What I did for beer today

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Learned today that champagne yeast (1 packet) is NOT enough to get a batch of prison hooch/meant to be hard root beer fermented. Took a sample today with all intentions of adding the root beer extract, only to find gravity had dropped maybe 2 points in a week. And this is in the 72 degree average house, not the ferment fridge. Arrrrgh. Fortunately had a packet of Safale-05 handy, dropped that in and less than an hour later it's going great guns. Might not turn out great, but dammit I'm going to see this thing through.
 
Learned today that champagne yeast (1 packet) is NOT enough to get a batch of prison hooch/meant to be hard root beer fermented. Took a sample today with all intentions of adding the root beer extract, only to find gravity had dropped maybe 2 points in a week. And this is in the 72 degree average house, not the ferment fridge. Arrrrgh. Fortunately had a packet of Safale-05 handy, dropped that in and less than an hour later it's going great guns. Might not turn out great, but dammit I'm going to see this thing through.
Sugar wash is tough on yeast, did you add any yeast nutrient or energizer to the sugar wash?
 
Sugar wash is tough on yeast, did you add any yeast nutrient or energizer to the sugar wash?
Nope. Didn't have any. Gonna get some though. I did treat the water with k-meta and added some gypsum to help it along, guess that wasn't enough. Fortunately the extract isn't expensive nor is the sugar. If this batch doesn't turn out I'll try again.

*EDIT I do have some amylase enzyme, would that help?
 
Nope. Didn't have any. Gonna get some though. I did treat the water with k-meta and added some gypsum to help it along, guess that wasn't enough. Fortunately the extract isn't expensive nor is the sugar. If this batch doesn't turn out I'll try again.

*EDIT I do have some amylase enzyme, would that help?

Not sure the amylase enzyme will help, the sugar mix is already broken down to ferment out but it is nutrient poor. I believe you said it smelled sort of funky which was the yeast saying it was not happy.
They sell nutrient to add to sugar water for making hard seltzers or you can use the stuff people use with meads and cider. If you look up BOMM mead the procedure should work for seltzer. There is a discussion regarding nutrients in sugar water here.
Sparkling "Hard" water recipe
 
Working on a starter of WLP833 Bock Yeast for tomorrow's Citra Pilsner....
IMG_0419.jpg
 
@JARveeves looks nice. Is it 30 feet? Do your bines reach the top or only partway up?

I need to order some hop twine. I replanted the Willamette to the front yard and more sun, also cut back and dug out rhyzomes to donate to the local HBS: East Seattle Goldings (I slay me), Tettnang and Norther Brewer (by far my best performer).
 
@JARveeves looks nice. Is it 30 feet? Do your bines reach the top or only partway up?

I need to order some hop twine. I replanted the Willamette to the front yard and more sun, also cut back and dug out rhyzomes to donate to the local HBS: East Seattle Goldings (I slay me), Tettnang and Norther Brewer (by far my best performer).

Last year they performed poorly, but it was a cold summer in Los Angeles. Normally they climb to the roof after 2-3 years in the same spot.
 
Not really today but a couple days ago. Made an adaptation to connect my immersion chiller directly to my kitchen tap rather than to the water pump which I normally use for my still.

The problem was that the kitchen tap has a garden hose fast connection (I don't know its proper name). The immersion chiller has much smaller pipes for John Guest connectors, just like the pump.

The extremely simple solution was first to insert a crystal tube inside the garden pipe and secure it with a hose clamp and second to insert the John Guest pipe inside the crystal tube, again securing it with a hose clamp.

Male garden connection to the tap - femal garden connection - large garden hose - crystal tube - small tube - John Guest connection to the pump.
 
@JARveeves looks nice. Is it 30 feet? Do your bines reach the top or only partway up?

I need to order some hop twine. I replanted the Willamette to the front yard and more sun, also cut back and dug out rhyzomes to donate to the local HBS: East Seattle Goldings (I slay me), Tettnang and Norther Brewer (by far my best performer).
I guess that means my hops (not up yet) could be East Kent (I'm in Covington/Maple Valley area), but they're Mt Hood and Sterling...yes very poor attempt at a hop-related joke.
 
My best bitter split batch is moving along nicely. From bubbles the verdant half was about 12hours behind the culler coats yeast but when I check at 36hrs they were the same gravity. Today when I checked at 60hrs the verdant is slowing down already and attenuated almost 4points further than CC. Bumped temp and will allow to finish up.

When I tried to rebalance my kegs a little while back I decided an extra cannonball might help, so I got a new one and cleaned it up today.

Also did a mash test of instant 5min grits to see if it would convert without a cereal mash. Seems like it worked OK so I have a new cheaper source for flaked corn.
 
Yet Another 1318 Starter. Decided to do a slow-but-steady direct O2 injection on the stir plate just for grins...

1318_040421.jpg


Gotta get a brush burn in before I can use this starter, but it's better to have it ready and waiting an extra day or two than need it and not have it.
Hopefully the weather cooperates...

Cheers!
 
I repitched yeast for the first time. Hope I didn't screw anything up.

I also used my anvil Foundry as a hlt for the first time, feeding the mash tun hot water to go between steps. No scorching today!

Calculated 83% efficiency, no sparge, which now makes me wonder if I missed something.
 
I guess that means my hops (not up yet) could be East Kent (I'm in Covington/Maple Valley area), but they're Mt Hood and Sterling...yes very poor attempt at a hop-related joke.
For those not familiar with these parts. I live on the Seattle East side suburbs. Hence, renaming my hops as East Seattle Goldings (instead of East Kent Goldings).

On the other hand, there is a town of "Kent" on the Seattle Eastside neighboring where Seatazzz lives. Hence, Seatazzz refering to her hops as real EGK hops (aka East Kent Washington Goldings").

Gotta find humor where ya can....
 
Kegged wild ale #5; will wait for its turn to go on tap. This wild yeast was harvested from apples, and boy does that still come through. This was pitched using the 3rd generation of said yeast, with a dead simple recipe of 2-row, wheat, a pinch of hops (<10 IBU), and it tastes like a very dry, slightly sour hard cider.
 
Kegged wild ale #5; will wait for its turn to go on tap. This wild yeast was harvested from apples, and boy does that still come through. This was pitched using the 3rd generation of said yeast, with a dead simple recipe of 2-row, wheat, a pinch of hops (<10 IBU), and it tastes like a very dry, slightly sour hard cider.

It's interesting that your wild bugs make a cider taste, but I'd say it's coincidental that you got them from apples. There's really no reason for the taste of the original fruit harvest site to come through.
 
It's interesting that your wild bugs make a cider taste, but I'd say it's coincidental that you got them from apples. There's really no reason for the taste of the original fruit harvest site to come through.
You're correct, and I know better, not sure why I phrased it like that. In the earlier versions of this experiment, I thought the apple flavor was just because I used so much of the original liquid the apples soaked in to inoculate the batch, but now that this is a couple generations removed, it's clearly from the yeast and not the original apples.
 
Sold the BIAB beginners kit; sent the buyer off with a growler of PA and a couple pounds of hops over and above. Another fiend has been added to our number.

"One of us, one of us."

Next on the to-do list is get pictures of the extra SS Brewtech 10G mashtun with sparge assembly, the 10G orange cooler mash tun, the ph tester kit, the extra plate chiller, the extra CO2 regulator, the extra beer gun, and the extra burner (among other things) so that I can list them as well. Good Gravy, the boxes of bottles and the case of growlers, and the extra carboys.

Soon, there will be room again to brew beer. Soon it will be more than a grip of equipment in the way of progress. I have hope.
 
Sold the BIAB beginners kit; sent the buyer off with a growler of PA and a couple pounds of hops over and above. Another fiend has been added to our number.

"One of us, one of us."

Next on the to-do list is get pictures of the extra SS Brewtech 10G mashtun with sparge assembly, the 10G orange cooler mash tun, the ph tester kit, the extra plate chiller, the extra CO2 regulator, the extra beer gun, and the extra burner (among other things) so that I can list them as well. Good Gravy, the boxes of bottles and the case of growlers, and the extra carboys.

Soon, there will be room again to brew beer. Soon it will be more than a grip of equipment in the way of progress. I have hope.

Good for you. You can beat this, but you have to be a fighter.😄
 
Kegged 5 gallons Kama Citra IPA. Strained and added the tequilla and jalepeno tincture that had been "marinating" for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Sample tasted excellent. Purged with CO2, placed keg in kegerator, chilling and carbonating at 12 psi 42F. Added a spoonful of the leftover diced jalepeno nibs to a fresh garden salad. Saving the rest for SWMBO cooking adventures, unless I eat them up all gone soon, lol. Nothing going to waste here. Love tequilla and hot. And of course homebrew!
 
Pedaled my bicycle over 50 miles in the past 2 days. Yesterday was 68F with no wind. Today was 78F with steady winds from the NE. I'll take the 68F and no wind during any bicycle ride.

Do believe I've earned a few homebrews.


i'd say at 298 calories at 12 mph...and divided into 50 miles would be 4 hours, so you can drink 7.76 beers! ;) :mug:
 
Knitted another few inches of the neck cowl I'm working on..in an attempt to slow down on the smoking. Most nights I sit out here and smoke waaaay too much while cruising HBT and youtube. At least now I'm keeping my hands occupied. Can still sip on the homebrew though. Tomorrow going to keg the Mosaic/Idaho 7 IPA because pipeline is getting low. And drop the dry hop in the Georgetown Bodhi clone, which I should have done tonight, but now I'm too tired.
 
Yet Another 1318 Starter. Decided to do a slow-but-steady direct O2 injection on the stir plate just for grins...

View attachment 724688

Gotta get a brush burn in before I can use this starter, but it's better to have it ready and waiting an extra day or two than need it and not have it.
Hopefully the weather cooperates...

Cheers!
What stir plate is that? Looking to get another one very soon.
 
Bottled 5 gallons of Yoopers Oatmeal Stout.
Brewed 6.5 gals of Munich helles today.
Did you add that to the total in this thread?

As for me, it wasn't today, but late last night in honor of National Beer Day -- sampled the AG BIAB Against the Grain APA we bottled last Friday.

It's not ready. But... Assistent Braufraulein likes the taste already, so I'll call that a win.
 
Yesterday finished moving the new and used equipment around. I finally know what I have and what will be for sale. That means I can finally brew sometime this week.

As a reward for my clean up efforts, pulled out the wine thief and did a tasting of all the ciders and sours with my sister. We need to bottle this week, too!
 
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