Brewing Activities (2021)

Have you tried this beer yet and, if yes, would you use more or less next time?
The BYO article made it clear that the maple aroma is almost astoundingly strong when compared to the amount needed. I just ordered some and am trying to get a feel for how the maple characteristics carry to the packaged and conditioned beer. Which begs another question, does it fade?

 

Made a NE IPA today.

75% 2 row
11% white wheat malt
11% flaked oats
3% Honey malt
Citra, Mosaic, MI Coppper

Omega Tropical IPA yeast

First time using new conical and first time changing water chemistry. Really excited for this one!

 

I've tried a couple of them. I'd say the aroma is pretty strong so I would probably use a bit less next time. The flavor was a much less than I remember when I bottled it so it could be fading or I'm just not recalling it correctly. Probably too soon to truly know yet.

 

Brown ale slated for today, hopefully:
37% Viking 2-row pale
23% Maris Otter
19% Riverbend Heritage 6-row
6% brown malt
5% each of C-60, pale chocolate and wheat malt
Willamette for bittering, flavor and aroma
S-04

This will be my first time to condition the malt. About 3.5 oz total water (1/3 oz per pound of grain) misted over the grains in stages, then mixed by hand. Supposedly a tighter mill gap can be used, rendering a finer crush while limiting shredded the hulls.

 

Brewed an American berry wheat today

5 gallons
40% Pale
40% Wheat malt
10% Vienna

1 ounce Fuggle at 60
1 ounce Cascade at 15
1 tsp Irish moss
S-05

Next week, I will add 5 pounds of frozen berry blend (blueberry, raspberry and strawberry) to the fermenter. I need to look into the best way to do this - whole soaked in vodka, pureed....

 

90%. Did you use some other grains, or maybe a higher % of one or more of those listed?

I haven't added fruit to a beer (other than orange peel), but plenty of folks here have; you'll get some feedback.

 

Doh! 20% Vienna

 

Keg/Spunding the Helles Rauchbier. Finished at 5.2% (FG of 1.010 per the FFT). Actual beer currently at 1.015, so it should naturally carb up perfectly.

The other day I mentioned how I was brewing up an Irish Dry Stout next, but decided to postpone that for the time being and decided to change it up to a German Pils I will brew next weekend. Just wrapped up that recipe... OG of 1.045, FG expected at 1.008 with 2206.

85% Weyermann Pils, 10% White Wheat, 5% Acidulated. Mittelfruh, Tradition, Perle and Saaz to 38 IBU.

I really loved the wheat character I have in my IPL currently on tap (was 20%) so wanted to throw a little in my German Pils for some additional character.

 

I would thaw the frozen fruit and crush with a potato masher before adding it to the beer. Bagging the fruit in the fermentor helps with excess sediment when it comes time to bottle/keg. I personally would not soak in vodka or you’ll end up with a Berry Wheat Vodka Spritzer.

 

How are you gonna go about misting the grains? I’m curious about your set up?

 

Yeah, the rotating pick up valve is probably the biggest design flaw of the brew bucket. It’s still a great product though. I usually just leave mine rotated around 45 degrees for everything and don’t rotate. I also collect the first pint and dump just to make sure I’ve cleared any trub. if you do rotate, turn clockwise, which will tighten.

 

Using two buckets, one to hold the dry, whole grains and the other as a receiver, I put an inch or two of grains in the receiver and misted them with a small spray bottle. Repeated until the supply in empty, then mixed well by hand to distribute, covered with tinfoil, and let them rest for about 10 minutes.

I think the 1/3 ounce of water per lb was a little light or maybe they didn’t rest long enough.
The gap on my mill had been set to 0.035 gap on my mill. This time I set it to 0.028. Would’ve gone tighter but that’s all it would move. The insignificant amount of grains left behind in the misting bucket were easily swiped out. The rollers on the mill didn’t gum up.

The whole thing took about 5 minutes. The crush was fluffy with the innards well exposed and it didn’t overly shred the husks as far as I could tell. The grain bed set to a good filter. I reserved some spent grains during cleanup and am drying in the oven so I can take a closer look. I was think it was worth the minimal effort.

 

Had to transfer my latest beer as the spigot was leaking, I'd put the rubber washer on the inside so the beer was leaking out through the threads My garage smells of dried beer now , At least it was still fermenting when I transferred it, so I'm calling it a traditional double drop

 

Toasting some white oak I cut down and have been drying for the past two years will put some on white wine and the other half on bourbon.

 

Transferred the hazy IPA from the fermenting keg to the serving keg. Probably lost a gallon to hops + trub + yeast. Gonna need to scale the recipe up to get a consistent yield. Smelled/tasted great going into the keg, though.

 

Made dark Belgian candy sugar because I can’t afford to buy it in Bidens america with gas going up 80 cents a gallon in the past month.

 

At least the stock market is doing great.

 

The Prols will rise and I will serve them beer.

 

Made a starter today for a Tripel, pretty straight forward recipe:
74% Dingemans Pils
13% Vienna
13% Sugar (1lb cane sugar & 1lb clear Belgian)
Hopped with Liberty @ 45 & 10
WLP530