What are you doing with homebrew today?

[Brewdomestix]

I am trying a budget lager extract kit I have made successfully before a few times - nothing special as it comes with a standard yeast although still great with Indian food but this time adapting with Mangrove Jack's M54 Calfornian Lager Yeast which was a bit of a find from my supplier. As promised in the description it works at ambient temperatures (started at 19.5C - 22C on day 4 - 23C day 6 today). Recommended 15-20C so I would like it to not get any warmer - had kitchen windows open most of the days since starting. Temperature control is the main reason I keep thinking about upgrading from the plastic bin method. But if this batch works it will count as a personal achievement and increase my scope. Had to use all my ice and chilled filter water to get down to that 19.5C. UK is not a hot country but it can get very humid.

1.050 OG right on the upper edge of gravity range 1.021 day 4 - 1.014 day 6. All looks fine but also still a way to go yet I reckon - not expecting a finish before Tuesday. Target FG: 1.010-1.004.

Got really surprising prominent honey aroma in the mash (I think the liquid dextrose had a lot to do with that - also Mangrove Jack's and first time in a lager). The honey is there in the taste too with citrussy notes on top day 4 that calmed down a fair bit by today.

An interesting one. Thinking of calling it Californian Yeast Lager but if the honey elements stay might have to rethink that.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Interested to hear how that one comes out. I'm using 34/70. It is supposed to be very forgiving, but I think those temps would be the upper end of even that. I started around 55 f and just finished the D rest around 65F. I am working the refrigerator back down in 5 degree increments now.
It might be about the only time I would be jealous of your weather. It has been close to 100F here. With the humidity, it is expected to feel close to 116 F tomorrow. Looking at some videos, I might not be that true to style in the beer that I am brewing. I might have to call the thing Mutt. I brewed it because I like the No Mames Dark from Tripping Amimals in South Florida a lot. I was trying to tweek it a little for something between a Pre Pro Porter and dark Mexican Lager. We shall see when it gets kegged next week

 

[Megary]

Kegged the Lemon Mash Saison, fermented with Lallemand Farmhouse yeast.

Interesting note:
Last summer I made this beer and finished at 1.008 for 84% attenuation from this yeast.
This year, I subbed 4oz corn sugar for 4oz of base malt with the intent of trying to dry the beer out a bit more. And again, finished exactly at 1.008 for 84% attenuation.

Sample taste is very promising. I’ll reserve judgment until another week or two.

 

[Sandy Feet]

Kegged the Lemon Mash Saison, fermented with Lallemand Farmhouse yeast.

Interesting note:
Last summer I made this beer and finished at 1.008 for 84% attenuation from this yeast.
This year, I subbed 4oz corn sugar for 4oz of base malt with the intent of trying to dry the beer out a bit more. And again, finished exactly at 1.008 for 84% attenuation.

Sample taste is very promising. I’ll reserve judgment until another week or two.


View attachment 26276

That is probably another one for the happy dance.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Cleaning

 

[GFHomebrew]

That took a bit 2 kegs a kegmenter and brewed a beer waiting to cool to go into kegmenter tomorrow wow I'm shot

 

[RoadRoach]

A little bottling.

55 bottles of Bell’s Brown, and 52 bottles of Rapier Wit. This oughta be ready by the time I run outta the previous batch of Rapier Wit and Smoked Porter. What to brew next, hmmmm….. The missus capped while I filled the bottles. One bottle of the brown is hiding behind the farthest wooden six pack

I’m thinking maybe Bunyip and a blonde. Might be time to give 3470 a go, and something different for hops too.

Need to scrub some bottles soon. Might do that after I clean the fermenter. Good sunny day, so maybe a bleach solution and sunshine for the fermenter to try to get some of the dark beer staining out. Spread out the garden hose and let the sun heat up the water, too. Hook up the pump to circulate the water and sterilize it in the process. Turn on some tunage and scrub stuff and have a few cold ones.

If I keep this up I may do some smaller batches to try more styles.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Just finished kilning some rice malt
120c 2hours

This should hopefully make some nice rice lager beer.

 

[Tim Bulin]

Well 30 year class reunion yesterday left a gaping hole in my beer fridge...lol
Today I'm washing bottles and cleaning my picnic tap. Looks like a probable rain out from work tomorrow. Thinking I'll try to run a batch of my ordinary bitter and a double batch of my Shore Leave Cali Common if I do indeed get rained out.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Just finished cleaning up after brewing. "no chilling" so cleanup is just a bit less.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Well 30 year class reunion yesterday left a gaping hole in my beer fridge...lol
Today I'm washing bottles and cleaning my picnic tap. Looks like a probable rain out from work tomorrow. Thinking I'll try to run a batch of my ordinary bitter and a double batch of my Shore Leave Cali Common if I do indeed get rained out.

Wow that's a busy rainy day!

 

[Tim Bulin]

Wow that's a busy rainy day!

Mashed in on the Shore Leave, ran short on crystal 40, so I cut the 80 by the amount I was short and made up the difference with 60, then ran my strike water down the floor drain(DOH!). Lucky for me my top secret water source is only 1.5 miles from the house.

May not get that double brew day in, we'll have to see.

 

[RoadRoach]

Mashed in on the Shore Leave, ran short on crystal 40, so I cut the 80 by the amount I was short and made up the difference with 60, then ran my strike water down the floor drain(DOH!). Lucky for me my top secret water source is only 1.5 miles from the house.

May not get that double brew day in, we'll have to see.

Hate ya lost the strike water, but it coulda been worse. A LOT worse. At least it was just water, even if it was your 'top secret water'. I snagged the valve handle on my kettle one time just as I was getting to boil. Had one of the prettiest mashes I'd done on an Abbey Blonde. The bad part is I did that as I was turning away from the kettle, and didn't notice it nearly fast enough. I lost nearly a gallon of wort before I saw it, and had one hell of a sticky mess. I'm just glad it happened in the tractor shed and not in the missus' kitchen. Bad enough on bottling days with the few unavoidable drips and dribbles and bottle tip overs.

 

[Tim Bulin]

I am trying a budget lager extract kit I have made successfully before a few times - nothing special as it comes with a standard yeast although still great with Indian food but this time adapting with Mangrove Jack's M54 Calfornian Lager Yeast which was a bit of a find from my supplier. As promised in the description it works at ambient temperatures (started at 19.5C - 22C on day 4 - 23C day 6 today). Recommended 15-20C so I would like it to not get any warmer - had kitchen windows open most of the days since starting. Temperature control is the main reason I keep thinking about upgrading from the plastic bin method. But if this batch works it will count as a personal achievement and increase my scope. Had to use all my ice and chilled filter water to get down to that 19.5C. UK is not a hot country but it can get very humid.

1.050 OG right on the upper edge of gravity range 1.021 day 4 - 1.014 day 6. All looks fine but also still a way to go yet I reckon - not expecting a finish before Tuesday. Target FG: 1.010-1.004.

Got really surprising prominent honey aroma in the mash (I think the liquid dextrose had a lot to do with that - also Mangrove Jack's and first time in a lager). The honey is there in the taste too with citrussy notes on top day 4 that calmed down a fair bit by today.

An interesting one. Thinking of calling it Californian Yeast Lager but if the honey elements stay might have to rethink that.

M54 is my go to lager yeast, one of the most forgiving yeasts I've used. It's every bit as temp friendly as advertised.

 

[Tim Bulin]

Decided to try 2 batches at once, we'll see how it goes, Shore Leave is boiling now and I've got the strike water for my Irish Red heating in the tun(slowly, only has an 800w silicone pad in the bottom). If I time this right, hopefully be able to drain the first one and pump the next right into the kettle...or not.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Decided to try 2 batches at once, we'll see how it goes, Shore Leave is boiling now and I've got the strike water for my Irish Red heating in the tun(slowly, only has an 800w silicone pad in the bottom). If I time this right, hopefully be able to drain the first one and pump the next right into the kettle...or not.

How did it work out?

 

[GFHomebrew]

Mashed in on the Shore Leave, ran short on crystal 40, so I cut the 80 by the amount I was short and made up the difference with 60, then ran my strike water down the floor drain(DOH!). Lucky for me my top secret water source is only 1.5 miles from the house.

May not get that double brew day in, we'll have to see.

How did you manage to drain your strike water left the valve open?

I physically can't do this with my kettle unless I don't do the cam locks up on my hoses everything returns into top of kettle...

 

[Tim Bulin]

How did you manage to drain your strike water left the valve open?

I physically can't do this with my kettle unless I don't do the cam locks up on my hoses everything returns into top of kettle...

How did it work out?

Well, NORMALLY I would hook up a pump to the whirlpool fitting to get the water to heat faster/more evenly. "shortcut" today, used the hose I use to fill the mash tun instead of switching hoses....long story short, had to walk away and deal with the kids and never shut the pump off(hose was tucked in the lid of the digiboil). Couple minutes later heard the pump sucking air, hose came out of the hole and emptied the kettle all over the brew stand. SO, I poured all the water I had left into the kettle and got enough heated to mash in. Went and got more water to sparge...that's where things started to go sideways.

When I brew I start by putting ALL the water I need into the kettle, handy to measure it all at once, at 68 degrees. That way if I'm off a bit with the strike, I automatically cut down the sparge water, keeps things in balance. Today I was short 1/2 gallon on volume and high on SG with the first batch, simple enough to add 3qt of water and adjust.

The 2nd batch is where the wheels fell off. Heating the strike water with the mash tun, I overshot the mash temp by 5 degrees. The volume was right post boil but FG was off 4 points(low), added 10oz of table sugar to the fermenter to adjust for it.

I guess we'll see how they work out. At this point, everything is cleaned and put away and the Shore Leave is already making lots of happy bubbles.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Well, NORMALLY I would hook up a pump to the whirlpool fitting to get the water to heat faster/more evenly. "shortcut" today, used the hose I use to fill the mash tun instead of switching hoses....long story short, had to walk away and deal with the kids and never shut the pump off(hose was tucked in the lid of the digiboil). Couple minutes later heard the pump sucking air, hose came out of the hole and emptied the kettle all over the brew stand. SO, I poured all the water I had left into the kettle and got enough heated to mash in. Went and got more water to sparge...that's where things started to go sideways.

When I brew I start by putting ALL the water I need into the kettle, handy to measure it all at once, at 68 degrees. That way if I'm off a bit with the strike, I automatically cut down the sparge water, keeps things in balance. Today I was short 1/2 gallon on volume and high on SG with the first batch, simple enough to add 3qt of water and adjust.

The 2nd batch is where the wheels fell off. Heating the strike water with the mash tun, I overshot the mash temp by 5 degrees. The volume was right post boil but FG was off 4 points(low), added 10oz of table sugar to the fermenter to adjust for it.

I guess we'll see how they work out. At this point, everything is cleaned and put away and the Shore Leave is already making lots of happy bubbles.

Oh "one of them brew days".

Makes you do a double take next time you think about brewing

 

[GFHomebrew]

Buckwheat is ready for drying 2kg in there

And the capsicums are done drying
Ground them up in the thermomix

That's what 2 capsicums gets ya.

But oh man yup definitely sweet paprika this stuff smells amazing !