Any home brewers here? OT BEER!

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Messages 1 - 39 of total 39 in this topic
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 2, 2018 - 10:15am PT
Just got back into brewing again recently since I got a new kettle...


I'm gonna bottle an IPA tomorrow from a partial grain recipe we did a couple weeks ago.

We're gonna make a tangerine wheat tomorrow as well since there are so many tangerines in season where I live right now.

Any body make a fruit beer before?

I plan on adding some squeezed juice to the wort at flameout, and then add some tincture I made with tangerine zest and vodka to the secondary fermenter or possibly on bottling day.

Aiming for about 1.052 for my OG.

If you got any tips, stories, or beer making related stuff please post up!

I'd love to see some of your guys setups as well...
thebravecowboy

climber
The Good Places
Feb 2, 2018 - 10:46am PT
ran outta smuggled beer in eutaw a few weeks back.... my buddy's closet-brewed hooch (a peachy hoppy pale) was a pretty good bevvy to begin with, but given the locale, it was nectar of the dogs.
mooch

Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
Feb 2, 2018 - 10:51am PT
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2907265/WHAT-BEER-are-you-drinking-right-now
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Feb 2, 2018 - 11:13am PT
There are a few of us.

No time for a post right now, but I'll chime in over the weekend.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2018 - 11:18am PT
Yeah Mooch that thread is a good one... Do you brew?

I wanna make some clone recipes out of some of those beers people are drinking.

Next in the line up for beer brews after the tangerine wheat:

-Black IPA
-Oatmeal Stout
-Stone Arrogant Bastard Clone
stevep

Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
Feb 2, 2018 - 11:27am PT
I used to quite a bit, but once my daughter got older, it ended up being too much a of a time consumer, so I stopped.
Perhaps will start again when she's off to college in a couple years.
Alan Rubin

climber
Amherst,MA.
Feb 2, 2018 - 11:51am PT
I'm not a home brewer, but how can anything to do with beer be OT?
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2018 - 12:46pm PT
^^^Truth.

Pretty much pairs with anything imo.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2018 - 09:30am PT
Brewed a new recipe this weekend...

"Ain't No Tang Wheat Ale"

We started off the day by bottling our last batch of IPA we made. Making your own beer is what freedom is all about. Merica!


For our tangerine wheat ale we wanted to take advantage of all the citrus that is in season right now. I acquired enough tangerines to get 40 oz. of fresh squeezed juice.


The tangerines were very ripe and upon checking with the refractometer the measured brix were about 14, which corresponds to a gravity of about 1.056. This number was perfect as the original gravity for the beer was 1.06.

We decided to accent the wort flavor by boiling some fresh ground coriander seed and sweet orange zest for the last 10 mins of the boil.
I also chose a honey malt grain that smelled amazing to add a little more complexity to the wort. Cascade hops was the choice for this batch with .25 oz boiling for 60 mins and .75 oz boiling for last 10 mins.


We proceeded with our cooking and at flameout we steeped the fresh juice tangerine juice for about 10 mins to pasturize before cooling with the wort chiller.

Using the false bottom on the kettle we transfered the beer to the fermenter and aerated before pitching the yeast.


If you live in so-cal you know that winters do not exist here anymore. I need to invest in a chest freezer for my fermenting but as of now I got a little swamp system with a wet towel, ice, and a fan to keep the fermenter at the right temp.


I'll transfer to a secondary fermenter this weekend and for the last final touch add a tincture of vodka and tangerine peel I made about a week ago to the secondary.

If there are any brew masters out there let me know what you think or any tips/advice you got. I'm still learning and experimenting at this point.

I'll post again when we bottle and taste it...
mooch

Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
Feb 5, 2018 - 11:00am PT
by boiling some fresh ground coriander seed and sweet orange zest for the last 10 mins of the boil.

Changed your mind instead of at flameout?
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 5, 2018 - 11:23am PT
Boiling those for 10 mins was the original plan. It seems that's what most recipes do with those ingredients.

I was really debating when to add the juice...

A lot of people just put puree or thaw out frozen juice directly into the primary fermenter, or sometimes the secondary.

Since our juice was fresh squeezed I though steeping it for 10 mins at flameout would be better to make sure there was no foreign yeast ect. in the wort.

We'll see how it turns out. I think adding the 4 oz of tincture I made in the secondary should give us a little aroma and flavor to the final product.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Feb 6, 2018 - 06:24pm PT
I need to invest in a chest freezer for my fermenting but as of now I got a little swamp system with a wet towel, ice, and a fan to keep the fermenter at the right temp.

You don't need a freezer. Any refrigerator will do. Just get a temp control thermostat and you can ferment at any temp you want.

Of course, here in the PNW, we sometimes have cool weather, and face the opposite problem -- keeping the temp high enough. I solved that one by building an insulated box big enough to handle my 15-gallon fermenter -- (combined with the temp control thermostat and a 40-watt lightbulb.

Not sure what you'll be able to tell from the pictures, but the whole thing comes apart to allow the fermenter easily to be placed on the base.



And yes, you can do the same with a fridge or freezer if you put a 40-watt bulb in it.

I lined it with 2-inch rigid foam insulation, and it will keep the temp constant to within half a degree. The small white tube on the right has a tiny computer fan inside it to keep the air circulating and the temp perfectly even throughout the box.

brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2018 - 08:50am PT
Nice setup ghost.

Yeah we have the opposite problem. But yeah your right. I'm gonna pick up one of these:


Then I'll get me a cheap fridge/chest freezer of craigslist.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 7, 2018 - 09:28am PT
I read about those whos interest in reproducing recipes leads them to start with reverse osmosis water and add back minerals in order to start with the tap water used by this and that brewing region

If your doing extract brews you can get away with distilled water I believe.

But if mashing the grains need those minerals to help convert the sugars you need in the wort.

General rule I think for tap water is that if it tastes good you can use it to brew...
chainsaw

Trad climber
CA
Feb 8, 2018 - 01:17pm PT
I like growing grapes and making wine. But my favorite is moonshine. Used to get pallets of yellow grapefruit coctail that had high fructose corn syrip in it. We got it free when the juice turned brown and FoodMax threw it away. Makes a beautiful wort that retains its citrus boquet when distilled. Put a new twist on White lightening: yellow lightening. You could arcweld with that stuff. Gave up making it when it caused too much trouble in the neighborhood.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2018 - 01:58pm PT
Gave up making it when it caused too much trouble in the neighborhood.

Do tell.....
Randall_C

climber
Flagstaff, AZ
Feb 8, 2018 - 03:00pm PT
I love to homebrew when I have the time. Experimenting with mead is a lot of fun, too. The batch on the right is a belgian strong golden ale. The batch in the center is a mixed berry melomel. The small batches on the left: cyser, black cherry cyser, chai spiced black cherry cyser and chai spiced cyser. The mixed berry melomel I entered into this years Mazer Cup. It is made with Verde River catclaw honey, Sedona / Oak Creek blackberries, Mogollon rim black raspberries and white wine yeast.

OlympicMtnBoy

climber
Seattle
Feb 8, 2018 - 04:01pm PT
Sweet, I'm brewing up a British Ordinary Bitter tonight. We started doing wine with stuff we could get for free or cheap (blackberries, dandelion, carrot) but soon expanded to beer. I just finished a keg of sweet stout and bottled a gallon or strawberry wine.

I've experimented a bit with fruit in beer but mostly sours. I did a tasty peach Berliner Weiss a couple years ago, just aged the base beer on halved and pitted peaches. Same with a Belgian Kriek. Also had some tasty results with plums. Those all involved spending a lot of time on fruit after primary fermentation was done.

I also built a temp controller (they are probably cheaper to just buy nowadays) and used a chest freezer. Also nice for lagering. Lately though the freezer somehow got filled with frozen food so I just ferment at room temp or garage temp, whichever is closest to what I want.
chainsaw

Trad climber
CA
Feb 8, 2018 - 06:40pm PT
People got hooked, people started fights, DUIs happened. In retrospect, it probably wasnt a good idea. But hey it was fun til it got ugly😎
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2018 - 10:19am PT
Beautiful assortment there Randall.

A belgian is on my list of to do's as well...

I'm getting my freezer setup today... I'll post some picks this weekend after I rack the tangerine wheat to the secondary.




Chainsaw.......LOL! Man you made some hot fire brotha!
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Feb 9, 2018 - 01:51pm PT
One thing to think about when buying/building a temp-control chamber is how you will get your fermenters and kegs into it.

To put anything into a chest freezer means lifting it up about three feet and then setting it down inside. No big deal with a package of frozen peas, but maybe requiring a powered overhead lift for a ten-gallon batch in a metal fermenter.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2018 - 02:00pm PT
Good point ghost.

I'm brewing 5 gallon batches and I'm ripped like a mofo....

...so no problem ;)

edit:

If I move to 10 gallon batches I'll have to rig something cause that would be hard to lift without sloshing the beer around and introducing excess oxygen.
Gary

Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
Feb 9, 2018 - 02:21pm PT
I used to make a double malt stout. Used champagne yeast as it could handle the alcohol content. Finishing a 20 oz bottle was almost impossible.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2018 - 09:12pm PT
Charlie Porter....I love it!!

Got the chest freezer and temp regulator going today...a proud day for any home brewer!


Loyd

Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
Feb 10, 2018 - 09:19am PT

Here is what I brew with, under the bottom tray is all the computers and electronics. I use my laptop as a monitor and key board for input to the stand wirelessly. Today I am in Eugene, OR to attend the KLCC Brewfest, hoping for some good beer. I have a Cream Ale intered in the American Home Brewers competition at this event.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2018 - 11:18am PT
Way to trump us all Loyd!

That is truly badass....me jealous.

Someday....


ps...good luck in the contest... keep us posted.
cybele

Trad climber
Salt Lake City
Feb 10, 2018 - 11:26am PT
I have been meaning to start brewing MEAD for a long time now!
Gunkie

Trad climber
Valles Marineris
Feb 10, 2018 - 12:28pm PT
This is cool stuff. Great OT thing on a cold, wet winter day in the mid-Atlantic. Maybe surf tomorrow or drink beer. And someone needs to make a CHARLIE PORTER.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2018 - 01:18pm PT
It’s my 40th tomorrow Gunkie...and I always surf on my bday 🤙🏻

Cheers mate 🍻
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 10, 2018 - 09:16pm PT
Hey Loyd how hard is it to clean that system? Seems like brewing would be easy as can be with everything being automated, but I don’t know if that brings up more headaches on other things.

I do have one thing I can remotely keep track of with my beer...


I have a weather station and some sensors that upload to the web and an app I use. I put the sensor on top of my bottles in the house and can keep track of how they are doing.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 13, 2018 - 10:48am PT
Transferred my "Ain't no Tang" tangerine wheat ale to the secondary this weekend and added 4oz of tangerine tincture I made with vodka and tangerine peels.


Color looks pretty cool, and the taste was surprisingly good for only 1 week of fermenting. I'll give it at least another week in the secondary now.


Final gravity at 1 week was 1.013, giving the beer as of now an ABV of 6.17% with attenuation at 77%.

Not bad!
Loyd

Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
Feb 14, 2018 - 02:03pm PT
The brew stand is a CPI (clean in place) PBW, Water,and then Starsan. All I have to hand clean is the filter, O2, and transfer hose to The Fementer.
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2018 - 10:14am PT
Awesome Loyd.

If you don't mind me asking, how much does a setup like that run $$$?

How'd your beer do that you entered in the competition?
Loyd

Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
Feb 18, 2018 - 07:39am PT
I can't tell you, if I did Debbie would find out and take away my credit card
Loyd

Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
Feb 18, 2018 - 07:42am PT
My beer did not place but our brew club took home a first, second and 2 thirds
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2018 - 10:31am PT
Sounds like you guys dominated....
brotherbbock

climber
Alta Loma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2018 - 11:44am PT
Did some tasting of our session IPA and "Ain't No Tang" tangerine wheat this weekend.


The tangerine wheat was the hit of the weekend, everyone loved it. Amazing color to boot!


I got 5 gallons of oatmeal stout in the fermenter as well. Should be good...fingers crossed.

Chaz

Trad climber
Straight Outta Crafton
Apr 9, 2019 - 04:47pm PT
Making your own beer is what freedom is all about. Merica!

Damn straight! No sales tax on beer ingredients - malted barley, hops, yeast. Our Founding Fathers would love that.

They still get me on the bottle caps, and they're keeping the bottle deposits, so there's no way to win.
mooch

Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Riverkern Annex)
Apr 9, 2019 - 06:36pm PT
Nice rig, Loyd!
Messages 1 - 39 of total 39 in this topic
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