What are you doing with homebrew today?
- Thread starter BOB357
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Successfully uploaded driver for that 2008 mini digital camera I found whilst unpacking the trimmings. A Luddite such as myself actually successfully operating a digital camera and uploading photographs is another matter though. We will see or maybe we won't LOL But I feel good to have at least made a start in this direction. A very tiny step in the name of progress has been made today. 
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I put litre markers on my speidel fermenter...
And I'm trying to compare carbonation temperatures. But I shouldn't do that after a couple of other beers.
Well, tomorrow is another day
And I'm trying to compare carbonation temperatures. But I shouldn't do that after a couple of other beers.
Well, tomorrow is another day
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Started the morning off cleaning a keg and the line I had it on, then tapped the quarterly brew that was carbed and ready to go (yum!).
It's been unusually cold lately and I didn't want to brew in the garage as I normally do, so I decided to keep it indoors with a partial mash. Some nostalgia kicking in as I blow the cobwebs off the old kitchen gear!
It's been unusually cold lately and I didn't want to brew in the garage as I normally do, so I decided to keep it indoors with a partial mash. Some nostalgia kicking in as I blow the cobwebs off the old kitchen gear!
I just checked a sample of the 3 gallon cider batch that currently occupies my Speidel fermenter. The appearance is generally clear, with a light straw color, and some very fine bubbles. There was nothing notable about the aroma or flavor, except maybe that it is pretty clean and dry. I would like to bottle it to get some good fizz, and maybe add in just a touch of sweetness. Any recommendations?
Marshel on brulosophy has a method for backsweetening his cider I'm sure it requires potasium sorbate and sodium Metabisulphate to halt secondary fermentation.
I'm sure he backsweetens with some "apple concentrate " not quite sure what that is its available at the grocery store over there in the US.
I've been looking for something similar here in Aus but have only found syrup/cordial stuff.
I'd try some in a glass first like I did to see if you like it then scale it up.
Oh and make sure to mix it in lol as you saw the other day mine wasn't mixed in the keg
I just read about a method of bottle conditioning back sweetened dry cider where a little fizz is desired in the presentation. It involves adding fermentable sugars and packaging, with one of the packages being a PET bottle to check for progress. At the point where a good carbonation level has been achieved, then the bottled (in glass) cider gets pasteurized, effectively stopping any further fermentation.
Now I need another case of half liter amber swing top bottles.
Now I need another case of half liter amber swing top bottles.
Testing a theory. I keg hopped my golden ale for 3 days, and now I'm transferring it to another keg and getting it "off the hops." My hope is that the beer will clear faster without the hops in suspension, even in a stainless mesh tube
Is your cider hopped? If not, you don't necessarily need amber bottles. You could use ordinary Grolsch bottles. Check Craigslist, as there might be someone getting rid of some. On CL here there are always a few people selling them for a buck or so apiece.
Yup definitely a goer. Pasturisation could be done in the oven 70c for half hour to an hour should kill them.
Not hopped, but I’d like amber just in case one of these days I want to bottle beer in half liters. And I’m OK with spending $30 on a case of new bottles.
Cleaning the fermzilla. Dreadful task.
Get a luffa (body washer) to remove the krausen ring without scratching the PET. I just fill up my FF 7.9 with warm water and about a table spoon of PBW above the krausen ring and let it sit for about a half hour, then reach in with the luffa and rub a little. Gets it squeaky clean and no scratches.
The only places I have that give me heartburn is the recess for the thermowell and the ball valve. I remove the thermowell and disassemble the ball valve after every 3rd batch or so. I turn the ball valve handle 45 degrees and pour boiling water through it to rinse it out between cleanings. I use a toothbrush to clean out around the thermowell between removals. So far, so good. No bad batches yet.
Bottled 49 bottles of Frankenbeer III. I had it sitting at 5C for nearly 10 days, so it's extremely clear. Just hope it stays that way in the bottles. Cleaned the fermenter and all the gadgets and doohickies that are required for bottling. Oh, repaired a leaking waterline in the shed, too. Hard freeze last week exploded the water line in the shed. Glad I had it cut off below ground level where it tees off the main line to the house. Built up enough pressure to send pieces of PVC pipe nearly 30 feet across the shed. I didn't get the line drained before it froze, so my fault entirely. Put a heat trace on the repaired line. The 1/2" pipe through the wall still wants to leak at the threads, so I'll have to assume the threads are stressed and leaking. Pretty sure it isn't the new pipe and FA bushing. I put a plug in it to pressure test it before I put the hose bib back on. Found the drip about 10 minutes later, and just cut the water off again. Better giterdun so I can use it again.
Finished the cleanup. Will probably brew a stout tomorrow and get another batch in the pipeline. Gotta wait til Tuesday before the LHBS opens up again (closed on Sunday/Monday) so gonna do some browsing between now and then to figure out something for a spring brew. Haven't done a Rapier Wit in a while, so maybe that's a candidate. If I do it extract, won't take but about an hour to get it in the fermenter. NO grains at all in it (all DME), so no mashing or sparging. Maybe a Belgian Strong, perhaps a Helles or Dunkel. Haven't done either yet. Hoping that leaving this batch at 5C for 10 days didn't settle out so much of the yeast that it doesn't carb in the bottles. VERY clear going into the bottles.
Check out a bucket blaster.
Been using one for a year or two now it's one of them I should a got one of these sooner brewing tools.
You can adapt it for cleaning beer lines transfer hoses ect in the brew house a small scale of that the big boys do CIP ING their tanks ect.
Making a batch of kombucha and cleaning out so overgrown pellicles. And being VERY patient with my dark lager fermentation. I think its at FG but I'm going to wait a few days before cold crashing and serving
I didn't squeak in that last brew of '22 like I thought, but brewed it today. Brewed indoors, BIAB on stovetop in my 8 gal Megapot. Did a variation of Yooper's Oatmeal Stout that I've brewed 6 or 7 times before. It's my wife's favorite and she's not that much of a beer person.
Maris Otter, some leftover 6-row I had, flaked oats, flaked barley, a bit of crystal 77L, chocolate malt, black barley. With this one I added 12oz. of jaggery late in the boil (because I had it leftover, so why not?). In anticipation of that possibly drying out the beer a bit, I mashed at 156F. Hit my volume and 1 point above target OG, so happy. I bittered with East Kent Goldings and pitched S-04. It's in the ferm chamber, set at 63F.
One observation: this time I bought Warminster "floor malted" Maris Otter, from Midwest. I used some of it in today's brew. First time I've bought MO from that maltster. Out of the 20 lbs. I bought I had to pick out almost a fistful of bits of stems and twigs. Other than that I'm sure it's fine, just a little annoying. It is an agricultural product after all, but jeez, that's a lot of debris. Next buy I'll look for Fawcett/Crisp/Simpsons, etc.
Maris Otter, some leftover 6-row I had, flaked oats, flaked barley, a bit of crystal 77L, chocolate malt, black barley. With this one I added 12oz. of jaggery late in the boil (because I had it leftover, so why not?). In anticipation of that possibly drying out the beer a bit, I mashed at 156F. Hit my volume and 1 point above target OG, so happy. I bittered with East Kent Goldings and pitched S-04. It's in the ferm chamber, set at 63F.
One observation: this time I bought Warminster "floor malted" Maris Otter, from Midwest. I used some of it in today's brew. First time I've bought MO from that maltster. Out of the 20 lbs. I bought I had to pick out almost a fistful of bits of stems and twigs. Other than that I'm sure it's fine, just a little annoying. It is an agricultural product after all, but jeez, that's a lot of debris. Next buy I'll look for Fawcett/Crisp/Simpsons, etc.
