Homebrew Beer Thread.

RAGER · March 17, 2012, 11:15:49 AM

Quote from: NCR600 on January 25, 2012, 06:28:52 AM

Tasting pack of Homebrew for my mate's 40th.
/personal beer blog

Super cool duder. You must be a good friend

RAGER · March 17, 2012, 11:16:47 AM

Quote from: khoomeizhi on February 09, 2012, 09:14:52 PM
it's not beer, but we just bottled two batches of homebrew wine today, started last year. dandelion and sumac. they're already fucking delicious, betting a few months aging will make 'em even better. wild cultured yeasts, fed w/ honey (so maybe technically they're some kind of mead, but that usually suggests a sweet product, and these are dry and fuggin' crisp). as good as i was hoping, much better than they could have been. (representing the 2nd and 3rd times i've done wine).

5 more (mostly pretty tripper) kinds still bubbling away...

pictured are just the clear bottles.

Ship me a bottle, I'll taste test it for ya

RAGER · March 17, 2012, 11:31:27 AM

Portland's smallest production brewery. they make killer beer.

https://www.facebook.com/HumbleBrewing

sleestak · March 17, 2012, 05:17:18 PM

Http://home.woot.com http://home.woot.com is selling mr. beer kits for 25 bucks with shipping if you care for a beginner start.

NCR600 · March 18, 2012, 07:38:10 AM

Quote from: khoomeizhi on March 17, 2012, 10:58:49 AM

the dandelion is both floral (duh) and slightly tannin-y and fairly dry, the sumac is more tart (as one would expect) and even drier. the two mixed in a glass is pretty good, too. i'll be saving at least a bottle of each for as long as i can (witnessed the awesomeness that was my parents uncorking a bunch of bottles of home-wine that they bottled in the early seventies [which they decided were pretty terrible at the time] a couple of years ago - they were all startlingly good, one they called 'jungle juice' that they made from beets, apples, and carrots was like a top of the line sherry)...anyway, give a call if and when you're in the states, you can tell me what they taste like.

next up, bottling within the next month: nettles-lapsang souchong-cacao nib wine, made partially with honey that ants had gotten into and died tar-pit style in. i have no idea what it's going to be like, or exactly what i was thinking when i made it, but i bet it'll taste awesome in 2049.

How d'you ferment them? In glass or a plastic fermenter? Back when I was about 16, my band used to practice in the lead guitar's parent's basement which had hundereds of bottles of blackberry wine stacked in it that were leftovers from the early 70's when they'd go pick literally tons of wild blackberries and be stuck for a use from them so they turned them into wine, which got forgotten about until we used it to fuel our jams. Good times!

Dunno about the Cacao nibs in that wine, but the rest of it sounds good, even the ants. That acidic ant smell might even work good with the nettles and tea.
I might just take you up on that offer. Been planning a USA visit for a while now.

Quote from: RAGER on March 17, 2012, 11:14:46 AM
that looks delish but I have to say at 5.6% It doesn't seem dangerous to me. that's about what we call a session beer. here in the Pacific North West we think a big beer is around the 8% mark. We imbibe 7% IPA's and belgians all day.

It's not dangerous because of the ABV, it's dangerous because it tastes like a 4% beer! I've caught myself out with it a few times. I've done that same brew 3 times now, and people love it, I got my whole appartment block drunk with it at our christmas bash last year. It's got a passionfruit/gooseberry aroma and taste and you can throw it back like lemonade. My favourite beers are all in the 7-8% range, but you know where you stand with them.

My mate I made that set for drank one of them on a cross country flight in his fucking glider at the national gliding championships and DIDN'T SEND ME A PICTURE!!!

Quote from: sleestak on March 17, 2012, 05:17:18 PM
Http://home.woot.com http://home.woot.com is selling mr. beer kits for 25 bucks with shipping if you care for a beginner start.

I'd stay away from those personally. You can make good beer using a stockpot, and a 5 gallon water cube if you want to do extract brews. Add a piece of voille material which would cost at most, 5 bucks and you can do all grain if you're clever enough to work around siphoning etc. I posted a good link on the first page if anyone's interested in having a crack at it.

I'll be sure to post the tasting notes here whatever happens!

khoomeizhi · March 18, 2012, 08:15:35 AM

all glass. little batches, a gallon at a time ('cause i haven't been ready to shell out dough to buy a bigger carboy, but we were emptying many gallons of cider at work at one point). anyway, i'm guessing the cacao nibs won't be a major flavor component in that one.

NCR600 · March 22, 2012, 08:05:02 AM

Glass is probably safer in the long term for storage, but you can get PET 5 gallon carboys for reasonable money that are apparently better than the HDPE fermenters typically used by beer brewers. I'm thinking about getting one for cider batches. Doing a gallon at a time would piss me off!

Just ordered my spec malts and hops for a second entry into the comp with a big red IPA using US grown hops (Warrior and Amarillo) I'll have to lie about the alcohol content of this one, seeing as I'm aiming for 8% + and the comp stipulates under 7%!

rayinreverse · March 28, 2012, 11:44:56 AM

going to try first wort hopping with some Citra this weekend in an IPA.

khoomeizhi · March 29, 2012, 08:23:32 AM

Quote from: NCR600 on March 22, 2012, 08:05:02 AM
Doing a gallon at a time would piss me off!

i'm a patient man. i mostly drink whiskey anyway, so the mead/wine is mostly extracurricular. looking like the nettles/lapsang/cacao or the kousa/persimmon/pawpaw might be nearing bottling time...this weekend, perhaps.

NCR600 · March 29, 2012, 08:46:50 AM

Quote from: rayinreverse on March 28, 2012, 11:44:56 AM
going to try first wort hopping with some Citra this weekend in an IPA.

I was drinking a beer that used Citra for bittering tonight. Really dug it. Will have to get some in the future. Never tried first wort hopping, from what I understand it does not add much, but I'll probably try it in future.

Quote from: khoomeizhi on March 29, 2012, 08:23:32 AM

i'm a patient man. i mostly drink whiskey anyway, so the mead/wine is mostly extracurricular. looking like the nettles/lapsang/cacao or the kousa/persimmon/pawpaw might be nearing bottling time...this weekend, perhaps.

Would you mind posting up your process and recipe? I'm pretty keen to have a crack at something like this. I know where I can get some nettles!

I think I fucked up the Red IPA. Tasted a fermenter sample tonight and it seemed overly bitter and very astringent. Tried out a new process in the mash and ended up with a lot of husk and trub in the wort that I couldn't remove before the boil. It might settle down with some age on it, but I'll re do it using the old process this weekend. It won't be undrinkable, but I know I could make it better.

rayinreverse · March 29, 2012, 04:43:03 PM

Quote from: NCR600 on March 29, 2012, 08:46:50 AM
Quote from: rayinreverse on March 28, 2012, 11:44:56 AM
going to try first wort hopping with some Citra this weekend in an IPA.

I was drinking a beer that used Citra for bittering tonight. Really dug it. Will have to get some in the future. Never tried first wort hopping, from what I understand it does not add much, but I'll probably try it in future.

Quote from: khoomeizhi on March 29, 2012, 08:23:32 AM

i'm a patient man. i mostly drink whiskey anyway, so the mead/wine is mostly extracurricular. looking like the nettles/lapsang/cacao or the kousa/persimmon/pawpaw might be nearing bottling time...this weekend, perhaps.

Would you mind posting up your process and recipe? I'm pretty keen to have a crack at something like this. I know where I can get some nettles!

I think I fucked up the Red IPA. Tasted a fermenter sample tonight and it seemed overly bitter and very astringent. Tried out a new process in the mash and ended up with a lot of husk and trub in the wort that I couldn't remove before the boil. It might settle down with some age on it, but I'll re do it using the old process this weekend. It won't be undrinkable, but I know I could make it better.

I have heard the exact opposite about first wort hopping. Ive heard it adds quite a bit of aroma.

Give the red some time and see what happens a lot of those flavors could disappear with age.

NCR600 · March 30, 2012, 06:52:00 AM

I'm only going off what the guy that developed one of my favourite recipes told me. Originally he had some quantity of Nelson Sauvin specced as FWH but found he got better aroma from adding the same quantity to the flame out additions, and doesn't bother with FWH any more.

I've got his original recipe here, so i might try it and see for myself next time I do it.

khoomeizhi · March 30, 2012, 09:10:35 AM

Quote from: NCR600 on March 29, 2012, 08:46:50 AM
Would you mind posting up your process and recipe? I'm pretty keen to have a crack at something like this. I know where I can get some nettles!

super basic: need a culture of wild yeast going about 3 or 4 days first. then make a strong tea from nettles. stir in 2c honey per gallon water. with some of these tea-based ones, a tsp of yeast nutrient doesn't go amiss. let cool to body temp at least. stir in yeast culture. let sit for a couple of days. i usually do that part in essentially a gallon jar. then strain into a carboy, let it ferment 3 months. rack into new carboy, top off with same concentration honey-water, let ferment 6 months or until still. bottle. age at least 3 months. could def. be done with a bought yeast.

the dandelion was basically this recipe, with about a gallon by volume cleaned dandelion flowers and a handful of raisins for tannins substituted for nettles.

Sam Hain · April 12, 2012, 10:50:57 PM

Big IPA in the tank right now. It will be there for about 4 weeks plus a dry hop, then in bottles for about 6 weeks. Should finish at 9%.

NCR600 · April 13, 2012, 09:17:30 AM

Looks good man. Hate to see so much beer being wasted though, do yourself a favour and buy a cheap refractometer like this You need to do some calcs for getting the gravity of fermenting beer, but you probably already know about free brewing software like brewmate which will do the hard work for you.

Khoomz... I'm gonna buy a 2l bottle of Henry Weston scrumpy to reculture the yeast for my cider so I reckon I'll do a test Nettle wine soon. I can't seem to get wild yeast cultures going here, probably because we're so close to the ocean. You reckon champagne or wine yeast would work alright?

Sam Hain · April 13, 2012, 11:36:09 AM

Quote from: NCR600 on April 13, 2012, 09:17:30 AM
Looks good man. Hate to see so much beer being wasted though, do yourself a favour and buy a cheap refractometer like this You need to do some calcs for getting the gravity of fermenting beer, but you probably already know about free brewing software like brewmate which will do the hard work for you.

Khoomz... I'm gonna buy a 2l bottle of Henry Weston scrumpy to reculture the yeast for my cider so I reckon I'll do a test Nettle wine soon. I can't seem to get wild yeast cultures going here, probably because we're so close to the ocean. You reckon champagne or wine yeast would work alright?

Thanks NCR...

Yeah I hear ya...I have a refract on my list. I learned a new way of testing gravity since that pic, which was only yesterday. Put the Hydro in the test tube dry. Then fill until it rises. I wasted a lot less. I bought the license to Beersmith for $20...Brewmate is great though, had I known about it when I 1st started I would have just used that.

RAGER · April 13, 2012, 11:44:08 AM

When our brewpub opens in May, I'm going to try and glean as much as I can about brewing. We'll have a 7 barrel system. Not really a homebrew topic i guess but hey.

rayinreverse · April 13, 2012, 06:41:40 PM

Quote from: RAGER on April 13, 2012, 11:44:08 AM
When our brewpub opens in May, I'm going to try and glean as much as I can about brewing. We'll have a 7 barrel system. Not really a homebrew topic i guess but hey.

its similar to homebrewing for sure. the gear might be different, and the quantities larger, but its the same thing. sort of like making soup at home, and making soup for a banquet of 500.
one great thing if you start brewing on your own, which I doubt you will, because you'll no doubt have ample supply of tasty beer, is yeast.
Im friends with the chemist for a local brewery here. He gave me some yeast to use for home brew. Nice healthy slurry. I've never had a beer take off and ferment so well.

bottling the citra pale ale tomorrow.
I did hop burst it, but I didnt end up dry hopping. Its got 2 oz of citra, and 2.5 oz of cascade. it smells really great.
first time using nottingham yeast for me too. i wanted to try it.

khoomeizhi · April 14, 2012, 09:30:47 PM

Quote from: NCR600 on April 13, 2012, 09:17:30 AM
Khoomz... I'm gonna buy a 2l bottle of Henry Weston scrumpy to reculture the yeast for my cider so I reckon I'll do a test Nettle wine soon. I can't seem to get wild yeast cultures going here, probably because we're so close to the ocean. You reckon champagne or wine yeast would work alright?

don't see why not. incidentally, i'm right now re-tasting the dandelion wine, and even with just two months aging it's dangerously harmless-tasting. nettles et al, still not quite still enough to bottle, same with kousa/persimmon/pawpaw (which should be a month or two behind). been getting more ideas (as always, possibly bad) about more things to try...i'll be starting a new bug in a few days...

khoomeizhi · April 22, 2012, 11:07:46 AM

that recipe i gave earlier is missing two important things, necessary especially for non-grape wines for a product that really makes your taste buds think 'wine': acids and tannins. for that recipe, i'd also add the juice and chopped peel of two lemons (washed well, obviously) and a cup or so of chopped raisins or dried apricot (without SO2). both would be strained out when it goes into the carboy.

not sure why i forgot those, but was reminded that i did when i started a couple of new things recently: with (next) summer in mind, a rooibos/lime/ginger mead (still intending to go dry with it, but prolly serve cold), and with cooking in mind, a shallot/sweet onion wine. just transferred that one to carboy - WHAT AN AMAZING SMELL

El Zombre · April 22, 2012, 01:14:02 PM

Quote from: khoomeizhi on April 22, 2012, 11:07:46 AM
not sure why i forgot those, but was reminded that i did when i started a couple of new things recently: with (next) summer in mind, a rooibos/lime/ginger mead (still intending to go dry with it, but prolly serve cold), and with cooking in mind, a shallot/sweet onion wine. just transferred that one to carboy - WHAT AN AMAZING SMELL

Wow, all kinds of great sounding flavor combinations. Just read about some chrysanthemum tea wine spritzer here. Would rather see a proper chrysanthemum brew a la dandelion wine instead. Love me some chrysanthemum tea.

khoomeizhi · April 22, 2012, 01:41:37 PM

i don't think i've had it - is it really floral?

El Zombre · April 22, 2012, 05:06:06 PM

Floral, but not very. Earthy and old, too if that makes sense.

khoomeizhi · April 23, 2012, 05:36:51 AM

yeah, i get it. i'd try the wine version if i had an empty carboy and the blossoms. i'll put it on the list.

NCR600 · April 24, 2012, 10:00:33 AM

Quote from: khoomeizhi on April 22, 2012, 11:07:46 AM
that recipe i gave earlier is missing two important things, necessary especially for non-grape wines for a product that really makes your taste buds think 'wine': acids and tannins. for that recipe, i'd also add the juice and chopped peel of two lemons (washed well, obviously) and a cup or so of chopped raisins or dried apricot (without SO2). both would be strained out when it goes into the carboy.

not sure why i forgot those, but was reminded that i did when i started a couple of new things recently: with (next) summer in mind, a rooibos/lime/ginger mead (still intending to go dry with it, but prolly serve cold), and with cooking in mind, a shallot/sweet onion wine. just transferred that one to carboy - WHAT AN AMAZING SMELL

Do you boil the fruit additions? I've used raisins in a cider before and was advised to boil them beforehand to avoid wild yeasts innfecting the batch, but of course, if you were after a wild ferment it'd be preferable to not boil them. Pretty much all fruit has wild yeast on it.

Anyway, I've come up with the 25 (or so) description of my beers for entry into the comp to win a tap.

Bongin Bongin Bay Skull IPA
Pours an Autumnal coppery hue with a slightly rocky, creamy head. You'll notice a mildly peppery, floral & citrus fruit aroma. The palate is hop forward, with notes of orange marmalade and spice finishing with a soft, lingering bitterness.
Hops: Motueka (NZ), Pacifica (NZ)
Base Malt: Perle
ABV: 7%
Perceived IBU: 75

Bongin Bongin Bay Woebegone Red IPA
Pours a deep, deep red with low carbonation & a creamy head. Malty, floral & citrus aroma. Roasty, dark chocolate/citrus palate with a warming, bitter finish.
Hops: Warrior (US) Amarillo (US)
Base Malt: Perle
ABV: 7%
Perceived IBU: 85

So based on that, if it was chalked up behind the bar, would you hand over yer hard earned for a glass?

I'll post up the labels Mrs NCR is working on in a lttle while.