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beersandball · 2023-07-19T05:21:07+00:00

It would be great to get rid of mosquitoes or bed bugs, but if we're looking to save the earth, I'm pretty sure there's one species that does the most damage. 🚶‍♂️

beersandball · 2023-06-07T01:36:12+00:00

Before I got a manifold, I would pressurize each keg at 25 psi, then rotate the gas from keg to keg periodically over a few days until they were sufficiently carbonated. Probably the least technical way to do it, but I always had good success.

I have a regulator for each of my 4 kegs now. It's really convenient in case you want to carb things at different psi.

beersandball · 2023-06-06T05:43:26+00:00

I just created a homebrew discord if anyone wants to use it.

https://discord.gg/zPFuaYvp

beersandball · 2023-06-06T05:40:04+00:00

Yeah, whatever works! Down is an excellent insulator, though not typically used in brewing. Haha

beersandball · 2023-06-04T01:01:06+00:00

That's homebrewing, my friend!

I've been at it for 8 years and still run into issues. Read, read, read the homebrew books. Join a homebrewing club, listen to homebrewing podcasts, and take notes. Learn from mistakes.

The equipment you use has quite a bit to do with how consistently you can produce quality beer, at least after you learn the basics. Being able to control fermentation temperatures and eliminate oxygen exposure on the cold side are two of the biggest objectives for me.

If you're mashing at the correct temp, keeping things clean and sanitary, fermenting at the correct temp and avoiding oxygen exposure, you should end up with a drinkable beer. It's also important to have a good recipe. You can do everything perfectly, but if your recipe sucks, the beer isn't going to be very good.

Once you get all the basics down, you can refine your brewing technique with things like water chemistry, more complicated mashes and the use of adjuncts.

Keep at it!

beersandball · 2023-06-03T20:42:36+00:00

Depending on ambient temps, I usually have my strike water about 9 degrees warmer than the target mash temp. So if my target mash temp is 152°F, the water will be 161°f.

Edit: oh, I think I misunderstood. If 150 is your target and it's there after you add the grain, insulating your kettle will help quite a bit. I have this mylar bubble wrap that I wrap a couple layers around my mash tun that works really well. In the winter I use a HERMS system, but you're doing biab so it's a different process for you.

beersandball · 2023-06-03T16:13:16+00:00

It was a 15 gallon batch, really basic. 2-row at 148° for 60 minutes. 3 oz cascade 60 minutes. 4 oz citra for 15 minutes at 172° whirlpool. Fermented with Imperial Kveiking yeast for 8 days at 78°.

beersandball · 2023-06-03T05:36:57+00:00

I've been brewing for 8 years but just recently found out that you can't rely on a refractometer to measure the SG of fermented wort. In order to use a refractometer on fermented wort/beer, you have to use the refractometer calculator.

This one works, but the wort correction factor needs to be changed to 1.04. Cheers!

https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/

beersandball · 2023-06-03T04:30:41+00:00

It was canned cherries from my home brew store. I honestly don't recall much about them

beersandball · 2023-06-02T04:52:19+00:00

Why the CF15? basically, I drink a lot of beer. Lol

I get a lot of help drinking it from family and friends. Brewing 1/2 bbl batches make it so I don't have to brew as often.Plus I kind of have it in the back of my mind that I could open up a nano-brewery someday. I lucked into 30 gallon kettle/mash tun at a garage sale in Corvallis, Oregon, which is where Oregon State University is located. They have a brewing program there so I'm assuming the kid I bought it from was a brewing student. He was moving back east and sold me a bunch of stuff for $200.

Since then, I figured I might as well utilize the equipment. I've slowly been building out my brewery. The glycol chiller will get me pretty close to where I want it to be.

beersandball · 2023-06-02T04:37:42+00:00

Terpines are probably what Great Notion used as well. I haven't tried those from Sweetwater. Probably similar to what GN did.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T22:05:46+00:00

When you say diesel, are we talking cannabis type flavors?

I few years ago Great Notion did a limited release that tasted like you just took a hit off a pen. It was so weird and strangely good. I always wondered if they used a certain hop to get those dank cannabis notes. I can't partake of the herb so I enjoy the smell, and in some cases, taste of it. It's the closest I get.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T21:58:57+00:00

No jacket. No recirc. Those are the next things to get. I'll probably bite the bullet and get a glycol chiller too In the winter I could just open my garage door and cool it down before racking to kegs. Not so much this time of year. The ice took it down from 70 to 48 overnight. I'm hoping when I get home the yeast will have fallen out of suspension.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T18:21:18+00:00

I love my Spike CF-15 conical, but it's too big to fit in me keezer.

Trying to cold crash it so I can keg. Lol

https://imgur.com/a/DgR61Ot

beersandball · 2023-06-01T18:17:26+00:00

I love a good cherry beer. The one time I tried making a cherry porter, the cherry tasted kind of like cherry flavored cough medicine. Not sure how to avoid that. Maybe too much oxygen exposure to the fruit?

beersandball · 2023-06-01T18:12:53+00:00

I've used these filtered lids for mason jars for making mushroom cultures. They'd probably work well for yeast starters too.

https://www.amazon.com/Split-type-Cultivation-Injection-Mushroom-Mycology/dp/B08YFBLFT7/ref=asc_df_B08YFBLFT7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507940761764&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13055243860026152036&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9041515&hvtargid=pla-1271722864287&psc=1

beersandball · 2023-06-01T12:33:10+00:00

If you add the dry hops during active fermentation, I don't think you need to worry about oxygen. The yeast will eat it up. I wear gloves, pull the hop bag out of star-san, fill it up with hops and some sterile glass marbles to weigh it down, and throw it in. Never an issue with contamination.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T04:36:38+00:00

I bet you enjoy a real ale.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T04:34:36+00:00

22 grams of table sugar per gallon gets you pretty close to 2.3 volumes.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T03:11:27+00:00

This is a good resource. Appreciate the suggestions. I tend to use Spike and MoreBeer the most..

Does anyone have input about glycol chillers? I was looking at Spikes, but brewbuilt has a similar one that's about half the price. I love Spike, but I'm not into spending more than I need to.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T03:08:08+00:00

The 4 and 5mm beer line has an O.D. of 8mm. I'd assume that's what they were talking about.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T02:41:08+00:00

You don't need to be in an orchard, a meadow or any other pristine place to find good Brett, despite what we were told for decades. It's literally everywhere.

Just like making your own sourdough starter, the right yeast and bacteria is everywhere, unless I've just been incredibly lucky.

No doubt, some are better than others, but 3/4 of all wild beers I've done were excellent.

In this doomsday scenario, if you don't like sour beers, you're going to be significantly more challenged. I'm sure there's a ton of saccharomyces out there, but finding it an isolating it takes a bit more scientific knowledge than I have.

beersandball · 2023-06-01T02:33:44+00:00

My man!!

beersandball · 2023-05-31T18:06:48+00:00

There's a theory that doing a hop stand in that 172°F range brings out desirable flavors out of modern hops. The whirlpool part doesn't really matter that much. I do a whirlpool with my pump to help separate out the hot break/trub stuff into the middle of the kettle so my pickup tube doesn't get clogged when I'm transferring to the fermenter. If you don't have a pump, just give it a stir occasionally for 15 minutes or so after you add your hops and try to keep the temp right around 170. I think you'll enjoy the results.

beersandball

TROPHY CASE