Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Gerard, you've been a great help as I continue to slide down this slope...I hadn't realized it but the instrux tell me to do a cold fermentation.

I thought that that was reserved just for lagers....any thoughts there?

And...in order to do that, I guess I have to make some room in my kegerator...and raise the temp...

Not sure why this is--most strong ales are actually helped by warmer fermentation, to produce a higher ester/phenol profile. Perhaps it's talking about "cold conditioning" which is a way to get all that Belgian yeast to drop out of suspension and clarify the beer once fermentation is done.

Right before you bottle, put the fermenter in your kegerator for a few days. Temps can be in the 40s, although I've heard some people go as low as the mid-30's. The yeast and anything else you have floating around (hop particles, etc.) will drop, then you can bottle as normal.

Awesome, as usual. Thanks Gerard!

And that's exactly what I was thinking...about it needing warmer temps first. I very well may have assumed the cold temps were for the beginning but really meant for the end.

I was going to throw this on the tap; any reason why I'd want to bottle instead?

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by mmblz

doing a black IPA next.
local didn't have Carafa II or III or Midnight Wheat.
did get some Debittered Black.

should I use debittered, or mail order one of the others?

Dehusked Carafa III is the brewery go to around here for a black IPA. I haven't brewed with black at all, but I imagine debittered would be the way to go if you're going that route.

[Devanmc]

Anyone have a good Amber Ale receipt to share?

[mmblz]

I think I'll go for it. Reading a few things where it has worked for people. And worst case I just get a bit more flavor than I aim for...

[mmblz]

Originally Posted by mmblz

I think I'll go for it. Reading a few things where it has worked for people. And worst case I just get a bit more flavor than I aim for...

In the fermenter now. We'll see

[cobra03]

Has anyone ever heard of or tryed this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_xF...ature=youtu.be
A co-worker of mine was telling me about this last night. Her father grows hops and to use up some of the extra he started putting them in a french press with a bottle of beer. i had never heard of this. Shes going to try and get me some of his extra hops. what i dont use to brew with i may have to try this out just to see what if anything it actually does.

[replicant_argent]

I put a Milk Chocolate Stout into the fermenter last night. 15 gallons of beer in the primary, and my 2 Hearted clone finishing up dry hopping this weekend-ish. I am good for a while.

[Mikes]

It was a good spring break here in Austin. I moved my brew equipment from my friends house to mine and bought a new March pump to recirculate my wort as well as transfer from the kettle to the fermenter. Also had my pot drilled out and fitted with a ball valve. If you are at all on the fence about getting a pump all I got to say is just do it. No more lifting the 30# pot with another 7 or 14 gallon of hot wort in it!!!! I have also noticed that I can cool much faster by using the pump to whirlpool the wort over my immersion coils. Did two 5 gal batches the past week and both dropped from 212 to 70 deg in 17 min...and you gotta remember our tap water here in Tx is always hot.

5 gal of AHS New Zealand Pale Ale will be kegged today
5 gal of AHS Summer Crisp IPA should be ready to keg by Thursday

[mmblz]

for my next batch, trying to decide between:
Helles Bock
Smoked Hefeweizen
American Brown Ale

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by mmblz

for my next batch, trying to decide between:
Helles Bock
Smoked Hefeweizen
American Brown Ale

One of my favorite beer styles. Was in the plans but my basement has been getting out of the fermentation range for one of these. I can't hold the fermentation room below 55F if this 80F weather keeps up...

Going to do a galaxy/citra APA today. Wish I had more citra so I could put together a citra single hop but that isn't in the cards this go around. Just got a six pack of Zombie Dust (citra single hop) that is outstanding, need to figure out how to make it.

[rack04]

Hopefully tonight I will be able to keg 10 gallons of Kolsch and then it will lager it for at least a month. This weekend I will be starting a single hops experiment. Basically brewing the same 5 gallon batch with single hops and tasting the difference. I will start with citra and then move on to amarillo, falconer's flight, simcoe, and zythos. Trying to find a hop flaver I like in my pale ale recipe.

[landhoney]

Brewing for the second time this weekend on my new system, I'll try to remember to upload pictures, but here's a preview/hint: three 55 gallon Blichmann Boilermakers

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by landhoney

Brewing for the second time this weekend on my new system, I'll try to remember to upload pictures, but here's a preview/hint: three 55 gallon Blichmann Boilermakers

[mmblz]

tasted my belgian stout tonight, it's been 13 days in the bottle.
still doesn't have a whole lot of carbonation.
is there hope that it will continue to carbonate if i give it time, or did I need more sugar (I used the standard 5oz)
flavor is not great but not awful.

[Salvelinus]

How long did it sit in primary/secondary? Sometimes the beers that spend a lot of time in bulk aging take a longer time to carbonate.

I usually throw some s05 in beers that have sat for a while to get the carbonation finished up. It flocs out well and can handle the alcohol content of bigger beers.

[mmblz]

Originally Posted by Salvelinus

How long did it sit in primary/secondary? Sometimes the beers that spend a lot of time in bulk aging take a longer time to carbonate.

I usually throw some s05 in beers that have sat for a while to get the carbonation finished up. It flocs out well and can handle the alcohol content of bigger beers.

Next to bottle will be my black(almost) ipa.
It was in primary for 2 weeks. abv calc when I went to secondary was 7.74%.
Will have been in secondary for 2 weeks when I bottle.

Bother with more yeast?
If I do - right with bottling sugar or a day or two earlier?

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by mmblz

Next to bottle will be my black(almost) ipa.
It was in primary for 2 weeks. abv calc when I went to secondary was 7.74%.
Will have been in secondary for 2 weeks when I bottle.

Bother with more yeast?
If I do - right with bottling sugar or a day or two earlier?

Don't bother. You'll have plenty of yeast still floating around in that beer. I only worry about adding yeast if it has been in secondary for months not weeks.

[JohnnyKay5]

Originally Posted by mmblz

Next to bottle will be my black(almost) ipa.
It was in primary for 2 weeks. abv calc when I went to secondary was 7.74%.
Will have been in secondary for 2 weeks when I bottle.

Bother with more yeast?
If I do - right with bottling sugar or a day or two earlier?

Sounds delicious.

Through some reading I'm torn if I should rack to a secondary on a kit amber ale. I know ale is a generally an easy brew that can be left primary through the whole process but I'm interested in racking for clarity. Thoughts on racking the simple ale and risking oxidation or contamination vs. the benefits of a secondary fermenter?

[Mikey202]

Originally Posted by JohnnyKay5

Sounds delicious.

Through some reading I'm torn if I should rack to a secondary on a kit amber ale. I know ale is a generally an easy brew that can be left primary through the whole process but I'm interested in racking for clarity. Thoughts on racking the simple ale and risking oxidation or contamination vs. the benefits of a secondary fermenter?

If everything is clean, when you transfer, you are good to go. Never had a problem with contamination.......but I sanitize the hell out of everything. You will get less sediment in your bottles, if you transfer to a secondary.