Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by hammondc

Just cracked the first of my Surly Furious clone beers. Damn good. if I do say so myself. As posted on other threads, if anyone can get me some surly furious to compare, you will be rewarded.

Any chance of posting the recipe? That's a beer I'd like to have on home tap.

[forgop]

My first batch of home brew (Mr. Beer) will be ready at the end of the coming week. I'm really nervous to try it. I followed the instructions, but just hate the idea that it'll be awful. It's the west coast pale ale.

So, has anyone made a batch (that despite doing what you thought to be fully correct anyway) turned out to be just awful because something in the brewing process went wrong?

[SteelCityBoy]

Originally Posted by forgop

My first batch of home brew (Mr. Beer) will be ready at the end of the coming week. I'm really nervous to try it. I followed the instructions, but just hate the idea that it'll be awful. It's the west coast pale ale.

So, has anyone made a batch (that despite doing what you thought to be fully correct anyway) turned out to be just awful because something in the brewing process went wrong?

I started with Mr. Beer and it led me on my path I now travel with mutliple fermenters and an outdoor burner for my brew pot. One step will likely lead to another just like with cigar smoking. No matter what....just remember it will still be beer and you can still drink it!

Last summer I brewed a hefeweizen that should have been easy. It was for my wife and she wanted me to try and add macadamia nuts to give it a banna nut flavor. Well, being a bit more inexperienced back then I added salted crushed up macadamia nuts to my secondary fermentation and it turned out horrible. Ruined an entire 5 gallons....but that's how you learn!

Right now I have a maibock that is entering it's final few days in primary fermenation. Brewed it last year and it was amazing!

Just cracked my Sam Adams Black Lager clone and it is mighty tasty!

Keep up with the hobby and the more you read and do the more and more exciting it will become!

[forgop]

Originally Posted by SteelCityBoy

Just cracked my Sam Adams Black Lager clone and it is mighty tasty!

Keep up with the hobby and the more you read and do the more and more exciting it will become!

I drank a couple of those last night. It's a tasty beer.

Speaking of clone, I need to find me a Caffrey's Irish Ale. It's kind of a sentimental thing. My dad went to the UK several years ago and Caffrey's was the beer he loved. Coors wouldn't allow for distribution in the U.S. I found a liquor store in Windsor, Ontario that we made a road trip to buy it. Coming back through customs, we got questioned about our trip and told him about the keg and expected to get hit with a $100 duty. Guy must have thought were crazy to drive 6+ hours to pick up a keg of beer and let us through with no tax. Sad thing is his health deteriorated so quickly after that he didn't get to drink it. The cancer had eaten holes through his gut and his chemo doctor told him not to drink it.

[Mikey202]

Making a English Porter in the next few days.

[Salvelinus]

My first few batches after a long hiatus were with a pal that lived north of me. He had well water. Four batches, same off flavor in all of them. Drinkable, but not enjoyable. I think it was iron, when we switched to brewing at my place the beer got better.

[Mikes]

TriCerahops IIPA and Zelos IPA came out of a 2 week ferment and have been carbing in the keg for about a week and are pretty damn good. Still think I like the flavor profile of a more citrus based IPA.

Into the fermenter goes 10 gal of Goose Island Honkers Ale and 10 gal of Easy Street Wheat. Still have room for 4 more kegs so over the weekend I built a wooden shelf to place into the garage fridge so that we can lager / make Pilsners / marzens etc.....Just need to get another Johnson temp control and more kegs lol.

[cricky101]

I kegged a Falconer's Flight IPA last night after adding a fourth (and final) tap to my keezer. I had to bring my co2 tank out to make room and re-run and splice some gas lines, but got it up and running.

At the request of my girlfriend I also experimented with making a partial keg of beergaritas for a party we're having later this month.

They're a mix of limeade concentrate, a couple light beers, a couple cans of Sprite and tequila (I think that's all ... she mixed them so I'm not sure of the ratios). Pretty sweet for my tastes but refreshing.

We mixed up about a gallon and it seemed to work great so it'll be fun to have something on tap for the non-beer drinkers

[ktblunden]

I bottled my first brew (California-style Pale, probably end up similar to Sierra Nevada) on Saturday. Ended up yielding about 4.6 gallons, which is just slightly more than I anticipated. Yesterday I brewed what is going to be a vanilla bourbon stout and got that into the primary. As of last night the airlock was happily bubbling away, which is always nice to see. I did a yeast starter on this one and I was a little concerned about how that would end up.

[mmblz]

anyone have a quick "hack" to make a blowoff tube?
making a belgian stout, and between the belgian yeast and tons of malts/malt extracts, worried about an explosion.

all i have is the siphon tube, and a lid with a hole where you can insert a normal water lock.
the hole is roughly the same size as the inside of the siphon tube, so if only i had a little "coupler" of some sort.... any bright ideas?

[mmblz]

here is what started to really worry me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugfub...eature=related

[mmblz]

Originally Posted by mmblz

here is what started to really worry me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugfub...eature=related

so this was in fact pretty much what my basement looked like when i got home tonight. luckily i brought home a hose and slapped it on.
now sounds like an old man in a bath tub down there

[replicant_argent]

I removed the grommet from the lid and jammed a hose in it, it fits fairly well. The other end is in a bucket of sanitizer. I usually use the carboy and use the large hose for a blowoff, but wanted to get a couple batches going at the same time. I am not sure it will work well.
Extra pale ale in the keg for secondary today, and Dry Irish stout in the primary (bucket).
I think I may go down to see if I have a mess or not.

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

I removed the grommet from the lid and jammed a hose in it, it fits fairly well. The other end is in a bucket of sanitizer. I usually use the carboy and use the large hose for a blowoff, but wanted to get a couple batches going at the same time. I am not sure it will work well.
Extra pale ale in the keg for secondary today, and Dry Irish stout in the primary (bucket).
I think I may go down to see if I have a mess or not.

Did this with my last beer as well.

[Mikes]

Originally Posted by Salvelinus

Did this with my last beer as well.

I use a 3 piece airlock and run a hose off of it into a pitcher of idaphor water. You just need to snip off the little plastick screen off of the bottom of the barb (I dont know why they even put them there b/c they get clogged) then insert this into the grommet in the lind and run your blow off tube off of the top. Of course this should make an airproof seal but I go ahead and put idaphor water in the 3 piece airlock where the tube slips over the palstic.

[mmblz]

Originally Posted by Mikes

I use a 3 piece airlock and run a hose off of it into a pitcher of idaphor water. You just need to snip off the little plastick screen off of the bottom of the barb (I dont know why they even put them there b/c they get clogged) then insert this into the grommet in the lind and run your blow off tube off of the top. Of course this should make an airproof seal but I go ahead and put idaphor water in the 3 piece airlock where the tube slips over the palstic.

this is essentially what i was hoping to do but my hose was too small to fit over that tube in the airlock...
first 7 hours, no activity, so maybe i have time to pick up a different hose on my way home tonight.

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

I removed the grommet from the lid and jammed a hose in it, it fits fairly well. The other end is in a bucket of sanitizer. I usually use the carboy and use the large hose for a blowoff, but wanted to get a couple batches going at the same time. I am not sure it will work well.

Like Brendan, I've done this before and it works pretty well with 3/8" tubing.

[Mikes]

Great minds think alike lol....Sometimes if the hose is just a bit off you can stick it in some hot water to make it fit...I know the hose I used needed this action.

[replicant_argent]

I was going to try my stout a few minutes ago. Realized after I poured a large glass of foam in microseconds that I left the pressure up too high for an extra day.
Oops. Rocked the keg a bit to knock some CO2 out of solution, pulled the relief valve, and got a small malty facial.
I really am not very bright. I will have to let it settle down and knock out a volume or so in small increments.

[Poronico]

Pulling my aged bottles out this weekend, Bruiser Berry Hef and a Candied Pecan and Mandarin Orange Amber. I like to play around with different flavors and combinations. The taste test of the hef was AMAZING! but I have yet to crack a bottle of the amber but I have high hopes.