Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[St. Lou Stu]

Looks like everyone is getting ready for summer with all the Wits!

I also have a Belgian Wit going right now.
It was a simple recipe:
5 gallon batch
50% 6-Row (I used 5 lbs)
50% Unmalted Red Wheat (again, 5 lbs)
4oz. Acid Malt
1 pound rice hulls (unmalted wheat will cause a very sticky mash without these)
.75oz. Bitter Orange Peel
.75oz. Sweet Orange Peel
.75oz. Coriander
WLP 400

Mash @ 150°
Add spices last 5 minutes of boil
Hop to about 20 IBU with neutral to somewhat spicy hop such as Saaz, Sterling, Mt. Hood.
Also tastes good with a neutral Noble hop.

Grow yeast up in a starter to achieve ~250 billion cells (1.5l will work for fairly fresh yeast)
Ferment @ 70° for 15 days.

Carbonate to 2.5vols.

[ktblunden]

Originally Posted by icantbejon

I converted my old chest freezer into a temp controlled unit for lagering and general fermenting. Probably the best thing I've done, outside of my kegerator, to assist in my brewing. Getting stable temps and being able to cold crash has been very helpful.

Yeah, it's a full size fridge and I've been using it to cold crash, but now I'll be able to hold temps anywhere I want them. Been sitting rock solid at 68° all week.

[BeerAdvocate]

what temp controller is everyone using and where did you get it?

[Salvelinus]

I did the homebuild of the ebay temp controller. I put it in a slick little radio shack project box. Total cost was about $25 and some time.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay...-build-163849/

Link has all you'd ever need to know about building it.

[OnlyDryReds]

Got a mr beer chezch pilzner in the keg does that count

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by OnlyDryReds

Got a mr beer chezch pilzner in the keg does that count

It's a darn good start!

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

what temp controller is everyone using and where did you get it?

Johnson A419 ABC-1C from PexSupply.
http://www.pexsupply.com/Johnson-Con...-120-240v-SPDT

The have a great price, but you'll need to be somewhat comfortable with 120v wiring.

[cobra03]

Originally Posted by OnlyDryReds

Got a mr beer chezch pilzner in the keg does that count

Hell yeah. Your brewing beer at home are you not?

Checked my IPA yesterday and it tasted pretty damn good but needed a little cold crash to settle out some yeast, so its in the fridge waiting to be bottled tomorrow.

[altbiers]

Just kegged an imperial dark belgian ale. Topped out at 12% ABV and is quite good.

Need a catchy name,maybe dealing with a dark knight or something. Any suggestions?

[cobra03]

Originally Posted by altbiers

Just kegged an imperial dark belgian ale. Topped out at 12% ABV and is quite good.

Need a catchy name,maybe dealing with a dark knight or something. Any suggestions?

Heart of Darkness
Into the Darkness
Left in the Dark
Scared of the Dark
Dark Matter
Shot in the Dark

[ktblunden]

Originally Posted by Salvelinus

I did the homebuild of the ebay temp controller. I put it in a slick little radio shack project box. Total cost was about $25 and some time.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay...-build-163849/

Link has all you'd ever need to know about building it.

I built the exact same controller to that exact same thread.

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by ktblunden

I built the exact same controller to that exact same thread.

Mine seems to work just fine and it is cheap. This is almost exactly what mine looks like (and rebel brewer is using the same controller), except I couldn't find a matching black outlet in my pile in the basement so my outlet is white, and no cool sticker. At the price they are charging you could build three.

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingc...hermostat.html

[icantbejon]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

what temp controller is everyone using and where did you get it?

I'm using the analog Johnson temp control unit right now....works well for me.
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contro...ef=pd_sim_la_1

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by St. Lou Stu

Johnson A419 ABC-1C from PexSupply.
http://www.pexsupply.com/Johnson-Con...-120-240v-SPDT

The have a great price, but you'll need to be somewhat comfortable with 120v wiring.

Another vote for this model from Johnson Controls, however I bought mine pre-assembled from Northern Brewer:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/j...ontroller.html

Don't recall spending $84, though It's a great unit, perfectly controls my fermentation freezer/yeast storage unit.

[icantbejon]

Originally Posted by kaisersozei

Another vote for this model from Johnson Controls, however I bought mine pre-assembled from Northern Brewer:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/j...ontroller.html

Don't recall spending $84, though It's a great unit, perfectly controls my fermentation freezer/yeast storage unit.

You can find these ones cheaper online right now...I think I'm going to get another, digital this time, and I've found them in the 60s.

[BeerAdvocate]

Jon, let me know if you find a good deal on a digital one. I have been searching for one also. Thanks

[kaisersozei]

My Rosemary Honey Saison is just about finished primary ferment, got an ESB split batch (Dry English Ale and Burton Ale yeasts) from a 20 year old recipe sitting in secondaries, and yesterday brewed up a "Mid-Atlantic Transcontinental IPA": British malts + American hops (Falconer's Flight.) Pitched it on top of the ESB Dry English yeast cake and fermentation kicked off in 3 hours.

Anybody have experience with Falconer's Flight? Specifically, whether they would make a good dry hop for the IPA.

[Salvelinus]

The Bobcat in Bristol, VT, makes a Falconers Flight single hop IPA that I always enjoy. Not sure if they dry hop it though. I tend to think any of the hops that add that citrusy character are great for dry hops. I love smelling fruit going into an IPA.

[Salvelinus]

Must be the summer heat keeping folks from running a burner hours on end!

I'm brewing ten gallons of an Amarillo hopped saison as i type. I've got the ECY14 single strain saison to ferment it with. Tried to wake the yeast up last night with a small starter, no activity yet. Hopefully it's just a slow starter and not just dead...

[mmblz]

yum! yeah personally i've stopped brewing and started drinking saisons for the summer