What I did for beer today

[Langerz]

Not the level of disaster day trippr had but transferred a neipa for a dry hop keg to serving key and had a brain fart and dump the remains from the dry hop keg in a basement sink that I frequently have draining problems with. Pulled the filter from the lift pump/sump. That didn’t help. Took apart the whole drain and cleaned it. Then finished cleaning the keg

 

[Deric]

Started my keezer upgrade/rebuild. Adding two taps and moving the CO2 outside…. Started by cleaning tap lines that will be reused…

 

[Deric]

Added two taps and mounted the CO2 manifold to the lid…

 

[Saunassa]

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A few days ago I bottled this primed cider, and the soda bottle was pretty firm today so time to pasteurize. I’m glad I’m posting because I forgot to put that swing top in the bath. Now it’s in the fridge. Whew.

Dang, I have one of those sous vide sticks in the pantry. Was trying to figure out how to pasteurize the bottles...

On the smart side of things I am multitasking today brewing a hefeweizen while also working on a PCB design.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Dang, I have one of those sous vide sticks in the pantry. Was trying to figure out how to pasteurize the bottles...

On the smart side of things I am multitasking today brewing a hefeweizen while also working on a PCB design.

When I was a novice brewer and had no sous vide I attempted to do it on the stove top… total disaster.

I started with the bottles in the bath no need for over kill temps that could degrade the flavors. Next week I’ll see how I did!

I got a late start brewing yesterday, flame out a little after midnight. So, cleaning up today, expect to be pitching yeast in another hour after an over cool, it’s not quite there, but ice bags tied to the kettle is helping.

 

[grampamark]

Kegged the Blonde Ale for my oldest grandson‘s college graduation party this weekend. Finished at 5.25%. The lite beer drinkers will be happy.

 

[balrog]

View attachment 818896View attachment 818897
A few days ago I bottled this primed cider, and the soda bottle was pretty firm today so time to pasteurize. I’m glad I’m posting because I forgot to put that swing top in the bath. Now it’s in the fridge. Whew.

What temp/time do you use?

Oh, to stay on topic: "I replied to a post to ask about pasteurizing cider"

 

[Dog House Brew]

1st BIAB 22g batch of Helles. Splitting it up and trying 3 dry lager yeasts. Planned 70%, numbers hit right on. Cloudiest wort I’ve ever had.

 

[Rish]

"Foiled" some bottles to go with the others I've done. Going into the oven tonight to have ready for next bottling day.

 

[JAReeves]

One more for tonight, from @TBC, this is interesting and I appreciate it not being loaded with lactose which would make me sick! Thank you!

 

[seatazzz]

Husband is taking off for Reno this weekend to bowl the Nationals tournament, so need to decide how to occupy my time. Last year he got me one of those 2oz sampler packs from YVH in cans; just pulled them all out from the bottom of the hop freezer (who uses 2oz of 8 different hops? Not me....yet). 3g fermonster is free, so I'm going to play around with one of them. Thinking a simple grain bill of 90/10 two-row/carapils, and nothing but late hops. One of the cans is HBC 586, going to do 1oz at flameout and 1oz dry hop in a 2.5g batch. If nothing else will be fun. The Wit I brewed last weekend is still chugging along so no 'big' brew this weekend, but I need to keep with the tradition of brewing on Big Brew Day.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

What temp/time do you use?

Oh, to stay on topic: "I replied to a post to ask about pasteurizing cider"

The yeast are supposed to expire at 120F. I heated to 130F and held it for 20 mins then stopped the circulator let it sit another 20 mins.

 

[day_trippr]

Obligatory Content: Checked the fermenting gravity on my two current batches - at 5 AM. They're both continuing to move in the right direction.

Then...drove into Boston for my surgical date, which went so well I was in and out in half the booked time, and they didn't carve me up bad enough to install a drain Spousal Unit drove us home while I was enjoying the single Oxycodone they gave me. Hoping I don't have to hit my stash too hard, you darn near have to bring a gun to get a narcotics 'script these days and the team wasn't offering any.

Anyway, have to keep this contraption on 24/7 for two weeks before I can start trying to bend that knee. Aside from drawing a pour I don't think it's compatible with any phase of my brewing efforts - can't even draw an SG sample now - so it's chillin' time for me

Cheers!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Obligatory Content: Checked the fermenting gravity on my two current batches - at 5 AM. They're both continuing to move in the right direction.

Then...drove into Boston for my surgical date, which went so well I was in and out in half the booked time, and they didn't carve me up bad enough to install a drain Spousal Unit drove us home while I was enjoying the single Oxycodone they gave me. Hoping I don't have to hit my stash too hard, you darn near have to bring a gun to get a narcotics 'script these days and the team wasn't offering any.

Anyway, have to keep this contraption on 24/7 for two weeks before I can start trying to bend that knee. Aside from drawing a pour I don't think it's compatible with any phase of my brewing efforts - can't even draw an SG sample now - so it's chillin' time for me

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Cheers!

Be well! May you have a speedy and full recovery.

 

[day_trippr]

Thank you kindly, I fully intend to do so
And I am able to hit the keezer single handedly, so it's not all that bad

Cheers!

 

[JAReeves]

I was forced to take home some leftovers from the last fundraiser at our school. Woe is me.

 

[seatazzz]

I just swore vociferously at Murphy. You know, that guy with the stupid law. Getting the brewery cleaned and prepped for BBD tomorrow, poured a glass of the current Marzen. Damn, it's a bit foamy. Let's look at the co2 tank gauge. EMPTY. It was fine the other day, I swear, and only two weeks ago I weighed it to make sure it was still good. Only place to get it exchanged on the weekend is the LHBS, currently closed. There's enough co2 in the kegs to pour tonight, but not enough for the kegging I planned to do, unless I hook up the 5lb tank; and until I'm sure there's no leaks (empty one is a 20lber that was put on 12/13/22, should have had plenty left) I'm not going to risk the only co2 I have in the house. Dammit!!!!

*edit Oh, and forgot to add this; that glass of Marzen I poured? Set it on the kitchen table while I sussed out the co2 issue. Here comes curious cat; SPLAT goes the marzen (plastic glass at least), and of COURSE it dripped off the table onto the wifi extender. This is NOT my day.

 

[Langerz]

Well…

1) I prepped for brewing tomorrow (maybe Sunday). Got grain milled. Prepped water. Measured out boil and whirlpool hops (trying to make brew day less chaotic)

Then

2) started on a rough keezer collar. I started brewing this year and first said “I’m not kegging for a year. Then read about brewing neipas and I bought kegs and a freezer. Then I said ok just a freezer and picnic taps for a while. Then realized that’s a pain and got everything to have a real Keezer. Threw this together tonight (maybe had a bit more homebrew then I should have for wood working). I just want this functional and doesn’t have to look pretty. Planning a Keezer bar woodworking project next winter (I don’t do much summer woodworking). It’s a bit rough but it will work. Start finishing it tomorrow hopefully during mash and boil.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Brewed a British Golden Ale. Bottled a Strong Bitter. Drinking a HB 1952 Lees' Best Mild.

ETA Eating an omelette with eggs from hens who ate the mild's spent grain.

 

[T Murph]

Arrived home and found my hop dropper parts were delivered Thursday. I put it together and it is exactly what I wanted. I couldn't find one from any of the homebrew vendors at a reasonable price so I ordered the parts and built it for less than half of retail cost.

 

[JAReeves]

Cleaned up from yesterday's brew day. Normally, I won't leave it until morning, but...Confirmation Saturday, I got up early to get the water going, grind the grain, and boil the brown rice for the pilsner adjunct. Was worried about making it to church on time at 1pm, so I mashed in a little under temp-even with the hot rice its only came up to 138F. Figured I'd do a decoction when I came back, always wanted to try that, but 4 hours later, the decoction only rose temp 10F and the 2nd decoction did nothing other than add some flavor, so I left it off as a bad job and started the boil. Moved the blackberry sauvignon blanc into a keg for carbonation and moved the merlot into the barrel so there'd be a free fermenter for the pilsner. Boil went according to plan, but the hop stopper got clogged during cooling (rice bits?) and one of the hose attachments leaked and wouldn't stop. Last 2 gallons from the boil kettle went into the fermenter commando and warmed it up to 90F, not normally a problem, except the yeast was already in there getting aerated from the splashing, so hooked it up to the cooling system and had dinner. After dinner, still at 90F, found out the lines for the glycol chiller are clogged, so did a quick swap off the cold crashing porter into the pilsner which is now doing fine at 50F. If you find Murphy, @seatazzz, I'll bring the shovel.

 

[WestMichiganSteelheader]

WPL-001 starter for a golden ale

 

[seatazzz]

Continued down the rocky path to pressure fermentation. Based on extensive (snork) research last night, waiting a day or two before setting pressure to desired setting (in this case, 10psi) is desirable. It's been a day and half, yes I could have waited until tomorrow, but I'm impatient that way. Was surprisingly easy to do, and just pulled my first sample from the floating dip tube. Beer at this stage usually smells nasty to me, but all I'm smelling is good yeast. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[seanjwalker1]

2nd week with a brew day! Please don't tell my boss I have this much free time on my days off.

Kegged last week's Red Rye IPA, putting a Smoked Porter on top of the cake today. Finished swapping all of the hoses and cleaning the kegerator I picked up from @Muneio. Holding temp at 35F, I love it! Also, enjoying a Troegs from @TBC's beer share. I have never had one of their beers and this is great for Flame-Out!View attachment 818825View attachment 818826View attachment 818827

Your Danby Kegerator looks nice but why didn't you drill on the top and put a tower ? Not knocking it, I have no drilling skills, I leave such business to my HS buddy who has all those skills . He's cheap too, usually a 12 pack. It still looks nice. Great Mod.

 

[JAReeves]

Your Danby Kegerator looks nice but why didn't you drill on the top and put a tower ? Not knocking it, I have no drilling skills, I leave such business to my HS buddy who has all those skills . He's cheap too, usually a 12 pack. It still looks nice. Great Mod.

I didn't drill it at all, it came this way, taps and all. I just gave it a deep cleaning and new hoses. I also added a 4-way CO2 splitter to the back of it so I can push CO2 into kegs at room temp or run gas to the bottle filler I just bought.

 

[seanjwalker1]

Arrived home and found my hop dropper parts were delivered Thursday. I put it together and it is exactly what I wanted. I couldn't find one from any of the homebrew vendors at a reasonable price so I ordered the parts and built it for less than half of retail cost.

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Another alien probe...that or a miniature 20 kiloton nuke device. Or maybe I'm just so old school I just can't see past the ol' hop sack...Hell I was amazed when I got my 1st hop spider ! So now you gotta be an engineering physicist to add hops ??! I'm just lost in time.

 

[vtmikko]

Brewed a batch of blonde ale

 

[T Murph]

I brewed an APA today. Fermenting it in a CF5 hopefully under pressure. I have had trouble getting it to hold pressure but yesterday I got it to hold 12 psi. Better than nothing. I'll transfer it to a serving keg in a week or so. I will attach a spunding valve and blow off once it starts producing Co2.

 

[Airborneguy]

Finally planted my hops! @T Murph funny I see you here because I couldn’t find the thread where we were speaking about that.

They sent me a bonus hop: Team Maker.

 

[seanjwalker1]

Got the grains for an American Wit, as close to a Blue Moon clone as I could figure, did some long overdue keg, fermenters, and brew pot cleaning. Got off my lazy behind and decided to check the Xmas beer which I let go..bad...bad bad ! Took a lot of courage to open that fermenter. Visions and nightmares of bacterial/viral Andromeda Strain/The Last of Us type killers coming out of there...nope. Completely surprised! No signs whatever of contamination, no foul smells, no cordiceps antenna coming at me..go figure ? It has been freezing in that garage though till this week. Too tired after all the cleaning. If it taste good, I'll keg at least half of it. Plus knocked 5 months of ice build up out of the Kegerator. Yes, again...bad bad bad brewer ! But I took the first big step leading toward summer brewing .