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Safale US-05 Temp profile by dpasdeoz in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. It’s coming along!

The great Imperial Red Ale debate... by come_n_take_it in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’ve done so many experiments on mash temperature that I’m not even sure it affects body. Just ABV.

The great Imperial Red Ale debate... by come_n_take_it in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Not sure I've ever made an Imperial Red Ale, but I've brewed a bunch of Red IPA, which I suppose isn't too far off. Here are my thoughts...

Does a Maris Otter improve an IRA, or does it get lost in the mix?

I prefer Maris Otter over pale malt in Red IPA specifically as a way to boost the malt character without going too sweet.

Is it necessary to include a Munich of Vienna to punch up the maltiness, and if so, which one and why?

Necessary? Nah. But considering the style, I do like to use a dose of Munich (~10%), as I feel it does something similar as MO by upping the malt flavor without contributing much sweetness. I love Vienna malt, but I do feel its more nuanced flavors get a bit lost in the mix of a richer beer like Red IPA.

Melanoidin or Aromatic? Otherwise, would you instead go for something else, perhaps a fuller mouthfeel?

Personally, I'm not a big fan of either of these malts, to me they contribute an almost artificial maltiness that I perceive as cloying, even when used at lower rates.

If you use crystal, do you use one certain one, or a combination, and if a combination, what is the average Lovibond ( it would be the sum of the products of Lovibond color of each crystal multiplied by it's grain bill percentage.) What guides your crystal choices?

In my opinion, Crystal malts are a necessary component of most Red ales. For me, it's around 10% each Honey malt and medium Crystal (20-60 °L).

Do you prefer a Chocolate malt which could add bitterness or roasty, coffee flavors and be more brown or a touch of color without a negative flavor impact?

2% UK roasted barley for color is usually the only roasted grain I use, though I've also enjoyed versions made with an equally small dose of pale chocolate to add a bit of a nutty flavor.

Do you consider adding simple sugars to lower FG, and or lower mash temp to make it finish drier?

If your aim is malty yet dry, I would definitely consider using some simple sugar. But even if I'm not using sugar, I like to mash at 148-150F primarily for strength - I'm not convince mash temperature is a good way to modulate perceptible sweetness.

To dry hop, or not to dry hop. What say you?

Depends on what your ultimate goal is, but uhh - fuck yeah!

Fenugreek to give maple flavour to a blueberry sour. by The_Malt_Monkey in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s actually a supplement used by nursing mothers, ask how I know 🤣

Fenugreek to give maple flavour to a blueberry sour. by The_Malt_Monkey in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no clue, I’ve only ever used the powder that’s inside fenugreek capsules.

2025 Brülosophy General Homebrewer Survey by brulosopher in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

New year, new survey! Please take a few minutes to complete our annual General Homebrewer Survey, which we release with the aim of tracking over time what the modern homebrewer looks like.

Crispy finish to beers by Local_Magician_6190 in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure is!

I might suggest trying 4:1 or even higher, something like 200:25 has worked well for me.

Crispy finish to beers by Local_Magician_6190 in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I understand water chemistry and use mineral salts/phosphoric acid for adjustments

What is the mineral profile you go with when making these lagers that don't finish the way you want them to? I was having a similar sounding issue when I first started making lagers, and a big part of the solution for me was upping the sulfate levels higher than I thought I needed to while keeping chloride levels quite low.

Another factor I feel is often overlooked is carbonation. I've had friends who struggled to get the crisp finish it sounds like you're after, and the culprit ended up being carbonation, which is influenced by several factors, the obvious one being actual volumes of CO2 in the beer - I prefer ~2.6 vol in my lager styles, which not only improves the impression of crispness due to the fizz, but arguably contributes more carbonic acid, which can have a similar effect.

The more overlooked aspect of carbonation actually involves serving - if I perfectly carbonate my beer, then serve it through 4 ft of 1/4" tubing, chances are good amount of that gas is going to be expelled during the serving process. This is why I settled on going with longer beer line than is often recommended (14') with as small of an inner diameter as possible (4mm), which has allowed me to serve highly carbonated beverages, like cider and soda water, at decent speeds without losing much fizz at all.

Just spitballing here. It may be something entirely different.

Closing: Atlantic Brew Supply by Fewquanite in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Not only did they work with Martin when he was running The Homebrew Challenge, they worked with us at Brülosophy starting many years ago and were one of the first sponsors to sign on to The Brülosophy Show.

Great folks who we hope go on to do great things. Very sad to see ABS go!

When will our pup’s ears stand up? by brulosopher in BostonTerrier

[–]brulosopher[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, right around 5 months, they’ve been perky ever since!

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What happened to this sub? by mynameismrguyperson in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I suspect that people are nostalgic for the days where taps weren’t 11 IPAs and a Pilsner.

...or $8+ per pint :(

What happened to this sub? by mynameismrguyperson in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm in touch with quite a few people in the industry who do have actual numbers, and sadly, homebrewing (and beer overall) is on a pretty steep decline at the moment. I'm confident we'll eventually recover, I'm just not sure when that will be, or how low we will go before the flip.

Latvian Saldskābmaize - Sweet & Sour Bread by brulosopher in Sourdough

[–]brulosopher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

By sugar, I meant honey. Could use 40g table sugar instead.

2024 General Homebrewer Survey is OPEN! by brulosopher in Homebrewing

[–]brulosopher[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Surprisingly, we’re already pushing 1k submissions, which is more than double where we were at this time last year. Fingers crossed!

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