Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[cricky101]

Another question for the brewers:

I've got a chocolate stout in primary and was thinking of adding a little bourbon and toasted oak chips.

I love Founder's KBS (and I know this won't be as "imperial" as that) but is it possible to add bourbon and oak in secondary to get, maybe, a KBS-lite beer in the end?

My concern is that since it's a relatively standard ABV stout (partial mash kit), it won't stand up to the addition of bourbon and oak ...

I did order some medium-toast American oak chips a while back, and have a secondary open to use, but would need to pick up some bourbon.

Any advice whether this is doable or not?

[cricky101]

Originally Posted by b0rderman

Sounds delicious...

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

I just ordered a pumpkin ale kit from Midwest Supplies to try. My girlfriend really wanted a pumpkin beer for fall/winter.

I picked up some extra 6-row and read to mash the pumpkin with a couple of pounds before starting the boil process. Also, I'm going to "roast" the pumpkin ahead of time in the oven to add a little caramelized flavor to it.

[Mikes]

Got 10 gal of AHS Citra Pale Ale in the primary now. Will keg on Sunday on dry hop with 1 more oz of citra in each of the kegs ;o) The fermenting closet smells like a hop bomb went off lol (6 oz of citra went into the boil)

I love AHB Pumpkin kit. We brew 10 gal of it every fall season. It doesn't last too long thats for sure.

[b0rderman]

Good to know guys...thanks

[b0rderman]

5 gallon cider batch going...very simple. Apple juice, brown sugar and honey. Will be splitting the batch up a few ways to do some experimental infusions and different carbonating techniques once it dries out.

[Salvelinus]

Breakfast stout- Founders clone with liberties taken to result in a lower gravity brew. Wound up hitting 1.084
10.0lb American Two-row Pale
1.25lb Flaked Oats
0.75lb American Chocolate
0.5lb Roasted Barley
0.37lb Crystal 120L
0.37lb Black Patent Malt
0.3lb Coffee @5minutes
0.25lb Bakers Chocolate @15minutes
0.75oz Columbus @60minutes
1.0oz Willamette @15minutes

Also brewed an Old Foghorn clone that had an OG of 1.128. That ones going down for a loooooong nap.

Anyone using hopville as a recipe calculator? If so I'm brewing under the same screen-name.

[jonumberone]

So I bottled my first batch the other night.
Not sure if this is what it is supposed to look like when I opened the fermenter?



I didn't expect to see so much crud floating on the top.
My first batch yielded 37 bottles.
I dumped about 1/2 a gallon plus down the sink.
I was too nervous about getting the gunk on the bottom of the bucket in my beer.
I think until I get the hang of the auto siphon, I will use a secondary.
I figure it will allow me to get more of the beer from the bucket.
If I get some gunk in the secondary, it will settle before I siphon to the bottling bucket.

Tasting the beer, it was a little bitter on the finish.
Not too bitter, just more than I was expecting.
I'm sure once it's cold and carbed it will be better.

I currently have a Baltic Porter fermenting in another bucket for a week.
http://www.brewapp.com/recipefiles/S...%205%20GAL.pdf



I also managed to snag 2 - 23 liter glass carboys from amazon.
$30 free shipping.
Can I ferment in these or are they just for clearing?

[Blak Smyth]

Congrats Dom on your first batch! Is this the one I think it is?
Keep the pics coming, I hope to get into brewing by next year.

I didn't expect the bucket to look like that either, glad you posted this pic before I found it in my bucket and thought I screwed something up.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

glad you posted this pic before I found it in my bucket and thought I screwed something up.

Just because I posted a pic, doesn't mean I didn't screw up!
Waiting to hear back from some of the experts here!
I did expect crud on the sides of the bucket, just not floating on top.

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

Just because I posted a pic, doesn't mean I didn't screw up!
Waiting to hear back from some of the experts here!
I did expect crud on the sides of the bucket, just not floating on top.

Oh I see. Chime in experts I'm dying here!

[BeerAdvocate]

Dom, It looks completly normal. Congrats on your first brew!
Here is a great tutorial on bottling, that makes things alot easier

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bott...ebrewer-94812/

To get the most beer out of your bottling bucket, you can go to the hardware store and buy a threaded PVC elbow that screws onto the inside of your spigot. Here is a pic

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/new-...er-way-191323/

Let me know if you have any questions. I bottled about 6 batches before I switched to kegging.

[jonumberone]

Thanks, Travis!
I got most of the beer out of the bucket, it was the fermenter that I dumped the excess out of.
I still will grab the elbow.
Thanks for the link!
I already mentioned Kegging equipment to my wife for Christmas.

[BeerAdvocate]

When you put your siphon in the fermenter be sure that it doesnt touch the very bottom. Keep it about an inch from the bottom. When the level starts getting low, tilt your bucket while still keeping the siphon from the bottom.
You should look into upgrading to a glass carboy or even the plastic "Better Bottles".
I hated using buckets. I have brewed close to a 100 batches and have only got 1 infection and that was with a bucket. The smallest scratch will harbor an infection.
Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!!!!

Best place for kegging Equipment is: www.kegconnection.com

[jonumberone]

Like I said, I was terrified of getting that gunk into my bottling bucket.
Didn't even think to tilt the bucket.
At least I won't make the same mistake twice!

I have 1 - 5 gallon better bottle and now 2 - 23 liter glass carboys.
Can I ferment in them or should I get 6.5 gallon carboys?

Thanks again

[CigarSquid]

I would use the 6.5. More room for when it bubbles.

[Killian]

Hey Dom, another little trick is to prop one side of your fermenter up with a wedge, book, something of that nature. You can then put the bottom of your auto siphon on the high side of the bucket. Everything will settle to opposite side and you will be good to go!
By the way, did you use a hop sock? Sometimes that will help with most of the "sludge".

[BeerAdvocate]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

Like I said, I was terrified of getting that gunk into my bottling bucket.
Didn't even think to tilt the bucket.
At least I won't make the same mistake twice!

I have 1 - 5 gallon better bottle and now 2 - 23 liter glass carboys.
Can I ferment in them or should I get 6.5 gallon carboys?

Thanks again

You can ferment in the 5gallon but you will need to put a blowoff tube on the airlock. Its just a plastic tube that goes onto the post of the airlock and runs into an empty jug or growler filled with sanitzer.
I only use 6.5 gallon carboys for fermenting and 5 gallon for secondary aging.

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

You can ferment in the 5gallon but you will need to put a blowoff tube on the airlock. Its just a plastic tube that goes onto the post of the airlock and runs into an empty jug or growler filled with sanitzer.
I only use 6.5 gallon carboys for fermenting and 5 gallon for secondary aging.

+1

Dom, congrats on the first brew The bucket looks normal, and I'll suggest that the bitterness may have been from the hops still floating around? Your krausen (that crud around the rim & floating) appears green--mine is usually brownish, so I'm just wondering if you filtered it all out after brewing, or if you dry hopped while the primary was still bubbling away?

[jonumberone]

Thanks, Gerard!
You are the second person to comment on the green, and I'm a bit lost.
The hops that the homebrew store gave me were little green pellets that resembled rabbit poop.
I tossed the poop directly into the boil.
I did not use a bag, nor did I filter anything.
What went into the boil went into the bucket, minus the sock of grains I steeped before I boiled.
Should I have done something different.
The directions that came with the recipe, or the other 2 I brewed since then, made no mention of additional steps.
Did I miss something?

Fwiw the brew is a perfect amber ale color, no hint of green in it.

[b0rderman]

This cider is drying right out...the champange yeast is still chomping away. I am going to need a low gravity range hydrometer I think...unless there are any tricks to using my ~.090 one?