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Spittybug
08-25-2012, 11:12 PM
I thought that might get your attention!

I'm starting this thread to exchange recipes for home brew or to comment on different vodkas. These are my two "booze" related hobbies, LOL...

I'm still drinking my way through the first brew batch, and Irish Red from Midwest Brewing Supplies. I boiled up the second batch today, a Porter. Unbelievable, the yeast started feasting after less than 5 hours. It's going like gangbusters. I added a little ground coffee to the wort since I had read that this gives it a bit more body. We'll see. I need to get another carboy and more bottles so that I can have several brews going at the same time. As a biologist (at least by degree), I have pretty good sanitary practices from my lab days and that certainly helps preventing unwanted contamination of the brew!

Vodka wise, I'm currently drinking Kru 82 that comes in neat aluminum canisters. Not bad stuff. My favorite is still Viking Fjord from Norway, but my local chain has stopped carrying it. I also like Kettel One, Polar Ice, Stolichnaya and a few others. Not a Grey Goose fan. Skyy in a pinch. I tried a good one the other day but forgot the name... something gold... Russian I think. I'm going to start logging the different ones and posting if anyone's interested. Maybe we can get it set up as some kind of list or poll.

DniveK
08-26-2012, 10:53 AM
Just getting ready to brew a batch myself, a pale ale. I recommend you try Crystal Head Vodka, very smooth with a light vanilla aftertaste. Bring some of your beer over and I'll give you some vodka...my beer needs to get started yet.

Spittybug
08-26-2012, 11:20 AM
Spring? You are close. Are you active in the Texas club? Who are you??????? (I'm solidly behind the DMCtalk movement of using real names in signatures.......)

DniveK
08-26-2012, 11:31 AM
Ha, Its Kevin Dietrich. I am a block away from the car show at Kroger.

nullset
08-26-2012, 11:34 AM
Sobieski is my favorite reasonably priced vodka. It's very good for the price.

--buddy

Spittybug
08-26-2012, 11:46 AM
Well why didn't you say so Kevin! We'll have to combine tech sessions with homebrew tastings. Shannon can bring his Port and I'll bring my beers. We'll throw a car up on my lift and convince ourselves that we're actually working.....

Buddy, I too have tried and liked the Sobieski. I got suckered into trying one called "Potters" the other day. Good god, that was the only one that I've ever taken out of the freezer and put back into it's own bottle for use as intake cleaner......... not good straight up. Where are you located?

ccurzio
08-26-2012, 12:23 PM
I put a couple of my homebrew recipes on my website.

Damn I need to brew another batch of beer.

Dangermouse
08-26-2012, 12:39 PM
Buddy is here in GA.

Chris, yes, yes you do.

Owen, I'm coming to that AA tech session. :)

DMCVegas
08-27-2012, 11:00 AM
Hell, I'm over here in Willowbrook! Stoli is my preferred vodka, though I still can't get over how much more expensive liquor is here in Texas.

Best advice I can offer is to never substitute grapefruit juice in a tequila sunrise. I did that a couple of weeks ago when I ran out of OJ and severely regretted it. :vomit_1:

Spittybug
08-27-2012, 11:03 AM
I'm just off Jones between Louetta and Cypresswood. I'm feeling a tech session on the merits of alcohol boosting coming together......

ccurzio
08-28-2012, 12:32 PM
Chris, yes, yes you do.

I've been trying to hold out until my hop harvest (I have some Cascade and Chinook vines I'm growing in the back yard on a couple of rhizomes I planted last year), but I have no buds yet and I really want to brew. Pellets again, I guess.

Spittybug
08-29-2012, 06:27 PM
I'm officially addicted. I went to a local (ok, 30 miles but that IS local in Houston) beer making supply store today. Nice guy helped me understand a few things that I was unsure of and gave me a multi-page printout of different recipes and what commercial beers they most resemble. While there I bought, for ~$26, the ingredients necessary to make a beer like Southern Star's Blonde Bombshell (OG 1.063 FG 1.016) which is a damned nice beer, despite coming in a can! I also bought another carboy and bottles so that I can now have one in the primary and two going in secondaries. Got a porter going right now and am enjoying the first attempt, an Irish red ale.

Getting crazy ideas of a small brew pub to start up.................. aaaarghh. I could call it "Bock to the Future", "Outta thyme, rosemary and hops", "1.21 specific gravity", oh I should stop now.

Dangermouse
08-29-2012, 06:53 PM
LOLed the pub names.

I always love the term "Irish Red Ale" because such a beer doesn't actually exist in Ireland.

In the first bar I visited in this country the bartender heard my accent and said "you'll be wanting a Killians then?"

"I'll be wanting a what?"

She got me a bottle of Killians, which I had never heard of before. I liked it but reading the label discovered that it was brewed in the States under license from
The French! Irish my #%^!

From wiki I have learned that it actually was brewed in Ireland until the mid 50s, way before my time. My choice in a pub at the time was pretty much Stout (Guinness by default); Ale (Bass or smith wicks); lager (Harp or Tennants), cider or a few places had exotic imports like Budweiser

How times have changed.

DMCVegas
08-30-2012, 10:19 PM
I'm just off Jones between Louetta and Cypresswood. I'm feeling a tech session on the merits of alcohol boosting coming together......

Agreed. The secretary for our insurance agent says that she takes Louetta home and that there is some garage on it that has a DeLorean parked out front allot. Haven't been able find it. Heard of it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DniveK
08-31-2012, 09:14 AM
I'll be starting my Pale Ale this weekend. I get my supplies from a place called Brew It Yourself on I45 northbound feeder. There is also a local brew club called The KGB that you can join for around 20$ a year membership. They have monthly gatherings to exchange beer and eat pizza, salsa, crawfish, steak....whatever. See the website at http://www.thekgb.org/
Let me know when you want to get together to sample some vodka and beer.

Spittybug
08-31-2012, 09:45 AM
Kevin, it was BIY that I went to. For a city as big as Houston, there aren't that many supply houses. I started looking at the KGB and it sounds interesting. Wouldn't mind attending one to see just how "hard core" everyone is.

Robert, I don't know the car/owner that you're referring to. I'm just off Jones, a mile or so south of Louetta. I don't park in front though, I keep it in the garage.

We should pick one of the upcoming Saturday mornings (let's let it get a little cooler first) and instead of Coffee & Cars, do our "Deloreans & Distilled Distractions" meet. I was thinking "Deloreans and Debauchery", but that sounded crude.

DniveK
08-31-2012, 10:52 AM
Sounds like a plan. I should have my beer done in a few weeks and be ready to start my Octoberfest. Here is a link to the vodka I am currently drinking. I know it seems like a novelty but it is really good. http://www.crystalheadvodka.com/welcome

Spittybug
09-02-2012, 10:44 AM
On Friday I cooked up the Blonde Bombshell; should be about 5% when done. I wanted to experiment a bit so for the last couple of minutes of the boil I threw in the juice and pulp of a good sized orange. I strained out the pulp before cooling the wort. It started fermenting within 4 hours or so and has been going gangbusters for the last 40 hours or so. The airlock looks like there is an air hose connected to it! The faint smell of orange gives me hope that I'll have a very subtle note of it in the beer. One orange in 5 gallons.....we'll see. The guy at BIY gave me a giant recipe sheet so if anyone is looking for how to mimic a commercial brew and needs the recipe, just ask.

With one primary fermenter tub and 2 carboys, I ought to be able to keep producing at the rate of about 5 cases per month or: (5 cases * 24 bottles)/30 days = 4 beers per day. Humm, that may be more than is healthy! I'm either going to have to cut back on the Vodka, the wine at dinner, find a different doctor or more drinking friends. When you consider that the average batch costs about $25-$30 for 2 1/2 cases' worth, it's pretty economical. I really hadn't been paying too much attention since the wife does the supermarketing, but when did a decent beer shoot up to $7.00 per 6 pack? That's here in Texas. I wonder how much you guys in the tax happy states are paying? My batch therefore is the equivalent of about $70 of beer from the store. Doesn't take long to amortize the couple of hundred in equipment at that pace.

I think the only downside I've yet encountered is the wort smell can be a bit much in the house on brew day. I may just get myself an outside propane burner and do that step outdoors since we have a downdraft vent on the cook top, not a hood. If I keep going with this hobby (and I don't see why not), I could definitely see myself getting interested in semi-professional equipment with SS vessels and spigots, dedicated lines, etc.... And I wonder why she thinks I'm odd?

:drunk:

DniveK
09-02-2012, 10:53 AM
Yeah, I agree about the wort smell taking over the house. I have been using an outdoor propane cooker. I use a 5 gallon stainless pot and do all my boils at around 4 gallons and top up with spring water before settling. I also invested in a emersion cooler and a airator stone hooked to an oxygen tank. I only use two buckets in my system so I can only have one batch going at a time. I can still do two batchs a month with a one to two week fermenation cycle. I have an American style ale fermenting currently.

DniveK
09-18-2012, 08:56 AM
For those of you who brew beer, what is your choice of clarification? I typicaly use an irish moss in the brew kettle and add Silica Gel to the secondary about two days before bottling. I know some people prefer other methods, so just wondering what you all have had success with.

ccurzio
09-18-2012, 09:21 AM
For those of you who brew beer, what is your choice of clarification? I typicaly use an irish moss in the brew kettle and add Silica Gel to the secondary about two days before bottling. I know some people prefer other methods, so just wondering what you all have had success with.

I've only ever used a pinch of Irish moss toward the end of the boil, and not in every batch. (Never in a hefeweizen, for instance.) Never messed with silica gel or anything like that.

I'm also not a massive stickler when it comes to having my beer turn out crystal clear.

Spittybug
09-18-2012, 01:19 PM
Ditto. I actually prefer the "cloudiness" to clarity. Maybe it's all in my head, but I think of thin piss Budweiser kind of beer when I think clear. I don't mind cloudiness from the yeast. Now, I don't go out of my way to get every drop of sediment out of the bottle either. If there was a nice simple way to filter it I wouldn't be against it, it just hasn't ever bothered me. After 3 weeks in the secondary there isn't too much floating around. I've very careful moving the carboys so as to not stir things up.

I just bottled my Porter a couple of days ago. Not a very high alcohol one at ~3.95% I'd say. The Blonde Bombshell is about ready to bottle; it's showing ~6.3% (both by volume).

Now wine I would want nice and clear........................

ccurzio
09-18-2012, 06:05 PM
I think that if I were to do any lagering I would spend more time on clarification. Ales though? Nah.


Now, I don't go out of my way to get every drop of sediment out of the bottle either. If there was a nice simple way to filter it I wouldn't be against it, it just hasn't ever bothered me.

I prefer it. Not only does it ensure there's plenty of yeast for bottle conditioning, I actually like to drink it. It's got a bready beer flavor and it's super rich in vitamin B.

DniveK
09-19-2012, 06:59 PM
Wow... Cloudyness is not good. Clarification effects beer taste a lot. Yeast makes finished beer unstable because it begins to autolyze, creating sulfur, yeast, and rotten flavor notes. Clarified beers also hold up longer unrefrigerated, but I guess if you drink your brew fast and dont store it, then you'll be fine. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of expensive filtration equipment, but I do feel some form of clarifiation is required on all beer to be drinkable.

ccurzio
09-19-2012, 09:46 PM
Wow... Cloudyness is not good. Clarification effects beer taste a lot. Yeast makes finished beer unstable because it begins to autolyze, creating sulfur, yeast, and rotten flavor notes. Clarified beers also hold up longer unrefrigerated, but I guess if you drink your brew fast and dont store it, then you'll be fine. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of expensive filtration equipment, but I do feel some form of clarifiation is required on all beer to be drinkable.

It's only "wrong" or "not good" if you don't like it. I've been brewing with these methods for 7+ years and have never had any problems.

And the people to whom I give my beer (since I don't really drink each five gallon batch myself) have also not had any complaints.

Spittybug
09-21-2012, 05:42 PM
It's officially a disease now.

Just got back from Brew it Yourself and my new dealer, Ray. As I was having him fill up the box of ingredients for a Strong Scotch Ale (ala Bellhaven Wee Heavy or McEwan's Scotch Ale) he tells me to let this baby sit in the bottles for about 3 months! It's got a OG of 1.1 and a FG of 1.028 for an expected alcohol of 9.45% !!!! That is indeed a weeeee heavy! So being the impatient one that I am, I'll need something in between so I also bought ingredients for a Dunkelweizen wheat beer. A more modest 1.05 to 1.012 for a abv of 4.99%.

The Porter needs another week or two in the bottles and I should bottle the Blonde Bombshell this weekend. I just ran out of my Irish Red, so fu(& it all, I have to go BUY some beer!! How did I plan this so badly? LOL.....

Spittybug
09-21-2012, 05:46 PM
Wow... Cloudyness is not good. Clarification effects beer taste a lot. Yeast makes finished beer unstable because it begins to autolyze, creating sulfur, yeast, and rotten flavor notes. Clarified beers also hold up longer unrefrigerated, but I guess if you drink your brew fast and dont store it, then you'll be fine. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of expensive filtration equipment, but I do feel some form of clarifiation is required on all beer to be drinkable.

The autolyzing of the yeasties really only happens if you leave it too long on a sizable yeast cake like in a single stage fermenter. If you have siphoned off into secondary after the fermentation has ended, the population that you transfer over is greatly reduced and when they settle to the bottom and you bottle your beer, even fewer go in the bottle. Yes, the small amount of priming sugar will allow them to multiply, but not much more than a thin film of them should be present on the bottom of the bottle. Not nearly enough to create the rotten notes.

DniveK
09-21-2012, 11:31 PM
My Ale hits bottles in the morning as well... Spent the morning cleaning bottles(oh so much fun). So when's the next Deloreans and Distilled Distractions meeting?

Spittybug
09-22-2012, 08:55 AM
Well, with no more Irish Red and the Porter a couple of weeks away, the Bombshell just going into bottles and the two new ones yet to be brewed.....I'm out of beer to contribute to such a DDD meeting! Probably need to wait a few weeks.

Spittybug
09-24-2012, 09:51 AM
I brewed up the Strong Scotch Ale yesterday. In an attempt to keep the wert smell out of the house (we have a downdraft vent and electric cook top, neither optimal) I did it on the gas BBQ. It took longer since the pot was further from the heat source. I need to get a ring burner and use either propane or plumb it to the natural gas.

Wow, this beer will be big. 5 full quart tubs of different extracts and about 3.25# of mixed grains. Starting gravity was a whopping 1.11 It is supposed to get to 1.028 which would be 9.45%bv. If the current activity in the bubbler is any indication (which it is!!), those yeasties are having themselves one hell of a party right now.

DniveK
09-24-2012, 10:31 AM
Sounds great Owen! I got mine into bottles on Saturday, two weeks to wait.... I am planning an Oatmeal Stout for the next batch. Still doing more research on a new recipe first, but should happen next weekend.

Spittybug
09-27-2012, 07:09 PM
I opened a Porter today..... I'm liking this hobby! I could taste the hint of coffee I put in it. Very nice. I have a broad range of beer likes and I know a sweet Porter isn't everyone's cup of tea, but this came out very well indeed. In about a week I'll test the Blonde Bombshell. The Strong Scotch Ale is ready to go into secondary.

Spittybug
09-30-2012, 04:08 PM
Brewed the Dunkelweizen wheat beer today. I bought a propane burner to do it outdoors because of the wort smelling up the house. Good investment and it boils up really fast!
Couldn't resist, I cracked open a Blonde Bombshell at lunch. Not bad, a bit flat still so I need a couple more weeks in the bottle to fully carbonate. That's what I get for jumping the gun.

Spittybug
10-10-2012, 05:22 PM
Nuvo, HUH?? Bot?

In any case, an update: My BIG Scottish wee strong got stuck at about 1.044, well short of the 1.028 but still above 7% bvol. I think the yeasties partied too hearty too quickly and put themselves into a stupor!
I re-pitched today with a slightly different strain of yeast that should pick up where these guys left off and finish the job.

German wheat beer is in secondary. Just bought components for a Northern English Brown. The Porter I'm now drinking is damned good....I'd definitely recommend and will be making again.

Also need to report on a pretty decent Vodka I found for less than $20/1.75l; Gzhelka from Russia. "Distilled from grain", but doesn't say what (I'm guessing winter wheat). Tastes very smooth and no medicinal tones. Worth a try. I found this when Googling:Gzhelka is the most recognisable vodka brand in Russia, known by every second adult inhabitant, according to White Gold Company. The history of the brand began in the year 1993. Since then, the brand has become a national Russian product. To maintain the popularity of the brand, White Gold Company regularly updates the bottle design and improves its quality.

The producer enthuses: "The beauty of Russian nature is represented in a new, stylish square bottle, representing mighty forests, fruitful fields, clear rivers and frosty winter. Gzhelka is a vodka with minimalistic design, excellent taste, pure in colour and time-proved quality that makes it a must-have in a standard category."

Awards won by the Gzhelka brand include: Superbrand 2005; 10 best brands of vodka in the Russian market for ten-year period 1995-2005; United Vodka & Spirits 2002, Belgium. Gold medal; Product of the Year 2000.

Ron
10-10-2012, 08:31 PM
Nuvo, HUH??
French vodka

Spittybug
10-13-2012, 10:56 PM
The re-pitched yeast did absolutely squat.

Funny, mold or mildew grows on anything in Houston and I can't get yeast to chow down on perfectly good, sugary beer wort! I've tried warming it too. So today I was given a couple of packs of wine yeast to try. This stuff is good to about 18% alcohol so they shouldn't mind the 7% or so in there that is probably hindering the other guys from starting up. After 8 hours though, nothing. If this fails my last resort will be to throw this batch on top of a yeast cake that has just finished up another brew batch. If THAT should fail, maybe I'll just distill it or slowly blend it away..........shame to waste 5 gallons of 7%. I'd heard that these Scottish wee strongs could be difficult, but if I can get it going again, hopefully worth it.

The Blonde Bombshell knock off isn't really my style. Too hoppy and not malty enough for my taste. Doesn't come to a nice creamy head when poured either. Oh well, I'll "suffer" as I drink them, but won't make that recipe again. My Porter just impresses me more and more as it ages. Just as good if not better than the best I've ever bought. Definitely on the re-brew list. Another week or so and the whet beer can get bottled. He has behaved himself nicely with good furious fermentation down to target and has sit tight since. Clarifying nicely.

Spittybug
10-23-2012, 09:12 PM
Update

Scottish Strong Ale: Repitched with wine yeast; nothing. Hot bath; nothing. Threw in the yeast cake from the Northern English Ale that just came out of fermenter; NOTHING. This shit must be poisonous or something. I'm going to let it age a few months and see.

Bottled Dunkelweizen. I'll give it 2 weeks to carbonate.

Northern English Ale in secondary.

Blonde Bombshell: I spoke too soon. Another week or two in the bottles and the hoppiness dropped a lot. It's still a little under carbonated, but tastes quite nice now. Patience is a virtue.

Brewery operations are stepping up. I bought a conical fermenter and 3 Corny kegs from a guy last week and a $50 Craigslist refrigerator tonight. Going to add three taps on the front and voila, a Keginator.
Got my eye on another conical too. They are nice in that I don't have to rack to a secondary; just pull the yeast off the bottom. 3 weeks in one of those and then straight into a keg. About a week on 12lbs of CO2 in the fridge and good to go. No more bottles!

Now if I could just find a way to integrate the brewery into the Delorean I would have a truly unique hobby!

Spittybug
10-27-2012, 03:52 PM
Tried the Dunkelweizen today...I know, a little early. A competent little beer but nothing to really write home about. We'll see how it ages.

I took the Big Scottish Ale off the trub and put in in a clean carboy. I snuck a taste (uncarbonated and warm....) and it wasn't unpleasant at all. Pretty complex and should mellow with age. Definitely higher alcohol and you can tell. Slight "scotchy" aroma to it. Thinking of throwing in a stick of charred oak and let it sit for a couple of months.

Ordered all the part for the kegerator. Fridge itself is painted stainless steel (what else?) and the new floor is half way through getting its gloss white paint job.

Houston guys, it's time to put together that tech/booze day!

Dangermouse
10-29-2012, 04:35 PM
10/23/12
Bottled Dunkelweizen. I'll give it 2 weeks to carbonate.


10/27/12
Tried the Dunkelweizen today...

Good job Owen. Impressive self restraint there :)

Spittybug
10-29-2012, 04:57 PM
I know, epic failure on my part :mallet: ..... but it will only get better with some more time!

ccurzio
10-30-2012, 04:25 PM
http://i.imgur.com/FtHYdl.jpg

Hefeweizen: kegged.

Dangermouse
10-30-2012, 05:18 PM
Looks like a Halloween Bloody Brain in a Jar prop :p

Spittybug
10-30-2012, 05:25 PM
Hefeweizen: kegged.

Cute little kegs. Do they get bigger when they get older? I went with the 5 gallon soda kegs (Cornelius). Looks like I can get 6 in the new refrigerator, but for now I'm only plumbing for 3. Parts should get here tomorrow so I can finish the build. Then it will be time to put the Dunkelweizen into a keg.

I also charred some oak cubes, soaked them in vodka to sterilize them and threw them in the Big Scottish. I figured it might impart a wood barrel flavor and mellow the alcoholic aura it has.

ccurzio
10-30-2012, 05:42 PM
Cute little kegs.

I wanted to get away from bottling, but I didn't want to go full-on with corny kegs until I can build my kegerator.

These little guys are great. 1.3 gallons each (5 liters), a spigot on the front and a tap port on the top, completely reusable, and just the right size to tuck into the fridge.

Dangermouse
10-30-2012, 10:52 PM
They look like the Heineken kegs you get in a store.

ccurzio
10-31-2012, 09:51 AM
They look like the Heineken kegs you get in a store.

Same size, but I don't know if the ones in the store are reusable.

The Warsteiner ones are identical to mine, save for the artwork.

thirdmanj
10-31-2012, 09:57 AM
Same size, but I don't know if the ones in the store are reusable.

The Warsteiner ones are identical to mine, save for the artwork.

Ahhhhh, Warsteiner.... Love that stuff.

OverlandMan
10-31-2012, 10:01 AM
Ahhhhh, Warsteiner.... Love that stuff.

+1 - the Dunkel is the best.

ccurzio
10-31-2012, 10:44 AM
Ahhhhh, Warsteiner.... Love that stuff.

This.


+1 - the Dunkel is the best.

Not this, unless you mean "compared to anything not Warsteiner".

Except for Weihenstephaner. That shit is better than anything.

Spittybug
11-05-2012, 11:09 PM
Got the Kegerator done and my CO2 bottle filled so it was time to keg the Northern English and the Scottish Strong. No hurry on them so I've set the regulator for ~12lbs and will wait about a week for them to carbonate before trying either.

I got used to the Blonde Bombshell not being very carbonated and was surprised the other day when I poured one that foamed like a normal beer. I think perhaps it was the last one bottled out of the batch and the last bit of the priming sugar wasn't fully dissolved? In any case, this beer has showed me that patience really makes a difference; it lost the hard hoppy edge and I really like it. The Dunkelweizen is good too. Time to go to the store and get another batch of ingredients, but what to brew next.............................?

Spittybug
11-22-2012, 10:06 AM
Nirvana I tell you. I've turned the gas down to ~10 lbs since the Northern English got a little foamy. The Scottish has turned out awesome! It won't be everyone's cup of tea since it is a chewy, big beer. Higher alcohol, malty and so yummy! Not what you drink after mowing the lawn, but rather what you sit at the pub and drink.

Patience seems to be well rewarded in this hobby. Every brew I've cooked up so far has ended up very good, but I've noticed real flavor changes over time. It takes time for extra hoppiness to go away, for beer to clear, for yeast flavors to mellow, for carbonation to equalize and for the flavor to reach its best. Looks like beer will be eating into the Vodka and wine habit!

Spittybug
01-14-2013, 01:03 PM
A sad day my friends....the Northern Ale keg is kicked. :cry:
The good news is the Belgian dark is out of secondary and into the keg for carbonation. :cheers1: This is the first one that I've used liquid yeast (and started it early) on and it fermented like crazy for 4 days. It settled out at a nice 1.025 FG and ABV of 8.79%. Should be a good one. I was really careful siphoning it too, so it should be nice and clear other than chill haze.

The Irish Red is just about fully carbonated and the hoppiness almost to it's proper level.

The Scottish wee strong is just that. A sippin' beer that works really well to darken and sweeten the lighter varieties too.

Reloaded! Any suggestions for the next brew? Time to get it fermenting.

ccurzio
01-14-2013, 01:05 PM
It's gettin' cold. Make a brown ale.

If you want to give one of my recipes a try, check out Theresalynne Ale (http://www.accipiter.org/beer.php?id=1). I've been meaning to make that one again. It's a partial extract brew (so it'll be cake for you to make), but it's still tasty.

Spittybug
01-30-2013, 08:40 PM
Well, the Belgian Dark Strong Ale is fully carbonated and flowing from the tap. Nice. These Belgians are more complex, less heady and can creep up on you with their 8.79% ABV.

I cooked up a Sweet Stout this afternoon. ABV 5.91% expected, but may be a little higher since my OG was a bit higher than the recipe stated. Has lactose in it for creaminess. I added a little ground coffee along with the hops. Another liquid yeast.

As soon as he's out of the fermenter I've got a Scottish Export 80 to brew. I'm thinking of adding a little raspberry to the secondary as I like that in very small amounts.

I bought a small aquarium bubbler today from Petco for $14. It came with a stone and hose which I soaked in sanitizer first. A few minutes of aeration in the fermenter should really get the yeast started on the right foot. I think my Scottish Wee Strong that I did a few batches ago could have benefited from more aeration. Apparently anything over about a 1.06 OG really requires both a good sized starter pitch and more oxygen. He started at an eye opening 1.10 and only made it down to 1.042 - the starting point for many other beers! The poor yeast must have just given up the ghost! The result was a very sweet and malty, 7.61% ABV beer that was kind of like a porter with a shot of scotch in it!

Even had good news at the liquor store today too. My favorite, Viking Fjord Vodka mysteriously reappeared on the shelves (bottom, hidden away) after a long hiatus! Unbelievably, they had it for $13.50 for 1.75 liters! Normally ~$20. I grabbed the 4 they had on the shelf to stock up. Hopefully it's back to stay!

THVGJP
02-01-2013, 06:35 AM
Try Russian Standard Vodka, Made in Russia, hardly any aftertaste, very smooth. Best Vodka I have had. What do the Non Slavic countries know about making Vodka anyway. If I want wine ill use a French or Itallian wine, not a Russian wine. To change the subject slightly whats your favorite Bourbon?? I will take Makers Mark anyday.
Glen

Spittybug
02-01-2013, 11:11 AM
+1 on the Maker's Mark, especially if I'm not buying!

I'm becoming more of a Bourbon fan with time, but with that flavor I tend to like sweetness, like Jeremiah Weed. It's too sweet by itself, but I cut it with an inexpensive whiskey and it's nice.

Spittybug
02-04-2013, 05:54 PM
:frantic:

I've seen it all. My sweet stout (see a couple of posts back) did nothing for ~30 hours. Usually I have activity within 8. Then all of a sudden, it was like Mt. Vesuvius! Overnight it blew the tight fitting rubber top off my conical fermenter! Foam on the floor, etc. The airlock was gooped with Krausen. I cleaned it all up and for the next 12 hours or so.....barely any activity at all. Took a reading; 1.20 so I knew it still had some more to go. Well, the next night.....BAM! It didn't blow the rubber top off, but it bubbled so violently that it came out the air lock again and created a puddle. I've never seen such violent fermenting and the up/down activity levels. I think the aeration must really help the yeast multiply and get strong to do their work. I'm going to give it another day or two in the primary and if it is down to ~1.013 or so, over to the secondary.

I definitely see a difference in the taste complexities of the liquid yeasts versus the drys.

Spittybug
03-17-2013, 10:37 AM
My keg management skills need improvement as I killed two kegs on the same day. I've taken to keeping track of pints drawn so that I can better manage them.... Sweet Stout is now kegged as is the Scottish Export. Just finishing up carbonating. Both taste real nice. The Cream Ale will go in tomorrow. So as to not get caught out of schedule again, I need to get a couple more going. I have ingredients for another Northern English, a German Helles (which I'll do as an ale not lager) and an Ordinary English Bitter.

I'm seriously thinking of fabricating a brew stand so that I can gravity feed from the kettle to the fermenter, to the secondary and into the kegs without having to do any siphoning. More sanitary, space saving and efficient. I'm also looking at getting a traditional beer keg and converting it into the boil kettle. Extra headroom is nice so that you don't get boil overs when you hit that magic temperature when the proteins "erupt" into a mushroom and overflow if you aren't careful!

Everyone else seems quite in this thread.... surely someone has made something good lately?

dustybarn
03-17-2013, 07:33 PM
My keg management skills need improvement as I killed two kegs on the same day. I've taken to keeping track of pints drawn so that I can better manage them.... Sweet Stout is now kegged as is the Scottish Export. Just finishing up carbonating. Both taste real nice. The Cream Ale will go in tomorrow. So as to not get caught out of schedule again, I need to get a couple more going. I have ingredients for another Northern English, a German Helles (which I'll do as an ale not lager) and an Ordinary English Bitter.

I'm seriously thinking of fabricating a brew stand so that I can gravity feed from the kettle to the fermenter, to the secondary and into the kegs without having to do any siphoning. More sanitary, space saving and efficient. I'm also looking at getting a traditional beer keg and converting it into the boil kettle. Extra headroom is nice so that you don't get boil overs when you hit that magic temperature when the proteins "erupt" into a mushroom and overflow if you aren't careful!

Everyone else seems quite in this thread.... surely someone has made something good lately?

Well, I've got some Pomegranate Mead ready to go to the secondary. I'm looking forward to sampling it.

Spittybug
03-29-2013, 03:19 PM
Brewed the Northern English earlier in the week and just finished brewing up the Helles Ale. That give me 2 in pipeline and 3 nearly full kegs in the fridge... Like Delorean parts, one can never have too much inventory!
As soon as a keg kicks I can brew up the English Bitter and be disciplined enough to go buy the ingredients for the following batch. It's all in the workflow!

The raspberries I put in the Scottish Export add a nice flavor; not too strong, but noticeable. That was 1 pint of fresh raspberries, soaked in a little vodka to sterilize, pulverized and added to the secondary. It restarted the fermentation and went at it slowly for about 2 more weeks. Must be pretty complex sugar for the yeast to tackle.

Spittybug
05-11-2013, 11:11 PM
The raspberry Scottish export is nearly kicked (I had a house guest.... I'm not THAT big of a lush) and the Cream Ale is in full swing. The Northern English is still a bit hoppy, at least for me, but mellowing. Helles is waiting for kegerator space and the Ordinary Bitter just went into secondary. Time to go buy the ingredients for a couple more. The key is keeping the pipeline full!

I need to get myself another couple of Corny Kegs. I want to try brewing lagers and that requires going in the fridge for the fermentation. I'll rig up a pressure relief valve on a keg and put it in fridge to do its thing. Then if I have another one, I can pressure transfer from one to another through a filter and really clarify the beers too. I personally don't mind the cloudiness of the ales, but I guess it's just the perfectionist in me that wants to see how nice I can make them look too. I'm whittling down the bottle inventory in the fridge so that I can remove the trim on the inside of the door to make the necessary room for another keg in there. That's the nice thing about the Corny Kegs; tall and thin.

BTW, if you've ever been to BJ's Brewhouse http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/, be very careful.. I think they have QC issues with their brews. I had the Tatonka Stout which is billed as "An imperial stout — a classic style so rich and flavorful that it was once the private beverage of Russian Czars. The profile is malty sweet, hop bitter roasted, full-bodied, alcoholic and deliciously complex. Beer doesn't get much more intense than this!".. It was the hoppiest, most bitter beer I've ever had! More so than a double IPA. Waaaaay overpowered the malt. Oh well.

Spittybug
05-26-2013, 08:57 PM
I should be getting my Cornys and my filter kit in the mail this week. One of them is dedicated to brewing lagers (in the fridge) and the other will be used for keg-to-keg pressure transfer for filtering. It's official, I'm getting pretty good at this hobby. It's amazing what the incentive of drinking your efforts will do!

I found a guy with a Sanke keg (normal beer keg) that sold it to me for $45. I think it's only been used once in its life. Awesome condition. I've already started cutting the top out to turn it into a keggle. I'll be adding stainless ball valves and 50' worth of 1/2" SS tubing on the interior to act as a chiller to quickly go from boiling to yeast-ready temperature. Having a nice big 15.5 gallon volume eliminates the problem of boil over in my six gallon pot. Instead of polishing it up to a shine like others do, maybe I'l grain it...........

The Munich Helles is pretty much carbonated so I gave it a try. Wow, very nice right from the get go. I can taste the 1/2lb of wheat in it. Not too much for my tastes. I guess the extra time in the secondary fermenter helps. The Cream Ale kicked today so the Ordinary Bitter (with added orange and coriander) is going in tomorrow.

Recipes on deck: German Pilsner (my first lager attempt) and an Old Ale which should be a 7.25% beer.

Has everyone else gone silent?

Spittybug
07-13-2013, 06:08 PM
I've been away, so it took me a while but I brewed up the German Pilsner today in the new Keggle (chopped keg). Nice not having to worry about boil over. It's now sitting in the new chill cabinet ($44 wheeled cabinet from the Habitat resale shop with 1" of foamboard insulation lining it. 4 1 gallon frozen water bottles to chill it.) I hope to keep in <60* since it's a lager. I definitely will be building some kind of wort chiller as the next project. It's hard to cool the wort quickly when tap water is >80* here.

The Helles was awesome. The Old Ale ended up less than 7.25% (brewed a little warm maybe?) but is very smooth and balanced.

I'm using the fabrication skills and slowly but surely expanding this operation from benchtop to pilot plant! Best part about it is drinking the output.

ccurzio
07-22-2013, 05:52 PM
Just tapped the last keg of what's quite possibly my best homebrew beer to date. Good head retention, exceptional clarity, delicious taste and a clean finish. A bit more hop character would have definitely improved it though, at both ends of the boil.

http://i.imgur.com/NZ3jH27l.jpg

Spittybug
09-30-2013, 05:37 PM
The Pilsner has turned out very good. The longer it sat, the better. Ahh, lager. Soon to be kicked.

I cooked up ~12 gallons of Munich Helles again and it's on tap and in reserve. The extra ~2 gallons got an extra helping of sugar as an experiment. We'll see how that works out.

The Belgian Dark Strong Ale had me worried. After initial fermentation it didn't go very far. After a month in secondary (no airlock activity to speak of) it went down another 14 points or so and it is now a >9% beer. It tasted a bit sweet so I threw in a few hops and put it in the first keg. I'll push it through the filter and into another keg in a couple of days. A couple of weeks to carbonate and he'll be good to go, but my experience with the big Belgian beers is that the longer they age the better they get.

I'm asking myself why I don't create a tight lid for my brew keggle and just ferment within it. That would save having to transfer to the fermenter and the potential for contamination (never mind the lifting, the cleaning, etc....). The biggest issue is the extra heat load of the keg itself when it comes to cooling it down to pitch. But then again, if it goes from boiled to sealed, who cares if it takes longer? Doing it fast is only to minimize contamination potential. I've got a stainless immersion chiller that I could rig so that it is permanently mounted on the interior and accessed via ports on the outside. Hummmm......

Spittybug
10-05-2013, 04:55 PM
Oh boy.... Note to self, don't add hops in a keg. They clog everything. Duh. It took a while but I pressure transferred from one keg, through a 5 micron filter to another keg and set in kegerator to carbonate. This one is going to be odd. It's potent at > 9%, Belgian (so funky to begin with), sweet and now citrus hoppy! It's like an IPA for a sweet-toothed Belgian wino. It is my experience that carbonating and chilling mellows the hoppiness with time, so we'll see.

Dangermouse
10-06-2013, 11:41 AM
It's like an IPA for a sweet-toothed Belgian wino. .

Someone should use that as an ad tag line.

ccurzio
10-06-2013, 03:21 PM
Oh boy.... Note to self, don't add hops in a keg.

You can. Just use a netted bag, and not hop pellets.

Spittybug
10-06-2013, 05:52 PM
Someone should use that as an ad tag line.

You saw it here first! lol.

Spittybug
01-19-2014, 10:49 AM
Alcohol update. I spent a day helping my elderly neighbor buy and set up his new computer. He likes to play Pogo games, but not a lot else. We got him a pentium to replace his many-year-old desktop. Amazing how much computer you can by these days for $350. He's set for life. Literally, I'm afraid. We got him all set with virus protection, browsers configured, etc. All is now good. This is all so foreign to him that it borders on the magical. He kept telling me how appreciate he was and how much it would cost to have someone come in and do this for him.

He pulls up yesterday with a CASE (6) of 1.75l bottles of my favorite vodka, Viking Fjord. :thumbup2::cheers1: Maybe it's time to switch back to martinis for a while?

The brewing is chugging along nicely. Now on tap, a light California common, a foreign extra stout and a northern English brown with a bit of coffee in it that make the whole thing a bit toffee tasting. Great!

Too easy to drink too much with this hobby! I should open a microbrewery or at least a beermaking shop.

rdarlington
01-19-2014, 01:37 PM
Sorry, I thought this dmctalk.org site was for discussion of the DeLorean car. Health insurance, now brewing/distilling. I really wish there was a way to block being notified of new posts to particular threads.

Spittybug
01-19-2014, 03:00 PM
Perhaps you should familiar yourself with the meaning of "Open Discussion" and refrain from revealing your ignorance to its meaning. If you don't like a topic, don't participate.

DMC5180
01-19-2014, 03:00 PM
Sorry, I thought this dmctalk.org site was for discussion of the DeLorean car. Health insurance, now brewing/distilling. I really wish there was a way to block being notified of new posts to particular threads.

You can Unsubscribe to the particular annoying threads in your e-mail notifications. But if your reply to something in a particular thread you automatically turn the notification of that thread back on. Just don't participate in that thread(s)

Spittybug
04-08-2014, 08:13 PM
WOW.... the latest contestant is a sweet stout to which I have added liquid smoke and whiskey. It isn't fully carbonated yet, but already I can tell that this one will be fantastic. The bubbles will bring out the whiskey flavor while the smoke is a nice contrast to the malty taste of the stout. Cream ale is aging. California common is almost kicked. Munich Dunkel is tasty.

I'm getting good at this! My friend is the marketing director for the city of Tomball, just outside Houston. He's trying to drum up support for a micro brewery in the town. They are popping up all over Texas and are quite a good tourist draw. Who knows, maybe I'll end up working in a startup micro brewery!

DMCVegas
04-09-2014, 08:37 AM
I'm intrigued by this flavor description.

If this becomes available I'd love to try it.

Spittybug
05-16-2015, 07:34 PM
I can't believe it's been a year since the last post.....

I've gone insane and jumped in with 2 feet. No more boiling over propane and using dry or malt extract. I'm now all-grain and electric!

1st keg/vessel has a 5500W element in it as well as a stainless steel coil heat exchanger welded inside. This is the source for the hot water that flows continuously through the second vessel, the mash tun (an igloo water cooler). Here the grains are bathed with constant temperature water (recycling through the heat exchanger) and where the enzymatic conversion of the starches to sugars takes place. Hitting correct temperatures is key to a great beer and this is why electric with feedback control (PID and thermocouple) is so important. Once mashed, the resulting wort is pumped over to the second keg which is the boil vessel. Again, a 5500W element takes care of boiling the wort, thus concentrating it down to the right sugar content. When boiled and hopped, the wort now goes through the same heat exchanger but the 1st keg now contains nice cold water/ice to quickly chill the wort as it flows out and into the fermentation bucket. As it goes through the line it gets aerated by an aeration stone connected to an air pump or O2 cylinder. Yeast like oxygen. Once in the bucket, it goes into the fermentation "chamber" which is a heavily insulated box with air vents to the freezer section of the refrigerator in the garage (lower half holds kegs and the beer taps on the door). A temperature controller turns a little computer fan on/off to keep the chamber at my set temp for proper fermentation. This is probably even more important than the mash temp.

Voila, beer!

The first all grain in the electric brewery was an Irish Red and it is fantastic! The second, a knockoff of Southern Star Brewings' Bombshell Blonde is ready to be carbonated but tastes great already. As soon as I can get my garage door open again (spring broke) I'll be doing a big Belgian beer. Woooo hooooooo! Maybe I should start a commercial brewery; "All Stainless Brewing".

ccurzio
05-17-2015, 08:38 AM
Long ago I once made a beer recipe and named it "Theresalynne Ale," for my now ex girlfriend. I have now bought the ingredients to make the beer that will be named for my current girlfriend. I still don't know what the exact name will be, but it's going to be a toasted coconut porter. I have three pounds of unsweetened flaked coconut that I will toast myself and toss into secondary.

I really hope rdarlington is getting the updates on this thread.

Riley88
05-17-2015, 11:25 AM
brb going to the store for some w00t stout