Brewing

[tagradh]

My mate fermented some jam. Worst_drink_ever.

 

[gnoff]

I know!!! I will probably spend ages with the sanitizer and the thermometer making sure I have the right parameters. Everything else is in the hands of fate...

As for sugar, the recipe is Belgian, I have heard that Belgians have this trick of adding sugar to raise the alcohol content and that is basically why lambic is quite alcoholic... I did not like the idea myself. Is like when I eventually go into brewing cider, I will make sure there is no added sugar.

It is just as well I can read French. The English instructions are a bit oddly translated.

Well, yes, the Belgians often add some special kinds of sugar.
Lambic though often lie around 5% ABV, and don't think they add sugar to it.


One thing about your brewing, write stuff down!
Take notes of all times, temperatures and such.
You'll be able to use them to see what went wrong, or to recreate a recepie that was awesome.

 

[Spanish_Lass]

New hydrometer is here. Looks much better built than the previous one.

Although looking at the manufacturer's address, it was a pointless exercise. It was made a stone's throw from where I live, yet sent all the way to Surrey and then all the way back up to Scotland.

Brewing may take place on Friday unless something else comes up. Yay!

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Well, yes, the Belgians often add some special kinds of sugar.
Lambic though often lie around 5% ABV, and don't think they add sugar to it.
.

Some fruit lambics have this syrupy thing, but I think it may be for flavour, not alcohol content... Cherry lambic reminds me of uni years. now I would probably find it too sweet. And funnily enough when I started drinking I did not like beer! How things change.

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Just made first batch of wheat beer according to the instructions on the malt extract tin.

That stuff just reminded me of making bran marsh for horses... you had to add this syrupy malt extract, water and stir the bucket The smell was the same. The only thing missing was 30 plus horses banging on the stable door because they knew dinner was on its way.

But so far I think the yeast is going to let me down.... so far no signs of fermentation. Maybe the room is too cool? The water was the right temperature for the yeast to hold... not too hot (measured with a thermometer and marked just under room temperature, too cold if anything, but still within the max/minimum temperatures in the instructions...)

So how do I know something is happening ?

Edit: Tested a bit with the hydrometer. So far it is just over the "start beer" fermentation line, in terms of degrees, so maybe I am in the right path?

 

[Bates]

Hmm, so next time I make a bran mash, put some aside and see if it ends up drinkable?

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Hmm, so next time I make a bran mash, put some aside and see if it ends up drinkable?

So you are a horsey person as well as everything else? Man of mistery, you...
If you are going ahead with it make sure you don't ride out on the road. You don't want to be stopped by the coppers and have to explain why your horse is under the influence. Police around here have started giving tickets to horses so I guess breath tests will be next:

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=1426&in_page_id=2

We used to have a horse round at ours that got a special treat of Guinness every now and then. Downside was, you could not have a beer anywhere near it, he went mental until you gave him some.

 

[gnoff]

Just made first batch of wheat beer according to the instructions on the malt extract tin.

That stuff just reminded me of making bran marsh for horses... you had to add this syrupy malt extract, water and stir the bucket The smell was the same. The only thing missing was 30 plus horses banging on the stable door because they knew dinner was on its way.

But so far I think the yeast is going to let me down.... so far no signs of fermentation. Maybe the room is too cool? The water was the right temperature for the yeast to hold... not too hot (measured with a thermometer and marked just under room temperature, too cold if anything, but still within the max/minimum temperatures in the instructions...)

So how do I know something is happening ?

Edit: Tested a bit with the hydrometer. So far it is just over the "start beer" fermentation line, in terms of degrees, so maybe I am in the right path?

Do you splash around alot to get extra oxygen in it?
Fermentation does need oxygen together with the sugars.
When adding dry yeast it can take a few days before fermentation starts.

Also it could be a small leak in your fermentation bin and the co2 just get out there instead, I had it happen to me, thought it didn't ferment at all, but it was actually finished

Wait two days or so, sanitize a cup, get out enough to measuer with the hydrometer and then see if it differs from the last measurement.

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Good to have the beer guru back

I have just gone into the kitchen and it smells of yeasty bake around the area where I have the bucket, so maybe it is happening after all.

I think I can also see a little layer of foam through the walls of the tub (don't want to open it but seems like there is a wee head on top of the liquid.

I did not add dry yeast, the recipe called for mixing the yeast with water at around 20 celsius, letting it rest and then adding it to the mix. When I do that in baking the yeast is a bit more hardcore, you see more stuff happening to the glass of water, maybe brewers' yeast is different?

Edit: If I can find a brand of water that sells in gallon jars, I will also be attempting mead before the end of the week. Well, I did say I was going to try my hand at brewing this year!

Only wondering if the quality of the honey matters a lot. I love heather honey, and orange blossom honey, and any honey other than the squeezy cheap stuff you get in supermarkets, but buying three pounds of quality honey is pricey!

 

[gnoff]

If starts to smell and you can see some foam inside, you'll be fine.

OK, so you rehydrated the yeast, I tend to not bother, but I guess it might depend on which brand of yeast if it recommended or not.

Quality of the honey does not matter much for the part that ferments, but if you add honey after the yeast has died it matters a lot.

 

[Bates]

So you are a horsey person as well as everything else? Man of mistery, you...

Sort of... my parent's farm up the hill is also known as the Bates Home for Wayward Equines.

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Sort of... my parent's farm up the hill is also known as the Bates Home for Wayward Equines.

So a bit like a horsey correctional Understand if the little brutes knew more than you about moonshining then.

Update on the brew... finding it hard to get enough bottles to put it in (damn it why did I not see that one coming?) And brewing mead tonight.

So I am living in the company of yeast.

 

[gnoff]

So a bit like a horsey correctional Understand if the little brutes knew more than you about moonshining then.

Update on the brew... finding it hard to get enough bottles to put it in (damn it why did I not see that one coming?) And brewing mead tonight.

So I am living in the company of yeast.

Bottles is hard in the beginning.

I now have at least 7 or 800 bottles at home that I ues, so it's OK

 

[Spanish_Lass]

Sorted the bottle issue, but it took a few visits to my local, so I hope the beer has not been ruined by spending an extra few days on the fermentation vat. It will go on the bottles by the end of the holiday week-end I guess. Right in time for the bottle-conditioning if I read the instructions well.

Oh another question about the DIY mead... I made it 10 days ago. How long before you put it on another bottle? It seems there is still fermentation going on (bubbles climbing to the surface, balloon goes on growing, I think that is the yeast doing its job, not killed by the alcohol content yet.

Common sense says wait until the fermentation dies out, or it will go on in the bottle, with the risk of it exploding and other half not being happy. I don't think my hydrometer has a mead or even a spirit scale... any advice?

 

[gnoff]

Bottled my Czech pils yesterday, put my modern lager with American hops in secondary as well.

Today I'm brewing a Schwarzbier.

 

[isolation_years]

i plan on making my own wine this summer, does that count?

 

[Belgar]

Bottled my Czech pils yesterday, put my modern lager with American hops in secondary as well.

Today I'm brewing a Schwarzbier.

Better have an RIS when I come see you in Gothenburg.
Flying to Vegas and doing road trip to San Diego/Escondido to visit Port Brewing and Stone + a detour to Alpine and a few others in 3 wks.

 

[gnoff]

Better have an RIS when I come see you in Gothenburg.
Flying to Vegas and doing road trip to San Diego/Escondido to visit Port Brewing and Stone + a detour to Alpine and a few others in 3 wks.

You'd have to explain RIS to me first though, no idea what that is

Hopefully those three will be done by the time you get here.

Will also have brewed a rauchbier and perhaps a stem beer as well, though I don't think they'll be fisnished for drinking until then

But I do have at least 2 beers left from the fall brew season as well


BTW - that road trip sounds awesome!

 

[Belgar]

You'd have to explain RIS to me first though, no idea what that is

Hopefully those three will be done by the time you get here.

Will also have brewed a rauchbier and perhaps a stem beer as well, though I don't think they'll be fisnished for drinking until then

But I do have at least 2 beers left from the fall brew season as well


BTW - that road trip sounds awesome!

RIS for Russian Imp. Stout.
Trying yours will be fine as well, working at the brewery here, I still don't get into the brewing process. I just wait for the final drinkable version. Although nothing beats smelling freshly brewed beer every morning.

 

[gnoff]

RIS for Russian Imp. Stout.
Trying yours will be fine as well, working at the brewery here, I still don't get into the brewing process. I just wait for the final drinkable version. Although nothing beats smelling freshly brewed beer every morning.

Ah
So you'll hopefully be bringing a RIS then? Awesome

Yeah brewing each day would beat the job I have now, though would pay a whole lot less

(edit - some misspelling above made it sound as if I was working with brewing now, I just wish I did, corrected)