Home Brewers

#452
#452
434VOL said:
For an immersion chiller you continuously (sp?) run cold tap water through. You just put it into your wort for 15 min or so. Make sure you put it in while the wort is just coming off of the boil so that it sanitizes the copper chiller.
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I actually put the chiller into the boil for the last 10-12 minutes or so and then let it sanitize in there. Of course, it must be cleaned first. That's always worked well for me.
 
#453
#453
Hey guys been lurking for quite sometime and really enjoy this thread. Quick question, does anyone have any experience with beersmith software? Relatively new to home brewing, but looking to expand my skills. So far I have really enjoyed the beer that I have brewed from Northwest Brewing kits (Irish Red...Great, Cologne Kolsch... good, and just bottled a hop head double IPA). Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
 
#454
#454
Bgasman said:
Hey guys been lurking for quite sometime and really enjoy this thread. Quick question, does anyone have any experience with beersmith software? Relatively new to home brewing, but looking to expand my skills. So far I have really enjoyed the beer that I have brewed from Northwest Brewing kits (Irish Red...Great, Cologne Kolsch... good, and just bottled a hop head double IPA). Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
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Ive know of beersmith but never used it. I use mrmalty to determine my yeast pitching rates. I brewed Irish Red and Extra Pale Ale today. If you like a hoppy IPA you should try the Extra Pale Ale from Northern Brewer. Its one of my favorites.
 
#455
#455
Bgasman said:
Hey guys been lurking for quite sometime and really enjoy this thread. Quick question, does anyone have any experience with beersmith software? Relatively new to home brewing, but looking to expand my skills. So far I have really enjoyed the beer that I have brewed from Northwest Brewing kits (Irish Red...Great, Cologne Kolsch... good, and just bottled a hop head double IPA). Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
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Also, welcome to the HB thread. Post more often. :hi:
 
#457
#457
Hopvol said:
Ive know of beersmith but never used it. I use mrmalty to determine my yeast pitching rates. I brewed Irish Red and Extra Pale Ale today. If you like a hoppy IPA you should try the Extra Pale Ale from Northern Brewer. Its one of my favorites.
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Thanks for the help, will make the extra pale ale my next brew.
 
#458
#458
Bgasman said:
Hey guys been lurking for quite sometime and really enjoy this thread. Quick question, does anyone have any experience with beersmith software? Relatively new to home brewing, but looking to expand my skills. So far I have really enjoyed the beer that I have brewed from Northwest Brewing kits (Irish Red...Great, Cologne Kolsch... good, and just bottled a hop head double IPA). Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Not familiar with beersmith, but if you are looking to expand consider going all grain.
 
#459
#459
Trifecta-weekend. Plan on brewing a batch, racking off a batch, and bottling a batch!
 
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#461
#461
I mentioned a few pages back that I had harvested some yeast from my ferment tank. Well, I brewed a batch last week using the harvested yeast and racked it to a carboy yesterday. It appears to have worked really well but I wont know for sure until I take a final gravity in a few more weeks.

I use White Labs liquid yeast and when I pitch it I always have air lock activity by the following morning and it usually stops after about 48 hours. The harvested yeast on the other hand started like normal but continued for 4 days! On day four of fermentation I was getting a bubble out of the airlock about every 30 seconds.

I'm not sure if the harvested yeast has higher attenuation or if this was the result of pitching a larger amount of yeast. Ive started using mrmalty to calculate pitch rates and I am pitching more yeast now. I started with one vial of harvested yeast and made a one liter starter.

My plan is to have my own yeast bank with 8-10 strains so I wont have to buy yeast for many years if ever. Yeast can get expensive so I highly recommend harvesting yeast. Ill let yall know what the final product tastes like. Cheers :toast:
 
#462
#462
Hopvol said:
I mentioned a few pages back that I had harvested some yeast from my ferment tank. Well, I brewed a batch last week using the harvested yeast and racked it to a carboy yesterday. It appears to have worked really well but I wont know for sure until I take a final gravity in a few more weeks.

I use White Labs liquid yeast and when I pitch it I always have air lock activity by the following morning and it usually stops after about 48 hours. The harvested yeast on the other hand started like normal but continued for 4 days! On day four of fermentation I was getting a bubble out of the airlock about every 30 seconds.

I'm not sure if the harvested yeast has higher attenuation or if this was the result of pitching a larger amount of yeast. Ive started using mrmalty to calculate pitch rates and I am pitching more yeast now. I started with one vial of harvested yeast and made a one liter starter.

My plan is to have my own yeast bank with 8-10 strains so I wont have to buy yeast for many years if ever. Yeast can get expensive so I highly recommend harvesting yeast. Ill let yall know what the final product tastes like. Cheers :toast:
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That's awesome; I need to start doing that. I just brewed a lager so I am curious to see what yeast activity has occured since I left for work!
 
#464
#464
Back in business again! A coworker (happens to be UT fan as well) wants to give brewing a try. He picked an IPA for the first batch. I know, it's a "Beatty Crocker" type kit but we plan to expand into doing more if he likes it.

Fermenting now, hope to bottle in a few weeks.
 

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#465
#465
SmokeySteve said:
Back in business again! A coworker (happens to be UT fan as well) wants to give brewing a try. He picked an IPA for the first batch. I know, it's a "Beatty Crocker" type kit but we plan to expand into doing more if he likes it.

Fermenting now, hope to bottle in a few weeks.
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I've tried a few of those kits when i was first getting home brewing, their not bad for a starter. One of my friends just gave me his True Brew Nut Brown kit, do I'm gong to have to make that next. This summer I'm doing a lemon coriander wheat.
 
#466
#466
Hopvol said:
Nice, Im doing a couple lagers next. Do you have a place to keep them cool?
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They are out in my closet now; It stays about 10 degrees warmer in there than it is outside and the temperature is slower to fluctuate. plus I wrapped my carboys in towels, which can't hurt. If I can keep them from freezing, I think it'll be okay. I also made a "low lager" by running extra sparge water through my grain and boiling it separately from the rest of my lager. I added about 3 pounds of cane sugar to the low beer to ramp up the %Alcohol a bit. We'll see how it turns out!
 
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#467
#467
SmokeySteve said:
Back in business again! A coworker (happens to be UT fan as well) wants to give brewing a try. He picked an IPA for the first batch. I know, it's a "Beatty Crocker" type kit but we plan to expand into doing more if he likes it.

Fermenting now, hope to bottle in a few weeks.
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Nothing wrong with that! Just check the date on the cans of liquid malt extract.
 
#468
#468
You getting that lemon wheat kit from Midwest supplies?

Anyone order kits from Austin homebrew supply?
 
#470
#470
USAF_Vol said:
You getting that lemon wheat kit from Midwest supplies?

Anyone order kits from Austin homebrew supply?
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No, but I checked out their web site after your post, and was really impressed. Looking to order in the next couple of weeks and will strongly consider giving them a try. I will give you guys some feedback if, and when I order.
 
#471
#471
They have a huge selection of kits. Wondering if the clones they offer are any good. I've put all my homebrew money into a new gun. That's taken care of so it's time to get brewing.
 
#472
#472
USAF_Vol said:
You getting that lemon wheat kit from Midwest supplies?

Anyone order kits from Austin homebrew supply?
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Are you asking me? And yes, I will be. That's also where I got the chocolate peanut butter stout mentioned at the top of this page. I've used Midwest supplies a lot.
 
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