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What's fermenting now?

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
its not something i am super worried about right now, as i still need to refine my actual technique.

although i am still trying to stay a head of myself and constantly learn new things. i have not heard of isinglass (fish bladder), although a quick google search reveals that it does need to be prepped prior to brew day and the ph has to be accurate. i cannot measure my ph, and right now, i only want to do brew stuff on brew day, so i am going to have to pass on that. i might start with gelatin once i get my technique down and then ease into the fish bladder.

thanks for the help!
btw, you ever think, who in the hell comes up with this shit? fish bladder in beer?
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
I have not heard of isinglass (fish bladder), although a quick google search reveals that it does need to be prepped prior to brew day and the ph has to be accurate. i cannot measure my ph, and right now, i only want to do brew stuff on brew day, so i am going to have to pass on that. i might start with gelatin once i get my technique down and then ease into the fish bladder.
There's faster options:

but this has recently changed with the introduction of “freeze-dried instant isinglass.” These new prehydrolized powders require only a short soak and mix in cold water or green beer, which means they can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Liquid forms of isinglass are also now on the market and are sold ready to use. Because a few variations of isinglass are currently available, prepare it according to the directions on the package — isinglass can be rendered useless by improper activation. Once treated with isinglass, the finished beer will usually fall clear in about three to four days.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
Did an IPA this weekend. Didnt use any fish bladder or gelatin. Although i did use this nifty whirpool tool to help keep some of the trub out while racking into the fermenter. It seems like it worked okay, clearest wort to date that i have racked, although i still did get some trub.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
so, do any of you try to stay on top of the seasons and brew early for an upcoming season? as much as i cant take the shandy/summer ale garbage in the summer, i am curious when (if anyone) ya'll start to make more dark beers. or if none of you care, and just brew what you feel like...?

im thinking about doing a coffee stout or a pecan porter in 2 weeks, but i think its a bit early.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
I have also seen a fair amount of recipes that call for whirfloc. i will look into it, thanks for the link.

I brewed another IPA this weekend, this time mostly with german malts. excited to compare and contrast to the first one that are currently carbing in their bottles.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
well, the itch has finally happened; i will be buying stuff to make a sour tomorrow. I dont necessarily expect it to turn out (not saying im not going to give it my best, i just dont want to be all high and mighty and not have it turn out), but i have spare fermenters and plenty of time on my hands. I need to start learning about these marvelous brews.

Ive also got to dry hop my IPA and bottle my nut brown.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
The recipe was just called a 'farmhouse sour'. I plan to add dregs from other sour ales and fruit down the line. I have two one gallon fermentors currently bubbling away. I want to do a berry sour for one (raspberry or possibly blackberry), not sure about the second yet. I like super sour sours, so the sour-er the better IMO.

I used a yeast with Brett, Pedio, and Lacto (wyeast roeselare, it was all the brew store had). Its made a mass in the fermentor thus far. I still have lots of ?s re yeast, so off to the homebrew forum i go!


I also bottled my nut brown, dry hopped my ipa, and added some peaches that i got from a co-worker. i was busy this weekend.
 
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blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
didnt brew anything this weekend but i added some sour bottle dregs that have been sitting in wort since i brewed my sour. managed to get a quick shot of it; tiny pellicle started to form so i thought i would share it. i am not sure about ya'll, but i love looking at pellicles. smelled super sour, so this should help 'ramp' things up.



My dad should have my axle done for my bike, so hopefully ill get more riding time and brew less. :)
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
bottling my ipa tomorrow, i used 100% of the hops i grew in the boil.

unfortunately, i didnt have enough for dry hopping, so i had to resort to pellets. oh well.


other than that, i am brewing an oatmeal stout and i need to check the gravity on my sour 'x-beer-ment'. its been 2 months since ive brewed it, and i havent touched it since.. i might throw in some kumquats i have in one fermenter and see what happens!!
 

UNHrider

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
479
2
Epping, NH
Heh, I just brewed a beer using Roselare as well. Hopefully its contentedly bubbling away.

Anyone have experience aging on oak? Recipe calls for aging on red wine soaked oak. not sure if chips or a spiral is the best way to go...
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
all chinook ipa currently in primary. should be finishing up, hoping it will be ready for thanksgiving, not 100% sure at this point though.
so super slacking got the best of me (happens with a kid and a pregnant wife), racked to secondary about 2 weeks ago with a dry hop. yesterday made my first hop tea and added it, let's see how it turns out. planning on kegging this weekend.

for the tea: i boiled about 8 cups of water (kill any buggies, sterilize it), then let it cool to about 180°F and added the hops (didn't weight them). i used more water than i anticipated the end product being, as i had dehydrated the hops and anticipated them reabsorbing water in the steeping process. i stirred them around to make sure they were all submerged, then let it sit and cool on the counter top for about a half hour. at that point the temp had dropped to about 115°F. I then took the pot and pour through a screen mesh funnel straight into secondary. aroma was good, and a small taste of the hop tea was a good bit of bitterness without tasting too "planty". time will tell to see how it worked.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
finally got my ass back in gear and started brewing again.

brewed a an ipa with cascade and Chinook hops I harvested in 2016. #s are spot on, but my efficiency is garbage.



ive got some sacc brux in a starter that I need to step up once the 2L flask is done with its soaking/cleaning. need to find a recipe for this yeast.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
it was going to get more this year, but I am glad I didn't. I honestly wish it was all just cascade and Chinook. I love their characteristics, and they grow excellent in my climate and always give me plenty of cones. the others haven't given me anything.

if I don't get any this year from the others, I am considering digging them up and getting rid of them for more cascade and Chinook. it would be nice to be able to use my hops for a couple of brews, instead of just 1 batch a year.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
it was going to get more this year, but I am glad I didn't. I honestly wish it was all just cascade and Chinook. I love their characteristics, and they grow excellent in my climate and always give me plenty of cones. the others haven't given me anything.

if I don't get any this year from the others, I am considering digging them up and getting rid of them for more cascade and Chinook. it would be nice to be able to use my hops for a couple of brews, instead of just 1 batch a year.

i need to alter my soil profile for my cascade, i get barely enough out of it to justify keeping it. might also be climate related. my chinook is my biggest producer.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
hey, @jonKranked, have you ever used WLP644 yeast (sacc brux)??

Im thinking about doing a saison and co-pitching with a saison yeast? the other 2nd option is to do a pale ale with citra hops.

or maybe this one..?
https://lifefermented.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/beer-recipe-kick-in-the-mangos-brett-ipa/
i typically use wyeast, not WL, but i've done both a kriek and a saison, so it's possible i've used something comparable (can't remember specifically offhand). got questions?
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
honestly i don't remember. it's certainly possible, as i have brewed a number of belgian ales, including a kriek.
gotcha. I think ive settled on doing a saison then xfering to secondary and pitching this yeast. it was old and expired when I bought it, so im thinking it would probably be better to go that route then try to use it as a primary yeast. hoping it will be done and ready to keg once the heat comes.

i stepped the yeast up from a 1L to a 2L last night. probably a little early to step it up, but it was done chewing through the 1L starter.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
gotcha. I think ive settled on doing a saison then xfering to secondary and pitching this yeast. it was old and expired when I bought it, so im thinking it would probably be better to go that route then try to use it as a primary yeast. hoping it will be done and ready to keg once the heat comes.

i stepped the yeast up from a 1L to a 2L last night. probably a little early to step it up, but it was done chewing through the 1L starter.
sounds reasonable. let us know how that turns out.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
the one thing i recall about these strains of yeast is that are a little more sensitive to the suggested temp ranges than other yeasts.
White labs' site suggests 70-85 for sacc brux. I don't actually have any extra room in my 'ferm chamber' (a small fridge that can hold 1 fermenter). that was the main reason I decided a saison would be best at this point in time, as I dont have much of a choice. I love how you can just stick a saison in the corner of a room and let it do its thing, no dicking with temps.

anyways, wlp644 is still sacc, but it acts a lot like brett (I read it can even form a pellicle under the right conditions). white labs actually mislabeled 644 as brett for a couple of years until they confirmed it wasn't brett with additional testing. its funny to see beer threads from 2010-2013 where it was referred to as brett

I fermented with brett C once as primary and got it all the way up to 78-80 by putting it next to a heat lamp we were using to raise our chicks at the time; it was awesome I believe it took 5ish weeks.

anyways, will report back with the results!
 

RoboDonkey713

Monkey
Feb 24, 2011
678
462
Maine
IMG_3536.JPG


This finished fermenting this weekend and we kegged and bottled it. 3 gallons in a keg and 2 in bottles.
Pilsner
2 row
Flaked Wheat

2oz Columbus in Boil
2oz Columbus in Whirlpool once starting at 160 degrees
Dry hopped 3 days with Galaxy
Dry Hopped 3 days with El Dorado

London III yeast

I am still learning a lot.