Q&A: Homebrewing

[cdh]

It shouldn't be problematic. Anything that got in and started growing would get killed by the boil. You should be fine so long as your delay wasn't on the order of days. If given enough time, wild beasts could leave enough byproducts in your beer that you might taste it... but that would take days or longer unless you specifically put them in there.

Hey All

Posted a little premature, I fixed the tap with a new rubber washer and it stopped leaking. I have done the mash and have the wart is ready for the boil. I have to go out so I am going to leave it for a while and do the boil latter, Chris will this cause any problems?

Regards

Rom

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[Bill Poster]

My order arrived minus the hops, crusher and fermenting vessels. I am a little annoyed at having to wait for another week... The supplier wasn't that bothered (I'll go elseware in future). Grain arrived from Warminster Maltings(can't recommend these guys enough).

Question about yeast starter; can i use full grain?

[cdh]

Question about yeast starter; can i use full grain?

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Well, you'll have to mash the grain to get it to the state where it would be useful as a starter. This is within your grasp, however...

Take a large insulated travel cup and fill it 1/2 full with grain. Warm some water to 160F and pour it into the cup with the grain. Leave it there for an hour. Strain out the grain. Cool the liquid down to room temperature, and add your yeast. Now you've got a starter. Let the yeast grow for a few days, then put it into the fridge. Don't forget about sanitation, as you don't want to contaminate your starter.

Edited August 17, 2006 by cdh (log)

[Bill Poster]

That sounds simple...! Thanks so much

I recieved my Mill. This is where half of my budget went(!) but it looks stunning. Also got my fermenting bins with airlocks etc. I picked up my water boiler(35-40 litre)with concealed element, 40 pounds sterling. I don't have a thermometre as yet.

The two things that weren't sent (i ordered) were irish moss and more importantly, priming sugar. I couldn't get hold of caramalt in small quantities either.

Tomorrow I may attempt my first brew. I'm expecting it to be a 'learning' experience..

Cdh, Please rip this to shreds. I don't really know if this is gonna work.

Its a wheat beer

Firstly, I don't know the quantities of grain, say X kg per 10 litres.

I haven't decided how much for first try; do these percentages seem right?

55% wheat malt

17% Munich

25% lager

3% acid malt

Clean everything thoroughly

heat water in boiler to burn off chlorine(lovely east London water)

drop temperature down to 135, add grain,

135 for 20 min

rest at 110 for 10 min

140-5 for 40 min

160 for 20 min

raise to 170 then sparge(how much water to add?)

Boil will be for 70 mins

add Hallertauer(small amount) after 30 min

add styrian after another 35 min(same amount)

then add nutrient at 68 min

cool and pitch my yeast at 70F (add any flavouring?)

Some say avoid temps above 68 but I want the banana aroma over the clove..what to do?

ferment at 65-8F?

Drop temp down to 45 after how long?

So many questions, sorry

Edited August 17, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[Rombot]

It shouldn't be problematic.  Anything that got in and started growing would get killed by the boil.  You should be fine so long as your delay wasn't on the order of days.  If given enough time, wild beasts could leave enough byproducts in your beer that you might taste it... but that would take days or longer unless you specifically put them in there.

Hey All

Posted a little premature, I fixed the tap with a new rubber washer and it stopped leaking. I have done the mash and have the wart is ready for the boil. I have to go out so I am going to leave it for a while and do the boil latter, Chris will this cause any problems?

Regards

Rom

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Thanks Chris,

Delay was only over night about 18 hours or so. I had started the process expecting a nice night in when the calls came through demanding that I go to the pub and help friends through the awful task of consuming vast quantities of beer.

The brew seems to be coming along nicely now, its bubbling away in the garage and I will bottle at about 3 weeks as temps are still below 20 degrees Celsius.

For the next brew I am wanting do something like a Japanese beer (Asahi super dry ect). Light bodied and very crisp, any ideas?

Rom

[cdh]

Cdh, Please rip this to shreds. I don't really know if this is gonna work.

OK, here's my observations

Firstly, I don't know the quantities of grain, say X kg per 10 litres.

I haven't decided how much for first try; do these percentages seem right?

55% wheat malt

17% Munich

25% lager

3% acid malt

Looks reasonable. Use the recipe calculator at www.hbd.org/recipator to figure out your weights for the volume you intend to brew.

Clean everything thoroughly

heat water in boiler to burn off chlorine(lovely east London water)

drop temperature down to 135, add grain,

135 for 20 min

rest at 110 for 10 min

140-5 for 40 min

160 for 20 min

raise to 170 then sparge(how much water to add?)

I doubt you need to do the multi-step mash. Try to mash at 150 for 50 minutes, and you should be fine. How do you intend to sparge? Batch style like in my lessons, or are you going to do the fly sparging thing?

Boil will be for 70 mins

add Hallertauer(small amount) after 30 min

add styrian after another 35 min(same amount)

then add nutrient at 68 min? 

cool and pitch my yeast at 70F (add any flavouring?)

Use the calculator to figure out hop amounts. You don't want more than 25 IBUs in there. I'd aim closer to 20.

Some say avoid temps above 68 but I want the banana aroma over the clove..what to do?

ferment at 65-8F?

Drop temp down to 45 after how long?

So many questions, sorry

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Temperatures are very yeast specific, so what you yeast produces at what temperature isn't something I can really help you with, as I've not played with the 3068. Experiment and see what happens.

No real need to lager a wheat beer. Don't worry about dropping the temp until you're ready to drink it. Wheat beers drink best young. Let it ferment for a week, keg/bottle it and let it rest there until it carbonates, then start drinking.

Edited August 18, 2006 by cdh (log)

[cdh]

For the next brew I am wanting do something like a Japanese beer (Asahi super dry ect). Light bodied and very crisp, any ideas?

Rom

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Use lots of rice in your dry Japanese style beers. Use malt with lots of excess enzymes, and as much rice as it can convert. Rice comes out very light and dry.

[Bill Poster]

I mixed yeast into my grain starter; now I'm slightly worried that i did'nt let the wort cool down to room temperature.. whats the max temp you can add the yeast without killing it?

[cdh]

110F is about as high as they can stand.

[Bill Poster]

I think thats what they got..

But luckily my thermos started bubbling like crazy this morning.

BREWING DAY

First I boiled water for 30 minutes. Got a nice film on top of water. Drained it off best i could. The boiler (Burco washing machine) won't boil up to 100 so i took 5 litres out (20 in total) and put all the grain in(a large amount 5.5 kg).

Then, when i put the agitator on(why i chose the burco) the top plate covering the element came loose! so now i dare'nt turn up heat to sparge. Will have to tip into spare bin , fix it, then back again..

I had to do two separate mashes and boils

now batch 1 is cooling down (in fermenting bin)in the bath. I added a bowl of ice and 5 litres of cold water. i will pitch yeast when cool enough then add batch two when finished and room temp. I want to end up with 30+ litres

Started at 11pm, its now 5 something!

Edited August 24, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[Bill Poster]

Ended up with about 26-28 litres; I airated it this morning with a clean plaster mixer and drill. Now its bubbling away, 10 hrs after adding yeast. If by miracle, this turns out drinkable, I think it will be stronger than I meant it to be! Maybe 6-7%. Many mistakes made

The foam on top has 'white bits'..is this ok?

I worry it may have got contaminated- so many opportunities(fly in kitchen etc)

[cdh]

White bits are just fine. Don't worry about them. Let the beer go for two weeks, and then have a taste. If it doesn't taste very sour or of band-aids or otherwise objectionable, you've gotten through without an infection.

[Bill Poster]

I used that site you told me about. Very useful, thanks again. I noticed i made a mistake when spec. the hop type. As a result i may have over hopped

Edited August 24, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[Msk]

Had a marathon brew session this past sunday, did two brews. A nut brown ale and a re-brew of the golden ale from the course.

Somehow I came away with too much wort with the golden ale and it blew the stopper out of the carboy. I'm praying it does not get infected. I cleaned the stopper and airlock and re-sanitized it and put it back on since I don't have a blow off hose.

I'm going on vacation so I hope its ok when I get back.

Thanks for the intro to the hobby CDH, I'm totally hooked now.

Msk

[Bill Poster]

Tempting fate here.. I brewed a second batch last night to add to the first, because of over hopping. It went much more smoothly. I did an extra long mash at approx 143 (step) and the grain looked like it had given its all. I guess I have 45 litres of brew in the bin. Out of interest, what grain goes red in the mash? My guess is the acid malt

Should I airate the brew?

[cdh]

Tempting fate here.. I brewed a second batch last night to add to the first, because of over hopping. It went much more smoothly. I did an extra long mash at approx 143 (step) and the grain looked like it had given its all. I guess I have 45 litres of brew in the bin. Out of interest, what grain goes red in the mash? My guess is the acid malt

Should I airate the brew?

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If you've not yet added the yeast, then you could aerate it. Otherwise, forget about it. Good guess about the acid malt, though I don't know for certain. I've never seen a malt turn red in the mashing process.

[Bill Poster]

If you've not yet added the yeast, then you could aerate it.  Otherwise, forget about it.

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I just dumped the cool wort, with no added yeast, into the first batch. I was thinking the plentiful yeast already there is enough.. have I ****ed up?

Paranoia

I stopped opening the stopper to have a peak, as yeast activity is slowing and i don't want to infect it. I have a lot of floculation(not sure of spelling) on the bottom after less than 3 days. Slightly worried by this as this might signal　the yeast has run out of sugar(infection eating the sugar resulting in early floculation??).

My fermenting bin has a tap- can i drain this yeast away?

Edited August 26, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[cdh]

Stop worrying and leave it alone for 2 weeks. No more peeking. No decanting. No re-yeasting. Leave it alone.

[Bill Poster]

Ok boss

[Bill Poster]

Just did a small batch of lager;10 litres using wyeast czech yeast. I smacked the pack 4 days before using- I worry the yeast may not be doing the business(didn't make starter). I cooled the wort v quickly(75f), shock the barrel, added the yeast and stuck it in a cool cellar. 18hrs and no sign of activity

[cdh]

Don't worry. 18 hrs is nothing. When it gets to 36 and there's still no yeasty activity, then you're allowed to worry. Lagers need lots of yeast to get going.

How cool is the space you're going to ferment it in? If it is too cold, that will slow the yeast. Lagers like to ferment in the 50s F.

Edited August 31, 2006 by cdh (log)

[Bill Poster]

I'm guessing its about 50 f down there. Its not any less (at the moment). I stuck it in a 60 litre barrel which looks a bit silly

[cdh]

Any activity yet? 50F is right around where lagers like to be, but without a starter, you were in for a slow ramp-up to visible activity.

Also, keep in mind that lager yeast like to ferment on the bottom, unlike ale yeast that float to the top and make lots of foam.

[Bill Poster]

Chris, You're right- the airlock is active. I have decided not to peer in; just leave it and wait.

The Weiss is 2 weeks i think- i have a lot of 'trub' to remove. Its above the tap line- what would be the best way to bottle? (i have the bottle filler device)

PS would adding lemon zest to a weiss (either during the boil or later) make a difference to head retention?

Edited September 3, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[Bill Poster]

bottled the wheat beer- used the website you kindly recommended to work out the priming amount. I've gone a little under, with honey. Went to local bar with big bucket last night- 100 empty Nastro bottles waiting for me in the morning!

I tasted prior to priming(racked into other bin first). It looks good, smells good but tastes a bit sour(not vinegary), rather watery. No carbonation whatsoeva. Bit like an ale. Not impressed at the moment but not despondent as its my first try.

Will it improve with the honey/priming/age?