Yeah you can pasteurize after its carbed. Its just a delicate game since you have to catch it before the bottles overcarbonate and make sure to monitor the water bath temp religiously.

9/17/2014 9:18:50 AM

Meeting tonight at Atlantic Brewing Supply for the Raleigh Home Brewer's Association

https://www.facebook.com/groups/780789235277264/

[Edited on September 17, 2014 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2014 3:57:18 PM

Did my first batch this weekend. Went mostly well... I found a 2nd packet of dry yeast from my kit on Sunday . The instructions didn't list a number of packets to pitch and I thought Palmer's book said 1 packet (11.5g), but his website says to rehydrate two packets... not to mention, I followed the kit instructions & palmer, which had me rehydrate at 100F instead of 80F, per the yeast manufacturer's instructions. So yeh. I had light airlock activity nearly 24 hours on the dot, at which point the temps were getting high (Safbrew T-58; 59-68), so I cooled it down to 64-65, at which point airlock activity stopped. I know this isn't a great way of determining fermentation, especially in buckets, but it's just nice to see . Just hoping that the yeast isn't too stressed and producing off flavors. Think I'll wait 5-7 days to check to SG just to make sure things are moving.


[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 9:17 AM. Reason : .]

10/6/2014 9:16:19 AM

If this is your first batch, any yeast off-flavors will be the least of your worries

What was the gravity of your wort (OG) when you pitched the yeast? If it was under 1.060, you're likely totally fine with just 1 pack of dry yeast. Dry yeast packs typically have more viable cells than a liquid yeast pack, and I know dozens of homebrewers who dont bother with a yeast starter if the beer is under 1.060. They have been making solid beer for years.

[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 9:48 AM. Reason : .]

10/6/2014 9:47:45 AM

1.064, so a bit high for 1 packet. Though, better (in one sense) than the expected of 1.069 (admittedly, I don't know how much of a difference this makes to the yeast if 1.060 is the general cutoff point as I've read about).

In the end, I guess I really pissed off my yeast . Now I know for next time to check the yeast MFR recommendations instead of the LHBS kit instructions or books. I know commercial kit instructions can be bad, but I figured instructions put together by the store would be spot on... they were good, but apparently a bit too generic.

I'm hopeful since I did see some signs of fermentation when temps were around 68 (top of the ideal range); hopefully it'll get going again at 64-66 after a day or so. Thus, I'll give it some extra time before I check.


[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 9:59 AM. Reason : .]

10/6/2014 9:53:59 AM

brewed a Dunkelweizen last weekend. First batch of 2014 and only the second in 2 years. Just haven't really been into it. But we hit all the marks and OG was spot on. Used bottled filter water this time instead of tap, hopefully we'll see an improvement.

10/6/2014 9:54:38 AM

wdprice3, if you have a second pack of yeast already on hand, it wont hurt anything to add that to the already fermenting beer. As long as it's the same strain, you'll have nothing to worry about. I'd rehydrate that yeast, or just pitch it straight in the fermenter dry. (fwiw, I NEVER rehydrate my dry yeast and dont know anyone else that actually does either).

Pitch it in the beer, give it a decent swirl and let'er go. It'll be beer in a few days/weeks nomatter what.

10/6/2014 11:26:33 AM

^thanks; that's pretty much what I'm asking about - do I just pitch it (I know that part won't hurt), or wait it out to see if the 1 packet pulls through. My only concern is with opening the bucket due to possible infection/oxygen (but adding yeast should solve the oxygen issue). I'm of the thought that buckets shouldn't be opened until FG checking time.

I'll go ahead and pitch it when I get home.

[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 12:56 PM. Reason : yes, the same yeast.]

10/6/2014 12:54:57 PM

i have never needed more than a single packet of dry yeast for a 5-gallon batch...then again, i usually rehydrate/proof my yeast with a small amount of table sugar 30-45 minutes before pitching, just because

10/6/2014 1:03:01 PM

From now on, if I'm using my bucket, I'm certainly going to proof before pitching. I went all robot with the instructions by the time I got to pitching the yeast, and it put me in this situation. I'd at least like visual confirmation that they're active before being shuttered away. Most sources I read previously mentioned 1 packet/5 gallon. Though, after I found packet #2 I did some more searching and saw that many do recommend 2 packets/5 gallon with OGs over 1.060

[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 1:32 PM. Reason : OG]

10/6/2014 1:32:22 PM

I've never pitched more than 1 packet of dry yeast either for a 5 gallon batch...even at 1.064 I wouldnt think twice about it. But if you've got it, and since it's your first batch, I would go ahead and pitch it just to give it every chance you've got at it turning out as good as it can be. You're only "wasting" $3-4 by using the second pack of yeast.

And with that, I've also never come across or heard of anyone having a "dud" pack of dry yeast. It's pretty damn resilient. As long as the dates are good, you should be fine.

I do like to make a starter when possible, but mostly I just do a smack pack of liquid yeast or a pack of dry yeast and call it a day.

10/6/2014 2:10:34 PM

Thanks; it's not really wasting money to use it as it was included in the kit (in fact, the opposite is true). I'm certain the one pack isn't a dud and it is within the date. My only concern was that after finding the 2nd pack a day later, then reading about people using 2 packets for higher gravities (and palmer's website saying to use 2), I thought maybe I did screw up. That and the fact that I was pretty far outside of the yeast manufacturer's temperature range for rehydrating (and at the upper end for pitching). My primary concern was that I did a good bit of damage to the yeast already (killed some, stressed some, etc.).

10/6/2014 2:16:21 PM

if it makes you feel any better, i pitched 1 dry packet in my ~9% imperial stout (around 1.090 OG) and it was fine...i did proof, but only 30 minutes before pitching

there are a shit-ton of yeasties in a dry packets, far more than in liquid...pitch it in and give it a swirl if it makes you feel better, but i doubt you really NEED to

10/6/2014 3:36:05 PM

^^ i think you have been reading too many beer forums online

you are not giving the yeast enough credit. If you think you "stalled" fermentation, swirl your beer to get the yeast back in suspension. You can also take a hydrometer reading if you are really worried. If you don't see any CO2 coming out and you still have sugar in your beer, then add in the rest of the yeast. If you want to save time/headache, just throw in the second bag of yeast now and forget about the $2.

Keep calm, I'm sure the beer will turn out fine. Nothing you typed registered as a red flag.

10/6/2014 4:13:28 PM

I pitched the second packet after proofing and stirred (not aerating). I took a big whiff while the lid was off and thought my nose was going to burn off... it smelled like beer but was very painful/sharp to smell, like strong chemicals... normal?

Gravity was 1.037, so more than halfway to the TG (1.014). How much does sediment, etc. in the hydrometer cylinder affect readings? Should I leave that sample out to allow settling to get a better reading?

Edit: apparently that could just be CO2; never experienced it that strong, but it makes sense as soda can do the same thing, but less intense.

[Edited on October 6, 2014 at 9:40 PM. Reason : .]

10/6/2014 9:18:46 PM

lesson #1. NEVER take a huge whiff of your fermenting beer. It hurts. A lot. That's normal.

10/7/2014 11:31:20 AM

haha, my curious mind sometimes gets me hurt.

10/7/2014 1:13:09 PM

yeah, the CO2 will definitely take your breath away and burn.

10/7/2014 2:00:49 PM

another question - for your typical ale, primary-only, that you aren't bulk aging, do you normally bottle/keg soon after hitting a stable FG, or do you let it sit in primary for an extra week or two to get some cleanup done? Do you raise the temp (and if so, to what level - upper end of the yeast's range)? My "too much forum reading" and curiosity won't let me stop thinking of questions. Not worried about any of this, just curious as to the means and methods beyond the bare basics.

And I assume when people are speaking to a yeast's range, this would be the recommended range, as compared to the ideal range (I don't know if all MFR's publish both, but some do)?

[Edited on October 7, 2014 at 3:25 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2014 3:23:58 PM

I usually leave my beer in the primary for 2 weeks. Then I add priming sugar and let the beer carbonate in the keg for a week. Then I *try* to cold condition it for at least 2 weeks, but if the kegerator is dry when a batch starts cold conditioning I usually just go ahead and tap it.

I don't know about the yeast.

10/7/2014 8:58:39 PM

basic rule of thumb for minimums: 1-2-3

1 week in the primary
2 weeks in the secondary
3 weeks in the bottle

the notion of moving the beer off the trub in the primary to prevent off-flavors isn't really a thing anymore, so the main reasons for moving to a secondary is to add other flavors (hops, spices, etc) or for clarification (particularly for low-floc yeasts)..."big" beers can arguably benefit from a move to secondary, but i think that's as much because the krausen is frequently so big and nasty (and frequently backed up into the airlock because you didn't use a blow-off tube) that you just want to get it out of there

anyway, 2 weeks in the primary is a good rule these days, though more isn't likely to hurt if you have the time and patience...if i've hit the target FG and it's been less than 2 weeks, i'll leave mine in there

as for the yeast, you really should keep the fermenting temp within the optimal range...sure, they'll probably still do their job if it's warmer, but you're likely to get off-flavors (usually diacetyl, which is butterscotch-y)...i would assume that the "ideal" and "recommended" range would be the same thing (never seen more than a single range listed), but if i had to pick one, i'd go with "ideal"

speaking of yeast, this is a good quick read about flocculation and attenuation (the characteristics of yeast that generally determine how long you'll need for your beer to finish fermenting): http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew/beginners-attenuation-and-flocculation-definitions

[Edited on October 8, 2014 at 8:17 AM. Reason : link]

10/8/2014 8:16:24 AM

^thanks, good information. Some MFR's publish recommended and ideal ranges, but like you, I'd wonder at which temp the yeast starts to produce off-flavors. I've read a few posts about T-58 and it apparently produces banana and bubblegum, which dissipate with time, and peppery and spicy flavors which stick around. Most posts mentioned temperatures within the ideal range

for example, fermentis: http://www.fermentis.com/brewing/homebrewing/product-range/

[Edited on October 8, 2014 at 8:33 AM. Reason : .]

10/8/2014 8:32:21 AM

welp. fermentation got stuck at 1.020.

10/12/2014 9:23:17 AM

what was the expected final gravity? Both of my beers yesterday had a final gravity of around 1.020 when I was expecting 1.014. Long story short, I think the higher gravity is due to unfermentable sugars in my liquid extract.

Long story long, I am using a strain of yeast developed by my cousin (he develops strains of yeast for commercial breweries and distilleries as well as ethanol producers), and I thought maybe the yeast was getting old. He told me the yeast should kick ass for 2-3 years, and it has only been 15 months. I don't think I have even taken gravity readings for the past 2 years, but I am trying different things to bring out the flavor of my homegrown hops and wanted to make sure i was hitting the expected gravity to limit the maltiness in my beers. I brewed a 12 gallon batch yesterday and sucked it up and bought several packets of yeast to compare them with the yeast from my cousin. I read online (so take this with a grain of salt) that others have experienced a final gravity of around 1.020 despite trying different things to bring it down, and their conclusion was unfermentable sugars in the LME was causing the higher than expected gravity readings.

My beers have always tasted great, but I may have to look at all grain brewing or alternative extract brewing techniques for some of my drier, hoppier beers.

10/12/2014 9:59:07 AM

^1.014, but that was with 80% attenuation, which is apparently high for my yeast (safbrew T-58), which has an attenuation of 71-75%, so a bit hard to attain (in my inexperience opinion).

Kit instructions:
OG 1.069
FG 1.014
%Att = 80%

My brew:
OG 1.064 (had a small boil over and I think I topped off slightly high)
FG 1.021
%Att = 67%

I guess I'm not too far off, since 73% attenuation (average) would yield a FG of 1.017. I have also read (on HBT), that LME possibly does contain a lot of unfermentables and thus higher FGs. My kit had 2 3.3 lb bags of LME, one added for the entire partial boil (2.5 gal, 60 min), and the other at 15 minutes to go, so I'd have to think the late addition would help. I also steeped specialty grains at 155-160, but there wasn't a grain bill, so I can't see how much, if any, sugar could have been produced from this (I'm going to ask ABM if they'll give me the bill).

There is a fair amount of CO2 in the beer (based on smell and it even tastes slightly carbed) so I'm going to let my sample degas and see if it the FG drops a little more. The sample definitely tastes pretty good (like a belgian) but on the sweet side. I gave it a good swirl (careful not to aerate) when I took the FG sample and I put a heater in the room to bump up the temp to the low 70s (fermented 65-68 for 7 days, took the ice bottles out of the cooler and the temp has held at 68-69 since).

10/12/2014 10:33:51 AM

I ferment in primary for 3 weeks without racking to secondary. Then 3 weeks in the bottle. Although most of the time i don't wait the full 3 weeks for the bottle. I drink a few premature to see how bottle fermentation changes the flavor over time.

10/12/2014 10:43:55 AM

Yeh, I'm going to wait a bit longer to bottle, but I was hoping to have drinkable beer at the end of the month. Oh well. One concern I have is that after opening the bucket twice now after the active period of fermentation, am I not at risk of having too much oxygen in the headspace? Just seems like it would be easier to accidently oxygenate now and give a chance for infections to take off with more O2 and less CO2

[Edited on October 12, 2014 at 10:58 AM. Reason : .]

10/12/2014 10:57:14 AM

i wouldnt worry about oxygenation too much. And as long as you sanitize anything that touches the beer at this point, not too much to worry about with infections, etc. Not saying you want to open the bucket everyday and swirl it around, but you should be fine with taking normal gravity readings, etc.

10/13/2014 10:31:19 AM

Fair enough. I'm thinking it just may be done. I talked to Mark at ABM and he said it should get down closer to 1.014 (even being an extract). He gave me some yeast nutrient to try; so I'll pitch that and see what happens

10/13/2014 1:17:12 PM

I'd be surprised if yeast nutrient did anything at this point in the game. Cant hurt to try it though.

If it were me, I'd think about pitching some neutral brewers yeast. It's neutral in terms of flavor, so it wont overpower the yeast characteristics of the yeast you originally used...but may just get you down closer to that 1.014 mark. If you cant find that, just roll with Wyeast 1056 or US-05 (dry). It's a pretty standard ale yeast...crisp, clean, neutral in flavor.

10/14/2014 8:19:27 AM

Yeh, it's done at 1.021. I put it in the fridge the other day to cold crash and I'm going to bottle it tomorrow. After reading way too much about this, I think it's just simply done.

10/17/2014 1:40:29 PM

what's the style? an FG that high is usually porter/stout/brown territory

10/17/2014 2:02:13 PM

belgian blonde

10/17/2014 2:47:06 PM

It'll be beer Wouldnt worry too much about it.

10/17/2014 6:18:31 PM

yep, at least beer it will be

10/17/2014 9:26:46 PM

Forgot to follow up here... I did indeed make beer. Pretty good, too. I don't know how true it is, as it certainly isn't like any other belgian I've had, but everyone that has tried it either was blowing smoke up my ass or really liked it. Definitely went through a bubblegum/banana phase for a bit, but those quickly disappeared. I'd brew it again for sure.

Doing an IPA clone soon, I hope. Been meaning to brew again but kept putting it off... now I'll be out of beer in a week or so

11/20/2014 1:21:01 PM

which clone are you thinking about?

11/20/2014 2:20:50 PM

just tapped my first 1/2 barrel batch, it turned out great! It is a dark porter that fermented in a 1/2 barrel keg and then transferred into another one to carbonate. I'm just glad that everything worked!

11/20/2014 10:52:30 PM

^^I brewed ABM Double Bypass IPA. Not sure what it's supposed to be a clone of. Brew day 2 went much smoother than my first time. Already planning #3.

11/24/2014 9:23:42 AM

woot. airlock activity lasted 9 days on this one; just checked the SG last night (day 10) and I'm already at the TG of 1.016. Will check again on Friday then cold crash and bottle Sunday (hopefully)!

The sample tasted IPAish, a bit funky, but IPAish nonetheless.

[Edited on December 4, 2014 at 9:48 AM. Reason : oh yeh, it just hit me, this must be a two hearted clone?]

12/4/2014 9:48:01 AM

Brewed a ginger ale a few weeks ago for the lady. She's not a huge fan since it doesn't taste like a normal ginger beer. To me, it does have a ginger taste, but the taste is the same as the ginger extract's aroma (extract kit called to add 4oz of ginger extract at bottling); and not necessarily the ginger taste of commercial beers. I'm guessing some fresh ginger in the wort might have turned out better. I'm hoping some time will mellow the ginger extract flavor and become more like a commercial one.

[Edited on March 12, 2015 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

3/12/2015 11:10:32 AM

^I did a green tea ginger honey pale ale the other day.

I took fresh ginger root and peeled it and then broiled it until it caramelized and then added it to the end of the boil. I dry hopped with the green tea. It turned out fantastic.

3/12/2015 11:39:15 AM

i did a ginger lemon cider and i couldn't get the flavor or bite right, either...i had read that you steep some in vodka (same as if you were making limoncello) in order to get the aroma and bite, and add some to the wort (well, must) to get the flavor

i guess mine was there, sort of, but not nearly as much as i'd hoped for the amount i used

3/12/2015 12:34:09 PM

got a hoppy clone in the bottle now. something went screwy with my FG, so I have no clue what it's going to be like. Thought I had a FG of 1.016 before cold crashing, but when I went to bottle I was getting 1.028 (though I forgot to take the sample before adding the priming sugar, so maybe that sugary mix was a large part of my sample, I don't know). Seems like it's going to be a very sweet IPA if the FG is going to be in the 1.02s.

**********
Does this seems like a decent buy?

For $425, I'm offering pretty much everything you need to get started in all-grain brewing, save for a propane tank and some odds and ends like hoses, paddle, hydrometer, etc.

Here's what I'm offering for sale:
5 gallon glass carboy
6 gallon glass carboy (have 2 of these)
Brew Hauler carboy carrier (have 2 of these)
3/8" x 25' copper coiled immersion chiller (with vinyl tubing)
7 gallon aluminum turkey fryer pot with weldless bulkhead and 1/2" stainless ball valve
9 gallon stainless pot with welded bulkhead and 1/2" stainless ball valve
52 qt Coleman Xtreme Cooler converted into mash/lauter tun, including ball valve and CPVC drain manifold
Weldless sight glass kit for 2-15 gallon pot (Brand new, never used. Easy to install on the hot liquor tank or boil kettle.)
Large funnel with mesh screen
Bayou Classic High Pressure Banjo Propane Burner

I had all of this gear set up as a gravity-fed system. The aluminum fryer pot works well as a hot liquor tank. The Coleman cooler is fantastic at holding a steady mash temperature, and has a brand-new, efficient manifold installed for draining wort. (I was routinely getting around 75% efficiency with this system.) The boil kettle is sturdy stainless steel and only about 2 years old. The banjo burner was a great investment that really heats things up quickly and cut a bunch of time off of my brew day (it's only about 1 year old).

[Edited on August 18, 2015 at 6:25 PM. Reason : .]

8/18/2015 6:24:56 PM

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Supposed to let the seller know this morning if I can meet tonight.

Thanks.

8/20/2015 9:11:35 AM

just started brewing. got some noobie kit used from a local dude + an old crappy kegerator for about 200 (was 175, but i had to rebuild the reg). not bad.

brewed up a dark ale from an extract kit which tastes alright, but damn is it foamy. at first it was 50-66% foam and poured mighty slow.

things i've tried:
1. i pulled off the outpost and cleaned out some hops that junked it up.
2. i think i overcarbed it a bit by accident, so i purged the keg and let it sit for a bit, then put the air back on. that helped a little bit, but it still is about 30% foam and pours really slowly.

it tastes about right, but the slow pouring and foam still bothers me a bit. if i had to guess what the problem is , it would be that the old crappy kegerator doesnt keep temp very consistent, so the bottom of the keg is somewhere between 37-40 degrees, but beer is pouring in the higher 40s. oh well. if i enjoy the first few batches perhaps i'll splurge for something better.

8/20/2015 10:06:29 AM

Mount a fan or computer fan in there. Many of us do this and it helps circulate the air to keep the temp differential to a minimum.

Also, you want your liquid lines to be at least 5'.

If you overcarbed it, it's going to take much more than bleeding the pressure off once to get it to proper pressure. I'd bleed it every hour or two for a day at least.

What PSI did you carb it at? And for how long? What was the temp of the keg during this process?
What PSI are you serving at? What's the current serving temp?

8/20/2015 10:30:07 AM

Wdprice, here's my take on it. I've added average "used" prices for each item listed. Maybe this helps determine if it's all worth $450..

Quote :

"5 gallon glass carboy ($20-25...however 5 gallon is useless if you want to brew 5 gallon batches. You want at least 6-6.5gallons to allow head space for your krausen, etc. It is really only good for smaller batches, or for a "secondary". I almost NEVER secondary though.) 6 gallon glass carboy (have 2 of these) ($30 each) Brew Hauler carboy carrier (have 2 of these) ($10 each) 3/8" x 25' copper coiled immersion chiller (with vinyl tubing) ($25'ish?) 7 gallon aluminum turkey fryer pot with weldless bulkhead and 1/2" stainless ball valve (stainless valve is like $10 new, so I'd pay $35-40 for the pot and valve. OR, make a 15.5gallon keggle with valve for $50.) 9 gallon stainless pot with welded bulkhead and 1/2" stainless ball valve ($40-50) 52 qt Coleman Xtreme Cooler converted into mash/lauter tun, including ball valve and CPVC drain manifold (these are retarded easy to make, and cheap. $25 cooler, $10 cpvc, $10 ball valve, $10 bulkhead/washers) Weldless sight glass kit for 2-15 gallon pot (Brand new, never used. Easy to install on the hot liquor tank or boil kettle.) (not sure what brand these are, but you can make your own for $10-15 in parts) Large funnel with mesh screen - $5-10 Bayou Classic High Pressure Banjo Propane Burner ($30'ish) "

8/20/2015 10:56:53 AM

With all that said, here's what I'd do:
Get a $50 15.5gallon stainless beer keg from craigslist. Cut the top off, and install a $10 1/2 ball valve. $20 worth of stainless bulkhead fittings and copper tubing to make a dip tube, and you're set. Add another $15 worth of fittings to make a sight glass. Now you've got a bigass stainless pot instead of a crappy small aluminum pot for not too much more money You'll also likely never need to upgrade.

Get a $35-$50 turkey fryer. The Bayou classic is what most roll with, but I've used a $35 brinkmann special from Lowes for 5-6 years and it's been great.

Get 1-2 6.5 gallon glass carboys. These will last you forever unless you're a dumbass and break one. It's been done. Be careful.

Make a copper immersion chiller for $50 or less.

Make a mash tun like the one that the guy is selling. Should cost you $50-75 depending on how nice you want it. I used one for years and it was perfect.

You'll need tons of other little odds and ends (airlocks for carboys, stir spoons/paddles, etc.) but I think I'd prefer to go this route and build all my stuff new rather than buy a bunch of used shit for $450.

8/20/2015 12:53:07 PM

^^^ tried to set it at 10 and leave it for about 2 weeks to carb in the fridge. looks like it crept up to 14 cuz i wa sinpatient in waiting to see if the reg set right. trying to serve now at 10 psi or so. that's probably part of the problem which is why i tried bleeding and leaving for a while ,then bleeding again). bleeding it that once for 4-6 hours and bleeding a few times during did get the air out of the lines for the most part though. it doesnt taste THAT carbonated, but it is foamy.

lines are 5' or so, tap just above keg height.

8/20/2015 1:38:59 PM