Anyone try hopville.com Recipes ?

I've brewed five Kolsches. The thing that helps most with clarity is cold conditioning time, if you keg. The beer really sets up after 4 months, and at least 1 month in the fridge.

I've also bought commercial examples of Kolsch that are bottle conditioned. I added the sediment to the beer, and it was really tasty. Traditionally, I'm not sure that you'll find haze in your Kolsch, but I wouldn't get offended if it was present.

 

beer calculus is fine and a good place to keep your notes. i think i have a few dozen recipes up there, though not all are brewed. it does the job. i wouldn't rely on it for hardcore work. if you are lazy like me, beer calculus will do alot of the legwork such as % of each grain and accurate BU calcs.

one thing, the software is incredibly fickle. it crashes every time i use. and i mean literally every time. i can't be on for 20 minutes without it locking up. but free is nice.
Cheers.

 

Which strain did you use? I am going to use WLP029 which I heard is quicker to clear than the Wyeast Kolsch strain. I will be kegging and really wish I had more time to let it condition - makes me realize how much I want a keezer that can hold more than 2 at a time (Damn apartment living!)

 

I would imagine gelatin would help to quicken up this process, have you ever tried that?

Also, the one Kolsch I have brewed (WY2565) took about three months to clear up (haze and sulpher). I also jumped kegs on that one, basically treating the original keg as a bright tank.

 

This is what I plan on doing with a lot of my beers. Mostly so I can move kegs around if need be w/o disturbing the yeast and whatever else settles to the bottom giving me cloudy beers for a few pours

 

I have done it on a few occasions, but I have struggled to keep up on production for a few months...so that always comes into play as well. I also discovered gelatin in the last few months, which creates a cake that is harder to disturb.

 

Do you just use the gelatin in the keg? Ive considered this but havent pulled the trigger as most of my beers will clear nicely as is. Its just for moving the kegs in and out to get some carbonated during times im not drinking (or away from home)

 

I love it. I use it all the time and keep all my brewday notes there. I have used all sorts of software, and loved one that isn't working for some odd reason, so I went to hopville...

Yes, Vikeman makes a good point, but I know enough to figure out if their numbers make sense or not and how to adjust them... Their ingredient database is user generated (not sure how to add new stuff mind you) and has flaws in it, which I have emailed them about and they have fixed (IIRC they had a sugar being "mash" and therefore being affected by your efficiency.) The bottom line is any tool is only as good as the user.

 

I find the site a pain to use. I prefer beersmith, which I also find a pain to use, but I paid for that pain!

 

Yep, gelatin in the keg when I put it on tap as it works best when refrigerated. Certain yeast clear well enough without the fining, but there are certain ones that could use a bit of help. Also, they do seem to clear quicker and the cake at the bottom doesn't seem to be disturbed as easily.

 

I used the Wyeast 2565. I've used one of the WLP and I didn't like it. It was a bit bland and reminded me too much of an 01, cali yeast. I will admit that the Wyeast is a bit sweet by the end, but it just keeps getting better with time. The last batch I did is getting to month 6 and it's amazing. I ferment it at about 55F and it comes out pretty clean. I guess it depends on what you like, but with either strain you should sit on it for a little while.

I always just let it hang out in the fermenter for about 6 weeks and in a keg for a month before tapping it. It come out crystal clear for me. Strange that you're having flock issues. By then, it's not quite ready to drink anyway. I've even been known to rouse the keg every once in a while to get some sediment in there to change up the flavor a bit.

 

I have been using brewers friend. http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator