Homebrewers - Whats Fermenting?
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By the way. I just cooled and transferred mine. I want to drink it all right now it tastes so good. I cut the spices in half of what most recipes I saw. This is going to be a hit I can just feel it.
Just picked up a fresh emptied Heaven Hill barrel today!
Still have a few more batches to brew to fill it with my english barleywine. All I need is time with this one. Hopefully it will be ready right when the snow hits TN.
Still have a few more batches to brew to fill it with my english barleywine. All I need is time with this one. Hopefully it will be ready right when the snow hits TN.
BeerAdvocate
BeerHunter
Started my pumpkin beer today!
Just wanted to let you guys know Thermapens are on sale with free shipping. Everything I read is that they're the best you can get. http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen.html $7 off and free shipping.
Transferred my pumpkin over it's tasting good. There's a spicy hop flavor present that should mellow and die down by the time I want to crack these in middle october. It's sitting around 7.5% at the moment. Should finish closer to 8%.
My two hearted clone while very good and damn close flavor wise has a vegetal flavor probably from having to up my hop quantity. The damn hops were 6%aa and had to essentially double the late additions which were pellets and possibly contributed to the flavor I'm picking up. Color is spot on and it's clear besides a hop haze.
I honestly think I might go whole cone hops only from this point because of this flavor.
My two hearted clone while very good and damn close flavor wise has a vegetal flavor probably from having to up my hop quantity. The damn hops were 6%aa and had to essentially double the late additions which were pellets and possibly contributed to the flavor I'm picking up. Color is spot on and it's clear besides a hop haze.
I honestly think I might go whole cone hops only from this point because of this flavor.
BeerAdvocate
BeerHunter
I brewed a Samual Smith Oatmeal Stout clone yesterday and added some chocolate
mthhurley
BoM December 2011
Got an Amarillo hopped wheat beer in secondary. My buddy made this before and it's great. He jumped up to 10 gallon batches and gave me half his first batch. 
.
I'm dry hopping with a little warrior and sterling I had sitting around. Total experiment here.
. I'm dry hopping with a little warrior and sterling I had sitting around. Total experiment here.
BeerAdvocate
BeerHunter
Brewing a Chocolate Pumpkin Porter - I hope it will be ready for Turkey Day
I brewed up a 90min IPA clone inspired beer. The yeast should be done eating by now so I can dry hop it soon.
This weekend I'm brewing either my huge russian imperial stout, or an old ale. I'm going to have to decide tonight so I can get a starter going.
This weekend I'm brewing either my huge russian imperial stout, or an old ale. I'm going to have to decide tonight so I can get a starter going.
I have a CDA/Black IPA (whichever side of that debate you happen to be on) recipe waiting for me to get around to brewing - something just keeps coming up. I currently am down to just a carbonated ginger mead on tap :sadstare:
Okay so I went with my russian imperial stout recipe. Ended up with a gravity of 1.133 and I'm going to up it a little bit more. The is big over the top family brew that will be done yearly for Christmas the following year. I just have a little bit of a decision to make. I intended on adding some real dark indian jaggery to bring the gravity up but my efficiency was like 78% due to splitting the batch into two mashes. So my 3.5lbs planned will be cut down or maybe it won't. Hmm I have a couple days to decide. I'll be aerating with pure oxygen for four days and adding sugar. Then on the 4th day I'll be adding a real big starter of white labs high gravity yeast. I will continue to add sugar until my 2lbs of sugar is gone. Then when fermentation has died down I will transfer it throw some rum soaked oak cubes and let it age for 5-6 months.
mthhurley
BoM December 2011
4 days of oxygen?!!?
I get that you have a high gravity brew there but where did you come up with 4 days?
From what I've read (and I'm reading the new Yeast book by Jamil and Chris White). Reoxygenating should only be done after 12 to 18 hours after pitching.
Also why are you waiting 4 days to pitch?
Big brew for sure!!
I get that you have a high gravity brew there but where did you come up with 4 days?
From what I've read (and I'm reading the new Yeast book by Jamil and Chris White). Reoxygenating should only be done after 12 to 18 hours after pitching.
Also why are you waiting 4 days to pitch?
Big brew for sure!!
I was basing the sugar and oxygen additions on the brewing schedule of this 120MIN IPA Brew. If the book by the guys at white labs says 18 hrs then I might have to forget about the extra days of oxygen. The reason for the waiting four days to add theWLP099 was to let the beer get most of its character from the WLP001 and use the 099 to finish it up from 10%+ and up. Another reason for the 4 days is that I wanted to build up two separate stepped up 1800ml starters of 099. I am basing that that from the general guidelines on whitelabs site for 099 use above 15%.
I guess I confused you a little by not mentioning the WLP001 that is in there already.
I figure the sugar will be added 7oz a day once a day for 7 days. I will stop adding oxygen all together on the day I pitch the 099 yeast. The reason for the oxygen up until then is to make sure the 099 has what it needs to finish up this bad mofo. I really don't want a beer stalled at 1.050 or so making it good as alcoholic pancake syrup. In addition to the sugar there will be some yeast nutrient added on the day the 099 is pitched.
I guess I confused you a little by not mentioning the WLP001 that is in there already.
I figure the sugar will be added 7oz a day once a day for 7 days. I will stop adding oxygen all together on the day I pitch the 099 yeast. The reason for the oxygen up until then is to make sure the 099 has what it needs to finish up this bad mofo. I really don't want a beer stalled at 1.050 or so making it good as alcoholic pancake syrup. In addition to the sugar there will be some yeast nutrient added on the day the 099 is pitched.
mthhurley
BoM December 2011
Ahhh yes. Didnt know about the 001 starting off. That changes my thoughts.
And yea, the book says O2 after 18 hours that can lead to off flavors.
What I really learned is that the yeast eat all the o2 almost immediately. Like within hours of pitching and focus all their energy on reproducing then.
And yea, the book says O2 after 18 hours that can lead to off flavors.
What I really learned is that the yeast eat all the o2 almost immediately. Like within hours of pitching and focus all their energy on reproducing then.
Well maybe I'll only oxygenate the beer in the morning tomorrow. Then again on the day I add the 099. That way the 099 has all the O2 it needs to get going.
mthhurley
BoM December 2011
Let me quote from the book if it helps any:
"For high-gravity beers, adding a second dose of oxygen between 12 and 18 hours can help fermentation speed and attenuation. The yeast quickly takes up this oxygen uses it for cell membrane maintenance and the production of some needed intermediary compounds. Research also indicates the addition of oxygen at 12 hours increases fermentation speed by 33 percent and decreases flavor compounds such as diacetyl and acetaldehyde. Why wait until 12 hours? You are waiting for the yeast to complete at least one cell division. There is little or no benefit from additional aeration before the yeast has had a chance to divide at least once.
You might also consider adjusting your pitching rate and temperature. For a 1.106 wort, the optimal pitching rate is 35M cells per ml. At 48 hours into fermentation, after yeast growth is complete, raise the temperature to 77 degrees for ale or 68 F for later. The rise in temperature keeps the yeast working at their maximum"
There's a whole section in here on pitching multiple strains of yeast.
I haven't even finished this book yet and have learned a ton. Highly recommend picking this one up.
Yeast-The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation. By Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff.
"For high-gravity beers, adding a second dose of oxygen between 12 and 18 hours can help fermentation speed and attenuation. The yeast quickly takes up this oxygen uses it for cell membrane maintenance and the production of some needed intermediary compounds. Research also indicates the addition of oxygen at 12 hours increases fermentation speed by 33 percent and decreases flavor compounds such as diacetyl and acetaldehyde. Why wait until 12 hours? You are waiting for the yeast to complete at least one cell division. There is little or no benefit from additional aeration before the yeast has had a chance to divide at least once.
You might also consider adjusting your pitching rate and temperature. For a 1.106 wort, the optimal pitching rate is 35M cells per ml. At 48 hours into fermentation, after yeast growth is complete, raise the temperature to 77 degrees for ale or 68 F for later. The rise in temperature keeps the yeast working at their maximum"
There's a whole section in here on pitching multiple strains of yeast.
I haven't even finished this book yet and have learned a ton. Highly recommend picking this one up.
Yeast-The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation. By Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff.
When I heard about the book coming out I wanted a copy. I hope one of the stores here will get them in so I can just buy it off a shelf. Or next order I'll just throw it in my shopping cart along with brew like a monk.