Home brewing thread anyone?

[djlew]

Bottle day was done this past Friday. Didn't hit my gravity, but I am taking the blame on that one since we had a cold snap and the basement couldn't maintain temperature. We ended up just below 4% ABV. I need more temperature control and I also need to stop being lazy and use my yeast nutrient.

But.... what I tasted was really freaking good. I tried it plain, delicious, dosed the chocolate tincture, also delicious. I did end up doing some mint. I am thinking the mint will come through as the beer ages. Excited to give these a try cold and carbed! Then on to the next batch. I did take some pictures, I will edit with some because the beer turned out really good despite missing the gravity target.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Bottle day was done this past Friday. Didn't hit my gravity, but I am taking the blame on that one since we had a cold snap and the basement couldn't maintain temperature. We ended up just below 4% ABV. I need more temperature control and I also need to stop being lazy and use my yeast nutrient.

But.... what I tasted was really freaking good. I tried it plain, delicious, dosed the chocolate tincture, also delicious. I did end up doing some mint. I am thinking the mint will come through as the beer ages. Excited to give these a try cold and carbed! Then on to the next batch. I did take some pictures, I will edit with some because the beer turned out really good despite missing the gravity target.

Here is my setup - my basement room stays below 22C all year so all I need is heat. My other house needed cooling also, so I made a solid state 12V cooling "fridge" out of foam board. The Inkbird have heat and cool plugs.

Each bucket has two seedling heaters and the plugs are wired just to one. The probe is stuck in between next to the bucket.

 

[kborndale]

Bottle day was done this past Friday. Didn't hit my gravity, but I am taking the blame on that one since we had a cold snap and the basement couldn't maintain temperature. We ended up just below 4% ABV. I need more temperature control and I also need to stop being lazy and use my yeast nutrient.

But.... what I tasted was really freaking good. I tried it plain, delicious, dosed the chocolate tincture, also delicious. I did end up doing some mint. I am thinking the mint will come through as the beer ages. Excited to give these a try cold and carbed! Then on to the next batch. I did take some pictures, I will edit with some because the beer turned out really good despite missing the gravity target.

https://www.amazon.com/Brew-Fermentation-Heating-Belt-1-Count/dp/B001D6IUB6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=186731375735&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cErwWpV28nxFnXrqTmp4v53IBAQzGoDc8XFgjWgimbGKIjaZHlfH2AG3Akszd5ZhZlNVCLEcYNLU-illzp-OwAHOTDsaELZ99T9kIPdCadkxqwkB9SYC4uyOMWG8JvCHjDvn_991cJnQR7zeOYtpVS4E3v3md9mCBCHrM5P6OyH8IlND-5Dh9rLyGftwsdLlhLzYPlV9M-lW1GZskLxwRQ.0OsC9nJNls6cuh6yxlNAfXY9S4bRcKy5c-jdl-_ofME&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779704434620&hvdev=m&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9004461&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=14332738282255073862--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14332738282255073862&hvtargid=kwd-329967925143&hydadcr=14829_13379391_1556584&keywords=brew+belt+fermentation+heating+belt&mcid=0b1f4987def6314489f2237fab93d781&qid=1765288988&sr=8-3

 

[djlew]

While I wait for the cream ale to carb, I am already planning the next brew. I have a good amount of ingredients to use up. Not sure if I have enough for a 5 gallon batch of something but definitely a 2.5 gallon or a few 1 gallons. I think I have some 2 row, white wheat, flaked corn, and maybe some pilsner malt. I have odds and ends of hops that I got 1oz pellets but only dosed a few grams. Willamette, Citra, and maybe some Cluster. I usually keep some US-05 on hand. Sounds like I can either try again with a cream ale or add some flaked corn to a pilsner/wheat beer to lighten it up. Not sure what I want to do yet. I have always wanted to try a shandy with some of my homegrown lemons but they will not be ready in time for warm weather. I can always use some store bought and make lemonade.

Either way, since I am giving away a lot of the cream ale I am currently carbing, I want to make sure I have something else on hand for the winter.

Sidenote, I have been getting these ads for this hop extract company "Abstrax" that they are claiming can eliminate the need for dry hopping. I think they said it is mainly for the aroma hops and not the bittering hops portion of the brew process. Anybody use hop extracts before? Seems a little gimmicky to me especially for $89 USD for a 4oz bottle even if dosing a small amount. The reason I was even looking at it was because of essentially guaranteed utilization and a cleaner finish but if you have to use pellets or flower anyway it gets a "meh" from me.

 

[Whitenuckler]

While I wait for the cream ale to carb, I am already planning the next brew. I have a good amount of ingredients to use up. Not sure if I have enough for a 5 gallon batch of something but definitely a 2.5 gallon or a few 1 gallons. I think I have some 2 row, white wheat, flaked corn, and maybe some pilsner malt. I have odds and ends of hops that I got 1oz pellets but only dosed a few grams. Willamette, Citra, and maybe some Cluster. I usually keep some US-05 on hand. Sounds like I can either try again with a cream ale or add some flaked corn to a pilsner/wheat beer to lighten it up. Not sure what I want to do yet. I have always wanted to try a shandy with some of my homegrown lemons but they will not be ready in time for warm weather. I can always use some store bought and make lemonade.

Either way, since I am giving away a lot of the cream ale I am currently carbing, I want to make sure I have something else on hand for the winter.

Sidenote, I have been getting these ads for this hop extract company "Abstrax" that they are claiming can eliminate the need for dry hopping. I think they said it is mainly for the aroma hops and not the bittering hops portion of the brew process. Anybody use hop extracts before? Seems a little gimmicky to me especially for $89 USD for a 4oz bottle even if dosing a small amount. The reason I was even looking at it was because of essentially guaranteed utilization and a cleaner finish but if you have to use pellets or flower anyway it gets a "meh" from me.

I joined a Facebook group called "Simple Home Brew Club 46k Members. There are probably others also. I answer some questions people have. There are many all-grain brewers.

 

[djlew]

I joined a Facebook group called "Simple Home Brew Club 46k Members. There are probably others also. I answer some questions people have. There are many all-grain brewers.

I'm in a couple groups, but I do like to do some of my own browsing and experimentation with stuff. I also like chatting here since you guys are OK too. My biggest issue with brewing in general is negligence especially post brew day. I'll have a perfect brew day and forget my basement is going to drop to 60F and I'll have some fermentation stall. If I just brought it upstairs it would stay at 67F. 🤣

I am confident this cream ale is a great cream ale base for me once I ferment it properly. I am still trying to work on my generic wheat base so I may just try to dial in that wheat beer this next brew. Before I know it, I'm going to have berries and herbs from the garden that are just asking to be infused in my beers!

 

[Whitenuckler]

I'm in a couple groups, but I do like to do some of my own browsing and experimentation with stuff. I also like chatting here since you guys are OK too. My biggest issue with brewing in general is negligence especially post brew day. I'll have a perfect brew day and forget my basement is going to drop to 60F and I'll have some fermentation stall. If I just brought it upstairs it would stay at 67F. 🤣

I am confident this cream ale is a great cream ale base for me once I ferment it properly. I am still trying to work on my generic wheat base so I may just try to dial in that wheat beer this next brew. Before I know it, I'm going to have berries and herbs from the garden that are just asking to be infused in my beers!

Proper fermentation temperature, and temperature control is as important as any other step. I have mine set for 22C. The yeast will get upset if the temperature is too low or too high. They also like constant temperature. Having a cool spot is ideal, because you can heat up the fermenter with a closed loop heat control. Having to cool your fermenter is much harder.

I was at my local wine and beer brew store and picked up a little manual CO2 charger, and two "new to me" beer kits for xmas beer.
Just made the first one. I am still using my 4 liter oxebar PET kegs. 3 kegs plus 17 bottles per batch right now.

 

[djlew]

Awesome! Enjoy it. My keg, co2 cylinder and regulator have arrived. Next on my list is a propane burner so I don't have to use my grill burners. I have a couple of local places that will either exchange or fill my co2, so I think I might try and scrounge together enough ingredients to get a 5 gallon batch to test the keg. I also still need a gas line and a picnic tap for the keg. Then I should be set up! I know it's getting to winter, but I couldn't stop thinking about making that shandy...

 

[Whitenuckler]

Awesome! Enjoy it. My keg, co2 cylinder and regulator have arrived. Next on my list is a propane burner so I don't have to use my grill burners. I have a couple of local places that will either exchange or fill my co2, so I think I might try and scrounge together enough ingredients to get a 5 gallon batch to test the keg. I also still need a gas line and a picnic tap for the keg. Then I should be set up! I know it's getting to winter, but I couldn't stop thinking about making that shandy...

I actually only had one 4 liter mini keg left and didn't want to start another 16g cartridge so I just poured it out. That was the day before yesterday. Whatever was left (about a glass) I just stuck in the fridge. Yesterday I poured the rest out and it was fine. The head is not as good as using CO2, and awkward to pour with one hand/arm into the glass which is held on an angle. For the 8literones I will use CO2 for sure as I should be able to dispense at least one with 16g. I think the little push CO2 dispenser will use less as the regulator was adding more CO2 into the beer.
Do you think you could use an induction hotplate? You would have better temperature control. You will need fridge space and be able put the CO2 in the fridge or run the line in.
I am excited to see your setup. I looked into CO2 here and they wanted $150 to join an exchange program plus the refill cost and I didn't have any regulator hoses or fridge or big kegs so I went the cartridges for now. I bought 30 from Amazon at a bulk price. I might look into the soda stream knock off brand they sell at my hardware store at some point. Once you buy one you just exchange.

 

[djlew]

I actually only had one 4 liter mini keg left and didn't want to start another 16g cartridge so I just poured it out. That was the day before yesterday. Whatever was left (about a glass) I just stuck in the fridge. Yesterday I poured the rest out and it was fine. The head is not as good as using CO2, and awkward to pour with one hand/arm into the glass which is held on an angle. For the 8literones I will use CO2 for sure as I should be able to dispense at least one with 16g. I think the little push CO2 dispenser will use less as the regulator was adding more CO2 into the beer.
Do you think you could use an induction hotplate? You would have better temperature control. You will need fridge space and be able put the CO2 in the fridge or run the line in.
I am excited to see your setup. I looked into CO2 here and they wanted $150 to join an exchange program plus the refill cost and I didn't have any regulator hoses or fridge or big kegs so I went the cartridges for now. I bought 30 from Amazon at a bulk price. I might look into the soda stream knock off brand they sell at my hardware store at some point. Once you buy one you just exchange.

Induction is a good idea too, I would just need one that fits my 10 gallon pot! I figured propane was a decent option and cheaper from what I could tell (price wise for the burner). I'd just have to be outside, which is fine, if I wait for a relatively mild day. For smaller batches I have an electric cooktop that I can use.

I'll definitely post pics once setup! I'm lucky to have fridges, and only with small modifications will the setup fit. Then I can make a decision whether or not I want to do the whole "kegerator conversion" thing with the taps on it.

For just dispensing I think you are making the right call. A few people on some forums I am on use the soda stream adapter to both carb and dispense their smaller batches. Most of the time they just complain about the $15 USD exchange for not even a pound canister of co2. I'll have to see how cheap it is to fill or exchange my 2.5 pound. I would've went 5 pounds but they were sold out. I still think I can get a decent amount of batches before having to fill up.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Induction is a good idea too, I would just need one that fits my 10 gallon pot! I figured propane was a decent option and cheaper from what I could tell (price wise for the burner). I'd just have to be outside, which is fine, if I wait for a relatively mild day. For smaller batches I have an electric cooktop that I can use.

I'll definitely post pics once setup! I'm lucky to have fridges, and only with small modifications will the setup fit. Then I can make a decision whether or not I want to do the whole "kegerator conversion" thing with the taps on it.

For just dispensing I think you are making the right call. A few people on some forums I am on use the soda stream adapter to both carb and dispense their smaller batches. Most of the time they just complain about the $15 USD exchange for not even a pound canister of co2. I'll have to see how cheap it is to fill or exchange my 2.5 pound. I would've went 5 pounds but they were sold out. I still think I can get a decent amount of batches before having to fill up.

Propane is a good cheaper higher BTU way to go.
I think a double burner inductionmight work:

Nardea Double Induction Cooktop 1900W, 2 Burner Electric Cook Top with Safety Lock, Timer, 8 Power Levels, Tap Touch Control, Portable Induction Stove Top Burner 110V : Amazon.ca: Home

Nardea Double Induction Cooktop 1900W, 2 Burner Electric Cook Top with Safety Lock, Timer, 8 Power Levels, Tap Touch Control, Portable Induction Stove Top Burner 110V : Amazon.ca: Home

www.amazon.ca

Will you be using sugar to get the CO2, or using the tank to add the CO2? If you are just dispensing with your tank that will use way less as you can shut the tank off in between as they have a good valve.

 

[djlew]

Propane is a good cheaper higher BTU way to go.
I think a double burner inductionmight work:

Nardea Double Induction Cooktop 1900W, 2 Burner Electric Cook Top with Safety Lock, Timer, 8 Power Levels, Tap Touch Control, Portable Induction Stove Top Burner 110V : Amazon.ca: Home

Nardea Double Induction Cooktop 1900W, 2 Burner Electric Cook Top with Safety Lock, Timer, 8 Power Levels, Tap Touch Control, Portable Induction Stove Top Burner 110V : Amazon.ca: Home

www.amazon.ca

Will you be using sugar to get the CO2, or using the tank to add the CO2? If you are just dispensing with your tank that will use way less as you can shut the tank off in between as they have a good valve.

I definitely think something like that would work. That also gives a nice option to sit flush and build a countertop type of situation for the brewery area. The only attractive thing about the propane was the cheaper entry point, around half the price of that for one that would fit my brew kettle. Maybe I hold off and use the grill until I make a decision. 🤣 Or smaller batches.

I'm planning on both carbonating and dispensing with my co2 canister. If I get a handful of batches both carbed and dispensed with a 2.5 pound, I'm happy. I look at all these charts, but they don't account for purging, loss due to leaks, etc. so I am trying to set my expectations. I even consider the convenience factor of kegging a bonus for the price of entry.