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   1. Craft/good beer in Honolulu

      by BobtheBrewer, 12 years ago in U.S.A.

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      I will be in Honolulu on 1st February for a week. Can somebody point me in the direction of a Craft Beer Venue, or somewhere serving other than the usual suspects? We are in our 60's so reasonably quiet would be good. Look forward to your recommendations,
      
      Bob

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      Hey Todd, have you brewed this yet? I brewed up another batch on Monday. I replaced all the carapils with the crystal, and am fermenting with Pacman yeast. Am thinking of dry hopping with 1oz citra pellets for the last 3 days of secondary. Do you think a low gravity beer will stand up to this?
      
      Cheers
      17 Replies
      27550 Views
      BDP
      10 years ago
   2. Little Creatures Pale Ale (Clone)

      by BobtheBrewer, 13 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      OVERVIEW
      
      Style: Australian Pale Ale
      Name: Little Creatures Pale Ale (Clone)
      Yeast: Safale US-05
      Fermentation Temperature: 18C
      Original Gravity: 1.042
      Total IBU's: 31.1
      Colour (EBC): 10.8
      Efficiency at End of Boil: 70%
      Mash length (mins): 60 + mashout
      Boil Length (mins): 90
      Your Vessel Type (Pot/Keggle/Urn): Urn
      Source/Credits: Various/unknown
      Notes/Instructions/Comments: No chill, all hops pellets
      
      VOLUMES ETC.
      
      Your Vessel Volume: 40L
      Your Vessel Diameter: 33.7cm
      Water Required: 35.48L
      Mash...

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      When using a cube,Is that for kegging.Or is a term used for fermenting.
      
      Hey Fongasbrew
      
      The cube is used for cooling (or no cooling as its called). Basicly at the end of the brew day we pour near to boiling wort in to a food grade 25L plastic jerry can, squeeze out as much air as you can and put the lid on it. I usually turn it upside down for a bit to let the heat sanitize the top and then back up the right way. You then leave it to cool by its self for a day or more and then transfer it...
      10 Replies
      24996 Views
      SweetMoFo
      11 years ago
   3. Evaporation

      by BobtheBrewer, 13 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      My evaporation rate is going up. I use a Crown 40 litre concealed element urn. Whereas I used to lose around 5 litres for a 90 minute boil, now I am losing over 6 litres. I haven't changed anything, and I couldn't describe my boils as vigorous. Better than rolling but by no means vigorous. I do scrape the element cover with my stirrer after mashout, but have done that for a long time now. It is throwing out my calculations and I am reduced to squeezing every last drop of wort out of the trub....

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      OK PP, I'll put it up tomorrow. Want to make sure I get it right.
      17 Replies
      16282 Views
      BobtheBrewer
      13 years ago
   4. Recipes from other than Australian sources

      by BobtheBrewer, 13 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      I know that we have an international membership here, so I am appealing to those who don't live in Aus. I would like to access some recipes that use hops that are not in everyday use here. This is aimed mainly at the US of A. I am looking for recipes using Bravo, Cluster, Centennial, Nugget, Northern Brewer and Williamette hops. I have tried Googling for recipes but as I am not that computer savvy have not really had any success. If you could point me at some home brew forums with recipe bases,...

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      PP, Sam Adams did something like that:
      12 Replies
      15789 Views
      thughes
      13 years ago
   5. Was it the wheat?

      by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Today I brewed a Saison which had 1.2kg of Wheat malt out of a total grain bill of 4.1kg. I have never used this much wheat in a brew before as I am not partial to wheat beers. The boil for the last 15 - 20 mins was very poor and I was not surprised to find quite a bit of black gunk above the element (I use a 40ltr concealed element Crown urn). It's the most crud I have seen in 65 brews. Could this be a result of using wheat malt?

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      Most of the avid stirrers like myself are brewing in much more severe conditions than you.I have to add heat regularly,even when brewing in the garage with sleeping bags and quilts! I feel better stirring while adding heat because I can't get an accurate temp reading with out it and I am afraid of burning my bag.Ouch :argh:
      18 Replies
      18704 Views
      Lylo
      13 years ago
   6. Hop weights

      by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      I currently weigh my hop additions on a digital scale which measures in 2 gram increments. It isn't that accurate either, as sometimes when I put the container back on the scale it measures -.2g. I have been trying to find something which will measure in 0.1 gram increments. Obviously it doesn't need to go above 500 grams max. I have seen a lot of mini scales on ebay but the pan size is very small eg 76 x 65 mm. I suppose I could always fit a plastic cup on something like that but was hoping to...

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      Best move you can ever make (apart from getting a bag) is to get accurate scales. I went a bit upmarket and bought mine from a proper kitchen shop, they weigh up to 5k in 1g increments but have a big stainless steel bowl so I use them for weighing spec grains, not just hops.
      They really came into their own yesterday, I'd just received 3 bags of hops, kilo, from a Victorian hop supplier and they arrived 15 minutes before I had to be out of the door to head into Brisbane to meet Ralph who went...
      9 Replies
      10757 Views
      Beachbum
      14 years ago
   7. Why is my APA dark brown/black?

      by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      This has got me puzzled. Grain bill
      4500g BB Ale Malt
      450g Munich 1
      400g TF Pale Crystal
      100g Weyermann Choc Wheat
      Mash was and hour and 55 mins. I had everything timed right, went to the physio who was running 30 mins late, and then he left me with a heat treatment and forgot about me.
      Could the extra time of the mash, which only dropped 1.3 degrees over all that time, have caused the darkness, or did I use too much Choc Wheat? The beer is quite nice, a bit like a JSAA but not as bitter.

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      I noticed when adding the grain that it seemed darker than usual. I ended up with a great beer, good head, I'm still trying to decide what it tastes like but I'd better hurry because I think there is about one more pint in the keg. I'm going to give caramalt a go instead of the TF light crystal and see how that goes. Thanks for the tip on the bittering.
      5 Replies
      7837 Views
      BobtheBrewer
      14 years ago
   8. Some questions on The Calculator.

      by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in BIABrewer.info and BIAB for New Members

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      I refer to the section of The Calculator Handy temperature adjusted figures (For straight sided kettles only) .
      When I first got my urn I measured 5 litres of water in it (there is a bump in the middle - element underneath? - and a boil dry sensor). I then measured another addition of 5 litres and from this figured that every litre over the first five was 11.2mm. I've been using these figures but today decided to recalibrate, my eyesight not being what it used to be. Anyway I found that I had...

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      Thanks stux, I should have realised that. Guess I', trying to over complicate things,
      Bob
      9 Replies
      9536 Views
      BobtheBrewer
      14 years ago
   9. Infection

      by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      My question is: Can yeast harvested from an infected brew then infect the next brew that you have pitched it into?
      Scenario: I left a brew on the yeast cake for 13 days and then transferred into a cube for secondary fermentation. I had sought advice about the whether or not this could be risky (oxidisation) and received some good advice, but I didn't have the means to flood the secondary container with CO2. Left it in the secondary for 9 days, then kegged it. I harvested two lots of yeast when...

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      This is exactly what I do
      me too.
      Two fridges. one (with temp control) for fermenting and cold crashing/conditioning before kegging/bottling
      the other for storing cold kegs and bottles.
      
      at the moment my cellar temp is 18.5C, so i'm fermenting my ales out of the fridge. that will last for another month or so. than it'll be back to scorching temps around here.
      
      Yep,
      
      400L Fermentation/Cold Crash fridge with Heater and 400L Cold Storage fridge and a 4 Keg & Yeast Fridge/ Vodka & Hops Freezer...
      12 Replies
      11441 Views
      stux
      14 years ago
   10. Wrong hops?

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       I brewed my 5th BIAB a couple of days ago, a Rye Ale. I put it into the fermenter today, checked the OG and had a little sip. It was very bitter. The original recipe (which was for 18 litres I think) had a hop bill of 20g Cluster @ 60 mnins, 25g Columbus @ 20 mins and 25g Columbus @ 0. Because of the AA level of the hops I thought at the time that the original recipe poster (not sure where I got it from) may have got the hops around the wrong way. For 23 litres I upped it to 22, 26 and 26. Will...

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       Hey Bob what was our target OG? I calculated your IBU with an OG of 1.044 and the IBU= 42. This was for full boil that ended in 18L of wort. If you let me know more details about the brew I can help you get a more exact calculation.
       
       CS
       Hi CS,
       I guess it was your recipe that I hijacked, thanks. Target OG was 1.048. I achieved 1.045 and according to the calculator an IBU of 30. Since that brew I discovered that my figures for urn diameter and volume were a bit out. I have become much more...
       3 Replies
       5317 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       14 years ago
   11. Black Beer

       by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       I want to brew a Black Beer (Schwartzbier) from the recipe base (thanks PP). I want to brew it as an Ale so do I still use Hallertau hops?

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       LOL Bob. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts on how this beer tastes. It's a lovely beer, very complex but also extraordinarily easy to drink so look out! :peace:
       
       Well PP, I gassed this beer today and have tried it. It's not something I am used to, but I think I could get to like it. It only got a run today because a Coopers Lager K&K filler runs the risk of being the first beer that I have ever ditched. I was probably asking for trouble when I used some chinese saaz in it, hoping to...
       5 Replies
       6422 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       14 years ago
   12. Using water from Solar system

       by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       I have read several posts where brewers use water from a solar hot water system. I've had solar forever but I'm sure that I have read that you shouldn't use it for drinking. Please correct me if I'm wrong. because it would certainly reduce the time to heat to mash temperature.
       I currently use filtered water.

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       My system uses a 400L stainless steel tank without the anode
       
       The water does not come out milky, but the previous electric system did
       
       I have instantaneous gas boost on the output to
       5 Replies
       7113 Views
       stux
       14 years ago
   13. Target SG's

       by BobtheBrewer, 14 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Today I did an NRB's All Amarillo APA, my second attempt at same. The first one turned out OK, it was my first BIAB, but I didn't know how to use the Calculator and my grain bill was all guesswork. This time I aimed for an OG of 1.048 as I wanted to make a lower abv beer. Pre boil gravity was supposed to be 1.040 and I achieved 1.030. Went ahead with the boil and ended up with an OG of 1.049. I've never had that sort of variation before. Rechecked all my figures and they still come out the...

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       Something seems off (sorry, I don't use the calculator)
       
       pre boil gravity x pre boil volume = post boil gravity x post boil volume (you lose water, not sugars)
       
       Pre boil 1.030 and 32.2L -> 30 points X 32.2 L = 966
       Choose known post boil volume, solve for gravity (Y)-> 966 = Y x 28.4 -> Y = 966/28.4 = 34 points -> 1.034
       4 Replies
       6361 Views
       Two If By Sea
       14 years ago
   14. Secondary fermantation/clearing

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in BIABrewer.info and BIAB for New Members

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       I am new to BIAB, done 3, and I am having a bit of difficulty with some of the termination. I see that a recipe calls for 7 days primary, 7 days secondary and then cold conditioning. I would assume that after 7 days in primary that the ferment would be finished/all but finished. If this is the case, and you then decant off into a secondary fermenter, how do you avoid infection because the secondary fermenter is not full ie. has some air above the wort and there is no CO2 being produced to...

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       Yes Yeasty, that is exactly what I was on about.
       17 Replies
       15700 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       15 years ago
   15. Second BIAB and some more/different problems

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       I did my second BIAB on Sunday and put it into the fermenter today. It was an American Amber Ale and I unashamedly stole the recipe from somewhere on this forum (thanks to the author). I ran it through the Calculator and away I went. Upped my strike temp from last time and started the mash at 67deg C. Mashed for 90 mins and finished at 66 deg. Pat on back. SG at the start of the boil was 1040 (if I can believe the converter I used, from a site called Brewmate) as opposed the the Calc which said...

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       Make sure you buy a decent hydrometer tube i.e. a wide one that allows your hydrometer plenty of room. Most tubes supplied with hydrometers are pretty bad - way too narrow. After you have pitched your yeast into the fermenter and aerated it, take a hydrometer sample, put the hydrometer in it and sit the sample beside your fermenter through the entire ferment. (If possible, cover it so stuff can't fall in.) Doing this will enable you to watch the gravity slowly change and also observe the...
       3 Replies
       6111 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       15 years ago
   16. First BIAB - some problems

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       I did my first BIAB yesterday. I've had all the gear for two weeks, and have been reading everything I could find to avoid stuffing up, but Murphy was still there. I have a 40 litre concealed element urn with a camping mat wrapped around it. I used the recipe for NRB's All Amarillo APA (recipe for 70 litres) and, not being sure how to use the calculator, scaled back the grain and hops using basic maths - I think! Anyway, I used 4.5kg of grain, mashed in 36 litres of water (doughed in at 69 deg,...

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       You could try doing double batches, and no-chilling the second of the batch for later fermentation. That way you can throw one on when you have an empty fermenter idling rather than a k+k :)
       
       Its essentially exactly the same as a Full Wort Kit
       16 Replies
       15659 Views
       stux
       15 years ago
   17. AArgh*%#

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       I did my third BIAB today and really thought that I had everything sussed out. Started the mash at 67 deg and finished at 66. Great. Then the shit hit the fan. Somehow I got the bag snagged on the don't boil dry sensor in my urn. Must have knocked the cover off somehow. Anyway I tore a hole in the bag and some grain escaped. SG's all over the place. On the positive side I ended up with the volume that I was aiming for. Used my other willow cube and it buckled just like the first one. Will be...

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       BTW, with your latte bag, I would boil it for a while before using it to get rid of any dyes etc. Maybe even change the water a couple of times depending on how much you boil it in. I'd be a bit scared to use it, raw.
       
       Yeah mate, my thoughts exactly. I've also found a round stainless steel plate with heaps of holes in it, 26cm radius (who knows what it was originally for, obviously something to do with cooking) which I might put in the bottom of my urn to avoid any more snags. I doubt that the...
       7 Replies
       10039 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       15 years ago
   18. The Calculator

       by BobtheBrewer, 15 years ago in BIABrewer.info and BIAB for New Members

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       Hi there,
       This is my second post. I am about to launch myself into AG via BIAB. For my first attempt I want to do NRB's All Amarillo APA. I have checked out the calculator and cannot see how I can enter the fact that my Urn is 40 litres, not the 70 litres quoted. The diameter of my urn is 33 cm. I will be using 6.5 kg of grain (just evened out the recipe) and want to know how much water I need for the mash. XL terrifies me but I guess I will have to come to terms with it. Hope somebody can...

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       Hi Bob,
       You don't need to put in the urn capacity, the important thing is the diameter as that is part of the evaporation calculation. Once you have put in the needed figures i.e brew length, gravity etc, then you just need to look at the approx. mash volume and if that is below you urns capacity then your good to go.
       BTW NRB's AAPA is a top beer and you should enjoy it
       Hope this helps, and good luck with your first Biab, I'm sure you wont be dissapointed.
       
       Thanks for the advice, I'll give it...
       2 Replies
       4753 Views
       BobtheBrewer
       15 years ago

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