What's in your fermenter??

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:06 pm

While we were brewing today and the equipment was already being used, we made an extract pale ale. Anybody ever use sterling hops? I guess we will find out what they taste like because they are the only hops in this batch.

STERLING PALE ALE 3 gallons

3# light DME
1/2# 60L crystal Steep 20 min. @155 F
1 tsp. gypsum
2/3 oz Sterling hops 60 min
1/3 oz Sterling hops 5 min
Irish moss
US 5 yeast
O.G. 1.046

Chris Alvey · Post by **Chris Alvey** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:38 am

I have used them, and I thought they were pretty good. Sort of noble/spicy but not too much. More German than English. Kind of like Willamette + Hallertau or some such.

Dwayne_Delaney · Post by **Dwayne_Delaney** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:09 pm

I've used them in a couple of stouts and porters with good results.

Chris Norrick · Post by **Chris Norrick** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:18 pm

Kegged up 10 gallons of the Amber Red on Sunday. The new beer fridge/kegerator is full for the first time!
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It won't last long as one is almost empty, one goes to my dad, and one goes to my brother.

sirgiovanni · Post by **sirgiovanni** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:15 pm

That my friend is a vision of loveliness!

Davin · Post by **Davin** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:19 pm

Decided to take a vacation day, since its nice and I've got a few empty carboys I decided to brew.

Cream Ale today
Oatmeal Stout tomorrow

[Edit]
The Cream ale is in the fermenter. Got to use my immersion chiller for the first time. Good lord that thing is fast.

Davin · Post by **Davin** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:53 pm

The oatmeal stout is in the carboy. I nailed the gravity, so this officially qualifies as my first true all-grain.

Chris Alvey · Post by **Chris Alvey** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:55 am

Congratulations on your first All-Grain... it's a lot easier than it seems after you do it once.

Keep measurements of how much water you use in your system for various grain amounts (and whether it was too much or too little) and, after a few brews using the same equipment, you will be able to draw a nice conclusion that given X pounds of grain I need Y gallons of water.

sirgiovanni · Post by **sirgiovanni** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:41 am

Broke down today and did another 5 gallon.

9.5 lbs Maris Otter
3/4 lb 120L Crystal
1 oz. Fuggle
1 oz. Haullertauer
Wyeast 1098 Brit Ale

O.G. Adjusted down to 1.056

Davin · Post by **Davin** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:59 pm

Chris Alvey wrote:Congratulations on your first All-Grain... it's a lot easier than it seems after you do it once.

Keep measurements of how much water you use in your system for various grain amounts (and whether it was too much or too little) and, after a few brews using the same equipment, you will be able to draw a nice conclusion that given X pounds of grain I need Y gallons of water.

Yeah I've been doing that. My last few batches have been short on gravity and I had to top off with extract. This time it ended up on the mark. Though actually when I grabbed a reading off the first runnings I almost flipped. something like 24 brix.

Jim W · Post by **Jim W** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:06 pm

Got busy again Sunday, after a respite. Brewed a Witbier and bottled an ESB. Boy does bottling ever suck, although I rigged my filler in a different way that made it much easier. Has anyone got a good recipe using Amarillo hops? MOJO's IPA used them, and I really liked their taste.
Big Honkin' Stout still in secondary, going on two months. Mead still in secondary, going on 10 weeks. Stole Dippel's wine recipe and it has been fermenting for 2.5 weeks.

john mills · Post by **john mills** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:37 pm

Well the drought is finally over. Brewed my first batch in a decade. Well... I really fell off the wagon and brewed 2 batches. I wanted to start simple and make sure I remembered how to do things, (and make something my wife would drink too... so I made a pale ale, and an american wheat).

Pale Ale
10lbs Marris Otter
1 lb Crystal 40-60L
1oz UK Northern Brewer 60 min boil
1oz UK East Kent Goldings 30 min boil
1oz Cascade 15 min boil
White Labs English Ale
OG 1.056 on 6 1/2 gallons in primary

American Wheat
5lbs Marris Otter
5lbs White Wheat
1/2lb Cara-Pils
1/2lb Crystal 40-60L
1oz UK Norther Brewer 60 min boil
1/2oz Amarillo 10 min boil
Wyeast American Ale from donated bottle of Cream Ale--Thanks Andy!!
OG 1.044 on 6 1/2 gallons in primary, 1/2 gallon that I pitched with the English Ale yeast for a taste experiment later, and 1/2 gallon yeast starter again for later.

Chris Norrick · Post by **Chris Norrick** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:02 pm

I'm dying to brew but it's just too cold...my water hose is frozen! No water=no beer

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:06 pm

No brewing going on but everything is now in bottles. 5 gal of oatmeal stout, 5 gal. of porter, and 3 gal. of pale ale w/ sterling hops. There are probably worse situations than having a basement full of beer!

:

john mills · Post by **john mills** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:54 pm

Brewed a 10 gal batch of Oatmeal Stout. Only my 2nd attempt brewing this style. The first was such a pain kept getting a stuck runoff. This time was a breeze. Gotta love rice hulls.
Felt ambitious enough to brew another 6 1/2 gal batch after finishing the Oatmeal Stout. I was aiming for an American red to celebrate St. Paddy's day, but it looks a little dark, so I'll call it an American brown, and celebrate Dingus Day instead!
Racked the Pale Ale and American Wheat made last week to secondary and kept the little yeasties happy by pitching them straight into the new batches....makes cleaning carboys easy too.