What I did for beer today

[Deric]

Kegged a Czech Pils…

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Yesterday I brewed NEIPA and first time using verdant ipa yeast. Pitched about 20hrs before took this picture. Yup it’s alive. Today? Given it’s Easter, all I did was open up minifridge to take a whiff, lol. Smells great

 

[bracconiere]

well i've noticed a few other maltsters here recently, so maybe this is become more relevant...i just spread out my barley sprouts for what i hope to be brew day, day after tomorrow. work schedule permiting.

you can tell from the picture and the contrast between dry and wet spot how effective just a box fan is at drying sprouts. that's only been going for about an hour!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I went to the store to buy some. I ran out of home brew.

 

[bracconiere]

I went to the store to buy some. I ran out of home brew.

i hate that! i'm praying for you to recover quickly!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Thanks. Another week, and I can keg the batch in the fermenter. One of the kegs will be a fast carb.

 

[earachemyeye69]

Washed a keg and checked in on the batch I pitched yesterday. Upped the temp from 8c to 16c to get things moving. It’s under 10 psi so all is good.
It’s alive!

 

[bracconiere]

and I can keg the batch in the fermenter.

at least you still know how to keep them nervous!

 

[ba-brewer]

well i've noticed a few other maltsters here recently, so maybe this is become more relevant...i just spread out my barley sprouts for what i hope to be brew day, day after tomorrow. work schedule permiting.

View attachment 766355

you can tell from the picture and the contrast between dry and wet spot how effective just a box fan is at drying sprouts. that's only been going for about an hour!

So how many days does it take to go from seeds to malt ready to use?

 

[bracconiere]

So how many days does it take to go from seeds to malt ready to use?

it works out good, about as long as the last batch takes to ferment....4-5, i started that thursday after a brew day....drying it today, tomorrow night it goes in the oven overnight....be brewing again while i'm freeing up the fermenter by kegging the last batch....i think it was this thread i just read a horror story about 'buying' beer....i don't want that to happen to ME!

(but i do have some sugar wash at 13%, i could get it done, and instacart to deliever kool-aid mix. before i'm desperate enough to bow to the devil! lol)

 

[govner1]

Kegged a Dubbel my daughter and I brewed a couple of weeks ago. FG was 1.012 for an ABV of 6.5. Great color,clarity, and smell. It’s cold crashing now and I’ll start carbing tomorrow.
Cleaned up the fermentors and CO2 transfer equipment.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I did nothing except come home from work, peek inside my mini fridge to see how my latest NEIPA is doing using verdant IPA yeast (first time using that yeast) only to find its blown off a ton. Im now down almost a full quart due to active blowoff with a 1" blowoff tube. Excited? Sure, this yeast is a beast. Pissed? sure, Im now down a quart! lol. Its only day 2 of fermentation, but gosh golly, this is an ACTIVE yeast.

 

[renstyle]

Close-transferred a Dry Irish Stout from a 6.1gal/23L torpedo fermenter/keg to a standard 5gal/19L corny.

Used a spunding valve to xfer SLOWLY. So slow in fact that I was able to see the beer creep up the gas line (it was plenty long) towards the blow-tie!

There was about 500mL left in the fermenter once the gas post of my serving keg was hit. I pulled another 250mL from the serving keg for a bit more wiggle room and it's now carbonating away at 10psi.

+1 for a mesh screen floating dip tube in the fermenter. Even pulling from the bottom, the dregs weren't super turbid. The slow xfer from the spunding valve helped alot.

It was a tasty sample too, and now there's a whole keg left.

Then I rinsed--PBW'd--rinsed my ferm-keg for a brew tomorrow.

 

[JAReeves]

Dry-Hopped the CTZ SMaSH PA on day 3 of active fermentation. Will drop dry hop #2 in a few days.

What a fun experiment, hitting a SMaSH at almost every possible stage with hops: FWH, 60, 15, 0, Dip-Hop 170F, DH Active Fermentation for Bio-Transformation, and Cold Crash DH.

I have so many hops in 1# bags, I am looking forward to doing a tasting series this year with hops I have never actively tasted.

 

[BrewMan13]

Last weekend I kegged the schwarzbier & IPA, & brewed up the grodziskie. Very curious how that will come out...

 

[Bramling Cross]

Absolutely, I use Hot PBW (alkaline) first, then after you are done soaking or using a pump to circulate the PBW I use the same temp Hot water to rinse the kegs (and fermenters for that matter). Then after the Hot rinse I usually spray Star San inside the walls of the keg (or fermenter), this is the acid rinse. Then leave the Star San as this will dry (on the keg or fermenter walls) and or collect in the bottom of the keg. You can store it that way until you need the keg for next time. I do sanitize the keg (and fermenter) right before I need to use them again.

Doing this with both Hot PBW and the Hot water rinse will really help to ward off beer stone. You may see a rainbow type of streak marks on your stainless kegs or fermenters. This process will eliminate that. I had spoken to a rep at Five Star a long time ago and this is what they told me to do. It really works. If you have beer stone already you can buy their beer stone remover and use that as well, and then do this regime when you clean and it will keep it at bay. Hope this helps.

John

Thank you very much for taking the time and providing an excellent explanation!

It's also a very timely response because I have been reducing my Star San use in my kegs and fermenters due to the introduction of a bucket washer I built late last year. Beerstone is a constant battle in my kettle, but I've always wondered why I've never had that issue in my kegs and fermenters. Your post clears that up. I've always alternated between Iodophor and Star San in both vessels. It seems the Star San has been keeping my kegs and fermenters free of beerstone without my knowledge.

Based upon your post, it sounds like I can get by with a Ball jar of Star San dedicated to the acid rinse step? Simply dump the jar into the vessel, give it a shake, wait five minutes, give it another shake (just to be certain) then pour the Star San back into the jar for later use?

I can get with that!

Thanks for the big morale boost in the war against beerstone! I'll certainly start deploying Star San on the kettle front.

 

[Bramling Cross]

brewed up the grodziskie. Very curious how that will come out...

You're a braver brewer than I'll ever be!

I tip my hat to you, sir.

 

[jcav]

Thank you very much for taking the time and providing an excellent explanation!

It's also a very timely response because I have been reducing my Star San use in my kegs and fermenters due to the introduction of a bucket washer I built late last year. Beerstone is a constant battle in my kettle, but I've always wondered why I've never had that issue in my kegs and fermenters. Your post clears that up. I've always alternated between Iodophor and Star San in both vessels. It seems the Star San has been keeping my kegs and fermenters free of beerstone without my knowledge.

Based upon your post, it sounds like I can get by with a Ball jar of Star San dedicated to the acid rinse step? Simply dump the jar into the vessel, give it a shake, wait five minutes, give it another shake (just to be certain) then pour the Star San back into the jar for later use?

I can get with that!

Thanks for the big morale boost in the war against beerstone! I'll certainly start deploying Star San on the kettle front.

Your welcome! Glad I could help!

John

 

[Rish]

Started my first wheat extract kettle sour. Holding at 95*F with a Goodbelly Super Shot for souring.

 

[BrewMan13]

You're a braver brewer than I'll ever be!

I tip my hat to you, sir.

Ha, not sure what I'm being brave about, but I'll take the compliment
Given that I can't easily maintain mash temps on my system, and I was doing a step mash when it was unseasonably cold, that whole process was an adventure and I had to end up doing an impromptu "no-sparge" batch just to get the main mash temp in the 150's. I think it's time to upgrade...

 

[grampamark]

Last night I went to a homebrew club meeting in Billings. I hadn’t been to one in over a year. The last one I attended there were 30+ people there. Last night there were 8. They talked about all the things they would do if they could just get more folks to participate. Nobody had any suggestions for increasing participation. The current prez has sold most of his gear and is living with his in-laws while building a new house. But, it would sure be nice if we could…

Today I pulled a sample of the Altbier I brewed on 4/09. It’s probably done so I moved the fermenter into the crawl space, where it’s about 50°, until we come back the first part of May.

 

[BrewMan13]

Last night I went to a homebrew club meeting in Billings. I hadn’t been to one in over a year. The last one I attended there were 30+ people there. Last night there were 8. They talked about all the things they would do if they could just get more folks to participate. Nobody had any suggestions for increasing participation. The current prez has sold most of his gear and is living with his in-laws while building a new house. But, it would sure be nice if we could…

Today I pulled a sample of the Altbier I brewed on 4/09. It’s probably done so I moved the fermenter into the crawl space, where it’s about 50°, until we come back the first part of May.

Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.

 

[grampamark]

Pulled a sample of the Cali Common I brewed at the farm on 4/11. Really nice color and clarity already. Tasted good, too.

 

[grampamark]

Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.

Billings has a metro area population of around 200K and supports 10 brewpubs/taprooms, one dedicated LHBS (observing it’s 30th anniversary this year) and an Ace hardware that has a pretty lame homebrew department. A second HBS/brew on premesis place didn’t last a year. Maybe the current membership constitutes “peak homebrew”.

 

[renstyle]

Listening to the constant putter of the blow off of a Northern English Brown

Nottingham dry yeast is a beast!

 

[JAReeves]

Received a Comet from Great Lakes Hops! Last hop to plant for this year, went into the ground 15 minutes ago. Seeing solid growth from: Cascade, Eroica, Centennial, Medusa, Old Mission. Tepid: Chinook. Expecting good things from the Comet.

 

[seatazzz]

Yesterday popped the Lutra Blond into the kegerator to crash, looking nice and clear now so will keg later today or tomorrow morning. And the mead I brewed last month, after racking twice, is now perfectly clear and ready to bottle. Had to google if I could store it at room temperature (yes I'm a mead noob) so it's not in the fridge where I can see it, and possibly drink them way too early. This one I'm hoping to enter in the state fair in August, if I can keep my grubby paws off it. Also bought another 12 pack of Ninkasi assortment, for the bottles of course. Dammit now I have to drink them....1st world problems.

 

[JAReeves]

Check FG on the CTZ SMaSH, 1.009-1.010. The bitterness has mellowed a touch from yesterday, when I couldn't help but taste it with a friend who had never had fresh beer before. Cold-Crashing to 40F and dry-hopped with 2oz. Planning for a Monday night closed-transfer. Life is good.

 

[seanjwalker1]

Went to our pretty new 1st time in my area Total Wine & More....Heaven came to town !!! It's a alcohol candy store !!!! The beer selection is out of this world ! Every German and Scottish dark beer I LOVE. And a military rewards program to boot ! I bought these lovely 3 brews. Put the beer spark back in me after the long dark freezing covid infested bleak winter ! Seeing these beautiful dark elixers is making me want to go out and smoke some meat while I slowly sip on one and blast some grunge in the garage Man cave. Here's to a good spring and summer of brew days to come !!!

 

[BluetickBrewing]

Planted Cascade and Chinook hops. Never grown hops before, so this will be fun. Getting ready to keg a cream ale and sitting by the still waiting to reach temp. Not a bad Sunday for a weekend without brewing.