Homebrewers - What’s on Tap?

[Dark Horse 2279]

The shag is dead, long live the shag!

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Just curious what you fellow homebrewers have in the works.  

I wish I could brew beer and watch UT football all day, every day.

[dcbc 14465]

I've got an English brown ale on now and a German pilsner on deck.  CO2 ran out yesterday.  So I'm going to have to pick up some more tomorrow. 

[harold 81]

Made it over.  A simple ESB is up next for me.

[Dark Horse 2279]

I was going to make a saison next, but I need a keg for my son’s first birthday party.

I really suck at knowing what “normal” people like to drink. Should I do a session IPA? Kolsch? Fuckin pale ale or someshit? Can 34/70 ferment pretty quickly?

I only have about a month so it needs to be low alcohol. 

[Damor 1236]

For my first Surly post:  We're finally finishing moving into a place with room to brew.  Got a kegerator, burner, space to ferment, the whole 9 yards.  Once I got settled I planned to sit down and read the thread from front to back and get up to speed.

So, mind to summarize the whole thing for me?

[dcbc 14465]

1 hour ago, Dark Horse said:

I was going to make a saison next, but I need a keg for my son’s first birthday party.

I really suck at knowing what “normal” people like to drink. Should I do a session IPA? Kolsch? Fuckin pale ale or someshit? Can 34/70 ferment pretty quickly?

I only have about a month so it needs to be low alcohol. 

Kolsch is good for that.  For low alcohol, an English mild has been a good one for me lately.  I've just brewed the one from BCS.

 

[LosIllini 91]

Alt finishing up, and Lager going in the fermenter.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Decided to go with a hoppy wheat/ session neipa:

4 pounds 2 row
4 pounds wheat
0.5 pound rolled oats
0.5 pound flaked barley
0.25 pound C20
London Ale III

1 oz centennial @ 30min
2 oz Citra whirlpool
2 oz Mosaic whirlpool

Dry hop 1 oz Citra, 1 oz Galaxy

If people don’t like it, there’s more for me.

[LosIllini 91]

Yuengling Lager clone tomorrow.  Last batch turned out great. Easy drinker.

8lb    Pilsner Malt
1lb    Flaked Corn
1lb    Briess Carapils
0.5lb  Caramel/Crystal 60
0.5    Cascade  @ 60 minutes
0.5    Cluster @ 30 minutes

WLP940 MX Lager Yeast 

[hookem2010 2623]

Bringing a coffee brown ale to my rehearsal dinner this weekend. It was just a brew kit that I added cold brew coffee to. I've only brewed 5 times in the 2 or so years I've had my basic kit, so every time feels pretty much like the first time I've brewed. I'm going to try and make it a near monthly thing going forward though. Any recs on good equipment additions to the basic kit that will accommodate an apartment? I did get a cooling coil for the last batch. Didn't check to make sure it connected to my sink without an adapter though. Whoops. 

[Dark Horse 2279]

Are you doing extract or all grain?

[Horn21 168]

I didn’t start many threads on Shaggy, but this one was my best. It makes me happy to see it rebooted here.

Here’s to hoping that I break out the old equipment before too long and get back to this great hobby.

[LosIllini 91]

I remember reading that thread- barely understanding a word of what was going on. 

Finally bought a kit from NB, two extract brews, then onto mod'ing coolers to mash grain, buying all kinds of cool brew toys, wiring an inkbird into a wine chiller for lagering, washing yeast, and brewing all kinds of cool beer. 

Its addictive.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Without the Shaggy thread, I wouldn’t have started home brewing. Cheers to you Horn21.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Hoppy wheat/session neipa brew day was one of the easiest I can remember. Whirlpool chilling with a hydra makes life easy.

 

 

Did Imgur stop working? Loads ok on Tapa but not mobile. Imgbb.com seems to work ok.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2018 by Dark Horse

[LosIllini 91]

Picked up a half height refrigerator that was turned into a two-tap kegerator (literally, picked it up--- someone had put it out on the curb in the hood on bulk week).  Cleaned it up, plugged it in.  Bingo, works.  Even had corny kegs with it (which looked newish).  So, I'm going to 'repurpose' it.  But, need some help, as I am a kegging newbie.  Have only ever bottled.  Too lazy to this point to build a keezer.

Will need to add a CO2 bottle.  Early research say buy a used 5lb bottle at Specs and exchange there (in Dallas).  Didn't have a regulator, so, ordered a dual, along with new gas and beer lines (old ones were pretty moldy), hose clamps, and disconnects.   Cleaned the taps- they look to be in really good shape.  So, think I have the hardware side complete once I get all the parts in.  Looks like this thing should hold two 5 gallon corny kegs plus a CO2 bottle. 

Is there a good reference on how to practically carb up beer in a steup like this?  Do I need to add an inkbird (which I have on my fermenting chiller) to control temperature?

 

 

Edited April 11, 2018 by LosIllini

[Dark Horse 2279]

Can you throw a thermometer in there to check the temp? If it’s a refrigerator and holding 35-40F, you could probably do without an Inkbird.

 

There are calculators, such as this, or you can use this carb chart:

 

 

The other piece of this puzzle is getting your system balanced, so you don’t end up with excessive foaming when you pour.

 

Welcome to kegging, you will never bottle again.

 

[hookem2010 2623]

It was a partial mash. Turned out alright, but definitely need to increase the regularity of my brewing to get better and not just make something that's merely drinkable.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Brewin’1up 34]

 

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 3:29 PM, Dark Horse said:

I was going to make a saison next, but I need a keg for my son’s first birthday party.

I really suck at knowing what “normal” people like to drink. Should I do a session IPA? Kolsch? Fuckin pale ale or someshit? Can 34/70 ferment pretty quickly?

I only have about a month so it needs to be low alcohol. 

This is something I struggle with as well. What to brew... something that I'll like, but also something the Bud Light crowd will drink as well. Usually it ends up being a Pils, Hefe, or a light Belgian Wit or Abbey Ale. When I'm brewing for myself and friends, its either hoppy Pales/IPA or dark malty porters/stouts, and the occasional Scottish, Belgian, or sour thrown in to break it up.

Just did my first batch this last weekend after a 1+ year hiatus due to moving and having all my gear in storage. Cant wait to keg it up.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Juuuuuiiiiicccyyyyy

Edited April 14, 2018 by Dark Horse

[LosIllini 91]

On 4/11/2018 at 6:26 AM, Dark Horse said:

Can you throw a thermometer in there to check the temp? If it’s a refrigerator and holding 35-40F, you could probably do without an Inkbird.

There are calculators, such as this, or you can use this carb chart:

The other piece of this puzzle is getting your system balanced, so you don’t end up with excessive foaming when you pour.

Welcome to kegging, you will never bottle again.

Gracias.  Have this thing working.  Figured things out enough to get American lager hooked up, force carbed, and pressure seems to be balanced.  Pouring some smooth brew.  Temp is holding pretty steady ~35F. 

Even put together a cheap bottle filler using a bottle wand, that worked great filling some growlers for the neighbors.  Now, I need to find another corny or two, and I'll be set.

Picked up some kveik yeast, starter going now.   Going to brew a 'hot' Kolsch-style beer next weekend to try it out.  Interesting yeast.

' ...Kveik- An ale strain of Norwegian origin that has an astoundingly wide temperature range (62F-98F) with little difference in flavor profile across the whole range. Temperature control is unnecessary with this strain. It has a unique fruitiness that makes it complementary to modern hop varieties. '

Edited April 15, 2018 by LosIllini

[Dark Horse 2279]

That’s really interesting. Did you get the Omega Yeast version?

[LosIllini 91]

Yes- Omega- Hot Head.  Munched right through the 2L starter.  Pretty aggressive yeast.

Washed the residue out of the pouch, and put into a yeast/flour starter.  Made a pretty good pizza crust.

[Dark Horse 2279]

 

this beer fucks

[deft 6836]

so I just realized why my electric brewgaloo thread wasn't happening....I never saw this one so here we are.  

 

I kegged and tapped my hefeweizen and pale ale ( both bee cave brewery recipes) for the kiddo bday party last weekend and they were big hits.  I added *ducks* silver edible sparkles to the hefe.  Despite not meeting reheinsgebot, it was sparkly and fun.  

[LosIllini 91]

Kveik yeast chewed through my Kolsch grain bill (pilsner, little bit of vienna) pretty quickly.  1.046 to 1.022 in ~36 hours at ~72F (room temp, which is at the bottom of the recommended temperature range).  Never have seen a yeast work this quickly/ violently.  And, wasn't throwing any sulfur or off smells. 

No hurry.  Going to leave it at room temp/ let it finish/ d-rest a day or two then keg.

[dcbc 14465]

The last beer I will brew on my Brutus 10.  I shipped the Blichmann controllers to the new owner today.  Parting the rest of it out.  Any of you guys need stainless kettles, ball valves, fittings, QDs, a pump, or a Morebeer CFC, hit me up.  Oh, and there's a professionally welded, big ass brew stand, too.

Edited May 2, 2018 by dcbc

[PvilleStang 2875]

Sad day, DCBC. 

 

Just sold off my 6 tap keezer a few hours ago.  Going to be getting a more family friendly 2 tap kegerator (since the wife is expecting a no-alcohol-consuming family member in the near future).  Still have all the brewing stuff, just don't have the need for 5 beers + 1 carbing anymore like I used to do in the old bachelor bad. 

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

Haven't brewed in a while since my previous keezer died (covered in stickers). Built out my new system today. Upgraded to the stainless steel Perlick's too. Will be brewing a NEIPA soon to test it all out.

[ISUCyclones 216]

Are those screws anchoring the drip tray to the keezer straight into it? I had used magnets previously to anchor mine, but the 2 and 4 year old make that impossible so I haven't had one for a few years. I've been too worried about hitting a line in the freezer to put screws in though. 

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

40 minutes ago, ISUCyclones said:

Are those screws anchoring the drip tray to the keezer straight into it? I had used magnets previously to anchor mine, but the 2 and 4 year old make that impossible so I haven't had one for a few years. I've been too worried about hitting a line in the freezer to put screws in though. 

They are but very short. I figured the metal of the exterior was sufficient to hold the little weight of the tray. 

[Grippe 310]

Checking in with a mini-mash version of my raspberry truffle (double chocolate raspberry stout sour) brewed this weekend.  It was inspired by my wife's love of a 1/3 Framboise with 2/3 Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

Target OG is 1.055 but I came in at 1.053.

Next up is the Honey Hibiscus Wheat Farmhouse, prolly my favorite beer to brew.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Cherry Berliner is up next.

The last time I attempted this was my most specular fail. I forgot to wrench tighten on of my QD posts and all 5 gallons leaked out and into the bottom of my keezer.

[PvilleStang 2875]

Well, with the kid on the way, I might be slimming down my inventory of kegs and other miscellaneous equipment.  Already sold the keezer, selling the single tap kegerator, and probably 4 corny kegs, too.

[gyroprotagonist 2592]

finally got off my ass and did a little 5 gallon batch of a mexican vienna lager last weekend.  hopefully it turns out like a Victoria.  I have made it a few times in the past and never quite nailed it.

started brewing late and was finishing up around 1pm on a hot day, but got the wort down to 55F before moving the wort to the fermenter. 

 

[HouTex 1866]

Are you guys with kids on the way scaling down your equipment for monetary reasons? That might make sense although the money has already been spent, but you may very likely be drinking more after the baby arrives. Goes for the mom too.

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

I took a break for several reasons, one being a kid. They just take too much time and energy and its tough to find a free day to brew. Mine is finally at an age where I do not have to have a close eye on him throughout the day, freeing me up to brew again. 

[deft 6836]

Yeah not monetary in my case. Time. Always time.

[PvilleStang 2875]

I'd say mine's more space at this point, but anticipating the time issue, too.  Downsized from the huge ass keezer to a 2 tap minifridge kegerator.  I don't really have a use for 7 kegs anymore since I'm not throwing large parties with a plethora of beer that I brew every other Sunday like I had been.

[PvilleStang 2875]

Just got done brewing for our baby shower at the end of the month. Honey Ale, with fresh honey from a coworker. 10 lbs 2 row, 8 oz flaked barley, and 4 oz honey malt. Jar of honey at start of boil, 2/3 oz mosaic at 60 minutes, 1/3 at 5 minutes left. 1.054 OG. Cleaning up now.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Edited July 8, 2018 by PvilleStang

[dcbc 14465]

Haven't brewed since I sold my rig, and my Picobrew Z2 hasn't arrived yet.  But I'm filling a keg with 5 gallons of water, two teaspoons of MgSO4 and two teaspoons of CaCl2 to approximate some Topo Chico since my 12 year old goes through it like crazy.  Will pop about 30 psi of CO2 on it.

[Incredulity 11646]

Report results please.

I have been on a mineral water kick.  This could be a interesting side project.

[deft 6836]

Yes. I’d love to hear about that. Got a few open taps right now since I haven’t had a chance to brew.

[dcbc 14465]

18 hours ago, deft said:

Yes. I’d love to hear about that. Got a few open taps right now since I haven’t had a chance to brew.

 

19 hours ago, Incredulity said:

Report results please.

I have been on a mineral water kick.  This could be a interesting side project.

Tasted it today.  Little to no carbonation yet.  But it has a slight minerally taste to it without being overwhelming.  Will probably take a few days to pick up any bite, but so far, so good.

[Dark Horse 2279]

Did you heat it up to get it to dissolve?

[dcbc 14465]

23 hours ago, Dark Horse said:

Did you heat it up to get it to dissolve?

Yes.  I put it in a Pyrex measuring cup and nuked it for a few minutes to get the salts to dissolve.  Then, I dumped that in the keg with the water. 

[deft 6836]

So I feel like my summer is slipping past me and I haven't even brewed once.  Tomorrow, I'm brewing with whatever I've got laying around and I think i've got enough to make a tasty ipa.

 

grains: Plenty of 2 row, some rye malt, some crystal 60, some carared and maybe even some flaked oats from the pantry.

yeast: us05 packet, 34/70 packet, washed denny's fav

hops: half ounce of apollo and brewers gold, plenty of cascade and citra

 

I'm thinking 12 lbs of 2 row, 1 lb of carared, and .5 of c60.

Bitter with the apollo and BG to get around 35 ibu, and then start hopping the shit out of it at 10 minutes including some hefty dry hop charges with both cascade and citra.  Probably use the 05.

 

Thoughts?  Is the carared and c60 combined (right around 10-11%) too high?

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

Hoppy wheat.  All wheat grain bill, with Nugget hops on the boil.  Pacific Jade and Mosaic at flame out, and then more Pacific Jade and Mosaic for dry hopping.

[Big D 249]

8 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Hoppy wheat.  All wheat grain bill, with Nugget hops on the boil.  Pacific Jade and Mosaic at flame out, and then more Pacific Jade and Mosaic for dry hopping.

Is that an above ground pool in your front yard?  Nice.

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

9 hours ago, Big D said:

Is that an above ground pool in your front yard?  Nice.

My buddy’s (our warm weather brew set up is in his garage).  It’s for his two year old, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t got drunk and jumped in.

Edited July 17, 2018 by Al_4_ISU