Brewday Tomorrow! First Since 1999

Post by D Ash
Howdy, fellow brewing enthusiasts! Brothers and sisters, all!
Okay, I'm excited! Was able to replace the necessary equipment I had
misplaced somewhere during all these years since '99 to resurrect the
homebrewery day before yesterday. All the ingredients for a 5 gallon batch
of Brit style Pale Ale, as well. Splurged a bit and grabbed a little can of
liquid Brit Pub yeast which already contains at least 200B hungry and eager
yeasty beasties, no starter necessary. Is this worth $9.95? Well, maybe.
Starters are not difficult to make, but I'll have enough to worry about
since my methods are terribly rusty. So I decided to take one shortcut in
the process. Tomorrow is Brew Day! Did a 'dry' run yesterday to get used to
heating water to a specific temp and holding it there for 45 mins, then
tested the stove to see if the glass-topped range could bring 5 gallons to
a boil in the new brewpot. It did, but only just barely. Not a roiling
boil, but only a seethe.

That is weird. Most large range burners have a 2kW power rating. Ours
does and once at a boil I have to turn it down to around 20-30% power or
I'd risk a nasty boil-over.

With a glass-top range I'd be careful as they can crack and that gets
expensive. Happened to a brother-in-law. Never lean on the pot handles
even slightly. Also, you might have to avoid moving the pot over to a
cold burner area for steeping or while adding malt extract (to avoid it
getting burned at the bottom of the pot). Because if you set it down
that could crack the glass-top.

It's not an induction range, right?

Post by D Ash
... I'm hoping that the addition of DME in the pot
will help it come to a nice, rolling boil. Then, of course, I needed to try
out the new immersion coils to see how quickly the chilling would happen.
From 212 F down to 68 F in just 14 minutes!

Wow, that is fast. Hopefully you can save the water and put it to good
use. I let the whole pot float around in the swimming pool which cools
it down in about 25mins.

Post by D Ash
... (we have nice, cold water year-
My question at this point: If I can't get past the seethe, will the boil
action be strong enough to get the most out of my hops or should I just add
some time to the boil? Some supposition here if not actual experiential
knowledge will be just fine-- I'm gonna follow the recipe anyway, just to
see if it will work and find out whether I need to invest in a different
heat source. Do not want to have to boil outside and can't use propane
burners indoors. So, suggestions or solutions will be gladly received.

I always keep the lid partly on. Cracked by about 1/2" or so for any
nasty stuff to steam off. If you range has a big burner with 2kW I
wouldn't worry, it should get it to boil.

If you want to find out the power of a burner and have a smart meter at
your house: Unplug the fridge and freezer for a minute and make sure
nothing else turns on and off, such as washer or dryer or electric
boiler. Go out to the smart meter and when the "kW" (not kWh) reading
comes around see what the steady base consumption of your home is. Then
turn on the burner or better yet ask your wife to do that while watching
the meter. Read what it says when the "kW" display rolls through again.
The difference to your base reading is the power of the burner. I'd be
surprised if that would be less than 2kW.

Post by D Ash
Brew day tomorrow-- and it's supposed to be a Foggy Day, so there's that!

Very foggy out here as well right now. Plus rain which we need badly in
California. I have ingredients for four more 5-gallon batches but can't
brew until end of next week because both fermenters are ... fermenting.

Little concerned this time because the Belgian Witbier blew the water
out of the airlock when fermentation started with gusto. T-58 yeast must
pack a punch and I didn't notice that until next morning. The Stout uses
harvested yeast from a Cream Ale and is still bubbling away six days
later. Hope no infections took place. The smell is pleasant. Maybe
someone can shed light on why harvested yeast would still bubble after a
week?

Post by D Ash
Cheers from Foggy Daze Homebrewery, v.2.1

Good luck for tomorrow. Watch that pot, boil-overs are nasty and can put
us guys in the doghouse :-)

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

D Ash

2016-10-28 22:07:15 UTC

Post by Joerg
That is weird. Most large range burners have a 2kW power rating. Ours
does and once at a boil I have to turn it down to around 20-30% power
or I'd risk a nasty boil-over.

Yeah, about that. I brewed for many years (late '80's until '99), so I'm
aware of what you're talking about, re: boil-overs. I've got the scars,
so to speak. I'm used to boiling the wort on a normal exposed burner
electic stove. Here-- a different house, city, state --we have a newer
stove. One that is 'efficient' energy-wise. One really large burner, one
smaller by a bit, and one even smaller than that, then a "warming area"
in the other back corner. Glass top. meh. I don't like it, but the
better half does. Gotta keep SWMBO happy (is that acronym still alive
here, BTW?)((if not, it stands for "She Who Must Be Obeyed!))

Post by Joerg
With a glass-top range I'd be careful as they can crack and that gets
expensive. Happened to a brother-in-law. Never lean on the pot handles
even slightly. Also, you might have to avoid moving the pot over to a
cold burner area for steeping or while adding malt extract (to avoid
it getting burned at the bottom of the pot). Because if you set it
down that could crack the glass-top.

Yuppers! My biggest concern! I'll be exceptionally careful, you can be
certain of that.

Post by Joerg
It's not an induction range, right?

Nope.

Post by Joerg
I always keep the lid partly on. Cracked by about 1/2" or so for any
nasty stuff to steam off. If you range has a big burner with 2kW I
wouldn't worry, it should get it to boil.

Yup. Me too. And I'm thinking I'll be just fine, just jitters.

Post by Joerg
If you want to find out the power of a burner and have a smart meter

I'm not that interested to go to those measures, but it is an idea.

-----more snippage-----

Post by Joerg
Stout uses harvested yeast from a Cream Ale and is still bubbling away
six days later. Hope no infections took place. The smell is pleasant.
Maybe someone can shed light on why harvested yeast would still bubble
after a week?

If I recall, from having read some of your earlier posts here, you don't
take samples during the fermentation process. Do I have that right? I'm
thinking you should probably change that rule for this batch and take a
gravity reading. You could, alternatively, float an extra hydrometer in
the fermenter (sanitized first, of course) and keep a running check on
the SG that way. You'll know when the gravity stops changing. There can
still be escaping CO2 from suspension after the yeasties are done
chewing. From what I understood many years ago.

Post by D Ash
Cheers from Foggy Daze Homebrewery, v.2.1

Good luck for tomorrow. Watch that pot, boil-overs are nasty and can
put us guys in the doghouse :-)

Thank you for the good wishes! I usually keep a fine mist sprayer bottle
handy while getting the wort up to the boil and foaming begins. Works
just as well on a charcoal grill that lights up when the griller doesn't
want it to.

Thank you for the response-- this group has always, always been the best
on the 'nets! in fact, finding this group back in '87 is what got me
started brewing in the very first place. Any of the other old farts
still contributing?

Joerg

2016-10-28 23:14:46 UTC

Post by Joerg
That is weird. Most large range burners have a 2kW power rating. Ours
does and once at a boil I have to turn it down to around 20-30% power
or I'd risk a nasty boil-over.

Yes, the abbreviation SWMBO is still very much used. Along the lines of
the old Southern saying "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be
happy!" :-)

Yuppers! My biggest concern! I'll be exceptionally careful, you can be
certain of that.

I remember one guy who saw that he missed a smidgen way back over the
range when he painted the kitchen ceiling. Just a wee touch up ...
stepped on the ladder ... couldn't quite reach ... one foot gently on
the glasstop range ... KACRACK

Post by Joerg
It's not an induction range, right?

Nope.

Post by Joerg
I always keep the lid partly on. Cracked by about 1/2" or so for any
nasty stuff to steam off. If you range has a big burner with 2kW I
wouldn't worry, it should get it to boil.

Yup. Me too. And I'm thinking I'll be just fine, just jitters.

Post by Joerg
If you want to find out the power of a burner and have a smart meter

I'm not that interested to go to those measures, but it is an idea.
-----more snippage-----

My fermenters are white buckets (no see-through) so I'd have to open the
lid every time. Concerned that I could introduce infection. I'll just
let it run to day 10 and if it still hasn't stopped I'll open the
fermenter, check, and if ok I'll rack off to secondary. Of course I'll
taste it either way. When tasting I always have to remind myself that
tasting is one shotglass, not five of them. And that I always have to
let SWMBO have a sip as well.

Post by D Ash
... You'll know when the gravity stops changing.

A really cool thing and probably a good present for the brewer who
already has it all is a wireless hydrometer. I saw one but it cost three
digits. AFAIU you can let it float in the fermenter and it transmits the
readings from inside.

Post by D Ash
... There can
still be escaping CO2 from suspension after the yeasties are done
chewing. From what I understood many years ago.

Yes, or CO2 pressed back into the beer from when the fermentation went
too much gung-ho, which now wants back out.

Post by D Ash
Cheers from Foggy Daze Homebrewery, v.2.1

Good luck for tomorrow. Watch that pot, boil-overs are nasty and can
put us guys in the doghouse :-)

Thank you for the good wishes! I usually keep a fine mist sprayer bottle
handy while getting the wort up to the boil and foaming begins. Works
just as well on a charcoal grill that lights up when the griller doesn't
want it to.
Thank you for the response-- this group has always, always been the best
on the 'nets! in fact, finding this group back in '87 is what got me
started brewing in the very first place. Any of the other old farts
still contributing?

Yes, but I am more of a rookie. I brewed with some friends in the early
80's and then didn't for over 30 years. Just started again this summer.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

D Ash

2016-10-28 23:38:50 UTC

Any of the other old farts still contributing?

Yes, but I am more of a rookie. I brewed with some friends in the early
80's and then didn't for over 30 years. Just started again this summer.

First thing I started doing a couple of weeks ago when I realized I was
actually going to be able to get the brewery up off the wishing floor was
to begin reading RCB again. I've read many of your posts, from when you
came in here up to now, so I'm a little bit familiar with your progress.
Pretty typical, IMO. Good learning curve, but still need to streamline your
process. That bit about carrying the wort to the pool down so many stairs--
! I cut a tendon moving some carboys around-- one of them hit the concrete
floor and my right hand was in the middle of the shattering glass! It's
okay now, and didn't end my brewing; that happened due to a necessary move
quite some distance away. Don't you have a bathtub? I realize some folks
don't, but I'll tell you what. At my age, a tub of hot water, a dose of
Epsom salt in it and an hour to soak, my bones fell so much better!

Anyhoo, immersion chiller! I finally got my first one day before yesterday.
Marvelous method. Especially if you can connect it to your sink faucet. I
can't, so I have to string a garden hose up from the basement and across
the kitchen floor. Very lucky to have an understanding wife who loves the
brewing process nearly as much as I. She's the one I take to Steinbart's
(my local supply shop, about 25 blocks from home!) ( fhstienbarts.com ) to
graze on the very dark grains so she can choose which flavors she wants in
her brew-- always dark, porters and stouts. And her choices have always
been flawless! Of course, that was from '96 to '99, but they're still in
business and doing very well. Next brew is for her.

Gotta run.

Joerg

2016-10-29 13:15:06 UTC

Any of the other old farts still contributing?

Yes, but I am more of a rookie. I brewed with some friends in the early
80's and then didn't for over 30 years. Just started again this summer.

Ouch! My fermenters are plastic pails and what I have to carry is the
stainless brewpot. But I am concerned slipping on the rocky path or on
the stairs and burning my skin. Also about my lower back which isn't
great. Eventually I want to leave the world of 3-1/2 gallon partial
boils and go full boil, maybe even BIAB. No way to schlepp that pot
then. This is why I am looking into whether I can get a >2kW portable
burner from Europe and run 240V to the downstairs room. Or maybe a 120V
1800W induction plate could work.

Post by D Ash
... It's
okay now, and didn't end my brewing; that happened due to a necessary move
quite some distance away. Don't you have a bathtub? I realize some folks
don't, but I'll tell you what. At my age, a tub of hot water, a dose of
Epsom salt in it and an hour to soak, my bones fell so much better!

We only have one shallow bath tub but regular droughts and water
restrictions don't allow us to waste this much water. It is also at the
other end of the house.

When we bought the house the previous owner had left a big container of
Epsom salt. I accidentally threw it out because I had no clue what it
was good for.

Post by D Ash
Anyhoo, immersion chiller! I finally got my first one day before yesterday.
Marvelous method. Especially if you can connect it to your sink faucet. I
can't, so I have to string a garden hose up from the basement and across
the kitchen floor. Very lucky to have an understanding wife who loves the
brewing process nearly as much as I. She's the one I take to Steinbart's
(my local supply shop, about 25 blocks from home!) ( fhstienbarts.com ) to
graze on the very dark grains so she can choose which flavors she wants in
her brew-- always dark, porters and stouts. And her choices have always
been flawless! Of course, that was from '96 to '99, but they're still in
business and doing very well. Next brew is for her.

Fixed a typo:

https://fhsteinbart.com/

To my surprise our store is also still there, they just moved a few blocks:

http://www.shopbrewmeister.com/

I buy most of my ingredients at Midwest Supplies but Brewmeister is on
one of my regular bicycling routes and then I pick up stuff there. Both
my bikes have sturdy racks and panniers.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

D Ash

2016-10-29 21:56:36 UTC

Joerg <***@analogconsultants.com> wrote in news:***@mid.individual.net:

Snippage

Post by Joerg
https://fhsteinbart.com/

heh heh Yeah, I thought of that just after I'd sent the post. Was typing
from memory (which is what I use to forget things with, you see). Also
after, uhmmm, medicating with God's own herb. It is so relaxing!

Post by Joerg
http://www.shopbrewmeister.com/
I buy most of my ingredients at Midwest Supplies but Brewmeister is on
one of my regular bicycling routes and then I pick up stuff there.
Both my bikes have sturdy racks and panniers.

You'd heard that Midwest got bought out by AV-InBev, didn't you? Afraid I
wouldn't purchase from them now for love nor beer. But Steinbart's is so
close, practically in the neighborhood.

Brewed today! And found out just how much time that immersion chiller saved
me. Fired up the stove at 9:30 this AM and pitched the yeast at 1:30PM. A
record for me, that's certain. Once this is a routine, I'll work on more
efficiency, but I'm good with today's batch. I'll know how happy come
Christmas (if I can hold out that long, that is!)

Have a great weekend!

D Ash

2016-10-29 01:13:14 UTC

Howdy!

Just thought I should point out that your still-bubbling fermenter has
enough alcohol in it now that there's minimal to non-existent threat of an
infection if you open the lid, remove a sample with a well-sanitized thief
and do a hydrometer test. Do that again in a couple, three days and see if
there's a difference. If none, rack to secondary, put in a dark cool place
and let it sit until you need that vessel again. I've left several batches
sit in secondary for up to a couple months (once, went 4 months! no
problem) due to time constraints vs bottling needs. It won't hurt it a bit.

baloonon

2016-10-28 17:26:07 UTC

Post by D Ash
My question at this point: If I can't get past the seethe, will the
boil action be strong enough to get the most out of my hops or should
I just add some time to the boil?

Check the temperature -- if it's close to 212F/100C, you'll be fine.

Plenty of people brew in Denver where the boiling point is around 203F
without making any adjustments.

The reality is that hops are fairly variable to begin with, so even if you
play around with boiling times or hop quantities, there's no guarantee
you're getting what you intended, and I have a feeling most home brewing
recipes aren't that precise and consistent to begin with. Which is
perfectly fine with me, to be honest.

D Ash

2016-10-28 22:13:39 UTC