What I did for beer today

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Got a Blichmann Beer Gun and put it to work!

IMG_7689.jpeg
 
Kegged my Citra Pale ale tonight. I used Cyo hops, bloody mess, resin everywhere. Out post was blocked too so I had to clear that.

Dry hopped my Chinook Amarillo pale ale too.
 
Took my first trip to Maine Brewing Supply in Portland and bought some Cascade and Saaz. Also picked up some US-05. I'm planning on making two Vienna smash brews.
 
Set some grain to soaking for drying and roasting tomorrow. Also got a FB message from our friend that I brewed a jalapeno amber for last month, he's now begging me to do something with habaneros. That's why making some more home-caramelized malt tomorrow, will need to rest for a week before brewing this one. And pulled a seriously undercarbed pint of my Bastard clone; taste is delicious, bit more bitter than I've done in the past, but very drinkable. And tomorrow will keg up the Mosaic Pils I brewed 2 weeks ago. Busy day tomorrow!
 
501irishred said:
Do you use a spunding valve of some kind or are you managing pressures manually?
I’ve thought about doing an open fermentation, but always chicken out. o_O
Click to expand...
The spund is typically with a set point to vent. This is a regulator with the quick disconnect on the low pressure side. The high side is plugged. The over pressure CO2 vents via the regulator.

In this case I have it to the max, plan to dial it back once it hits something over 16psi. Typically I preset it with an empty keg that's pressurized. I turn up the gas to 30 psi on my draft CO2. Then connect the spund and dial it back until it vents and the pressure drops, giving it a quarter turn to stop it at my set point. Then I'm ready to put it on a keg to spund beer at that pressure.

This valve cost me $5.99 and 0-60psi gauge cost $4.99 at Menards. Pretty cheap spund set up.
 
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Bought some DME at the LHBS. Bottled my American brown ale for a competition. Soon I will cobble together grains for two upcoming batches, a red rye and a pilsner (my first of the year).
 
seatazzz said:
2nd attempt at making my own crystal malt; first one was good, made a nice brown and an amber with it. This one has more caramelized bits than the last one, didn't stir it enough, but it smells heavenly. Will get used in the Habanero ale I'll brew next weekend.

View attachment 621988
Click to expand...
How are you mashing it?

I use my instant pot, 152F for 8hrs.
 
Schlenkerla said:
How are you mashing it?

I use my instant pot, 152F for 8hrs.
Click to expand...
OMG I never thought of using the instant pot. I just soak it overnight, then cook for 2 hours in the oven at 160. Then spread it out to dry for another hour or so at 200, once it's dry I crank the oven up to 300 and roast until it looks right. Do you soak the grain before adding to the instant pot? Please share!
 
seatazzz said:
OMG I never thought of using the instant pot. I just soak it overnight, then cook for 2 hours in the oven at 160. Then spread it out to dry for another hour or so at 200, once it's dry I crank the oven up to 300 and roast until it looks right. Do you soak the grain before adding to the instant pot? Please share!
Click to expand...
Yeah 24 hours wetted with distilled water, equal to the weight less 5%.

I'm moving stuff from my MIL. We can chat later.
 
501irishred said:
Do you use a spunding valve of some kind or are you managing pressures manually?
I’ve thought about doing an open fermentation, but always chicken out. o_O
Click to expand...

This is that same keg today. It's ready to dial back.

What did I do today? Nada... Really.

Just looked at the valve and poured a beer. - Pecan Smoked Alt.

IMG_20190414_203514.jpeg
 
seatazzz said:
OMG I never thought of using the instant pot. I just soak it overnight, then cook for 2 hours in the oven at 160. Then spread it out to dry for another hour or so at 200, once it's dry I crank the oven up to 300 and roast until it looks right. Do you soak the grain before adding to the instant pot? Please share!
Click to expand...
I do something like what you do on the oven cycle. It depends what I want on lovibond. I have a time and temp chart that i use.

I start with 2lbs of pale malt. Measure out distilled water by weight equal to grain weight, less 5% (29oz). Soak it with distilled water for 24 hours refrigerated. Then into the instant pot for 8 hours at 152F. Then I throw it into the oven, in baskets to dry, no heat, only using the oven light on to dry low temp. The oven uses an incandescent light bulb. The temp is roughly 145F with door completely closed. I use a remote meat probe inserted into the grain.

This drying/curing is to keep the diastatic power intact when I make lower 10L-60L Crystal Malt. I still do the same even with 90L - 120L. As you know it requires high temps.

FYI - Heating grains over 210F with greater than 10% moisture hurts the diastatic power.

Screen baskets for drying/curing are shown below with instant pot insert beside them.
20181105_210527.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Schlenkerla said:
This is that same keg today. It's ready to dial back.

What did I do today? Nada... Really.

Just looked at the valve and poured a beer. - Pecan Smoked Alt.
Click to expand...
.

Nice! I never thought of using a standard regulator that way, and totally missed the large knob sticking out under the pressure gauge your last post before you clarified. BTW, a Pecan Smoked Altbier sounds great! Did you smoke your own malt?
 
Brewed a smash...didn't use enough water so I made a beer that's going to be too hoppy for my tastes I fear.
 
501irishred said:
.

Nice! I never thought of using a standard regulator that way, and totally missed the large knob sticking out under the pressure gauge your last post before you clarified. BTW, a Pecan Smoked Altbier sounds great! Did you smoke your own malt?
Click to expand...
Maybe a better picture...

Recapping the pieces left to right.

1) 1/4 NPT Brass plug, screwed into the high pressure side. Using Teflon tape.
2) The regulator and gauge.
3) 1/4 NPT to 3/16 Brass hose barb, screwed into the low pressure side. Using Teflon tape.
4) 3/16 Hose about 12" long, attached with hose clamp (on both ends).
5) 3/16 barb to 1/4 Female Flare Swivel.
6) Quick Disconnect ball-lock that has 1/4 flare.
IMG_20190414_212300.jpeg
 
501irishred said:
.
BTW, a Pecan Smoked Altbier sounds great! Did you smoke your own malt?
Click to expand...

Sorry missed that. Yeah I smoke my own malt. Also do the roasting and toasting too.

It's a pretty tasty beer. Mild smoke with some home roasted barley. The smoke/roast mix is good. I hoped with 2 oz of Mt Hood. It's nicely bittered. No late addition to mess with the smoke and roasted grains.

This is my grain smoking thread... All the how to is there. I also have roasting in there too. The emphasis is on Smoked Grain.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/637254/
 
Last edited:
Schlenkerla said:
I do something like what you do on the oven cycle. It depends what I want on lovibond. I have a time and temp chart that i use.

I start with 2lbs of pale malt. Measure out distilled water by weight equal to grain weight, less 5% (29oz). Soak it with distilled water for 24 hours refrigerated. Then into the instant pot for 8 hours at 152F. Then I throw it into the oven, in baskets to dry, no heat, only using the oven light on to dry low temp. The oven uses an incandescent light bulb. The temp is roughly 145F with door completely closed. I use a remote meat probe inserted into the grain.

This drying/curing is to keep the diastatic power intact when I make lower 10L-60L Crystal Malt. I still do the same even with 90L - 120L. As you know it requires high temps.

FYI - Heating grains over 210F with greater than 10% moisture hurts the diastatic power.

Screen baskets for drying/curing are shown below with instant pot insert beside them.View attachment 622128
Click to expand...

If I could like this a hundred times I would! I will definitely try it next time. Thank you thank you!

Question: when it comes to roasting time, what are the temps & times you use?
 
seatazzz said:
If I could like this a hundred times I would! I will definitely try it next time. Thank you thank you!

Question: when it comes to roasting time, what are the temps & times you use?
Click to expand...
Go back to post #14348... I think where I posted the: Roast'em, Toast'em and Smoke'em If You Got 'em. Thread.

The first post there has a link to post #22. In post #22 see the link for a google spreadsheet. Open the spreadsheet. Use the section near the bottom. That lists all the lovibond values.
 
seatazzz said:
If I could like this a hundred times I would! I will definitely try it next time. Thank you thank you!

Question: when it comes to roasting time, what are the temps & times you use?
Click to expand...

And I responded before I saw your link, forgive me. Will definitely give it a look before trying again. Thanks again for the help!
 
And now for What I did for Beer Today; called out "sick" from second job to help husband file extension for taxes. Long story, don't wanna post it here. And tapped the Mosaic Pils that's been carbing, and am in love with it. Huge hop nose and flavor, nothing off, and lighter than the usual Smash I do with these hops. Yeah, I know a lot of people here are "meh" about Mosaic, but I love them in whatever I can stuff them in to; this batch is lighter on malt due to higher pilsner in the grain bill, letting the hops shine through as I intended. It's gonna go fast, and glad I have it on tap now.
 
Scaled up volume and brewed an azacca pale ale from extract to all grain biab. I have high hopes for it being a staple in my inventory. Fell in love with the extract batches, so here’s to hoping I didn’t screw it up too much!
 

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