Adventures in beer

[Inor]

As most of you know, I love good quality beers. If I were forced to drink PBR or Bud for the rest of my life, I would swear off beer. But give me a good quality IPA and I am a happy man. So for Christmas, my daughter and son-in-law got me a one gallon beer brewing kit. As I mentioned in another thread, it is less of real brewing and more of a heath radio kit for beer. But it is something to start with.

I brewed my first batch two weeks ago and my second batch today. My first batch was a double IPA and today's was a normal IPA. So, here are a few of my observations so far:

- Brewing double IPA is a LOT of work! There are a bunch of different ingredients: 3 different malts, 4 different hops, etc. It also creates a LOT of sludge on the bottom of the fermenter.

- Brewing a normal IPA is MUCH simpler. There is only 1 type of malt and 1 type of hops.

- I filtered today's batch as I was transferring it from the brew pot into the fermenter but I still ended up with about a half inch of sludge on the bottom. That is still better than the unfiltered double IPA which created about 2 inches of sludge.

- Brewing one gallon of beer at a time is crazy expensive! When I filled the bottles from the first batch yesterday, I only got about 8 bottles and I think, at most, maybe 7 of them will be drinkable. I think the last one got quite a bit of sludge from the bottom of the fermenter into the bottle. Each of the beer kits retails for $12.95. But I think if I go with a 5 gallon setup, the quality of the beer will be better, due to using a two-stage fermenter and the price per bottle will be cut in about half.

- Beer is really nasty looking while it is brewing and fermenting! They say that you never want to watch sausage being made. I make sausage and that is not nearly as nasty looking as watching the beer ferment! It looks very similar to the inside of my refrigerator before Mrs Inor married me.

- With the double IPA, the wort was actually green for about the first 4 days in the fermenter. It finally did turn the correct color brown a few days before I bottled it. But it never did get clear. I think that is because I do not have a two-stage fermenter. Today's wort is a much more pleasing color brown. But it is still not clear - maybe in two weeks when it is done fermenting?

All in all, it is a fun experiment and I am anxious to sample the first batch in 2 weeks once it is done carbonating. I do not hold much hope that it is actually going to be good, since it is my first attempt. But it might at least be drinkable. The second batch from today hopefully will be better.

One last bit, if this is an experiment you are interested in trying, first read this book: http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html

The whole book is online and available for free! It is well written and goes into GREAT detail on all the different ways to brew. It is good enough, that I actually spent the $15 to get the book in hardcopy too.

[DerBiermeister]

prost!

[Infidel]

I've thought about buying beer making kits in the past and almost did a couple of times. Bottom line is I don't drink enough of it to bother but it does look like it would be fun to try making the perfect brew. Nice write up.

-Infidel

[DerBiermeister]

but it does look like it would be fun to try making the perfect brew.




The perfect brew is found in only one place.

Kloster Andechs, about 30 miles south west of Munich in the foothills of the Alps.

http://www.andechs.de/nc/en.html

[Reptilicus]

I received one of those brew kits for Christmas years back and tried it out, Maybe I did something wrong, but when it was all said and done there wasn't anyway I was going to drink that stuff!! So I reverted back to the tried and true method, the local liquor store. They always have plenty and I don't have to wait for weeks on end!!! LOL

[Pauls]

My son-in-law tried one of those kits and the result was pretty good. It was a bit sweet for my taste but it was a full bodied beer.

[MI.oldguy]

My BIL brews his own.the last brew I had with him was pretty tasty but,man! we were toasted for about a couple of hours on just one glass each!.

I made some hard cider a year or so ago,just apple juice,yeast and a plastic vapor lock I bought from a brewing store.knocked me on my ass and gave me a headache!,maybe a migraine?..and I am really not wuss when it comes to a drink or few.I think I let it ferment too long.

[Coppertop]

MI. old guy Beer and wine only ferments until the sugars are used and then the yeast dies. You cannot ferment to long.

Inor, They do have a powder you put in the brew to clear it up, but I found that the beer I made was still a little cloudy for a week or so after I bottled it. I made wine mostly but I did make about 10 or so batches of beer. I did find that bigger batches cleaned up faster. If I can help at all let me know.

Thanks

[Inor]

MI. old guy Beer and wine only ferments until the sugars are used and then the yeast dies. You cannot ferment to long.

Inor, They do have a powder you put in the brew to clear it up, but I found that the beer I made was still a little cloudy for a week or so after I bottled it. I made wine mostly but I did make about 10 or so batches of beer. I did find that bigger batches cleaned up faster. If I can help at all let me know.

Thanks

What is the powder that clears it up?

I am going to hold off making the decision until after I taste these small batches. But if they turn out even reasonably drinkable, I think I am going to go with a 5 gallon setup with the two-stage fermenters.

I'm kind of excited about this whole effort. It is a LONG-term learning process. But the book I referenced above does even go into malting your own barley and doing all-grain brewing. If I ever get to the point that I can manage that, I will basically be drinking almost free beer! (Two row barley is going for about $12 for a 100 pound sack at the feed stores around here.)

[Slippy]

Excellent review and I can't wait to hear how the batch tastes. Is there a danger of exploding the tops off the bottles during the process? Seems like I've heard that risk exists during fermentation?

[Coppertop]

Slippy, the only way that the tops pop off is if the beer is not done fermenting when you bottle it. I usually left mine sit an extra week or used a hydrometer to make sure it was done.

Inor, I misspoke ( I had to go look) it is a liquid I used that is called Chitosan. You can get it in a powder that is called Super Kleer.

[Baglady]

What is the powder that clears it up?

I am going to hold off making the decision until after I taste these small batches. But if they turn out even reasonably drinkable, I think I am going to go with a 5 gallon setup with the two-stage fermenters.

I'm kind of excited about this whole effort. It is a LONG-term learning process. But the book I referenced above does even go into malting your own barley and doing all-grain brewing. If I ever get to the point that I can manage that, I will basically be drinking almost free beer! (Two row barley is going for about $12 for a 100 pound sack at the feed stores around here.)
With the 5 gallon kits, you get Campden Tablets. But some of my books say you can buy Irish Moss as a clarifier.
I have the 5 gal. kits for both wine and beer, but I've been too scared to ruin it to start brewing! I've tried making wine 3 times and it never worked.
And , I've read lots of materials about it. There's just a lack of confidence on my part.

[Inor]

Excellent review and I can't wait to hear how the batch tastes. Is there a danger of exploding the tops off the bottles during the process? Seems like I've heard that risk exists during fermentation?

Of course there is a risk of exploding bottles. Do I impress you as the type of guy that would be engaged in any activity that did not involve the risk of explosion? :biglaugh:

[Baglady]

I keep hoping "The Bier Meister" will show up at my doorstep.

[Inor]

With the 5 gallon kits, you get Campden Tablets. But some of my books say you can buy Irish Moss as a clarifier.
I have the 5 gal. kits for both wine and beer, but I've been too scared to ruin it to start brewing! I've tried making wine 3 times and it never worked.
And , I've read lots of materials about it. There's just a lack of confidence on my part.

BL -

Give it a try! We can learn together. Now that we know we have a few guys here that have experience and are willing to answer questions, there is no reason to sit on the sidelines! Plus, if it works out you get beer!

[Baglady]

bb bbb u t i'm skeered. But, I'm like you. I can't stand cheap beer.
I'm a St. Paulies or Sam Adams girl. What I ordered is a german amber.
Their Crystal Veissen will kick your butt.
Did you get a hydrometer?

[Inor]

bb bbb u t i'm skeered. But, I'm like you. I can't stand cheap beer.
I'm a St. Paulies or Sam Adams girl. What I ordered is a german amber.
Their Crystal Veissen will kick your butt.
Did you get a hydrometer?

Not yet. Like I said, the beer kit my kids got me is the bare bones getting started kit. I wanted to try it a couple times to see if it is even within the realm of my skills before I invested anything into a real setup. The double IPA that I brewed two weeks ago did smell like beer when I bottled it. I'll post an update when I try the first one in 12 days. :D

[bigwheel]

Sounds like your getting the hang of it. Good job!

[Arklatex]

I always heard that the bottles can blow if you overdo that last step before capping. Where the carbonation is made. Same goes for champagne. I have never made beer but I have done many bottles of various wines. My specialty is plum wine. The plums come from my own trees and it is fantastic. Wine is much easier than beer or shine. Especially if you use the proper yeast.

[hawgrider]

Watching this thread closely. This is going to be my retirement hobby.

[Slippy]

Of course there is a risk of exploding bottles. Do I impress you as the type of guy that would be engaged in any activity that did not involve the risk of explosion? :biglaugh:

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!:explodingbomb:

[Baglady]

I always heard that the bottles can blow if you overdo that last step before capping. Where the carbonation is made. Same goes for champagne. I have never made beer but I have done many bottles of various wines. My specialty is plum wine. The plums come from my own trees and it is fantastic. Wine is much easier than beer or shine. Especially if you use the proper yeast.
Ark, You need to come home (to Arkansas!!) I need a mentor in the art of wine making!

[bigwheel]

A chum of mine speaks very highly of these things for beer making in two liter disposable pop bottles. The local feed store with a home brew section sells them pretty cheap.

http://e-z-caps.com/purchase.html#PREMIUM

[Innkeeper]

A good friend of mine made his own beer in college another vet he was retired Navy, every time a batch was ready we had a BBQ for the families in our Family housing section, the beer was always good, I will look for his email addie , I know he ran a website with his recipes and other info. I worked at a micro brewery for about 5 years, one day I will get into at home brewing, but no time soon. I do love a good German beer though it is why I loved going over there with the Army, Bamberg beer is awesome.

Look forward to seeing how things work out Inor.

[bigwheel]

Real German style beer is a bit too sweet and syrupy for my taste buds. I like English bitters or Pale Ale. Ran off a batch of Aussie beer from a syrup kit one time which I thought was real tasty.

[Inor]

So the big day finally arrived! Today is exactly 2 weeks after I bottled my first batch of Double IPA. Per the beer book I bought and referenced in my first post, today my beer is ready to be chilled and drunk! I popped the top on the first bottle and it did make the same noise that store bought beer makes, leading me to believe it did carbonate. I poured it into a glass and noticed it was much clearer than when I bottled it.

So here are my first impressions:

Smell - It smells like beer, mostly.
Color - It is brown.
Clarity - Not so much. If you hold the glass up to the light, you can tell there is light behind it, but not much more than that.
Taste - It is not awful. It is kind of like eating a loaf of that really heavy Jewish rye bread but in a liquid form. Plus it has a weird yeasty aftertaste.
Carbonation - It is flatter than I expected it to be but it is still mildly carbonated.

Overall, it turned out about in line with my expectations. That is, it is not particularly good, but it doesn't suck either. I will drink it but I will not be brewing this recipe again.

I will be bottling up my second batch of a red IPA tomorrow. We'll see in two weeks how that compares.

[Inor]

Update: I am about a third of the way through my second bottle and already half-lit. I guess on the alkeehall content, this one is a big win. Another bottle and I will be writing/slurring rave reviews about how good it is. :biglaugh: Also, there is not as much snarf in the bottom of the bottle as I expected.

[TJC44]

How many bottles of beer on the wall?

[Inor]

My kids gave me a 1 gallon starter kit for Christmas. So that makes about 8 bottles per batch. Once I get a batch that turns out exceptionally good, I will take the plunge and get the 6.5 gallon setup going. So that should make about 2 cases per batch.

[TJC44]

You should be good for the weekend anyway.
May have to try this once the we get into a house.

[Inor]

I bottled up the Cheap Red Beer this afternoon. I think it is going to be better than the Cheap Brown Beer that I did for my first batch. On the first batch, I stored the bottles in the basement for two weeks for carbonation fermentation. Our basement is about 63 degrees this time of year, so I think that might have been part of the reason it did not get as carbonated as I expected. I am going to store this batch in the kitchen which is usually between 68 and 72 depending on whether Mrs Inor is cooking or not.

I'll post a report in two weeks on the quality of it.

[Arklatex]

Are you adding a pinch of sugar to the bottles before capping? I've heard that really carbonates the heck out of it but you run the risk of exploded bottles...

[Inor]

Yes. Both recipes I am using has me add about a teaspoon and a half of sugar to each bottle. That is why I think it was just too cool for it in the basement.

[Arklatex]

Btw thanks for the thread. I want to get into this stuff since I love beer so much. Just haven't done it yet, only research so far. I can make some great wine though.

[hawgrider]

Friend of mine brews he told me about this place. They have a free catalog with all the goodies you need for the novice on up. They have some real nice brew kits. http://www.morebeer.com/ call them they will send you a catalog.

[Montana Rancher]

Update: I am about a third of the way through my second bottle and already half-lit. I guess on the alkeehall content, this one is a big win. Another bottle and I will be writing/slurring rave reviews about how good it is. :biglaugh: Also, there is not as much snarf in the bottom of the bottle as I expected.


I bottled up the Cheap Red Beer this afternoon. I think it is going to be better than the Cheap Brown Beer that I did for my first batch. On the first batch, I stored the bottles in the basement for two weeks for carbonation fermentation. Our basement is about 63 degrees this time of year, so I think that might have been part of the reason it did not get as carbonated as I expected. I am going to store this batch in the kitchen which is usually between 68 and 72 depending on whether Mrs Inor is cooking or not.

I'll post a report in two weeks on the quality of it.

Great post, I am waiting the results of the normal IPA

I have a stil purchased but never used, I am thinking of some corn mash and ever clear as a SHTF barter item but it will probably fail as I have no experience other than the 3 books telling me what to do.

[Inor]

I will be cracking the first IPA tomorrow. It looks to be better than the first batch.

I also went out today and got set up to brew 5 gallon batches. I will be brewing the first batch tomorrow. This one is going to take a bit longer however as it is a two-stage primary fermentation. I think the total time is going to be something like 6 weeks. But, with the two-stage primary fermentation, it will also allow me to have two batches going at the same time.

I'll post again tomorrow letting you know my opinions on the larger effort.

[Baglady]

As I posted in another thread, temperature is everything (apparently), to a successful brew of wine or beer. That's the main reason why I havent been able to have the confidence to do it. I've tried wine 3 times.
Our fruit harvest is normally at the end of the fall, when the weather is unpredictable.
Since we burn wood for heat, and have minimal space to place the fermenting products, I have to get creative to try to keep anything fermenting in a proper temp.
So far, it hasnt worked out...:pout:

[Coppertop]

Baglady- Did you see the post that I made off of your questions? I didn't know if that/or I could help.

Thanks

[Coppertop]

Inor,

I think that the bigger batches will help with your yeast tasting issues. Also with your setup did you get a hydrometer? I used one when I first started, then quit using it when I had a few batches under my belt. I then had my one and only bad batch and after fighting it for quite a while, I picked up the hydrometer again and used it on every batch thereafter. I just used it to tell me when the sugars were all eaten, which then told me that the yeasts were gone (or almost gone). Its been a couple of years but when the hydrometer was reading 0% sugars (alcohol content) that a day or two after all the yeasts would be gone. (You measure sugar at the beginning of the process IE 7% then when it is 0 your sugars have converted to alcohol and you now have 7% alcohol by volume) I checked my wine about 12 days after I started it and then again at about 14 days when I racked it.

Are you doing beer from ready made "kits" or are you using grains? I know the grains take longer and need a little more attention to the sugar and yeast interaction as the grains seem to go through a stage where they seem almost done and then release more sugars (a day or so later). I think it has to do with the moisture content and some sort of chemical reaction with the mixture of liquids in the bucket. That is not scientific in any form, just an observation.

Thanks

[Inor]

Coppertop -

Right now I am using the kits. I am so new to all of this, I figure I will use the kits for at least my first 3 batches. Then I will start assembling my own. Eventually, I would like to get where I am doing all-grain brews. But that is at least a year away before I even begin to try.

The salesman that sold me all the crap I got yesterday mentioned that I should wait a batch or two before buying the hydrometer to get the process down first. I figure, doing the kits for a while I am pretty safe too. But that is on the wish list. :D Thanks for the info!

[Inor]

First an update... I just cracked the first of my IPA that I brewed 4 weeks ago. It is MUCH better than the first batch. I would actually call it very good, not great, but very good. It is clear, has enough carbonation that it does not taste flat and has a good flavor. It is a British style IPA so it is more bitter than the American IPAs, but that is the taste I was after. So I am calling this one a big time success!

[hawgrider]

First an update... I just cracked the first of my IPA that I brewed 4 weeks ago. It is MUCH better than the first batch. I would actually call it very good, not great, but very good. It is clear, has enough carbonation that it does not taste flat and has a good flavor. It is a British style IPA so it is more bitter than the American IPAs, but that is the taste I was after. So I am calling this one a big time success!
Congrats! It will only keep getting better. A friend of mine is at the stage now of growing his own hops in his greenhouse. I think he does 5 gallons at a time now.

[Inor]

Onto my adventure today with the larger 5 gallon brew setup... I am going to detail out the steps I took in the hopes that some of you guys with brewing experience will be able to tell me if I did anything wrong. Also, for you guys that have an interest but have not yet taken the plunge, this will hopefully give you some idea of what you are getting yourself into. Finally, it gives me a place to refer back to for my notes on this batch.

The basic process is to brew up 2-3 gallons of wort at double the normal concentration. Then to mix the concentrated wort with water in the fermenting vessel to fill it to 5 gallons and pitch the yeast.

I started last evening by filtering and boiling 3 gallons of tap water. I brought it to a full boil and kept it boiling for 10 minutes. Then I just turned the heat off and left it covered until today.

Today, I started off by mixing up 5 gallons of sanitizing solution in a 5 gallon bucket. I put the bucket near the stove so I could just keep spoon and the rest of my stuff in it as I was boiling the wort. I also sanitized another 5 gallon bucket and poured the boiled water from yesterday into it. I covered that bucket and put it in the garage to get it as cold as possible without freezing.

One thing I found that was helpful before I actually began today was to review the recipe. The wort needs to boil for a full hour and the recipe calls for adding hops and other stuff at various points during the boil. However, the recipe always calls for adding stuff relative to the end of the boil rather than from the beginning. I found it easier to translate the times for the additions into times relative from the beginning. I made note of all of them on a notecard that I kept on the counter next to me during the process.

The recipe called for heating 2 1/2 gallons of water to make the wort concentrate. I should have used a full 3 gallons as I lost over 1/2 gallon just in the steam while boiling. The recipe called for putting 2 1/2 pounds of crushed grains into a muslin bag and steeping that in the water as it heated. I was supposed to steep it for 20 minute or until the water reached 170 degrees, whichever came first.

From the beer book reference in my first post on this thread, I learned that the grains must not be steeped at more than 170 degrees or the tannins in the grain will start to leach into the wort. So, I did it a little different than the recipe called for. I heated the water to about 166 degrees. Then I shut off the stove and moved the brew kettle to a cool burner. I then steeped the grains for a full 20 minutes. I saved the used grains because they taste really good. I think Mrs Inor is going to dry them out and use them to make bread!

Then I heated the wort/grain tea to a full boil. Again, I shut off the burner and moved the kettle to a cool burner. I mixed in 6 pounds of liquid malt concentrate and 1 pound of dry malt extract. One trick to working with the liquid malt concentrate that I figured out is to soak the bottle in hot water for about 15 minutes before you use it. At room temperature, the stuff is REALLY thick - even thicker than honey. It is really difficult to get it all out of the bottle at room temperature. But after soaking in hot water for about 15-20 minutes, it pours out nicely. Also, you have to be really careful to stir like crazy when adding the malts. They have a tendency to sink through the wort and want to burn to the bottom of the kettle. But if you stir like mad when adding them, they do dissolve pretty well.

Once the malts were fully dissolved, I moved the kettle back to the burner and heated it at high until it came to a full rolling boil. Then I added the first oz of hops. You have to keep a close watch on it as it is boiling as it has a tendency to foam up really fast and want to boil over. When it starts to boil up I took the cover off the pot and stirred it down some. I was doing that about every minute or two until I figured out that I should just reduce the heat. (Yeah, I know. I am a dumb ass. I do not spend much time in the kitchen.) Once I turned the heat down to about 2/3 I found that when it started to boil up, I could just remove the cover for about 10 seconds and it would calm right down.

About 45 minutes into the boil, I added an Irish Moss tablet to the wort. This is supposedly to help make the beer clearer when done. Then 5 minutes after the Irish Moss, I did the second hop addition of 1/2 oz. Finally, 9 minutes after the second hop addition, I added the third hop addition of a 1/2 oz of hops and boiled it for the last minute of the boil.

When the boil was done, I moved the kettle into the sink and an ice water bath with the cover on the kettle. While the wort was cooling I sanitized the fermenting vessel, the airlock, a funnel, a scissors and the yeast packet. I may have made a mistake here because I mixed the sanitizer with hot water not thinking about the yeast not being able to handle 170 degree water. Time will tell on that one but I hope I did not kill it.

Once the wort was down to around 135 degrees, I strained it into a sanitized bucket to remove as much of the hops and grain pieces as possible. I strained it back and forth between the brew kettle and the bucket 3-4 times to get as much crap out of it as I could and to get some oxygen into the wort. By the time I had finished straining it, the wort was down to about 100-110 degrees.

I poured the hot wort into the fermenter and added cold water from the 3 gallons I had boiled yesterday until it reached the full 5 gallons. But as I mentioned earlier, during the boil more of the water evaporated than I expected. After adding the full 3 gallons of boiled water I only had about 4 1/2 gallons in the fermenter. I made up the difference with just some bottled water.

I took the temp of the wort and it was down to about 70 degrees so I pitched the yeast and put on the lid and the airlock. I finished up about 4:00 PM, so it is still too early to tell if the yeast is working or not. But it does seem to be building up a head of foam on the top. Right now, the foam is about 1/2 inch thick, but the airlock is not bubbling yet. Still, the formation of the foam makes me think it is going to be okay.

So, there you are. It will sit in the primary fermenting vessel for 1-2 weeks. Then I will siphon it to a secondary fermenting vessel and add another oz of hops for another 1-2 weeks. After that, I will add some sugar and bottle it for another 2 weeks.

I will keep ya'll apprised of the progress.

[hawgrider]

Appreciate the write up Inor. Damn...... its a little more technical than a Mr Beer kit eh!

[James m]

Beer candied bacon!
http://tideandthyme.com/beer-candied-bacon/
this gave me an unreachable error when i tried to post, must work now.

[Inor]

A secondary benefit of my beer experiment...

We saved the crushed grains that I had steeped in the water to make wort. Today, Mrs Inor took about half of the grains and mixed them with some of her sourdough starter to make bread tomorrow. The starter REALLY likes the crushed barley! I have never seen one of her bread sponges grow so big so fast.

The rest of the grains were put into the dehydrator and dried. Then I ran them through the grain mill and made about a pint of sparged barley flour. It is really sweet to taste. I expect it will be really good for baking. It will be good once I move past making the extract beers because then I will be using much larger quantities of grains for making wort. That will lead to larger quantities of sweet flour which will lead to more breads, pastries and cakes for me to eat (with my beer)! That sounds like a win-win to me.

[Inor]

Update: The bread is freakin' GREAT! There was enough sugar left in the grains that it really rose up nice. The outside was real crusty and the inside fluffy. Bread from beer leftovers is a huge side benefit that I had not thought of when I decided to start this effort.

[Coppertop]

Another idea is to take the used wort and make a "gravy" for your chicken wings. I have had some in the past and they are sweet but really good.

I'm glad that this is working out for you.

It seems pretty lengthy for the kits I have made but they are all different. One thing you will find is that a little bit of sanitizer goes a long ways and after we started we didn't do much sanitizing between batches unless the jugs sat empty for a more than a day or so. We used a pitcher and a rag, then just dipped or wiped what ever we needed to clean up. We also used the sanitizer a few times (two or three batches worth). The biggest thing we used the sanitizer for was the bottles.

One hint, We made a bunch of "trees" out of 4x4's and dowels to turn the bottles over on so that the sanitizer drained out. (you make lots of bottles when you make 5 gallons). I could always taste the sanitizer in the beer/wine if I didn't drain the bottles well. It may have been a mental thing but I did have some other folks tell me that the wine tasted off and the only difference was if the bottles where drained well or not.

Just some thoughts.....

I am happy it's going well.

Thanks

[Inor]

Great idea on the gravy Coppertop! I did just put the sanitizer in a 5 gallon bucket, put the cover on it and put it downstairs. No sense mixing a new batch for the transfer or bottling.

Also a great idea on the bottle tree too. I am going to make one before bottling.

Thanks for the good info and the encouragement!

[Baglady]

Lots of work, but I'm sure it will be worth it. My kit said to prepare 50 bottles. They are still in my closet. I went to a local bar and had them save me any bottles that were not screw on lids. Like Corona.
I also thought about building a "tree" for draining the bottles.
Keep us posted.

[Baglady]

Baglady- Did you see the post that I made off of your questions? I didn't know if that/or I could help.

ThanksNo, I did'nt see it. Maybe you can pm me.

[Inor]

Baglady -

My book says to use only brown bottles. Apparently, the green and clear bottles let in some light waves that are harmful to the beer. I have been saving Sam Adams bottles as they seem to be made of thicker glass too.

[Baglady]

Baglady -

My book says to use only brown bottles. Apparently, the green and clear bottles let in some light waves that are harmful to the beer. I have been saving Sam Adams bottles as they seem to be made of thicker glass too.Yeah, I've read that too, but if your going to keep them in a dark place it's supposed to be fine to use the clear bottles. We have a walk in closet i was going to keep mine in.
At $8 per 6-pk of Sam Adams...x..9..= $54 dollars! But I do love me some Samuel Adams! That and St. Paulies Girl are about the only beer I can get that are worth a shit.
Speaking of different colored bottles, when I was living in Germany, they had recycling bins for damn near everything. And you had to separate your brown glass, from the green and clear glass.
Just a bit of trivia for ya.

[Coppertop]

No, I did'nt see it. Maybe you can pm me.

http://theoutdoortradingpost.com/showthread.php?1901-Baglady-Your-fermenting-wine-question

[Inor]

I transferred my first 5 gallon batch from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter today. I discovered that I had made an error when I brewed it. I thought the primary and secondary fermenters were the same size. They are not. The primary fermenter is a 6 1/2 gallon and the secondary is a 5 gallon. I used the secondary for my primary fermentation, so when I transferred it, I only ended up getting about 4 1/2 gallons of wort. It should not be a big deal, but I will end up with a few less bottles on this batch than doing it right.

The other error I made was trying to remove the hose from the siphon when cleaning up after. Once the hose is installed, it does not come off. I ended up breaking the siphon. Again, it is not a huge deal as the siphon is just a plastic crap thing. I cannot imagine it is going to cost me more than $10-$15 to replace.

I did add another ounce of hops to the wort for the last 2 weeks of fermentation. Then it will be time to boil up some sugar-water and bottle it! More in two weeks.

[Baglady]

Inor, one thing you can do to take up space, is to seal a large stone in a zip-lock bag, and put it in your bucket.
Another tip I learned, was to tape a popsicle stick to your hose, (shut up OSFG, :bounce:) leaving about 2" to keep from suctioning your sediment into your secondary bucket.

[Inor]

Today I bottled the first 5 gallon batch. I could not resist taking a taste just to get an idea of what the finished product will be like. I think I am going to like this one. The clarifying tablet seemed to help A LOT. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, I ended up getting a little less than I planned because I used the wrong carboy for the first fermentation. So I ended up getting 43 bottles. I let you know the final results in 2-3 weeks.

Then, I brewed up another batch of a double IPA. This time, I did use the correct carboy for the primary fermentation. I also watered it to be a bit above 5 gallons so when I transfer it to the secondary and the bottling bucket I can leave the sludge behind and still end up with a full 5 gallons. This recipe called for 9 1/2 pounds of liquid malt extract PLUS a pound of sugar! (The last recipe used about 1 1/4 pound of liquid malt extract per gallon and no added sugar.)

This is going to be a strong one as I took Coppertop's advice and bought a tester for specific gravity and this batch came in at 1.085 before fermenting. If my beer book is correct, that should put it somewhere around 9-9 1/2% ABV when done fermenting. Yowza!

Also, the yeast on this batch is more active than any of the others I have brewed. It was already bubbling a constant stream of CO2 even before I had completely cleaned up the brew kettle! I am hopeful that today's batch will be the best batch so far.

[hawgrider]

9% yee haw! You'll have to call that beer "Nap time". :biglaugh:

[TJC44]

Are you brewing or distilling?

[Inor]

Are you brewing or distilling?

The recipe actually calls for adding 6 oz of tequila when I transfer it to the secondary fermenter! I think I am going to skip that step if the specific gravity shows higher than 6%. :D

[Reptilicus]

WHAT???? Skipping a chance to add TEQUILA!!! That sir , is agave abuse!!!! lol

[TJC44]

"Inor's Knock You on Your Ass IPA"

[Coppertop]

It's quite interesting to see what you brew vs. what your local store has in Alcohol Content. It sure seems like you are paying for a bunch of water added to make your AC% come down. I would almost bet Inor's first couple of batches were higher in AC% than realized.

Inor, I am glad this is working. I never worried about "topping" off fermenters or filling space in the fermenters. I don't think it ever made a difference other than cutting the beer. With anyone else I know who made beer, they always topped the fermenters off after racking. Everyone finds their preferred way of doing things.

Thanks

[Laufen]

Any new great IPA's out this year? Hopslam 2015 was a huge disappointment. The Burnt Hickory Cannon Dragger from Kenesaw is excellent.

[Inor]

I have a bottle of Killer Penguin that I bought just before Christmas that calls to me every weekend. So far I have been able to resist the urge. But one of these nights I am going to have to open that bad boy before the weather gets too warm to drink it.

I may also open one bottle of the red ale that I bottled a week ago tonight just to see how it is carbonating. I know I am supposed to wait two weeks, but my curiosity is killing me.

[Inor]

The night finally arrived! Tonight I cracked the first bottle of the red ale that I brewed 6 weeks ago. This was also my first batch in the 5 gallon setup. I have to say, it came out better than I hoped it would. This is the first batch that I have brewed that I would call really top quality beer!

1340

It is a lot clearer than it shows in the picture. The beer was ice cold when I poured it into my favorite HE'BREW glass and there was some humidity buildup on the glass that makes it look opaque in the picture.

I also transferred the really heavy Ale that I brewed two weeks ago from the primary to the secondary fermentor. I almost forgot to add the last batch of hops, but when I saw the packages sitting on the counter I remembered at the last moment.

I did check the gravity on it when I moved it. Whoa momma! The initial gravity was 1.085. Only two weeks into fermenting, it is already down to 1.014. A little back of the envelope math: (1.085 - 1.014) / 0.776 = 0.091! It is only halfway through fermenting and it is already at about 9.1% ABV! Although most of the alcohol is created in the first few days of fermenting. Now the yeast is mostly just working on flavor. I think I am going to call this one "Slap Yo Mama On The Ass Ale"! :biglaugh:

Tomorrow I am going to brew one that is a little more tame. Tomorrow's will also be the last "kit" beer I am going to brew. In 2 or 4 weeks when I do the next batch, I am just going to buy ingredients and come up with my own concoction.

[hawgrider]

That looks great! Nice head on it. Excellent work!

[Coppertop]

That beer looks pretty great. I am very happy this is going well. Like I said earlier, it's quite interesting to see what your AC% is-

Thanks

[Inor]

Well I cracked my double IPA that I made 6 weeks ago. I estimated that it would come in around 9 or 9.5% ABV. It ended up at 10.4%!

After all of the names that I have considered for it, the only name that really fits it is: Travon Martin. It is black as the Ace of Spades and once you kill a bottle, it bashes your head into the pavement!

[hawgrider]

Well I cracked my double IPA that I made 6 weeks ago. I estimated that it would come in around 9 or 9.5% ABV. It ended up at 10.4%!

After all of the names that I have considered for it, the only name that really fits it is: Travon Martin. It is black as the Ace of Spades and once you kill a bottle, it bashes your head into the pavement!







That's damn funny right there I don't care who you are.


http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/q761/hawgrider97/stuff/zsYLA8_Xwo8OUO5AeJPIrNNspsfl9FSp_I43pmHEJb-wzHYvyNsFwJ5Y1luYgLZZcejAehz8w2wPPYk60tEw300-h157_zpsmyrr7lz4.gif (http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/hawgrider97/media/stuff/zsYLA8_Xwo8OUO5AeJPIrNNspsfl9FSp_I43pmHEJb-wzHYvyNsFwJ5Y1luYgLZZcejAehz8w2wPPYk60tEw300-h157_zpsmyrr7lz4.gif.html)

[Arklatex]

LMAO!!! I nominate Inor for the OTP post of the day and an additional 1000 internet points! Next up: Mike Brown Ale.

[Reptilicus]

Mmmmmm.......BEER!!!!!

[Baglady]

10.4%? Awsome. How's the flavor? Details....
Congrats.

[Inor]

10.4%? Awsome. How's the flavor? Details....
Congrats.

It is actually really smooth for that alcohol content. You can really taste the hops, which isn't surprising since there were 7 oz of hops for 5 gallons! But it is not bitter like some hoppy beers are. You can certainly notice the grain, but it has very little aftertaste. It does taste better at just below room temperature than ice cold. Ice cold seems to dull the flavors some. I am calling this one a success.

[Baglady]

Sounds great! I like a beer that's a little "hoppie", but not bitter.

[Inor]

It was cold and rainy here today so I kicked off beer brewing season by mixing up a slightly modified version of my Travon Martin IPA. With the last batch, I used about 9 pounds of liquid malt extract and a pound of corn sugar with 5 gallons of water. This time, I used 7 pounds of dry malt extract (which is quite a bit more sugar content than liquid) and no corn sugar. The sugar content is slightly higher than the last one with the specific gravity coming in at 1.088.

I also changed out the yeast. Last time I just used simple Ale yeast that go dormant when the alcohol content reaches around 10 or 11 percent. This time I went with some special kind of champagne yeast that supposedly will stay active until around 17%! I won't get anything close to that as there is not enough sugar. I expect somewhere around 11%. But it should have a drier flavor.

I also cut back just a bit on the hops, going with 5 oz instead of 7 last time. Finally, I shaved up some red oak and threw about 2 oz of that into the fermenter. I don't know if it will add anything or not, but what the hell... :biglaugh:

Apparently this new yeast is pretty dang happy because within 15 minutes of pitching the yeast I was getting more than 2 bubbles per second through the airlock! (Usually that takes a few hours before it is growing at that rate.) Although I am a little concerned that the yeast could mutate and try to kill Mrs Inor and me in our sleep!

I'll let you know in about 6 weeks if it is any good.

[hawgrider]

Holy crap! If that works out you will have to call it Rodney King because if you can drink a couple of those your going to take a beating.

[Inor]

Holy crap! If that works out you will have to call it Rodney King because if you can drink a couple of those your going to take a beating.

You got it! That is brilliant! If this one works out, I'll send you a six.

[Inor]

I got a pleasant surprise tonight. I went downstairs to get a six pack of Rodney King to chill for this evening and I discovered a whole case of Witbier that I brewed last spring and had forgotten about. I was a little nervous about trying it after it had been sitting on the shelf for 8 months, plus when I had some shortly after it was ready, it was not that great to begin with. But I thought what the hell... I put 3 Witbiers and 3 Rodney Kings in the fridge.

I just cracked the first Witbier and damn, the months forgotten in the cold dark basement have been very good to it!

I still have a LOT to learn on this whole brewing thing. But one thing is for certain, I am going to keep at least 12 bottles of each batch on a back shelf for 6 or 12 months to see what happens to it over time. Some I expect will go bad. But with others, this might be just what the doctor ordered.

[Arklatex]

So how did the Rodney King turn out?

[Inor]

Rodney King lives up to its name. As Hawg says, two of 'em and you take a beating.

[hawgrider]

Rodney King lives up to its name. As Hawg says, two of 'em and you take a beating.
Awesome brewing compay beer names.... Trayvon Martian and Rodney King.

Next up Ferguson Fred.:obamabounce:

[Arklatex]

Awesome brewing compay beer names.... Trayvon Martian and Rodney King.

Next up Ferguson Fred.:obamabounce:
We could have some fun coming up with names for his beer!

Black Lagers Matter

NYPD Chokehold ale

Baltimore riot IPA

:D

[Inor]

We could have some fun coming up with names for his beer!

Black Lagers Matter

NYPD Chokehold ale

Baltimore riot IPA

:D

Now you guys have me thinking...

Maybe I should make a triple IPA with about 10 pounds of malt and maybe some extra sugar added too. It would need to be fermented with champagne yeast that can survive up to 17% ABV.

"Ferguson IPA - Be careful with this stuff or you'll burn your neighborhood down!"

It will need a LOT of hops to cover up all that malt. Let me think on this a while...

[TJC44]

Now you guys have me thinking...

Maybe I should make a triple IPA with about 10 pounds of malt and maybe some extra sugar added too. It would need to be fermented with champagne yeast that can survive up to 17% ABV.

"Ferguson IPA - Be careful with this stuff or you'll burn your neighborhood down!"

It will need a LOT of hops to cover up all that malt. Let me think on this a while...

I just had this picture pop in my mind of the TV show "The Munsters" when Grampa is in the basement "mixing a little something up"