What I did for beer today

[JonM]

Got ingredients for a Dusseldorf altbier that I'll make next weekend, made my first attempt at getting a starter going from a slant, and did some tinkering with my little pump/Therminator combo setup.

Then I had to make room in the keg fridge (heh heh). I thought my cider keg had no more than 2 glasses in it. Nope, there was a lot more. A lot more.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Bottled up an IPA yesterday that fermented with WLP644. Initial flavor and aroma were damn good, I have high hopes after its carbed and chilled.

 

[ChelisHubby]

The Blonde I put in the carboy yesterday plugged the blowoff tube and gave predictable results. I spent a hour and a half cleaning. I named it wild Willy as the go came in a little high and has williamette hops. I see it was a good name!

 

[Arty76]

Well this actually happened Saturday but we went to the Michigan Winter beer festival at the 5/3 baseball stadium in Grand Rapids, it was only about 20 degrees but as you can see it didn't stop people from enjoying the day, I know I did!!

And guess what Budweiser, I saw a lot of people there that really like beer!! and not the kind that was brewed through a Clydesdale!

 

[unionrdr]

Dang, that is quite a crowd for 20 degree weather! And I like the Wild Willy name! It always makes me think of the King of Ye Old Awful Altered, "wild Willy" Borsch!
:rockin:

 

[Ski12568]

Visited the nose doctor to get this congestion in check, updated the blog, drank a few glasses of my pale ale

 

[Rotor_Head]

Made some keg outline templates to shop for a chest freezer. We need to make sure the thing will, no kidding, fit 4 ball locks with C02. Gonna make a trip to the Depot tomorrow to see what I can get. Ideally, a freezer at about 7-7.2 cu feet will do the job.

Checked on the Maple Bacon in the fermenter. Thankfully, we've had a cold front so the fermentation temp has come down to perfectly in zone.

 

[unionrdr]

Finally gotten warm enough yesterday & today to add the honey & molasses to my kottbusser. Gotta get that one done & ready to bottle soon.

 

[lolznrofls]

I just went to a few online retailers and looked at the kits dreaming of my next batch

 

[BowAholic]

doing my first BIAB... just to see what all of the fuss is about... I've been doing AG but this sounded too easy so what the heck. I heated 8 gallons of water while grinding 5# of 2 row and 5# of Vienna...and 1# of oats just for fun...have it at 150* right now on the 75 minute mash...so far too easy... I plan on heating to 170* and letting it set for 20 minutes before draining the bag and starting my boil... DANG... fresh ground grain smells awesome!

 

[user 163849]

I just finished bottling 5 gallons on Brown Ale.

 

[bobeer]

Made some testers to decide if I want to soak oak chips in bourbon or rum for a stout I made. They both tasted great so it was a tough call. I almost leaned towards the rum but decided on bourbon in the end. I think next time I'll brew a bigger batch, split it and do half and half. Looking forward to this one!

 

[unionrdr]

Added the honey & molasses to kottbusser in primary to ferment out. With this warmer spell, internal temp is up to 64F. Looking & tasting great so far!

 

[kh54s10]

I got a refill bottle of co2 so that I could get some beer out of the kegs!!!

 

[kh54s10]

Made some testers to decide if I want to soak oak chips in bourbon or rum for a stout I made. They both tasted great so it was a tough call. I almost leaned towards the rum but decided on bourbon in the end. I think next time I'll brew a bigger batch, split it and do half and half. Looking forward to this one!

I like this idea!!! :rockin:

 

[unionrdr]

Bourbon, rum & scotch are the usual culprits for soaking oak with. But I imagine others could be used.

 

[jperry]

Today, I cleaned and sanitized an empty keg, and made a starter for my next batch.

 

[Zepth]

Continued my side by side ferm chambers build. I'm not going to lie it's either a lot more work than it first seemed or I'm making things much more labour intensive than they need to be. Ideas as to what might be holding up production:
-Tearing up and tossing most stock wiring
-Teardown of all non-essential parts (shelving, lights that don't work since the wires / sensors are gone)
-Cleaning up after the former owner. What a mess this thing was.
-Tracing all the circuits on the internal connectors.

The latter was kind of fun. I can have all the following running / switched for both sides with only running 3 conductors to the control panel in door:
- Heat
-Cool
-Recirculation fans

I'm happy with that. The new life of this thing is going to have a clean interior install. Guess that's the reward for tracing all the routes. Being a dual chamber fermentation control zone probably added about 2.2 X the amount of work to do. Double the controllers, heaters, some otherwise unneeded drilling and cutting.

 

[Rotor_Head]

A couple lessons from a first bottling experience tonight...

So as I write this, my fingers are melting off from the Starsan. I just finished bottling the Merlin Blackberry Red I started last month and Holy SH!T! What a PAIN! I learned a great deal about the process but dear god thank you for the SWMBO because if it wasn't for her, I'd be 2 hours into it and still at it. I think I broke the auto siphon and the dagone graduated cylender leaks.... so much for the FG reading. I think I got a guess before all the beer leaked out at least. And I learned another thing... if you're gonna use fruit, use a grain bag or 2. I think I lost .7 gallons of product because of the fruit particulate in the bottom of the proverbial barrel. The good news is it IS finished and got the first batch in bottles. Here's hoping it didn't get infected or over aerated. Also, the fruit causes the auto siphon to aerate at times and clogs the lines. I think a keezer is in order. Soon.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Made some keg outline templates to shop for a chest freezer. We need to make sure the thing will, no kidding, fit 4 ball locks with C02. Gonna make a trip to the Depot tomorrow to see what I can get. Ideally, a freezer at about 7-7.2 cu feet will do the job.

Checked on the Maple Bacon in the fermenter. Thankfully, we've had a cold front so the fermentation temp has come down to perfectly in zone.

Have you met my friend https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/ ?

 

[Ike]

Have you met my friend https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/ ?

<George Takei> Ohhhh myyyyy. </George Takei>

SO MUCH awesome information in one place. Thanks for the link, bookmarked that sucka before it finished loading!

Back on topic:

Today (last night actually) I took the time to check gravity and taste my latest batch, an extract/specialty grain Scottish Ale.

Good news: SG is at target.

Bad news: it tastes like I threw a burned shoe into the brew kettle.


I'm seven batches into this new obsession, and am finding it harder and harder to avoid realization that making beer is easy, but making PALATABLE beer is a lot harder.

 

[philipCT]

Tested gravity on three fermenting beers. The Amber and Brown ales are done.

Trying to decide if I should cold crash and keg them now and let them cold age in the keezer, or if I should hold-off and let them age for another week or two at room temp in the fermenters...

Opinions?

 

[Oberon67]

What I did for beer today: Panhandled in the park. Made enough for an Old English 24-ounce, too.

 

[1977Brewer]

Thinking about going to the LHBS for ingredients for my birthday stout because the weather's about to turn again. For the 4th time in 2 weeks. Shortest, worst winter ever.

 

[govner1]

Cleaned my BK & HLT w/ a soak in B-Brite then a final cleaning & rinse w/ BKF.

 

[max384]

I FINALLY cleaned up my grain storage area. I just had a bunch of bags and sacks of grain lying around on my shelves. I bought some tupperware containers and got it all organized. This is what 200 lbs. of grain looks like neatly put away. I wish I had taken a before picture...

The large containers can hold about 80 lbs of grain each, which allows me to add another sack to the container before I've completely emptied the old one.

 

[Rotor_Head]

Have you met my friend https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/ ?

Indeed! It is a great thread but the challenge I ran into initially was that the models I was looking at were no longer manufactured. While several companies have freezers that resemble the ones studied in the matrix linked above, most of the model numbers have changed. With a change in model number, I am not sure that the matrix is accurate for the newer models. Consequently, I am hesitant to buy sight unseen and I live an hour and 20 minutes from the nearest 'City.' I'm thinking I'm gonna order the Igloo 7.2 cu from Walmart.com, have it delivered to the store, and then simply return it if I can't fit 4 ball lock kegs on the deck of the freezer (not on the shelf.) I do want 4 kegs in this thing, but not for the cost of 8+ cu ft.

As it pertains directly to THIS thread, I checked the freshly bottled Blackberry Red to see if we have beer bottles or grenades. Thankfully I confirmed the former.

 

[unionrdr]

I FINALLY cleaned up my grain storage area. I just had a bunch of bags and sacks of grain lying around on my shelves. I bought some tupperware containers and got it all organized. This is what 200 lbs. of grain looks like neatly put away. I wish I had taken a before picture...

The large containers can hold about 80 lbs of grain each, which allows me to add another sack to the container before I've completely emptied the old one.

I have one of those wire racks in shiny steel myself from Lowe's. About $50, I also got a couple dunnage containers to store my grains in one, with dry fermentables in the other. I put'em on the bottom shelf for easy to get to storage. Got it warm enough the last couple days to get the honey
& molasses added to primary of my kottbusser to ferment out. Those wire shelves are very sturdy when assembled & help keep things dry.

 

[supermutantbrewmaster]

Added a simple syrup of 1 lb table sugar and 1qt boiled water to both of my saisons in primary. I can't wait to taste them.

 

[Psylocide]

I FINALLY cleaned up my grain storage area. I just had a bunch of bags and sacks of grain lying around on my shelves. I bought some tupperware containers and got it all organized. This is what 200 lbs. of grain looks like neatly put away. I wish I had taken a before picture...

The large containers can hold about 80 lbs of grain each, which allows me to add another sack to the container before I've completely emptied the old one.

That steel target is awesome.

That is all.