683 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

The beer I posted in the picture thread is very similar to this.  I only had 11% Vienna though and hops at 15,10 and 5 to go with the 30 and 0.  Pretty much one of my standard lager beers that I just change up the hops in.  Always turns out nice.

Yours had a good bit of color to it but I also realize that lighting, the glass and a number of other things will impact that.  I hear you on the oxidation thing that you mentioned in the PICTURE thread.  There is no doubt that my beer color was more pale with the LO steps.  My recipe shows this beer coming in at 3.7 SRM.  We'll see.  Also, this is just the second batch using the Diamond yeast and the first one where I harvested it.  I pitched a big slug of this yeast (about 1500ml of slurry) and then gave it some pure O2 and this was yesterday (Monday) afternoon around 2pm.  It was ROCKING last night around 10:30 (the temp is at 51°) and this morning it's already throwing some sulfur.  Is that good?    The original batch with this yeast took ~4 days to start doing that.   

[3rd party JKor]

I have ingredients for a couple of brews I may get to this weekend.  The two 2.5g extract batches I brewed a couple of months are still going, they both came out really good.  One thing that's impressed me with both of the extract beers is the impressive head.  I'm not sure if there's anything specific that would give an extract beer better head but it's definitely a standout aspect of both beers.

[HVB]

Yours had a good bit of color to it but I also realize that lighting, the glass and a number of other things will impact that.  I hear you on the oxidation thing that you mentioned in the PICTURE thread.  There is no doubt that my beer color was more pale with the LO steps.  My recipe shows this beer coming in at 3.7 SRM.  We'll see.  Also, this is just the second batch using the Diamond yeast and the first one where I harvested it.  I pitched a big slug of this yeast (about 1500ml of slurry) and then gave it some pure O2 and this was yesterday (Monday) afternoon around 2pm.  It was ROCKING last night around 10:30 (the temp is at 51°) and this morning it's already throwing some sulfur.  Is that good?    The original batch with this yeast took ~4 days to start doing that.   

 

Did you also see that my beer was made with a Vienna that is darker than normal.  I also posted a second picture that was not as dark.  The Oxidation was a joke.  Cold side was sealed from yeast going in.  Hot side, well I do not do that so sure HSA may be there.

[positiveContact]

I have ingredients for a couple of brews I may get to this weekend.  The two 2.5g extract batches I brewed a couple of months are still going, they both came out really good.  One thing that's impressed me with both of the extract beers is the impressive head.  I'm not sure if there's anything specific that would give an extract beer better head but it's definitely a standout aspect of both beers.

 

better quality malt extract than you used to use??  

[Big Nake]

I have ingredients for a couple of brews I may get to this weekend.  The two 2.5g extract batches I brewed a couple of months are still going, they both came out really good.  One thing that's impressed me with both of the extract beers is the impressive head.  I'm not sure if there's anything specific that would give an extract beer better head but it's definitely a standout aspect of both beers.

I have always thought it would be cool to go back and do an extract batch just to see how it came out.  I mentioned this on another board and was ridiculed mercilessly.  But I would still try one.  Glad to hear you're brewing.  Welcome back.

[HVB]

I have always thought it would be cool to go back and do an extract batch just to see how it came out.  I mentioned this on another board and was ridiculed mercilessly.  But I would still try one.  Glad to hear you're brewing.  Welcome back.

 

My all extract NEIPA came out much better than I was expecting.  For certain beers I would have no issue at all doing all extract.

[Big Nake]

Did you also see that my beer was made with a Vienna that is darker than normal.  I also posted a second picture that was not as dark.  The Oxidation was a joke.  Cold side was sealed from yeast going in.  Hot side, well I do not do that so sure HSA may be there.

Oh yeah, I did see that you had some darker-then-normal Vienna.  It's usually around 5°L, right?  I have some Avangard Munich 2 that is 15°L which I find really weird and I always have to remind myself that it's not the 8-10L stuff you normally see.  On the LO board they mentioned that the pale color comes from everything you do on the hot side so... everything from the start until the end of the boil?  So if my beers seem pale, it's possibly the "underletting of the water into the MT", the trifecta mix, the mash cap, etc.  I'm still doing the purging of the keg with CO2 from the fermentation and also doing the closed-transfers from fermenter to keg.  

My all extract NEIPA came out much better than I was expecting.  For certain beers I would have no issue at all doing all extract.

Those guys said that extract batches were "HOT, HOT, HOT!".     I might need a translation on that.  

[HVB]

Oh yeah, I did see that you had some darker-then-normal Vienna.  It's usually around 5°L, right?  I have some Avangard Munich 2 that is 15°L which I find really weird and I always have to remind myself that it's not the 8-10L stuff you normally see.  On the LO board they mentioned that the pale color comes from everything you do on the hot side so... everything from the start until the end of the boil?  So if my beers seem pale, it's possibly the "underletting of the water into the MT", the trifecta mix, the mash cap, etc.  I'm still doing the purging of the keg with CO2 from the fermentation and also doing the closed-transfers from fermenter to keg.  

Those guys said that extract batches were "HOT, HOT, HOT!".     I might need a translation on that.  

Weyerman Vienna is 3.89 so my Gambrinus is a bit darker.

 

I do the keg purge still.  I may go back to the Trifecta mix, I have all the stuff already.  I do not see making a mash cap for my new kettles though.  In the end I like my stuff.  The other day I dumped a glass that was half full of a Tree House IPA and went to my "pilsner" and proceeded to have several.  Works for me!

 

ETA:  I do all I can to keep O2 out on the cold side.  As you will see from my new dry hopping contraption soon.

Edited by HVB, 26 November 2019 - 08:08 AM.

[positiveContact]

ETA:  I do all I can to keep O2 out on the cold side.  As you will see from my new dry hopping contraption soon.

 

I have always thought it would be cool to go back and do an extract batch just to see how it came out.  I mentioned this on another board and was ridiculed mercilessly.  But I would still try one.  Glad to hear you're brewing.  Welcome back.

 

that's lame.  nothing wrong with using extract.

[jayb151]

that's lame.  nothing wrong with using extract.

 

I agree. I've had some crazy good extract beers. I'm honestly of the mind that extracts we got USED to be really bad, or were used by inexperienced brewers. Recently I've had a couple really well made extract beers and I wouldn't have known the difference without being told!

[Big Nake]

Weyerman Vienna is 3.89 so my Gambrinus is a bit darker.

 

I do the keg purge still.  I may go back to the Trifecta mix, I have all the stuff already.  I do not see making a mash cap for my new kettles though.  In the end I like my stuff.  The other day I dumped a glass that was half full of a Tree House IPA and went to my "pilsner" and proceeded to have several.  Works for me!

 

ETA:  I do all I can to keep O2 out on the cold side.  As you will see from my new dry hopping contraption soon.

It's been a wild 2 years looking at all of this LO stuff.  My guess is that the pieces that I have decided to keep would make most of the LO guys laugh because it's not enough and I am cheating by allowing the beer to fully ferment, then fining and then force-carbing.  I was really focused on each of the pieces there for awhile but I'm concluding that the steps I'm keeping are an improvement over what I was doing before and my "brewing excitement" is high again.  

I agree. I've had some crazy good extract beers. I'm honestly of the mind that extracts we got USED to be really bad, or were used by inexperienced brewers. Recently I've had a couple really well made extract beers and I wouldn't have known the difference without being told!

I feel like the best extract beers I made were with pale or extra pale DME.  The liquid/canned stuff always seemed a little off to me.  Using the DME along with steeped vienna, munich, crystal, etc. always seemed to make pretty clean beer for me but this was 15+ years ago and it's been awhile since I tried it.  

[positiveContact]

I feel like the best extract beers I made were with pale or extra pale DME. 

 

when I started brewing the general practice was to always use light DME and get color and flavor from specialty malts.  I assume there is something less than ideal about the amber and dark malt extracts.

[Bklmt2000]

IPA on deck for tomorrow; the maiden voyage for my new SS Brewtech mashtun.

 

Grist will be mostly Pils, some Munich, plus some wheat and C-40, to an OG of ~1.070 for 5.5 gal in the primary.

 

Columbus to bitter, then several large late additions of whole Centennial, for ~80 IBU's total.  WY1028 London Ale will handle the heavy lifting in the primary.

 

Looking forward to this one next month, hopefully in time for Christmas.

[Poptop]

IPA on deck for tomorrow; the maiden voyage for my new SS Brewtech mashtun.

 

Grist will be mostly Pils, some Munich, plus some wheat and C-40, to an OG of ~1.070 for 5.5 gal in the primary.

 

Columbus to bitter, then several large late additions of whole Centennial, for ~80 IBU's total.  WY1028 London Ale will handle the heavy lifting in the primary.

 

Looking forward to this one next month, hopefully in time for Christmas.

 

Old school deliciousness

[Bklmt2000]

Old school deliciousness

 

No school like the old school.  Figured it would be a good way to break in the new tun.

[jayb151]

No school like the old school.  Figured it would be a good way to break in the new tun.

Using Pils as the base for an IPA. What do you find the Pils brings, or is it more to just let the hops shine?

 

I'm going to be buying a sack of grain soon and usually always go for 2row, but I usually brew american styles so I'm just feeling out the room here.

[positiveContact]

Using Pils as the base for an IPA. What do you find the Pils brings, or is it more to just let the hops shine?

 

I'm going to be buying a sack of grain soon and usually always go for 2row, but I usually brew american styles so I'm just feeling out the room here.

 

I just like the flavor of pils.  very distinctive malt flavor that goes well with certain citrusy hops (in my opinion).

[Bklmt2000]

Using Pils as the base for an IPA. What do you find the Pils brings, or is it more to just let the hops shine?

 

I'm going to be buying a sack of grain soon and usually always go for 2row, but I usually brew american styles so I'm just feeling out the room here.

 

I've used Pils for quite a few years now, and I do like the character it brings to my IPAs.  It does seem to make the hops "pop" nicely and converts easily during a mash.

 

I think I got the idea of using pils as my main base malt from an old BYO article, where the author (I think it was Horst Dornbusch) said he used Weyermann pils as the base for all of his beers, so I tried it and I liked the result.

 

I use Avangard these days, since I buy my grain from LP (they don't carry Weyermann, but Avangard is just as good IMO and is cheaper).  There also seems to be some historical precedent for using pils in an IPA; in "IPA", Mitch Steele described modern Pils malt as very similar to the old "white" malt that English brewers used during the heyday of Burton IPA in the 1800's.

 

I do still use American 2-row sometimes, but anymore it'll be when LP has a 50% off sale or some other offer that's too good to pass up.

[Poptop]

I primarily use Pils for all my brewing, I think it is a little sweeter too.  And in the whole picture I like to keep things simple with what I have on hand.  Weyermann Pils or Barke Pils are my choice.

[HVB]

Ditto on the pils. I do like mixing it with two row or golden promise for the bulk of the grist bill.