Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[St. Lou Stu]

Brewed up a Kolsch today.
At a little more than 3 hours in the fermentor, I can already see bubbling and krausen developing! Yay for starters!


3 out of 4 have something in them now:
Kolsch - Fresh into the fermentor today
Session IPA - On the dry hops (four more days)
California Common - Chilling (Ready to keg, looking for time)

[kaisersozei]

Transferred all my batches of "NuptiAle," a session ale my boss is serving at his daughter's wedding, into secondaries before leaving for vacation. While I'm here at the beach, dreaming up what to brew when I get back Thinking about getting my 2011 Christmas beer going--working up a sweet stout recipe using some Lindt's chocolate (99% cocoa) I bought for my wife but she didn't like. Can't let it go to waste!

[BeerAdvocate]

I brewed a Watermelon wheat and a Bourbon Barrel Porter this weekend.
I am still trying to decide what Bourbon to use with the Porter. Im kind of thinking about using the new Jack Daniels Honey.

[awsmith4]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

I brewed a Watermelon wheat and a Bourbon Barrel Porter this weekend.
I am still trying to decide what Bourbon to use with the Porter. Im kind of thinking about using the new Jack Daniels Honey.

Just FYI, Jack is not a bourbon but that doesn't mean it won't be good. If you like the taste of it then use it. Matt and I used 1792 in ours because it was the only bottle in one of our collections we didn't mind sacrificing. It turned out pretty good.

[b0rderman]

Brewed up the AG Centennial Blonde from HBT this weekend. Used Maris Otter as my base for the first time, and bumped the IBUs ever so slightly. I wanted something a bit 'chewyer' than what the original recipe had going on. I've got an ounce of citra for dry hopping...never met a citra dry hop I didn't like, but also never have tried it with MO...

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by b0rderman

Brewed up the AG Centennial Blonde from HBT this weekend. Used Maris Otter as my base for the first time, and bumped the IBUs ever so slightly. I wanted something a bit 'chewyer' than what the original recipe had going on. I've got an ounce of citra for dry hopping...never met a citra dry hop I didn't like, but also never have tried it with MO...

I just made a marris/simcoe smash that tasted great going into bottles. So did the last pale i made with only two row though

[kaisersozei]

Question for you guys:

When the hop aroma fades from an Imperial IPA, what does the beer become? An old ale? Barleywine?

I have two beers that have been in the bottle for 6+ months or so--both started life as an IIPA, but have lost some of their initial aromas and are more malty on the nose now. Details--

#1 = 1.087 OG, 75 IBU, 9% ABV, Centennial/Citra/Simcoe/Amarillo
#2 = 1.084 OG, 101 IBU, 8.5% ABV, Amarillo/Nugget/Simcoe/Warrior

Thinking about entering a couple upcoming contests. I know taste would probably dictate your decisions, just wondering what you would choose "on paper." Thanks!

[awsmith4]

Originally Posted by kaisersozei

Question for you guys:

When the hop aroma fades from an Imperial IPA, what does the beer become? An old ale? Barleywine?

I have two beers that have been in the bottle for 6+ months or so--both started life as an IIPA, but have lost some of their initial aromas and are more malty on the nose now. Details--

#1 = 1.087 OG, 75 IBU, 9% ABV, Centennial/Citra/Simcoe/Amarillo
#2 = 1.084 OG, 101 IBU, 8.5% ABV, Amarillo/Nugget/Simcoe/Warrior

Thinking about entering a couple upcoming contests. I know taste would probably dictate your decisions, just wondering what you would choose "on paper." Thanks!

I have thought that a few DIPAs I've aged tastes like Barleywine. However is American Strong Ale a category? Its kind of a catch all if I remember correctly.

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by awsmith4

I have thought that a few DIPAs I've aged tastes like Barleywine. However is American Strong Ale a category? Its kind of a catch all if I remember correctly.

Old Ale is 19A & Barleywine is 19B. I guess I'm asking more about the flavor differences between those two styles, what I should be looking at to put the beer in the right category. Some competitions will lump all the sub categories into the same flight.

[Salvelinus]

Double batch today. Belgian strong that I didn't sparge. Added 5 pounds of pearl into the mash tun and ran off a second batch. The belgian is already bubbling after adding a big starter of wyeasts rochefort strain. The second is cooling now but will be getting a starter from DFH squall dregs.

Anyone used the squall dregs? My last batch with the yeast went from 1.055 to 1.005 and was still bubbling every two minutes when I bottled. Needless to say I added less priming sugar than I normally would.

[jonumberone]

Hey guys.
Just getting started, and my first batch is bubbling away.
I already got a ton of help from Albert and Tim, but I don't want to be burdensome.
I have a few questions and I was wondering if anybody can help.

I plan on doing 2 more 5 gallon extract batches tomorrow.
How much water should I start with.
My first batch I started with 5 but finished with a bit under 4 gallons of wort.
I thought about adding water after the fact but didn't want to screw up, so I left it alone.

another question.
The other day I unpacked my 5 gallon carboy from the box.
It bears a striking resemblance to an empty 5 gallon water jug.
I have access to plenty of these jugs, about 25 a week to choose from.
Could I use them as a disposable secondary?

Thanks in advance fellas!

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

Hey guys.
Just getting started, and my first batch is bubbling away.
I already got a ton of help from Albert and Tim, but I don't want to be burdensome.
I have a few questions and I was wondering if anybody can help.

I plan on doing 2 more 5 gallon extract batches tomorrow.
How much water should I start with.
My first batch I started with 5 but finished with a bit under 4 gallons of wort.
I thought about adding water after the fact but didn't want to screw up, so I left it alone.

another question.
The other day I unpacked my 5 gallon carboy from the box.
It bears a striking resemblance to an empty 5 gallon water jug.
I have access to plenty of these jugs, about 25 a week to choose from.
Could I use them as a disposable secondary?

Thanks in advance fellas!

Dom, always happy to help another homebrewer, so you wouldn't be a burden at all. Feel free to ask away!

For water, it sounds like you're doing full-volume boils. In order to end up with 5 gallons after a 60 minute boil, I usually start with about 6 gallons of water. Once you transfer the wort from your kettle to the fermenter, you can also top off with enough distilled or spring water to bring the total to 5 gallons. I usually start with more than 5 gallons in the primary anyway, since you'll lose some volume to trub when you transfer.

There's been a lot of debate about using those Poland Springs type jugs as a fermenter. I think most of the issues were around the #7 jugs--typically, people said if you were using #1 or #2 plastic, it was better than the #7. Had to do with O2 permeability or the acidic beer causing some kind of chemical reaction that would affect the outcome. I think some manufacturers are now making PET carboys, which are supposed to be better. In any case, if you're using them as disposables for just one batch, I wouldn't think you'd have many problems. Just make sure they're clean.

What did you brew for your first batch, and what are you planning?

[jonumberone]

Thanks Gerard!

I'll check the bottles and see what # plastic they are.
And yes, I would only use them for one batch and toss them.

My first batch I made an amber ale
Here's the recipe I used
http://www.brewapp.com/recipefiles/R...%205%20GAL.pdf

I want to do a Porter or stout and perhaps a brown ale.
I will talk with my local home brew store and see what they recommend.
Some of the porter recipes I looked at use Lager yeast and they told me not to attempt a lager until Oct or Nov.

Many thanks!
I hope to be a regular here!

[b0rderman]

I'm a new home brewer myself. Don't worry about adding water to your post-boil wort to bring it up to 5 gallons. As long as the water is sanitary and you followed your recipe directions, it shouldn't be a problem. My first all-grain recipe I was nervous I didn't hit my SG so I did not add the extra gallon to my wort...but now that I know my efficiency I can adjust my brewing so that I can top off without issue.

Welcome to home brewing...it's fun as hell

[St. Lou Stu]

Got a starter going now for a 12 gal batch of Bavarian Hefeweizen on Sunday.

[b0rderman]

How big is the start for a 12 gal batch? And what all went into it?

[St. Lou Stu]

Originally Posted by b0rderman

How big is the start for a 12 gal batch? And what all went into it?

It's actually a two-step starter... I made a 1.75 liter and will decant it tomorrow and make a 2 liter out of that.
All-in-all, it's only one package of yeast and 8 oz. of wheat DME for the first step and 8 oz. of wheat DME for the second step.
The first step is ~2.25 quarts of water and the second ~2.5 quarts. Bring to a boil, add DME, boil for 15 minutes, cool, add yeast.

Otherwise, 'they' say you can do a one-step 3.5 liter starter for this particular size and starting gravity of a batch.

They being a combination of sources... Chris White, and Jamil Z. among my most trusted.

[jonumberone]

I read through this thread twice.
It really reads like Chinese to a noob like me!

I guess it will all come with time!

[kaisersozei]

Brewed up a robust porter this weekend, currently sitting in the primary, happily bubbling away. Hoping to make this my Christmas beer, it uses a few ounces of high-grade Lindt chocolate and will be blended with some Sumatra coffee in the secondary. Recipe in case you are interested:

4# 2-row
8oz crystal 60L
6oz chocolate malt
4oz roasted barley 300L
Single step infusion mash at 150-156, 45 minutes. Sparged, brought volume up to 6.5 gallons & started cooking.

Made some late addition malt extracts at 30 minutes:
2# LME
1# amber DME
1# dark DME
8oz maltodextrin

Hop Schedule
1.0 oz Willamette (4.8%) 60min
½ oz Willamette 45min
½ oz Willamette 30min
¼ oz Willamette 10min

At 5 minutes left in the boil, I added some melted Lindt’s dark chocolate: 1½ oz 99% cocoa + 3½ oz 90% cocoa. Cooled the wort, strained, skimmed some fat that was coagulating, pitched about a pint of Irish Ale yeast at 72dg. Temp slowly dropped over 12 hours to about 68. Fermentation has been steady since Monday morning. I’ll rack to secondary for a few weeks, and then a few days before bottling, I’ll add 24oz of cold-pressed, triple filtered coffee.

The sample I pulled before pitching had a nice chocolatey flavor and a good hop balance, but was pretty oily from the chocolate. I’m hoping the maltodextrin & crystal will help with head retention. We’ll see. Smells great while it’s bubbling away.

OG 1.063, 40 IBUs, target FG = 1.016

[b0rderman]

Sounds delicious...

So...I gotta ask...anyone ever mess with a pumpkin/rumpkin/spiced sort of brew before?