I've got a couple 5 gallon kits under my belt that I think have turned out well (Summit EPA & Surly Furious clones) but so far I think my brews have lacked the depth and complexity of commercial craft brews. Any advise on taking my home brews to the next level?
Controlling fermentation temps, pitching the correct amount of yeast and full volume boils help tremendously
Thanks for the advise, first batch I did a 3 gallon boil and last time I upped it to 4, I'll need a larger kettle to do full 5 gallons. So I'll look into that. I've noticed I'm not getting vigorous bubbling during fermentation, I've been keeping the carboy on a table in my basement which is fairly cool (maybe to cool?) during firmentation. I thought keeping it off the cement floor would be enough but any other tips for controlling the ideal temp?
Yes..significant downsides. Yeast produces many different favors during its lifespan. Over pitching tends shorten or skip these vital points all together.
I've been brewing a couple years now, and the biggest difference I've seen is by making a starter. It's nothing special, the day before brewday I boil a cup of DME in with a little over a quart of water, let it boil about 15 mins, cool, and set it in a container (I've been using a sanitized growler) and pitch the yeast. Come brewday, once it's time, swirl the growlrt and dummp the whole thing in the wort. Now, I don't do lagers or super-high OG brews, that would need some more work, and I know the purists will take issue, but this procedure has worked out well for me.
You can't always rely on what the airlock is doing. A slow steady ferment is better than a more violent one (the kind you'd see if your temps were too high) anyway. I never have an issue with my temps being too cold since I store the primary in my apt, so no help there. To keep the temp from going too high I fill a plastic storage bin with enough water to cover the height of 1/3 - 1/2 of the fermenter. I then store several bottles of water (ice) in the freezer and toss in a couple in the morning, and when I get home from work. I usually try to keep my water in the 60-65 range because temps inside of the fermenter are a few degrees higher than the water.
Doing a full boil makes a big, big difference. Be aware that to do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch, you probably need an 8 gallon kettle. I would go so far as to suggest you should probably just go ahead and get a 10 gallon one--the price difference isn't that much, and you'll want that extra space if you need to do a 90 minute boil. As others have said, it's also really key to pitch the correct amount of yeast (google "mr malty") and to manage fermentation temps. If you're doing a full-boil, making an appropriate starter, and watching your fermentation temp, I think you'll like the results. If not, then it would be time to look at your ingredients (ie are they fresh etc).
