Homebrew Beer Howto

bigears · 23-08-2006 11:20am

I'm brewing an American Pale Ale at the moment (Thanks Noby for the recipe). It's going into secondary today. Hopefully it will turn out something like Liberty Ale or Sierra Nevada. This will be my first keg brew. I managed to get a Cornelius Keg and gas bottle which I haven't set up yet but I'm hopeful it will work well.

Hendrixcat · 26-08-2006 2:43pm

I have a wheat beer in the primary at the moment. My attempt at partial mashing with the picnic cooler was a disaster. The water I used was far too alkaline and the pale wheat malt couldn't produce enough acidity to bring the pH down the the 5.5ish required to activate the enzymes. Should have read up on my water chemistry a bit more (I've no excuse because I'm a biochemist and studied chemistry for 2 years at university.........) It's not by chance that stouts are brewed in Ireland because the water is so bloody hard everywhere and only dark malts can bring the pH down suficiently for the mash to work. I boiled up the wort from the mash tun but had to add a lot more LME and DME than I planned to bring the OG to a respectable level. Still, I'm hoping the the malt will contribute some added character to the beer. I'm either going to have to boil the water I use to get rid of most of the bicarbonate and reduce it's buffering potential or else dilute the liquor with some de-ionised water I can get from the lab I work in. I've noticed that Superquinn do a refill service where you can bring your own bottles and fill up. I'm wondering if this is de-ionised water.... If it is it will be a great help to anyone attempting to brew pale beer in Ireland, whether they're using tap or mineral water. Needless to say, my next attempted is going to be a stout. Should prove to be a lot easier and in the meantime I need to do some water calculations to get the alkalinity in the right range for any pale beers I might try to brew.

beardybrewer · 26-08-2006 5:14pm

Whew, just finished for the day and having a well deserved pint of bitter! I now have a Belgian Christmas ale in the primary and bottled a Firkin Dogbolter kit. Today I had the opportunity to try out my Hop & Grape immession chiller. I don't have a proper pot, just 5l for a concetrated boil. Still, waiting 45 minutes and baby-sitting the sink is no fun. It worked great, got to pitching temp in 15 minutes and the water isn't even all that cold yet. I also got a bench capper so another 15 minutes of cursing saved... so long red baron.

I think my next brew will be a stout because I need to get rid of some dark LME. I was thinking:
3.2Kg John Bull Dark LME
.45Kg Crystal Malt
.15kg roasted malt
.15kh chocolate malt
1oz Goldings 60min
.5oz Fuggles 10min
Safeale S-33

Hmm, maybe more hops. I was also reading an interesting article on concentrated-boils which talked about the "extract late method" if anyone's interested: http://byo.com/feature/1510.html

Hendrixcat · 26-08-2006 7:38pm

John Palmer is a fan of the late extract boil. It should resulting fewer Maillaird reactions and less browning, lowering the potential for off flavours. A wort chiller is on my wish list for when I start all grain brewing but you shouldn't have to babysit the kettle in an ice bath while extract brewing. I put 10 odd litres of bottled water in the fridge over night and top up with it to the 20 odd litres for the final amount. The cold water cools the boiled portion in seconds along with aerating the wort to help the yeast do their thing and also facilitates a brilliant cold break.

beardybrewer · 27-08-2006 10:33am

The other point the article made was the high gravity in a concentrated boil will prohibit hop utilization. I recently got BeerSmith to try the above recipe and I could see the hop IBUs change drastically based on the size of the brewpot.

I don't think my 2 dinky ice trays equals an ice water bath and there's nowhere that sells bags of ice nearby (or at all that I know of). The chiller I got was only £25 and works great. IME it was taking 45 min at the end of a long day so I feel its a good investment.

bigears · 28-08-2006 6:41pm

I've used the late extract addition for the last two brews and it certainly helps to keep the colour lighter. I boil the grains and 450g of extract and add the rest of the extract 15 minutes from the end along with the flavouring hops. Interesting to hear that it improves hop utilisation. I find that my beers are generally less hoppy than my calculations would suggest so I've been increasing them recently. I dry hopped the last one so the aroma should be pretty up there.

Hendrixcat · 29-08-2006 10:58am

I've noticed the same thing with regard to hop bitterness. It's never quite as much as the recipe would suggest. It has to do with the boil, I'm sure. Some hard core brerwers boil for two odd hours, though I've seen statistics in brewing journals that state the alpha acid isomeristation drops off to practically nothing after one hour of boiling. Dry hopping makes a huge difference to the character of an ale. I dry hopped with heaps of Goldings for my last ale (which is sadly nearly all gone now) and couldn't believe the hop aroma that was produced. I'll be dry hoping my pale ales everytime, methinks.

Bottled a wheat beer on Saturday. Man, bottling is a pain in the neck. I will have to invest in a kegging system at some stage. The brew has that very distinctive wheat beer aroma and flavour, which is all down to the yeast, really. I used White Labs Heffe Weizen yeast made up to a one litre starter mainly because the yeast had been in transit from England for far too long in high temperatures and I was afraid it might be dead, but it came to life in the starter and practically blew the top of the primary fermenter. I read that wheat beers should be drank young with a high level of carbonation so I primed it to 4 parts CO2 and with the high action of the yeast, I reckon it'll be ready in a week or so.

noby · 29-08-2006 11:53am

There are several factors that affect hop utilisation. Some mentioned above. The age of the hop is another one. Even a hop kept in ideal conditions will have it's AA% decrease over time. There is a calculation you can use to adjust for this, or you can just be generous with your additions (my method).
Also some hop packs have the generic AA% for the type of hop printed on the labels. Of course each harvest has a different AA%, and recipes should be adjusted accordingly. For example, if you recipe calls for Target 8.5%AA, and you have Target 8%, you have to increase the weight to acieve the same bitterness.

It often depends on the style of beer. For me, if it's an ale, then it can take the extra bitterness, and still be true to style, whereas with a stout I try not to over do it.

Hendrixcat · 29-08-2006 2:46pm

The water can be a problem. Burton water has up to 800ppm sulphate which is essential for decent hop bittering. I throw in two teaspoons of gypsum salts when I'm brewing a pale ale to increase the concentration of sulphate but I have no idea how effective this is. The dream would be to take distilled water and and make the exact water profile required with various mineral salts. I hope to try it some time soon.

beardybrewer · 29-08-2006 6:28pm

Hendrixcat wrote:

Man, bottling is a pain in the neck.

Maybe you need more goodies to take away the pain. Between a bottle washer, bottle tree, sanitizer injector (w/ idophor), bottle filler, and a bench capper I breeze through them (well, at least twice as fast as before). Also you can't put a keg in the fridge or take a 6-pack with you.

So, for the rest of us, what is dry-hopping?

Hendrixcat · 29-08-2006 6:39pm

Them be some purdy sounding gadgets you got there. Washing and sterilising is no problem. I do it in a big tub in the shed full of bleach solution. I just toss them in as I empty them and they're sterile after a day and just need a rinse and a foil cap. I could do with a bench capper, though.... Dry hopping is just adding loose dry hops to the secondary (or the primary, occasionally) when brewing a pale ale and leaving them there for the duration of the secondary fermentation. A mesh dry hopping bag is handy otherwise some nifty siphoning is needed to prevent the bottling of hop debris. Improves the flavour and aroma of an ale immensely. I heard that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is not dry hopped and I'm amazed that they get the degree of flavour with only the addition of a late hop in the boil.

beardybrewer · 29-08-2006 9:40pm

I'll admit I'm a gadget freak! I can't stand doing something the hard way if there's something that makes it a bit easier. Afterall, while I enjoy homebrew its as much a means to an end... or an end to a means... err... I like drinking beer.

I must say the bench capper is quick and makes for a secure seal. My red baron/emily capper just seemed to chew up caps and took ages.

Found this cool article on dry hopping: http://byo.com/departments/1105.html

Seems like a good mag... considering a subscription. Also, just in case anyone is interested there's still a little time to subscribe to beer advocate which includes international shipping: http://beeradvocate.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/51

Hendrixcat · 30-08-2006 9:16am

I am already subscribed to brew your own magazine and just signed up to the Beer Advocate. Great price for a years subscription. I could do with a few more gadgets to make things easier. I'm gradually building up a collection over years. I suppose I'll have all the mod cons sooner or later.

bigears · 31-08-2006 11:04am

Using a hop bag when dry hopping is the way to go as far as I'm concerned. The hops really clog up the racking cane and make it harder to get the last couple of litres out. I wasted a load of beer with my first dry hop because of this. I'm amazed too by the hop aroma in Sierra Nevada; can't figure out how they get it. Apparently they chuck the aroma hops in once the boil is completed which is what I've done in my latest brew (Sierra-ish clone), will let you know how it works out.

I'm setting up my kegging system at the moment, but I'm having major problems sourcing a CO2 gas bottle. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hendrixcat · 01-09-2006 10:25am

If you mean a small CO2 cylinder, I got one from grape n grain a few years ago, for a standard pressure barrel that I put my first brew into. He does cheap refills once you've bought the initial cylinder.

I'm in the middle of the mash for a stout at the moment. The pH is bang on this time but temperature regulation isn't as easy as proponents of the picnic cooler mashing system have suggested. The big problem is increasinig the temp if it's too low. You have to add hot water to raise the temp and no matter how much water you add it never seems quite enough. Got it in the end but with far more water in the mash than I intended. Shouldn't effect the mash itself but the volume of water might be a bit ummanagable when it comes to boiling and adding the LME. Bought a 33 litre kettle for full grain mashing. This thing is HUGE. Don't even know if it's any way practical. Got it on E Bay for half nothing compared to prices I've seen around Dublin.

bigears · 01-09-2006 10:35am

If you mean a small CO2 cylinder, I got one from grape n grain a few years ago, for a standard pressure barrel that I put my first brew into. He does cheap refills once you've bought the initial cylinder.

What I'm really looking for is a big CO2 bottle so that I can carbonate and dispense using the gas. It would be connected permanently and allow me to set the carbonation level using a regulator. I did get a gas bottle but it's quite old and nobody will refill it.

The pH is bang on this time but temperature regulation isn't as easy as proponents of the picnic cooler mashing system have suggested

From what I've read the key to this is getting the temperature right at the start. Most people heat the cooler using boiling water before use and transfer the mash to it when it reaches the desired temperature. Maybe you're already doing this?

Hendrixcat · 01-09-2006 10:52am

Yeah, I am preheating the tun. All methods I've read say the strike water should be 72 C which should result in a mash temp of 67 C once the malt has dissipated the heat but the books each reccommend different amounts of water per kilo of malt. The sheet I got with the tun say 1.5 litres per Kg while John Palmer states up to 3 litres per kilo. The end temperature just isn't going to be the same and it is difficult to get it right at the beginning. I'll figure it, but the thought of producing a brutal batch of beer as a result unsettles me.

Can't say I've heard of where to get a big CO2 in Ireland. Maybe BOC gases but they're large scale and provide to the lab I work in. You could always nick a fire exstinguisher with a black sticker on it.........

bigears · 01-09-2006 10:58am

Can't say I've heard of where to get a big CO2 in Ireland. Maybe BOC gases but they're large scale and provide to the lab I work in.

I spoke with BOC and they didn't want to know once I said what I was using it for. I could have said I wanted to use it for welding; I think the gas bottle is the same. I think you need to pay rental etc. and BOC are a bit pricey but I may end up going with them. The other suppliers are AirProducts who may be cheaper but ideally I'd like to get a bottle without paying rental.

I'll need to check the Fire extinguisher connections; I don't know if they're different as I'll need to make sure they fit a pub style regulator.

guildofevil · 06-09-2006 12:08pm

Does anyone know where I might be able to get a large picnic cooler, in Dublin?

Ideally I would like a 10 US Gallon (8 UK Gallon, 38 litre) rubbermaid water cooler, like this one:
http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=7542&x=16&y=13

I want to use a Bazooka T to convert it to an insulated mash tun.

Séan

oconn · 07-09-2006 3:33pm

Firstly Newkie the guy in glengarrif phone 027 634444 emailrtansey04@eircom.net. No real website but if you look up glengarrif homebrew or bantry home brew in google you get a list ( its hard to find the page its some iol thing ) if you ring him he will send a full product list and he can get anything else in uk and bring it back and post in ireland.

Now to my question. I have made 2 batches a pale ale and brown ale both kits. I used white sugar and found it a bit bland. I was going to order some Light DME but read above that people used brown dmeeraera sugar. I saw in tesco's the other day the have a few types o sugar. Will a brown sugar ? type ever be as good as dme is supposed to be. Im thinking I should try them all starting with whatever tesco have ? as its easy....any pointers ?

oconn · 07-09-2006 3:36pm

add can any other stuff like dextrose / maltodextrine / brewing sugar be sourced in health shop or supermarket etc ?

bigears · 07-09-2006 3:54pm

Will a brown sugar ? type ever be as good as dme is supposed to be.

Not really. DME is dried malt extract and as such will impart a fuller, maltier flavour than sugar. All the 'standard' sugars will produce their own flavours some more than others. The table sugar will contribute cidery flavour and thin the beer out. Brown sugar can be used to prime your beer in the bottle and will impart a nice flavour in stouts, darker ales etc.

Im thinking I should try them all starting with whatever tesco have ? as its easy....any pointers ?

You could use glucose, also available in all the supermarkets if you want to avoid using DME. This ferments fully (in other words all the sugar turns to alcohol) so there will be no off flavours. This will make the beer 'drier' than DME will but you may like that.

Some people also use ingredients like Golden Syrup and honey with their beers and I'm sure it will work with certain styles. If you do a search on the bigger homebrew forums you'll find threads devoted to it. Try homebrewtalk.com or northernbrewer.com forums. jim's homebrew forum is a friendly uk site.

While saying all of the above it's your beer and if you happen upon something that works for you then go for it.

bigears · 07-09-2006 3:56pm

dextrose / maltodextrine / brewing sugar

Dextrose and Glucose are one and the same. Brewing sugar is often just repackaged glucose. Will be cheaper in the supermarket than in a HB shop. I haven't use Maltodextrine and can't remember off hand its purpose.

bigears · 07-09-2006 5:11pm

guildofevil wrote:

Does anyone know where I might be able to get a large picnic cooler, in Dublin?

Ideally I would like a 10 US Gallon (8 UK Gallon, 38 litre) rubbermaid water cooler, like this one:
http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=7542&x=16&y=13

I want to use a Bazooka T to convert it to an insulated mash tun.

Séan

I've only ever seen these on US sites, haven't even seen them advertised in the UK

oconn · 08-09-2006 10:07am

Thks bigears....

I have 2 cans of brewmaker extract could I throw both into the one brew for a fuller flavour or would that be overpowering?

bigears · 08-09-2006 10:15am

It should be fine and will have loads more body. I would add the yeast from the second kit as well as those extra sugars will need it to ferment.

The kit is basically hopped extract anyway so all you're doing is adding LME (Liquid Malt Extract) instead of DME. Does the kit specify how much water to add per can?

Hendrixcat · 08-09-2006 11:09am

I've been tucking into my wheat beer for the last few days. It is surprisingly true to style which is primarily due to the yeast. It was a voluminous head to it and a lovely banana aroma (yeast, once again). A little tart perhaps, but I like a bit of acidity. Can't wait to try another one. Might go for a maltier style next.

The stout is still in the primary. I phoned the hop and grape guy and he gave me some advice which resulted in a super efficient mash. I couldn't even use all the wort because my kettle only hold 12 litres. The gravity in the wort just wouldn't come down with the limited amount of sparge water I was using. Should be a great beer if all goes to plan.

oconn · 10-09-2006 1:33pm

kitsays 5allons or 4 for stronger beer....sg should be 1006 ( but i have no hydrometer

bigears · 11-09-2006 9:47am

kitsays 5allons or 4 for stronger beer....sg should be 1006 ( but i have no hydrometer

In that case I imagine 2 kits with 5 gallons will give you a full bodied beer. It won't get down to 1006 as you now have twice as much fermentables. None of my brews have ever got below 1010 and they're normally a little higher. If you're not worried about the hydrometer then just leave for a few days after the bubbling has slowed to less than once in a minute and the transfer to secondary/keg/bottle.

I phoned the hop and grape guy and he gave me some advice which resulted in a super efficient mash.

I'm curious - what was his advice?

oblivious · 13-09-2006 9:57am

Hi guildofevil

I think Argos sells a 25l picnic cooler, that maybe of some use to u, or hop and grape sell them for around 44 stg not including delivery

http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/admin/catagory.asp?cat=H%5F%5F2155983&froot=BEE2115559&broot=BEE2147466&path=%2Froot%2FBEER%2FBeer+Equipment&rcode=@root@BEE2147466@BEE2115559&name=H+%26+G+Brewing+Equipment+inc+Stainless+Steel+ware&pagesize=0&page=1

Homebrew Beer Howto

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