Quote from: Buckethead on July 03, 2011, 03:11:54 PM

1) Sanitize the hell out of everything.

Very important!

Just capped 47 bottles of Munich/Amber red-brown-ish something or other ale.

Didn't <quite> have enough to fill that 48th bottle, so I got a bit of a taste.

It's got some serious potential. It's a bit rough around the edges right now, but damn, it's got some zip. Just judging from the mouth feel, taste, and "warmth," I'm guessing it's 7-8% ABV.

I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to condition in the bottles and give it another taste.

Brewed a double IPA last night. The process went suspiciously well. For the first time I hiit my OG and and volume spot on. Everything worked out, no messes were mad 79 percent efficiency FTW.

Also kegged a BIG brown that I made a couple of weeks ago. It was very tasty, can't wait until it's carbed.

Just slapped together a 5 gallon batch of hard cider.  Used 6 lbs of honey instead of 2lbs of muscavado sugar... potency should be the same, I'm hoping for a fuller flavor though.  Gotta love how easy cider is!

Doing my first all grain tomorrow. Probably my second as well, both my carboys are empty.


Pumpkin ale for halloween and either a double barrel ale or aroma coma clone. I don't think I can do an aroma coma clone cause it's a 75 minute boil starting off at 8 gallons, and my kettle isn't large enough. I have my eye out for a half barrel keg to make a keggle, but it's not happening quick enough, lol.

Just sealed the airlock on an Oktoberfest-style ale.

Yes, I know, to be a *real* Oktoberfest, it'd have to be a lager. I lack lagering facilities, and word is the German Kolsch yeast makes a passable facsimile while fermenting at room temperature.

First time using grain. Sure did smell good.  Hope my potted pepper plants like malted barley.

Other observations: - I need more pot. The 2 gallon stock pot just ain't cutting it.

- Along with a bigger pot, it may be time to invest in a wort chiller.

- Need to talk to the roommate about NOT recycling my empties. Gonna have to drink another couple of cases between now and bottling. Damn.

Quote from: Buckethead on August 28, 2011, 09:46:07 PM
Just sealed the airlock on an Oktoberfest-style ale.

Yes, I know, to be a *real* Oktoberfest, it'd have to be a lager. I lack lagering facilities, and word is the German Kolsch yeast makes a passable facsimile while fermenting at room temperature.

First time using grain. Sure did smell good.  Hope my potted pepper plants like malted barley.

Other observations: - I need more pot. The 2 gallon stock pot just ain't cutting it.

- Along with a bigger pot, it may be time to invest in a wort chiller.

Do you care to share your recipe for this?

I am working on a Oktoberfest Ale also.

- Need to talk to the roommate about NOT recycling my empties. Gonna have to drink another couple of cases between now and bottling. Damn.

I used THIS as a starting point.

I probably could have used half the grain he did and come out alright. As is, it was about all I could do to get ALL OF the grain in the bag wet (no way it was fitting inside the brew pot) before putting it in the oven to malt. In addition to lautering the grain into the brew pot I used a gallon or so of boiled water to lauter the grain into the primary fermenter, ensuring I captured more of the fermentable sugars.

As malty as I'm expecting this to be when it's done, I think I'll probably use brown sugar to prime before bottling.

And now... to wait. 

Quote from: Buckethead on August 29, 2011, 05:15:26 PM
I used THIS as a starting point.

I probably could have used half the grain he did and come out alright. As is, it was about all I could do to get ALL OF the grain in the bag wet (no way it was fitting inside the brew pot) before putting it in the oven to malt. In addition to lautering the grain into the brew pot I used a gallon or so of boiled water to lauter the grain into the primary fermenter, ensuring I captured more of the fermentable sugars.

As malty as I'm expecting this to be when it's done, I think I'll probably use brown sugar to prime before bottling.

And now... to wait. 

That recipe looks fine on the malts for a partial mash.  When I did a partial mash (only did one, then decided it wasn't worth the effort to just do a partial mash and went full grain), I used a 2 gallon igloo "iced tea" cooler.  Plenty of room.

Collecting wort from your grains directly in the fermenter is a bad bad bad idea though.  Think about it... that grain undoubtedly has quite a bit of nasty buggers in it.  Keeping it at 150-160 for one hour isn't going to kill those critters.  When you collect your wort in the the brew kettle, you boil it for an hour.  This kills the nasties.  Then you take the utmost precaution to keep everything sanitary (not clean, sanitary) after the boil to not introduce an infection.  Hopefully you don't grow a batch of nasties.

As for bottling, stay away from cane sugar if you can.  Brown sugar is cane sugar.  I'd use corn sugar, or dry malt extract.

Finally, when you do invest in a bigger pot... get at least a 10 gallon pot.  You'll be glad you did.

I get what you're saying WRT the wort into the fermenter, but I'm not too worried about it.

Worst case I brew a batch of super plague, unleash the zombie apocalypse, and start over again. 

As for priming, all of the resources I have indicate that cane sugar, or in fact any fermentable sugar source, will provide carbonation. Corn sugar is simply the easiest for the yeast to digest and doesn't add any noticeable flavor to the beer. Both John Palmer's "How To Brew" and Charlie Papazian's "The Home Brewer's Companion" provide charts showing how much of several different priming agents to use for a 5 gallon batch, including things like honey, maple syrup, and molasses. Palmer's even has a nomograph to calculate how much cane sugar to use to achieve a desired carbonation level. In this instance, I don't think the mild flavor of the brown sugar will have a detrimental effect on the (hopefully malty) overall flavor of the beer.

Oh, I know cane sugar will work... but it will dry out the beer and give it a cidery taste (hence why I use 2lbs of muscavado sugar in my cider)... which totally doesn't go with a Marzen.  As for brown sugar... it's just plain old white cane sugar with a bit of molasses. 

Palmer and Papazian know their shit, no doubt.  And those are some fine books you are reading.  But given the option...  Ya know?

i have a case and a half of 12 oz bottles and another 2 cases of 22oz bottles.

i am not going to do anything with them if anyone here can use them. I would prefer to not have to pack them for shipping, but we can see what happens.

i also have a 4 gal carboy (yeah, i made a mistake) which needs to be cleaned since i can't seem to get a bottle brush in there properly. I have a 5 gal plastic bucket and a transfer bucket. along with everything else you need for a basic brewing kit. i need to get rid of it as it can't move with me and i really don't want to throw it out.

if i can meet you somewhere within an hr away from philly let me know.

Quote from: Punx Clever on August 29, 2011, 10:57:13 PM
Oh, I know cane sugar will work... but it will dry out the beer and give it a cidery taste (hence why I use 2lbs of muscavado sugar in my cider)... which totally doesn't go with a Marzen.  As for brown sugar... it's just plain old white cane sugar with a bit of molasses. 

I'm planning to use about 4 oz of sugar to carbonate the beer. That's it. Not an adjunct. Just enough readily-digestible sugars for the yeast to turn into CO2 in the bottle, and maybe add just a touch of a molasses sweetness as a finishing note.

Quote from: Punx Clever on August 29, 2011, 10:57:13 PM
Palmer and Papazian know their shit, no doubt.

Palmer How To Brew

p. 110

Priming and Bottling - Which Sugar Should I Prime With

You can prime your beer with any fermentable that you want. Any sugar - white cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, even maple syrup - can be used for priming. The darker sugars can contribute a subtle aftertaste (sometimes desired) and are more appropriate for heavier, darker beers. Simple sugars, like corn or cane sugar, are used most often, although many brewers use dry malt extract, too. Ounce for ounce, cane sugar generates a bit more carbon dioxide than corn sugar, and both pure sugars carbonate more than malt extract, so you will need to take that into account.

p. 256

Is My Beer Ruined - Common Off-Flavors

Cidery - Cidery flavors can have several causes but are often the result of adding too much cane or corn sugar to a recipe.

Papazian The Complete Joy Of Home Brewing (3rd Ed)

p. 83

Cane and beet sugars - If cane or beet sugar is used in excess of 20 percent of the fermentable sugar, a characteristic "cidery" flavor may develop.

p. 84

Corn Sugar - Its use in excess of 20 percent of the total fermentable sugars will often contribute to the flavor characteristic of the finished beer, lending what most homebrewers will refer to as a dry "cidery" flavor.



Like I said:

Quote from: Buckethead on August 29, 2011, 08:21:51 PM
Worst case I brew a batch of super plague, unleash the zombie apocalypse, and start over again. 

My experience leads me to not use cane sugar in a beer unless I have to.  Priming, alcohol content, whatever (unless we are talking belgians... but that's just weird anyways).  Choosing to use cane for the purpose is different than simply using it because it was what was available like I assumed.  Your beer, do it your way. 


As for my last batch of cider... it's happily bubbling away in the kegerator/fermenting chamber at 66 degrees.

Quote from: Buckethead on August 29, 2011, 05:15:26 PM
I used THIS as a starting point.

I probably could have used half the grain he did and come out alright. As is, it was about all I could do to get ALL OF the grain in the bag wet (no way it was fitting inside the brew pot) before putting it in the oven to malt. In addition to lautering the grain into the brew pot I used a gallon or so of boiled water to lauter the grain into the primary fermenter, ensuring I captured more of the fermentable sugars.

As malty as I'm expecting this to be when it's done, I think I'll probably use brown sugar to prime before bottling.

And now... to wait. 

That looks like a good one, I saw it when I first started researching how to brew a Oktoberfest. But without Lager capabilities and living in Florida, I am gonna have to do an ale also.
I brewed a rye pale on Sunday, I might have fusked up , because i have no fermentation now 3 days later.

If you haven't seen this site, I have been using it to put my recipes together, it's pretty slick: www.hopville.com