29 replies to this topic

[jubuttib]

Hello, I'm still new around here, let's start off with a bang.

 

So, I've so far made 6 batches of beer, two APAs, one IPA, one basic Weißbier and two dunkel weizen, always using my own recipies just to see what happens when a complete newb tries things out. Apart from one of them (an all wheat and munich dunkel weizen, not my cup of tea, way too grainy/bready, but some people thought it was my best beer) have been very pleasant, some even outright great for my tastebuds, with one going into top 10 beers I've ever had.

 

But now I want to try something silly: Trusting you guys. =)

 

I have at hand the following:

 

6.6 gallon kettle/mash tun BIAB system, good for making at most 5.3 gallons of wort into fermenter

 

16 pounds of pale

16 pounds of munich

11 pounds of vienna

6.4 pounds of wheat

1 pound of CaraPlus 200 (200 EBC caramel malt)

 

3.5 oz Tradition

2.8 oz Chinook

2.8 oz Columbus

1.8 oz Cascade

1.8 oz Spalt

 

2 packs of US-05 (though I can order pretty much anything if necessary)

 

My favorite styles are Weißbiers and most of all hoppy IPAs/IIPAs and APAs (more the aromas than outrageous bitterness).

 

So, dear Brews Brothers:

 

What do I do? =)

Edited by jubuttib, 11 May 2016 - 01:14 PM.

[positiveContact]

do you want to just use these ingredients or will you order more stuff?  if you were doing an AIPA you are a little borderline on not having enough hops appropriate for the job.

[cavman]

do you want to just use these ingredients or will you order more stuff? if you were doing an AIPA you are a little borderline on not having enough hops appropriate for the job.

He can do one with those hops at a 5 gallon batch, it may not be the happiest one of all time but still good. He said he like low bitterness, so bitter with .5 oz Columbus then use the chinook, Columbus for flameout dry hop with chinook and cascade.

Do 80% pale malt and 20% wheat and make a hoppy wheat beer combining the 2 styles you prefer.

Edited by cavman, 11 May 2016 - 02:52 PM.

[jubuttib]

I most likely won't be ordering anything extra unless absolutely necessary (except for yeast which I can definitely order for, since US-05, while a great yeast for American style ales, isn't the world's most versatile yeast), and I've actually managed to do a quite decent IPA with less hops than I have available there. Also there's nothing saying that I have to do a full 5 gallon/20 liter brew, I could shoot for 10-15 liters as well to stretch out the hops (the IPA I made was a 15 liter batch @ about 8% ABV). =)

 

Also while I like hoppy American style pale ales and Bavarian style Weißbier the most, I didn't mean to imply that those are the only options, feel free to suggest whatever concoction I could try out with these ingredients (including ordering a different yeast).

Edited by jubuttib, 11 May 2016 - 03:36 PM.

[Steve Urquell]

70% Pale
29% Vienna
1% Cara 200 OR 1lb wheat

CTZ to 40IBUs

1 Spalt/2oz Trad in 175F/80C whirlpool
1.5 Trad, .8 Spalt dry hop

W34/70 fermented at 62F

[jubuttib]

Ah, should also have mentioned that I currently don't have any cooling solutions for fermentation beyond opening up a window, or putting the heater on. I'm working towards it though, but right now anything below 20C/68F is basically impossible for me. I do have plans though, hopefully I'll be able to pull of some sort of cooling solution this summer, so I'll keep that one in mind, might well make it my first go at using lager yeast. =)

[MyaCullen]

Ah, should also have mentioned that I currently don't have any cooling solutions for fermentation beyond opening up a window, or putting the heater on. I'm working towards it though, but right now anything below 20C/68F is basically impossible for me. I do have plans though, hopefully I'll be able to pull of some sort of cooling solution this summer, so I'll keep that one in mind, might well make it my first go at using lager yeast. =)

you can place your fermentor into a larger water bath and keep it below ambient temperature with ice bottles, which you rotate in and out of the freezer

[Bklmt2000]

you can place your fermentor into a larger water bath and keep it below ambient temperature with ice bottles, which you rotate in and out of the freezer

+1.  This is my normal MO, and i can say from years of experience, it works well.

[MyaCullen]

+1.  This is my normal MO, and i can say from years of experience, it works well.

I use it for ales, I have a temp controlled dorm fridge for lagers though

[positiveContact]

the brulosopher seems to think that warmer temps for that yeast aren't an issue anyway. 

[jubuttib]

Hmm, that's one way to do it, definitely, perhaps more labour intensive than I'd like, and also requiring quite a bit of room, but would be worth a try at some point.

[MyaCullen]

Hmm, that's one way to do it, definitely, perhaps more labour intensive than I'd like, and also requiring quite a bit of room, but would be worth a try at some point.

I ferment in 6 gallon carboys (23L) and I place those inside of a 10 gallon (37)L Rubbermaid Husky trash bin, the footprint is only about another 5 inches wider.  I use 6 of the .5L cold pack blue ice blocks.  I usually rotate 3 between the freezer and the water bath every 8 hours. It's not difficult or labor intensive in practice.  A bonus is that the trash bin is food grade and doubles as a primary fermenter for wines and meads.

 

 

like these:

 

https://www.amazon.c...BSHMN4FQ5YJTS40

 

https://www.amazon.c...allon trash bin

[jubuttib]

I do actually have a large bin that I use to cool my kettle after boiling, but keeping that around, filled with water, in my cramped apartment, is a bit of a bother (most of the time it's down in the storage cage). Well, I can try out what happens in my conditions, fill up a fermenter with water and cycle ice blocks in and out. Right now it's actually difficult to get even under 24C, sun has just started to poke out consistently and the ambient temperatures are fluctuating wildly, my apartment usually hovers between 25-35C since the sun shines in for most of the day...

 

I miss winter... =(

[Steve Urquell]

Jub, you should really pursue getting your ferm temp under control. It is one of the fundamental things in brewing good beer. I use a wine fridge with a homebuilt STC-1000 controller. It takes up the same amt of space as a mini fridge. The above mentioned solutions will work as well.

[MyaCullen]

another solution is evaporative cooling, where you drape a wet towel over your fermenter 

[positiveContact]

https://brulosophy.c...riment-results/

 

50F vs 70F fermentation with W-34/70.  based on the triangle test the tasters couldn't tell the difference.

[MyaCullen]

https://brulosophy.c...riment-results/

 

50F vs 70F fermentation with W-34/70.  based on the triangle test the tasters couldn't tell the difference.

I did several 2124 beers last year from 50 to 65F, and all were clean

[positiveContact]

I did several 2124 beers last year from 50 to 65F, and all were clean

 

supposed to be the same yeast right?

[MyaCullen]

supposed to be the same yeast right?

affirmative

[Brauer]

I'm getting ready to keg a late-hopped Pale Lager I made with that yeast at 63°F. I've made good, clean beers in that range before. I have got a little, pleasant fruitiness once when I under pitched and fermented at 65°F. Might have peaked a little higher.