Another post for the homebrewers

[FliegendeWolf 0]

So I bottled my Altbier yesterday, and I was a bit surprised. I had racked it from primary to secondary fermentation after about three days and then let it sit in secondary fermentation for about 2.5 weeks, where there seemed to be no activity.

So I got my bottles out and sanitized them, when I came back to my carboy, there was some activity going on in there! Now, I probably should have left it alone to finish out whatever was going on in there, but you know, I had already sanitized my bottles, and you homebrewers know what a pain in the ass that is. So I bottled it and checked the gravity and tasted it.

O.G. of 1.061, F.G. of 1.021. Probably had some sugar left to ferment, but not all that much left. I tasted it, and it tasted more like a Scotch Ale than an Altbier, which is unfortunate because I really don't like Scotch Ale that much...

We'll see what happens in a few weeks when bottle conditioning is over.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[Jimbo 0]

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So I bottled my Altbier yesterday, and I was a bit surprised. I had racked it from primary to secondary fermentation after about three days and then let it sit in secondary fermentation for about 2.5 weeks, where there seemed to be no activity.

I tend to leave my beer in the primary a bit longer, usually about a week to ten days depending on the OG. The idea is that more crap falls out there than in the secondary where I typically leave them a bit longer. Know what I mean?

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So I got my bottles out and sanitized them, when I came back to my carboy, there was some activity going on in there! Now, I probably should have left it alone to finish out whatever was going on in there, but you know, I had already sanitized my bottles, and you homebrewers know what a pain in the ass that is.

I'm not sure how you're sanitizing your bottles, but I give them a quick dip in iodophor and they're ready to go. I clean them when I'm done with them, dip them when I want to use them. It's amazingly easy and I'll never do it another way.

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O.G. of 1.061, F.G. of 1.021. Probably had some sugar left to ferment, but not all that much left. I tasted it, and it tasted more like a Scotch Ale than an Altbier, which is unfortunate because I really don't like Scotch Ale that much...

I love Scotch Ale, if you like you can just ship them my way.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[FliegendeWolf 0]

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I tend to leave my beer in the primary a bit longer, usually about a week to ten days depending on the OG. The idea is that more crap falls out there than in the secondary where I typically leave them a bit longer. Know what I mean?

I do. Actually, this was the first batch where I used a secondary fermenter and I noticed that there was plenty of crap in the bottom of the secondary fermenter which surprised me. I'll leave it a bit longer next time. The thing I liked most about using a secondary fermenter is it's so much easier to clean the kraeusen out of a bucket rather than a carboy. Cleanup was a snap this time!

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I'm not sure how you're sanitizing your bottles, but I give them a quick dip in iodophor and they're ready to go. I clean them when I'm done with them, dip them when I want to use them. It's amazingly easy and I'll never do it another way.

I fill up my bathtub, pour in some bleach, then dunk the bottles until they're full. I let them float there while I prep my bottling bucket with corn sugar and rack the beer from secondary into the bucket. I guess it could be worse, but bottling is such a drag that I just wanted to get it over with rather than dry all the bottles, put them away and start the process again another day.

Maybe I'll learn to love Scotch Ale... Just not a very drinkable beer - too sweet, not hoppy enough for my taste. Nonetheless, if our paths ever cross it would be cool to have a tasting.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Hmm... You and jfields are not that far apart from each other. Have you guys had a chance to taste each other's beer?

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[Jimbo 0]

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The thing I liked most about using a secondary fermenter is it's so much easier to clean the kraeusen out of a bucket rather than a carboy. Cleanup was a snap this time!

I've found that OxyClean + hot water works wonders for cleaning out, well, pretty much anything brew related. I use it to get the gunk out of my carboys, cleaning burned malt off the bottom of my brew pot, cleaning pretty much anything that has crap on it. Be careful though, if you use too much it can leave a residue that's difficult to remove. I tend to use two scoops in a 5/7 gallon carboy.

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I fill up my bathtub, pour in some bleach, then dunk the bottles until they're full.

Yeah. Bleach sucks. Ask the guy at your LHBS for a bottle of Iodophor. It's a quick, no rinse solution to all your sanitizing needs. I've used it for almost a year now and I'll never go back. Click me to learn more about Iodophor and homebrew

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Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[SpeedRacer 1]

y'all knew I'd show up for this one, right?

I have noticed "activity" (bubbling waterlock) from a fermenter after it seemed that it had already stopped many days ago. Sometimes you see it because you just moved the fermenter (ie, brought it into the kitchen to do your bottling), and the jostling caused some CO2 to be released from the beer.

Another point: yes you will see a layer of dead yeast at the bottom of even a secondary fermenter.

Racking your beer to a secondary fermenter gets it off of the old, dead yeast. Yeast cells that have been dead for awhile can begin to release bitter-tasting substances into your beer. Also, using a secondary fermenter is good for getting clearer beer, because when you go to bottle it, you don't have all those hop bits & other crap that bubbled up on the walls of the primary fermenter during the aerobic phase.

By the way, jfields lives about a half hour's drive from my house. He's sampled my beer, I have yet to sample his.

Speed Racer
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[tbrown 26]

Bleach sucks. Ask the guy at your LHBS for a bottle of Iodophor. It's a quick, no rinse solution to all your sanitizing needs. I've used it for almost a year now and I'll never go back. [/reply

Haven't heard of Iodophor, will have to check it out. As for bleach, you only need a very tiny amount, like a tsp or two in 5 gal. of water, just a longer soak. Much easier to rinse away the bleachy odor with hot water. Finally, just before you bottle, take your sanitized bottles, rack 'em up in your dishwasher and run 'em through with the heat dry cycle turned on. When that's done, your bottles be CLEAN. They're also conveniently racked, upside down for you to reach out and grab as you work, assuming that you bottle in your kitchen.

"Don't worry, have another home brew...".

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Jimbo 0]

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rack 'em up in your dishwasher and run 'em through with the heat dry cycle turned on.

Eww. The dishsoap I use (nothing special, Palmolive, Dawn, etc..) tends to stick to everything and eventually seems to etch glass. I'm in the habit now of washing (really just rinsing) my beer glasses by hand after use, same with the bottles. I used to notice the smell/flavor of soap in my glasses, I'm sure it's there in the bottles too.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[kmcguffee 0]

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I tasted it, and it tasted more like a Scotch Ale than an Altbier, which is unfortunate because I really don't like Scotch Ale that much...

Scotch Ale is my favorite! I'll gladly help you get rid of it.

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I had already sanitized my bottles, and you homebrewers know what a pain in the ass that is.

Have you ever tried sanitizing in the dishwasher? Just make sure they go through the heat dry cycle. Don't add any soap or sanitizer, the heat is enough. That is how I've been doing mine (that I bottle) for about the past 3 years. I mostly keg now which is sooooo much easier.

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there was some activity going on in there!

Probably just from you moving it or the beer heating up and letting off dissolved CO2.

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

[FliegendeWolf 0]

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I have noticed "activity" (bubbling waterlock) from a fermenter after it seemed that it had already stopped many days ago. Sometimes you see it because you just moved the fermenter (ie, brought it into the kitchen to do your bottling), and the jostling caused some CO2 to be released from the beer.

No. The activity I saw in the carboy was a layer of foam forming on the surface, much in the same way the foam forms during initial fermentation. I saw it before I moved the carboy to the "bottling station" (sounds so much more romantic than "my bathroom")

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[cptfunky 0]

Hi!

I'm from Munich, Germany, the City of Beer (I'm sure you all know the Oktoberfest).

Why are you brewing beer yourself? Because of the fun or is the beer in the U.S. that bad?
A good friend of mine is 'Braumeister' at one of the big breweries in Munich. And for our partys, he brews a special beer called "Weissbierdoppelbock" which has a dark colour and a very mild taste. And because of the mild taste, nobody recognizes that there are 9% of alcohol in it.
Is 'homebrewing' very popular in the U.S.?
Here in Germany virtually nobody's brewing at home, since there are alone in Bavaria about 800 breweries.
This is my favourite brewerie in Munich:
http://www.augustiner-braeu.de

bs,
m

[jfields 0]

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jfields lives about a half hour's drive from my house. He's sampled my beer, I have yet to sample his.

Doh!

I have 4 beers bottled, 1 fermenting, 2 meads fermenting, plus ingredients for 4 more batches of beer.

This Friday, I'm leaving for San Diego (5 days at Perris. Nyah, nyah!) When I get back, you'll just have to take me up on my invite to have dinner and beer at my house. I offered, but we never got it scheduled. The beer is waiting for you.

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[FliegendeWolf 0]

Hi Mike! Welcome to the forums!

I homebrew because I enjoy making my own beer and because it's nice to have a stock of good beer sitting around the house. Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of good beers in America; one simply needs to know where to look for them. I would say that it is true that commercial macrobreweries like Budweiser and Miller sell much greater volumes than microbreweries and brewpubs, but rest assured there is good beer to be found here.

Homebrewing is popular in the U.S. inasmuch as quality ingredients are available for purchase and there are local clubs that brewers may join.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[wlie 0]

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I fill up my bathtub, pour in some bleach, then dunk the bottles until they're full.

Did you start with a clean bathtub?

Incidentally, I am just now transfered my brew to secondary.

Here's my recipe:

8 lbs Pilsner malt extract (lightest one w/o corn sugar)
1 lb Victory
1/2 lb Crystal 40
1/2lb Flaked Oats
1/8 lb chocolate malt
2 oz Columbus
1 oz Saaz (last 20 min of boil)
Wyeast 2565 Kolsch yeast

I forgot to take the OG, so I'm guessing it's about ~1.065 'coz that's usually what I get for this recipe.

My other ride is the relative wind.

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Hmm... Do you think that might explain the constant problem I've been having? Every time I pour a homebrew, I find pubes floating in my glass.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[cptfunky 0]

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Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of good beers in America; one simply needs to know where to look for them.

I'm sure there are.

Same situation like here. The big breweries like Becks or Löwenbräu are also not really my kind of taste. But if you look in small towns on the countryside, you can find very good beers. Often brewed just for one pub or restaurant.

[QuickDraw 0]

LMAO

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning

[jfields 0]

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Every time I pour a homebrew, I find pubes floating in my glass.

1) What color are they?
2) Are they yours?
3) If they aren't yours, whose are they?
4) Are they evenly distributed among all the bottles?
5) Did you include them in the beer's name, like "Short & Curly's Red Ale"?

[wlie 0]

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Every time I pour a homebrew, I find pubes floating in my glass.

Most definitely. And if the brew gets lots of head, most likely it is due to large amouns of soap deposits. You might want to try some Tilex to rememdy this.

Also, if it has a sour aftertaste, it could very well be mildew.

My other ride is the relative wind.

[tbrown 26]

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rack 'em up in your dishwasher and run 'em through with the heat dry cycle turned on.

Eww. The dishsoap I use (nothing special, Palmolive, Dawn, etc..) tends to stick to everything and eventually seems to etch glass. I'm in the habit now of washing (really just rinsing) my beer glasses by hand after use, same with the bottles. I used to notice the smell/flavor of soap in my glasses, I'm sure it's there in the bottles too.

-
Jim

No, no, no, not with diswhashing detergent ! Just run the cycle, with the hot water (more rinsing) and let the heater coil do its thing. I would never use the detergent, sorry if I gave you that impression.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[FliegendeWolf 0]

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And if the brew gets lots of head, most likely it is due to large amouns of soap deposits. You might want to try some Tilex to rememdy this.

Oh, I get it. See, I just assumed that since the pubes were getting into the mouth and neck of the bottles that the problem was that the brew was giving head. You're suggesting that the beer needs to get head!

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[SkyAnt 0]

Anyone ever tried "Whistler Cream Ale". YUM YUM!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[FliegendeWolf 0]

An update:

I tasted the batch the other day and boy was I impressed. This happens every time I sample the beer before conditioning. I get super pessimistic about the batch, thinking I'm going to hate it, but when it comes time to take a taste it's heavenly.

Oh, and it no longer tastes like Scotch Ale. I'm assuming that I was tasting unfermented sugar (i.e. it could have stood to sit in the carboy longer ... I had a feeling it could have). Now the beer is rich, dark, and bitter. Absolutely lovely.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All