Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[BeerAdvocate]

Today I kegged a Coffee Vanilla Porter and brewed an Imperial Stout for winter

[St. Lou Stu]

Got two in the fermenter right now.... both will be served at Shack.
Last Sunday I brewed up a California Common (a newer revision of the recipe a few posts up) and today was a nice little Session hop bomb.

Today's Session beer:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: American Session
Brewer: Tim Lael
Asst Brewer: 8 million mosquitoes
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (0.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal      
Boil Size: 7.33 gal
Estimated OG: 1.040 SG
Estimated Color: 5.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 46.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
5.25 lb       Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM)     Grain        65.63 %       
1.75 lb       Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM)             Grain        21.88 %       
1.00 lb       Caramel Malt - 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM)    Grain        12.50 %       
1.00 oz       Cascade [5.50 %]  (Dry Hop 5 days)        Hops          -            
1.00 oz       Cascade [5.50 %]  (60 min)                Hops         18.1 IBU      
1.00 oz       Centennial [11.00 %]  (Dry Hop 5 days)    Hops          -            
0.50 oz       Cascade [5.50 %]  (20 min)                Hops         5.5 IBU       
0.50 oz       Cascade [5.50 %]  (10 min)                Hops         3.3 IBU       
1.50 oz       Centennial [11.00 %]  (0 min)             Hops          -            
1.00 items    Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)          Misc                       
1 Pkgs        English Ale (White Labs #WLP002)          Yeast-Ale                  
1.00 oz       Centennial [10.00 %]  (90 min) (Mash Hop) Hops         7.8 IBU       
0.50 oz       Centennial [10.00 %]  (5 min)             Hops         3.6 IBU       
2.00 oz       Cascade [5.50 %]  (90 min) (Mash Hop)     Hops         8.6 IBU       


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 8.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
75 min        Mash In            Add 10.00 qt of water at 160.7 F    148.0 F       
10 min        Mash Out           Add 6.40 qt of water at 205.1 F     168.0 F       


Notes:
------
Whirlpool 1.5oz Centennial at flameout before starting chill water.
Dry hop 1oz Cascade 1oz Centennial for 5 days as active fermentation subsides

Brew adjustment:
Added 2 quarts extra to mash to account for hop absorbtion

Strike water @ 162 hit mash at 148.5

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[rack04]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

Today I kegged a Coffee Vanilla Porter and brewed an Imperial Stout for winter

Did you add the vanilla to the boil or secondary? I'm interested in making a chocolate vanilla robust porter for the winter but I'm having a hard time deciding on beans/extract and when to add.

[BeerAdvocate]

I always add to secondary. Actually this time I used some high quality vanilla extract and just put a tablespoon in the keg and racked my beer on top of that.
I usually use whole vanilla beans that I split down the middle, scrap out the insides and soak everything in vodka for a day. Then I just dump it all into secondary.

[Salvelinus]

Put a marris otter/simcoe smash over a starter from the dregs of a DFH Squall. Friend put an amber in the basement on Sunday. Add the lambic and I'm sitting 15 gallons of goodies in the basement. Peanuts for some, but my personal best.

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by rack04

Did you add the vanilla to the boil or secondary? I'm interested in making a chocolate vanilla robust porter for the winter but I'm having a hard time deciding on beans/extract and when to add.

I've always put the extract in the bottling bucket with the priming sugar. As Travis says, secondary might work just as well--you may even get better distribution, but I've never had problems with the bottling method. If you're using beans, definitely in the secondary.

[cricky101]

It's a brewing weekend for me. Two partial mashes. One double chocolate stout in the fermenter yesterday and an Irish red ale going right now.

[Devanmc]

mmm beer, didnt know this was here. Ive got a honey brown kolsch and a summer blonde for shack in the fermentor right now. the summer moves to secondary tomorrow.

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by Devanmc

mmm beer, didnt know this was here. Ive got a honey brown kolsch and a summer blonde for shack in the fermentor right now. the summer moves to secondary tomorrow.

Nice.
I moved two over to secondary this weekend.

One is a Session IPA, the other a California Common.
Both will be kegged in time for Shack!

Tomorrow I'm going to brew a Kolsch. It should be a cool day compared to what we've had. Forecast only calls for 95 degrees.

[Devanmc]

Originally Posted by St. Lou Stu

Nice.
I moved two over to secondary this weekend.

One is a Session IPA, the other a California Common.
Both will be kegged in time for Shack!

Tomorrow I'm going to brew a Kolsch. It should be a cool day compared to what we've had. Forecast only calls for 95 degrees.

so your bringing home brew kegs to shack as well? 5gl cornies im guessing?

if so, how do you plan on serving? we might be able to combine our serving stuff for the weekend. Im in the processes of PMing Da Klugs about the CO2 side of things.

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by Devanmc

so your bringing home brew kegs to shack as well? 5gl cornies im guessing?

if so, how do you plan on serving? we might be able to combine our serving stuff for the weekend. Im in the processes of PMing Da Klugs about the CO2 side of things.

I'll bring a full 2.5 pound cylinder, plus, we will have a paintball cylinder that we can run up to Walmart to refill if needed.
I'll be bringing 2 2-tap jockey boxes so we'll have four taps going at any given time.
Do you have a ball lock or pin lock setup?

[Devanmc]

ball lock, how many kegs will you have hooked up? if i might be able to hook my 2 kegs up to that. As itll work much better then a bucket of ice.

I was planning on bringing a 20oz CO2 as well. Plus my #20 as backup.

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by Devanmc

ball lock, how many kegs will you have hooked up? if i might be able to hook my 2 kegs up to that. As itll work much better then a bucket of ice.

I was planning on bringing a 20oz CO2 as well. Plus my #20 as backup.

I'm only bringing 2 kegs. Tristan is also going to bring one or two that I know of.
You are more than welcome to use the boxes.
We'll just make sure that it is hooked up so that we don't have the same stuff on tap.
Only exception would be that Tristan and I both brewed a session IPA... I'd like to tap those at the same time to do a side-by-side.

[Devanmc]

sounds fine to me. Ill bring enough to keep my beer cold in-case i cant hook up to the box. I planned on using large buckets and ice, should work pretty well. If needed.

do you have a manifold to split the CO2 multiple ways? That way we can use just 1 tank. If not i can look at borrowing/getting one.

where will be able to chain/tie up the tanks so they dont fall?

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by Devanmc

sounds fine to me.

do you can a manifold to split the CO2 multiple ways? That way we can use just 1 tank.

I'll bring an 8-way manifold too. I forgot about that.

Besides beer, I'm bringing:
1 - #2.5 CO2 tank
1 - Dual regulator
1 - 8 way manifold
2 - 2 tap jockey boxes
1 - half barrel ice tub
assorted tools for regulators, poppets, hose clamps, spare liquid and gas line...
bungees for tanks...

[Devanmc]

Originally Posted by St. Lou Stu

I'll bring an 8-way manifold too. I forgot about that.

Besides beer, I'm bringing:
1 - #2.5 CO2 tank
1 - Dual regulator
1 - 8 way manifold
2 - 2 tap jockey boxes
1 - half barrel ice tub
assorted tools for regulators, poppets, hose clamps, spare liquid and gas line......

awesome. ill bring my equipment just for backups then.

we will have a place to chain up the tanks from falling and being damaged though right? cuz i dont want to leave my#20 in the car on its side all weekend.

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by Devanmc

awesome. ill bring my equipment just for backups then.

we will have a place to chain up the tanks from falling and being damaged though right? cuz i dont want to leave my#20 in the car on its side all weekend.

Yeah, if we don't tie 'em to a table, I'm sure we could stash them in the shed away from trouble!

[Devanmc]

perfect. im gunna bring a some chain

[Devanmc]

if you think of anything youd like me to bring. just LMK

[Matt-N-Ga]

Awsmith4 and I transferred his Birthday brew into the secondary earlier last week. It's a clone of Kate The Great. We are letting it sit on Port soaked Oak chips.

We also transferred our own concoction off the second runnings of the KAte the Great mash. We added into primary, Coffee beans, Vanilla beans and chocolate. It sits alone in secondary with no additions.