottle condition. As late as it is now, I’ll probably do the closed transfer tomorrow.

@ClaudiusB your brewery gets a definite WOW! I must say though, when you share those snap shots of your pours in the bier garden I often think how nice it would be to visit and have something refreshing. (Don’t worry I don’t travel to Texas very often, and I’ve not been any where near western TX)

 

[bkboiler]

Two things:
Made a starter for the Brett -british pale ale I'm going to brew this Friday with Godiva hops.

re-soldered the wire to the stir plate in the ferm chamber that got torn by a fermentern getting set down on it ... : /

Got out part of the supplies to bottle tomorrow night a Bananza Hefe.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Today I’ve brewed 15 litres of an Elderflower Saison
2800g Pilsner malt
120g Biscuit malt
120g Honey malt
100g Acid Malt
160g Honey, 10g Elderflowers, 6g Bitter Orange peel all at 10 minutes remaining.
15g Magnum at 45 minutes
25g Saaz at 15 minutes
Crossmyloof Wallonia yeast at 25C
OG 1047 expecting ABV 5.8%

 

[Bramling Cross]

I rebuilt my ale anti-suckback rig this afternoon with gasketed plastic lids while brewing the '71 Boddingtons clone. No more cussing at rusted shut Ball Jars for me! I'm a fancy lad, now.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'm have a beer, imperial Baltic Porter, barrel aged. What could be better? Unpacking my new brewery pump! Oh, an listening to AC/DC, the Bon Scott years.

 

[day_trippr]

What is that pump head made from? Looks like a chunk!

Cheers!

 

[Bramling Cross]

What is that pump head made from? Looks like a chunk!

Cheers!

No kidding! Obviously, it's not cast iron, but it sure looks like it.

That's a beautiful pump, sir!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Black Titanium.

It's Spike's Flow. Picked it up before their price increase. I was looking at a few pumps to replace my old March pump.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Gee, I wasn't sure what was better. The beer is great too, at 11% it's a supper

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Machined 304 stainless steel according to Spike.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Spike is killing it right now. A bit miffed that my old crap is all paid for!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Spike is killing it right now. A bit miffed that my old crap is all paid for!

My old crap is paid off too, but it's getting old and new pieces are just easier to work with and more reliable. I have the money but every purchase I make I have spent tons of time researching and agonizing if I should spend the money. Many years ago I got comfortable with the fact this hobby isn't any different than any other one. Just make smart purchases.

 

[Bramling Cross]

My old crap is paid off too, but it's getting old and new pieces are just easier to work with and more reliable. I have the money but every purchase I make I have spent tons of time researching and agonizing if I should spend the money. Many years ago I got comfortable with the fact this hobby isn't any different than any other one. Just make smart purchases.

I hear you.

A couple of years ago I looked at my (less than) trusty (and certainly very) old Island of Misfit Toys collection of kegs, most of which were converted from pin lock to ball lock, and no two were really the same. For years I had been fighting hard to keep them running. I had an entire bookmarks folder dedicated to parts conversions for old converted pin lock to ball lock kegs. Eventually, I came to realize that I was just wasting my time, frustrating myself, and making this fun hobby a real chore. So I bit the bullet and bought 3x 5gal and 2x 6gal brand new shiny Torpedo kegs over the course of a year. All of the sudden my brewery became so much more enjoyable! I didn't have to read the notes scrawled on the sides of my kegs regarding their replacement parts requirements and kegging became quick, easy, and enjoyable. No leaks, just a standardized set of replacement parts, it became so much easier.

Was it expensive? Hell yeah! Was it one of the best upgrades I've ever made to my brewery, without a doubt!

 

[bkboiler]

cracked open a new aptera pH meter and used it for the first time. Calibrated and used it to take the boil pH.

was too busy making a dark Candi syrup on the stove to take the mash pH...

more motivated to put together my RO membrane and sediment filter onto my carbon block...has been annoying driving down the street to get RO water that isn't trustworthy...and my pH has apparently been off since I don't really understand what's coming out of my tap (the municipality just completed a "pure water project" near here recently...whatever that means...probably that we're drinking toilet water now).

 

[Bramling Cross]

Good on you, it's a solid piece of kit!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I hear you.

A couple of years ago I looked at my (less than) trusty (and certainly very) old Island of Misfit Toys collection of kegs, most of which were converted from pin lock to ball lock, and no two were really the same. For years I had been fighting hard to keep them running. I had an entire bookmarks folder dedicated to parts conversions for old converted pin lock to ball lock kegs. Eventually, I came to realize that I was just wasting my time, frustrating myself, and making this fun hobby a real chore. So I bit the bullet and bought 3x 5gal and 2x 6gal brand new shiny Torpedo kegs over the course of a year. All of the sudden my brewery became so much more enjoyable! I didn't have to read the notes scrawled on the sides of my kegs regarding their replacement parts requirements and kegging became quick, easy, and enjoyable. No leaks, just a standardized set of replacement parts, it became so much easier.

Was it expensive? Hell yeah! Was it one of the best upgrades I've ever made to my brewery, without a doubt!

Your words echo my own to a tee except I'm still using kegs that have more years on them than I do using them. I'm OK with that part right now. Just before I retired I got a nice bonus from work so I bought a stainless steel conical, a Spike. Another purchase I agonized over.

I'm comfortable with the brewing part and I know I have more to learn and I love to share my four decades of experience. It's just a great hobby, and very rewarding. I'm overly rewarding myself tonight.

Great reading your words!