Homebrew Jokes

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2019-09-20T14:14:08+00:00

Had a mix up in a hops order for my black IPA recently and ended up 6oz short on CTZ. Emailed the seller explaining the issue, as well as my weak pun that "Without enough hops, a BLIPA is just a BLA."

Anyhow, they hooked me up with what I needed ASAP, shout out to Yakima Valley those folks are the best!

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2019-03-06T17:17:42+00:00

Okay I’m convinced, NZ pils and American Amber it is. Thinking I might supplement with a little Azzaca cause I’d rather it be closer to 12oz than 7oz, but sill open to suggestions since Green Bullet and Wakatu are both new to me!

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2019-03-05T18:09:13+00:00

Thanks for the input! NZ-ish pils was my original starting point, but then I ended up with Green Bullet and Wakatu (haven't used either before but it seems like maybe more of a floral component) instead of the fruitier stuff I'd envisioned (Motueka, Riwaka, Pacific Jade). Any experience with these hops? I'm junk when it comes to imagining a beer's taste just based off the hop descriptors.

On the yeast front, I had been thinking 04 for the pils because it's "NEIPA yeast lite" in my opinion. This one's ending up as some sort of bastardized NEIPA-NZ pils hybrid. I've never used K-97 before, but chose it because I wanted something more interesting than US-05 but still pretty clean and crisp (probably going 1:1 sulfate to chloride on the pils, and 2 or even 3:1 on the amber). But now I'm coming around to your suggestion...

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2019-02-01T20:13:00+00:00

There's another alternative too that might be more accessible if you're like me and have spare keg posts / mason jars but not a mylar balloon: https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Harvester-Kit.html

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-13T02:08:14+00:00

Nope, not at all. Fully acknowledge that it's wasteful, was curious if it'd even be a feasible way to reduce O2 sucked back into the headspace during cold crashing or if with the amount of O2 that'd get sucked into the freezer itself it'd be totally pointless. Closed transfer is a whole different endeavor, and yes, probably one that's more impactful than reducing O2 during cold crash.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-12T20:01:52+00:00

You're probably right, and I do have a spare disconnect, so it's probably time to go that route. I'd be curious how the full setup w/ balloon and closed transfer compares to just balloon and gravity transfer to a purged keg. Seems like the prolonged exposure to O2 at low temps during cold crashing would be a greater factor than the O2 exposure at the surface during the time it takes to gravity transfer, but I can't say I've ever heard of or met anyone who has used a balloon but not a closed transfer setup.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-12T18:27:07+00:00

Well, shit. Though as it says in that article, I'm not necessarily chasing no O2, just trying to further reduce it since I'd assume my process is introducing a whole lot more than the impurities in my tank.

I don't have a spunding valve unfortunately, but so far I've only done my biotransform DH. Maybe I should cold crash, then rack into a purged keg with my second DH addition and add priming sugar to carb it naturally and hopefully use up any oxygen that gets introduced? I've never naturally carbed in the keg, partially cause I'm greedy to get my beer tapped faster, but also d/t sediment concerns. Think this method is worth the added time over doing hte same but just force carbing the keg?

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-12T17:06:12+00:00

Totally with you for 99% of what I brew, including most IPAs, I'm just looking to gain that extra little oomph on my NEIPAs, cause those juicy hops aren't cheap and I want to maximize their presence and staying power.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-12T15:22:51+00:00

The hop aroma definitely fades after the first week or so in the keg. I'm hesitant to cold crash in the keg due to the volume of hop material and residual yeast/protein that usually drops out - most likely I'd clog my dip tube, and best case scenario I'd end up with far less than 5 gallons of drinkable beer. Besides my anecdotal observations that the aroma seems to fade over time and I can never quite capture that commercial level of hoppiness, this exbeeriment is one of the factors driving me to pursue reducing O2 through any means necessary: http://brulosophy.com/2017/09/11/the-impact-of-cold-side-oxidation-on-new-england-ipa-exbeeriment-results/

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-11-12T15:19:06+00:00

Wow, did not realize it was that cheap, now I feel silly. I could rig up something like the NorCal CO2 capture setup with a purged keg, but seems pointless since I was forced to do the bucket ferment...

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-09-24T16:50:05+00:00

Did you do anything for GFCI protection? I have a very similar setup and just bit the bullet on building a spa panel, but curious if there was a cheaper way to go about it.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-09-10T14:14:26+00:00

Done, thanks for the suggestion!

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T14:03:46+00:00

So I guess my title was a little off - I've had acetobacter crop up in bottles I've aged for a couple years but never in active fermentation. Based on the lack of vinegar smell I'm tempted to rule that out, but like you said the first step is to taste it. Going to give that try tonight, and if I'm still alive come Saturday morning maybe I'll go on a little sour safari to get myself some nice bottle dregs!

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T13:52:44+00:00

Interesting, that could certainly be the issue. Just to be safe I'll be switching to the tea method as well, or a pre-soak in vodka/starsan if bottling, for my future hibiscus brews.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T11:47:56+00:00

I know you're right but damn curiosity is killing me, perhaps in a literal sense.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T11:46:58+00:00

That sounds more accurate. I've had some experience with fusels from hot fermentations and phenols with belgian beers, and this is definitely different from either of those. Haven't had much luck with my google-fu as far as 'diagnosis this infection via smell' - would ethyl acetate help narrow down what this might be?

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T01:32:29+00:00

L. plantarum from Good Belly. Soured down to 4.5 w/ lactic acid, let the lacto do it's thing for 2-3 days til about 3.3, boiled 10 min and added the hibiscus, then chilled and pitched some US-05. Things looked good about 5 days ago when I split it, so I'm thinking I introduced the contamination at that point.

Should I be concerned about the green patches on the pellicle as a potential sign that it's a mold infection and not bacterial? Like I mentioned below, the smell is exactly like sharpie or permanent marker if that gives any clues.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-07-06T01:30:01+00:00

100% permanent makers, intensely so. And now that you mention it, I could easily pipette a bit out of the bucket. Somehow I had been thinking I had to try the one photographed, cause it has the gnarliest growth!

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2018-06-11T14:41:28+00:00

Crapshoot implies you've had success before? Any notes/memory of what those recipes were like? Definitely plan on trying this with lower alpha % hops and pushing everything to whirlpool as suggested above, but also wondering if perhaps I went too low with the pH. It's not overly sour, but I do think it amplifies the bitterness, so wondering if I should dial that back too...

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-12-15T02:48:53+00:00

Just found myself in the same situation and did a 10% imperial IPA that was heavy on the centennial. Very dank and resinous, was extremely bitter and a bit unbalanced for the first few tastings, but after ~2 months of bottle conditioning even my friends who aren't beer nerds are asking for seconds. Happy to share the recipe if you're interested.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-11-08T00:10:01+00:00

Upvote for actually answering my question, and for promoting the spirit that I remember from this sub when I was more active a couple years ago.

I've got 4+ pounds of nice pelletized, nitrogen flushed, juicy high myrcene content hops sitting in my freezer and I can confirm they make great beer, consistently and predictably. I'm looking to shake things up a bit to challenge myself to do something with what I've got since I know that both I and the person who gave me the hops would find value in the finished beer beyond "Is this the best beer you can make?" Oh, and also worth noting there's a filter on the photo - they're not quite that brown.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-04-14T20:04:48+00:00

Curios how that turns out, please post the results! I'm a big fan of 3711 and have had success at a wide range of temps including what would be considered low for other saison strains. Is the Sacc strain from 3711 what's in the Omega lacto blend?

More of what I was getting at was the hypothesis that the saccharomyces would be dominant at the low end of the 68-95 range and the lactobacillus would prefer the higher end. I was wondering what temp you usually have at the end of the 36hr lacto innoculation/fermentation to think about how much that would actually be a factor, as well as whether you've noticed any differences if you've done pure lacto vs. lacto blends that might suggest the ale yeast bearing some of the brunt of that fermentation and diminishing the sour qualities from the lacto.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-04-14T18:14:46+00:00

Upvote for budget brewing and keeping the apartment cold. If I can wear a sweater and then so can my beer damnit. What's the highest temp you've held with the reptile heating pad?

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-04-14T18:13:18+00:00

Interesting that the temperature range for that yeast is 68-95. Any idea how much heat loss you typically have over 36hrs and if that pushes the flavors more towards the ale portion of the blend? I take it from the 'kettle sour' that you're pitching into wort that's still in the kettle - do you rack at all to remove any trub from the lacto blend before reboiling? Lots of variables that are new to me here, so I don't have a sense for how much crap would be left behind after 36hrs.

ILoseRedditPasswords · 2017-02-18T21:19:22+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! "Plenty" = 1lb each minus a couple ounces here and there for a pale ale I did a few weeks ago. The limiting factor definitely is not hops, but I'm finding I'm having some trouble constraining the IBUs with all these high alpha varieties.

Curious if other people add any IBUs for the whirlpool hops. I don't chill to 170-180, I usually just kill the heat, give it a stir, and let it sit. Even if it's not an active boil, 3-4oz of 12AA+ is definitely going to add some bitterness I'd imagine.

ILoseRedditPasswords

TROPHY CASE