The Homebrew Thread

[naamanf]

I'm looking into building a mixmasher, right now, too. There's a big gap between "too small" and "too big" in terms of motors...I'm thinking of just going to harbor freight, buying a cheap drill, and using that.

I'll stick with a paddle till I get a little farther on into building it all up.

Boil kettle, mashtun, and hot liquor tank

False bottom in mashtun

[tyrion]

I'm picking up another keg today and hope to brew this weekend. Any suggestions on a recipe. I have stout on tap already so I'm thinking IPA. I can buy a kit but if either of you have a recipe they have done or were thinking of doing, post away.

[grawk]

try that alaskan amber clone above, alaskan amber is a really nice beer....

[tyrion]

I'm not sure I can cool to 68 degrees or secondary at 50 degrees.

Here is something I can pick up today:

Hopback Amber Ale Recipe

Details:

7.75lbs Ex-Light Briess Malt Extract(liquid)

2.25lbs Munich Malt

.25lbs Crystal 20

1oz Chocolate

1.2oz Nugget (Bittering, Boil 60min)

.5 Oz cascade(hopback)

.25oz Mt Hood(hopback)

.25oz Simcoe (hopback)

Wyeast 1056

Edited January 14, 2010 by tyrion

[grawk]

The method I've seen for hopbacking is a challenge, because it requires some fairly specific hardware. But in combination with a wort chiller, it is fairly easy and quick once assembled.

[tyrion]

Thanks. I will talk to the guy at the shop about this. Maybe he has a kit that would make it easy for me.

[naamanf]

Seems easy enough to make a hop back.

Hop Back

I have a Ruination clone dry hoping right now. Hopefully it turns out to be close to the original .

[tyrion]

Picked up the Hop Back kit and this filled with Cigar City Jai Alai IPA.

I posted the pic from the car so I will elaborate a bit now that I'm safely in my office. It is a 1 gallon keg that can be used with the ridiculously overpriced tap system shown or one of those table top taps that you see sold for Heineken and some other beers. I may buy 4 or 5 more to use to age beer and then when you are ready, pop on the keg and you are good to go.

Edited January 14, 2010 by tyrion

[naamanf]

Still looks like a cool idea for trying out different techniques on the same batch of beer.

For a deal:

Austin Homebrew Supply

[luvdunhill]

Still looks like a cool idea for trying out different techniques on the same batch of beer.

For a deal:

Austin Homebrew Supply

I used to be within walking distance of that place Cool place.

[naamanf]

My first AG sparging away. Interested to see what type of efficiency I have.

[grawk]

I just finished the mash and sparging phases of a pale ale. 9 lbs of grain extracted to 5.5 gallons of liquor. I'll brew tonight with 2 ounces of centenial hops and a pound of belgian candy sugar, then ferment with white "california ale" yeast.

[naamanf]

Made a Pliny the Elder clone today. 10oz of hops in the boil and 7 more waiting for dry hopping. 13lbs grain in the mash. First time using the Brewtroller with temp probes. Realized that the way I was reading temps before was giving me the wrong reading. About 10 deg low:palm: Got it right though and boiled 8.5 gallons of wort. Ended up with 5.5 gal in the fermenter and .01 low on the OG. I guess I need to work on my sparge.

[NightWoundsTime]

My brewing dreams just took a huge hit. My buddy with a shed and a lot of machinist experience who could have built everything from scratch, cheaply.... just went gluten free. Unless I want to figure out how to brew gluten free beers...

[grawk]

There are recipes

[tyrion]

Matt, just do it like I'm doing it. Keep it simple and you can do it easily at your place.

Naaman, any update on the Pliny?

[NightWoundsTime]

Yeah, I've been reading a bit, just since I did that post. Apparently one of the best ideas so far is to use roasted chestnut chips, available from a place in Washington. $30 per 5 lbs plus cross-country shipping, so not cheap. But far better than the standard Sorghum recipes (I tried a Greene's gluten free lager once, pretty awful.)

I'll let him know that there are things we can try, and see if he wants to proceed. It's unsure yet whether going gluten free is going to help him all that much, so he may not stick with it for long.

[naamanf]

Matt, just do it like I'm doing it. Keep it simple and you can do it easily at your place.

Naaman, any update on the Pliny?

It's in the secondary with 7oz of hops floating at the top. Should be ready by Sunday. Talk about a hop bomb.

Made a saison yesterday with 10lbs of grain, 1lb candy sugar, 2 oz of hallertuaer for 60 min, and 1oz Styrian for the last 2 minutes. Pitched with some Belgium ale yeast. For the yeast I made a started last week and had it in the fridge waiting. Before I pitched it I tried a bit of the beer from the starter. I can definitely say that the flavor associated with Belgium beers can be attributed to the yeast.

Sadly it look like this will be my last batch for a year:(

[tyrion]

Sadly it look like this will be my last batch for a year:(

That sucks!

[grawk]

2 brew sessions tonight. The alaskan is in the carboy, the imperial porter has been extracted

alaskan

9# 2-row

1# Crystal 40L

.5# Carapils

.5# Crystal 60L

.75oz (7.0A) Cascade at 60

1oz (7.0A) Cascade at 15

Wyeast Kolsch Yeast

Imperial Porter

Grain Bill

10.0 lb Maris Otter

4.0 lb German Munich

1.0 lb Crystal 60

0.5 lb Special B

0.5 lb Chocolate

2.0 lb Honey (last 10 min of boil)

Hop Schedule

1.0 oz Horizon 60 min

1.5 oz Cascade 45 min

0.5 oz Cascade 20 min

1.0 oz Cascade 15 min

Mash Schedule

131 1.0 qt/lb 30 min

152 1.5 qt/lb 75 min

168 1.5 qt/lb mashout (decoction)

Hybrid fly sparge for maximum efficiency

Wyeast California Dry Yeast (liquid, just a high alcohol strain)

It's my most expensive brewing session to date:

$81 at the brew store

$700 to replace the range because I shattered my cooktop when I dropped a 5 gallon carboy on it

[luvdunhill]

ouch! I'm assuming you and the carboy survived though?

[grawk]

carboy did, but I died

[grawk]

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-a-carboy-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit-2.html?SID=5o7e1i7umi4i9rkugsr7rikogo0n7p77

[tyrion]

Dan, sorry about the range. I guess it's a good thing I use the turkey fryer. Reks, that's the kit I have. The only difference is I don't bottle and invested in a couple of soda kegs and CO2 set up.

[grawk]

Dan, sorry about the range. I guess it's a good thing I use the turkey fryer. Reks, that's the kit I have. The only difference is I don't bottle and invested in a couple of soda kegs and CO2 set up.

Kegs really are the way to go