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   1. Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout - CYBI with John Maier

      by BDP, 10 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      Hi,
      
      With deference to Mad_Scientist's thread on Rogue's Dead Guy ale, I thought I'd start a similar thread on their Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, an American Stout style ale.
      
      The podcast is referenced in the attached BIABacus:
      BIABacus PR1.3T - American Stout - Rogue Shakespeare - Batch A1.xls
      
      I also referenced this link for some details of the recipe:
      
      Note that this recipe is scaled for my setup, so be sure to adjust to your own requirements, especially kettle dimensions & section X....

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      Hi Steve, yes I think so. But it's a bit like cooking I suppose. No two dishes will taste exactly alike. At least, that's the way I see it.
      
      Cheers!
      
      Thanks!
      6 Replies
      21824 Views
      shetc
      8 years ago
   2. maltodextrin

      by BDP, 10 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi,
      
      I'd like to hear from anyone who's had experience with using maltodextrin powder. Did it help achieve the desired objective, and were you happy with the results?
      
      The intended use is to add gravity without fermentability. How to Brew lists it as contributing about 40 ppg, and it is marginally fermentable.
      
      Is there a way to deal with this in BIABacus so that it:
      * adjusts the hop bill (upward)
      * adjusts OG, FG, etc. according to the gravity contribution and lower fermentability
      * does not...

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      I've used malto with good results. I had entered a recipe wrong and only realized it when I tasted the finished product. After looking at my notes I was right....a thin beer :(
      
      So I put 500g of malto into a sauce pot and boiled it up and cooled it in the fridge, added it to the keg. Now of course it is all subjective really but I felt it really repaired the problem of mouthfeel and when I served it at a party no one seemed to think it was thin and drank the whole keg up
      17 Replies
      29737 Views
      Squared
      9 years ago
   3. Safale S-04 - Fermentis

      by BDP, 10 years ago in Yeasts

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      Hi,
      
      I've read numerous posts on this forum from members who've used S-04. I've used 5 other yeast strains to date, and S-04 is now the 6th. No other yeast has dropped out so quickly. What I mean is that high krausen only lasted a day, and then the surface was clear! I.e. no krausen but still plenty of fermentation taking place (bubbling like soda). I've never brewed a lager style, which I understand use bottom fermenting yeast strains, but I imagine this is how a lager strain would behave....

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      I've ruined beer with Nottingham too, so I know what you are talking about there Rick. Now I aim for the low end ale fermentation temps. In fact, am busy fermenting an English IPA with Nottingham at 64F.
      
      I was using liquid yeasts for most batches but have switched back to dry recently. Want to see how things compare. Was finding that building starters was a bit of a pain. Will note your recommendation should I feel the urge to use a liquid yeast again. Thanks!
      
      Mally, thanks for the reminder...
      9 Replies
      24796 Views
      BDP
      10 years ago
   4. crystal malt fermentability

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi,
      
      Recently I brewed an ale with ~8%Crystal 10L malt. As per the Briess website, for flavour contribution: Candy-like sweetness, mild caramel . Fermented with US-05.
      
      Well, I definitely detected a slight, pleasant sweetness during the 2 - 4 week period after bottling. However, as the weeks went by, the beer became more and more attenuated. Right now, I can't detect any Candy-like sweetness, mild caramel notes.
      
      I thought that crystal malts contributed 'unfermentable' sugars, but I am...

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      Contrarian, you are correct about roasting and Stewing, and Light and dark Grains.
      
      Check about Mash Temperature and the Enzymes used.
      
      That is why you get Un-fermentable Sugars or a thin Body.
      
      If your interested in aging Beer, or 'Cellaring' check
      
      Good Luck
      16 Replies
      15873 Views
      joshua
      10 years ago
   5. what to do when ...

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi Folks,
      
      I got to wondering what I would do if my beloved BIAB bag broke/split when being lifted from the kettle. A morbid topic for a Friday evening, I know, but hey it's best to be prepared for this kind of thing :think: . I recently brewed with a 7.3kg fermentable grain bill, and those seams were looking a tad strained.
      
      What say you, BIABers? :)
      
      Cheers!

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      2-3 batches per month...? 5 gallon batches...? Wow, that's a lot of beer...
      bre3wing it is the easiest bit....drinking that much is what takes time! :drink:
      8 Replies
      11629 Views
      alanem
      11 years ago
   6. SMS (simultaneous mash and sparge) in a cooler

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi,
      
      I'm interested in hearing from those who are using a cooler for SMS. I've read some interesting postings on this forum, and had some questions about this process.
      
      What size cooler would one use for ~5.5G VIF batches (10 to 12G mash volume)? Alternatively, what batch sizes are you producing with your X quart cooler?
      
      Volume Loss from Lauter (Section X): is 1L/kg the rule of thumb? I imagine it depends on the size (internal dimensions) of the cooler, i.e. more deadspace results in more...

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      Mally - I plugged a couple of formulas into a spreadsheet already, so I think I am well armed. Appreciate the offer though :salute: . Thank you!
      
      Joshua - decoction sounds like the way to go, should I go 2 vessel at some point. Thanks for the idea.
      
      PP - sound advice as always, thanks. Also, the cooler/esky is one more thing to clean, and find a home for in my already overcrowded garage. I don't plan to give up on my bag yet, but one day it will give out on me :) . Next brew I will do as you &...
      10 Replies
      11248 Views
      BDP
      11 years ago
   7. Mash hopping

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi Folks,
      
      Haven't been brewing for a while, and am feeling a serious desire to get a new brew underway. Looking at BCS Janet's Brown Ale , the note on the all-grain option says to replace 21g of the 60 min bittering hop addition (a 40% reduction) with 28g mash hop addition of the same hops. Whaaaat?! :shock:
      
      This drops the IBU as measured by BIABacus from 55.8 to 42.1. My understanding is that mash hopping does not contribute to bitterness, since the hops are not boiled and therefore the...

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      PP, trying not to argue... Yes you are!
      
      :lol:
      
      Okay this thread is talking about Mash Hopping and First Wort Hopping. Just because these hops endure the full boil does not mean that they necessarily will behave anything like a bittering hop. As far as I know, many hop varieties don't, so utilisation tables do not apply to them.
      
      The Considering First Worth Hopping thread you have quoted above, including Post #17, deals with exactly this as does the original concept link I gave above.
      
      The...
      8 Replies
      10638 Views
      PistolPatch
      11 years ago
   8. skunk risk

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Hopping

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      Hi,
      
      I boil my wort outside on a propane burner, but bring the kettle inside to chill. Is there a risk of skunking the wort by virtue of the UV light exposure during the 90 minute boil?
      
      Cheers
      BDP

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      BDP, Humulene, Melts above 168F/75C, Boils off at 194F/90C.
      
      As the wort boils Humulene goes to Iso-Humulene, and if the wort is boiled for more than a few minutes, the Iso-Humulene is pretty much Gone.
      
      The hops that do this, are used as Flavor or Aroma Hop Additions, So skunky-ness can only happen toward the End of boil and After.
      
      If you brew out of Direct Sunlight, there is Very Little Chance the wort can go Skunky.
      
      And if you Bottle in Brown Bottles, there is no way for the beer to go...
      6 Replies
      15137 Views
      joshua
      11 years ago
   9. it's not inside, it's on top

      by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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      Hi Folks,
      
      My fermenting TT Landlord brew has been in the primary fermenter for 10 days now. There is no activity from the airlock, which is expected. However, there is still a stagnant layer of yeast caking the surface of the beer. I've never seen this before. I used Wyeast 1469 for the first time, and the primary fermentation was hot (unintentional). Is this unusual, and indicative of some problem with the fermentation?
      
      Cheers,
      BDP

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      Great to hear. let us know if it smoothes out after a couple of weeks at 7c . Sorry in & out for now.
      J
      7 Replies
      8924 Views
      jhough
      11 years ago
   10. recipe conversion: hop bill questions

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi,
       
       I'm converting a recipe from Charlie Papazian's book Microbrewed Adventures . The only guidance on volumes is: I've adapted nearly all of the recipes to fit a 5-gallon (19 l) batch format. . He assumes 85% grain conversion efficiency .
       
       I'm wondering what folks have used for the hop bill section for VAW ? My calculation using the BIABacus indicates that the 19 l batch format equates to VIF, so have set VAW to 20 l.
       
       The recipe lists all hop additions as whole hops, so the original hop bill...

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       Now that you made me think about it, yes it is :). I'm going to blame my lapse in reasoning on the 9% ABV (homebrewed) stout I was sipping on at the time :drink:
       
       Thanks!
       7 Replies
       9083 Views
       BDP
       11 years ago
   11. it's always different

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi,
       
       Boy, am I learning that every brew day is different and throws up it's own curious array of gotchas. I don't use a hop sock, and always whirlpool the chilled wort before transferring to the fermenter. For a 5g batch, my KFL has averaged about 2L, even when using up to 3oz of hop pellets. There is usually a tidy pile of trub in the center of the kettle.
       
       With my latest batch, using nearly 4oz of hop pellets, I ended up with about 4.5L of trub, which was a wort/hop sludge evenly covering the...

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       I have had the experience with the propane tanks freezing up on me... I always have 2 on hand now. Usually switch about 45 minutes in.
       3 Replies
       6497 Views
       safebrew222
       11 years ago
   12. carboy warmer

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi, anyone here using a FermWrap carboy heater? I ferment my ale in a plastic 6g carboy, in my crawlspace (aka basement). I also store my bottled beer there, so don't want to heat the whole area above 15C or so. I don't have a temperature controller yet, but it sounds like I can regulate the amount of heating by altering the surface area taped to the carboy. Would appreciate any feedback or comments from anyone who's done this.
       
       Thanks,
       BDP

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       I have recently been using an aquarium heater in a tub of water (that the fermenter sits in), same as Joshua mentioned. Though I just use a tub with water and the fermenter (none of that great stuff ).
       I could never get the heater to run effectively on its own though. It would cycle the temp wildly, in fact the lowest I could get it was 28C (set on 20C).
       Probably to do with the power of the heater to volume of water it is heating being way off recommended.
       
       Anyway, what I found much better was...
       9 Replies
       11999 Views
       mally
       11 years ago
   13. BIABacus 1.3T Section C

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi,
       
       Could someone please comment on the Section C Natural Priming setting? I noticed that it affects the calculated ABV value, but it's not clear why or how.
       
       Cheers
       BDP

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       Hi PP, it's good to know how to interpret this feature, so thanks very much for the info. The terminology in general is the clearest of any that I've come across. It's just this one I struggled with, and I'll let you know if inspiration strikes.
       
       Cheers :salute:
       10 Replies
       11108 Views
       BDP
       11 years ago
   14. recipe check ... and a couple of questions

       • 1
       • 2

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi Folks,
       
       Converting Graham Wheeler's Guinness Extra Stout recipe, and had a couple of questions. I've attached the BIABacus:
       BIABacus PR1.3T - Dry Stout - Guinness Extra Stout - Batch A0.xls
       
       The original recipe lists a color of 203 EBC, but the BIABacus calculates it as 75.8 (substituted = 68). This seems like too large a disparity to go unchecked (203 vs. 68). After searching online for a color scale, it would appear that 60+ EBC is the darkest end of the scale, so I'm guessing that the...

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       Hey PistolPatch & Mally,
       
       I believe I understand bullet #15 now. I'd say it's analogous to the quality of the fuel in PistolPatch's car journey posting:
       
       Thanks again,
       BDP
       27 Replies
       31855 Views
       BDP
       11 years ago
   15. yet more questions

       by BDP, 12 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       Hi,
       
       Second batch in the bag, excuse the pun: a slightly modified version of BCS Hoppiness is an IPA .
       
       After getting a low evaporation on my first brew, I modifed the evaporation rate in section X to 5L/hr, and ended up a lot closer to the estimated volumes. I used PistolPatch's suggestion of floating a stainless steel bowl, and the boil was indeed a lot more vigorous, but the evaporation rate was the same as before. Why exactly is it better to have a vigorous boil in this case?
       
       My efficiency...

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       Hi Mad_Scientist,
       
       No, but my brewing water read 1.000 (or as near as dammit). And then either I was lazy or ran out of sugar. More than likely the former :) I should really do that last measurement sometime ... Thanks for asking :salute:
       
       The brown ale is tasting better than it did two weeks ago (so about a month after bottling now). Next time though, I'll go with a sweeter, maltier version of this style.
       
       Cheers!
       BDP
       8 Replies
       10742 Views
       BDP
       11 years ago
   16. multi-step infusion using boiling water addition

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi Folks,
       
       I would love to brew a dry stout from BCS, but the unmalted barley requires a beta glucan rest (according to the recipe). My propane burner is too weak to raise the mash temp up by the recommended rate of 1C per minute. I was thinking of using a boiling water addition to help raise the mash to sach rest temp, instead of heating via the burner. I tried the latter approach on a previous recipe, and it was a hopeless fail.
       
       I would have to play around with the boiling water addition...

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       Hi PistolPatch,
       
       Last time I tried to raise the mash temp to the next rest, it took too long. The resulting beer had no 'body', head retention, and tasted 'thin' (over-attenuated).
       
       Hi BobBrews,
       
       That's exactly the advice I was hoping to hear :salute: . The recipe calls for 900g of flaked barley. I'll mash the whole grain bill at the sacch rest temp.
       
       Hi Joshua,
       
       Thanks for the suggested formula. Good to know this is a workable approach ... I'll keep it in my back pocket as an option for the...
       4 Replies
       6982 Views
       BDP
       11 years ago
   17. Nottingham Krausen and Blowoff

       by BDP, 11 years ago in Yeasts

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       Hi,
       
       I'm fermenting a brown ale (GAW=1.044 /9; VIF 5.5g) in a 6g plastic carboy with Nottingham ale yeast at 20C. About 5 hours after pitching, there was already some activity, and a bubble from the blowoff tube every few seconds. The next day there was about 2 kreusen. This morning the kreusen had totally disappeared, and the sanitizer in the blowoff bucket was still pristine. Primary seems to be done in 40 hours ?! Note that during fermentation, temperature went up to 22C (2C above ambient...

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       Hey BDP ;),
       
       With Nottingham, if you just open the sachet and put it within a mile of your fermentor, the beer will be done within a week. When you actually put Nottingham in the fermentor, it is fermented within minutes :lol:.
       
       Nottingham is pretty full on. Obviously your fermentor wasn't sealed completely because at 20/22 C (68 to 71.6 F) you would normally level a city block :shock:.
       
       Suffice to say that there is nothing strange in your report above when it comes to Nottingham.
       
       ...
       
       As for...
       1 Replies
       7678 Views
       PistolPatch
       11 years ago
   18. The grain bill

       by BDP, 12 years ago in Intermediate Brewing

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       Hi,
       
       Me again :) . I'm planning my 3rd BIAB, and I noticed that this time around the adjusted grain bill comes in lower than the original. My first two BIAB's did not display such a discrepancy between original and adjusted, so naturally I thought that perhaps I've done something wrong this time around. Could someone please have a quick look and provide some feedback? Much appreciated.
       
       BIABacus PR1.3K - English Brown - Nutcastle - Batch 0.xls
       
       Cheers,
       BDP

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       I think this is a rather clever, and appropriate analogy. :salute: I think I will read this daily for the next week :P, and all will be well.
       
       BDP
       9 Replies
       11255 Views
       BDP
       12 years ago
   19. First BIAB

       by BDP, 12 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       Hi Folks,
       
       After the advice and recipe calculation feedback I kindly received, I thought I'd report back on my first BIAB day, with a few photos for evidence :thumbs: .
       
       I was really excited to finally do this, and it was a great experience. Everything went well, but of course there was one 'mishap' which momentarily had me thinking I'd ruined the wort. I was mashing out, and did a final temp check before pulling the bag, when I noticed wort floating inside my thermometer. It was one of those...

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       See how it goes once carbonated BDP. The single rest is a great idea. Definitely get the burner sorted and make sure you have a few thermometers so you are nopt mashing at a dodgy temp.
       
       Weizens aren't a style I am into but we haven't seen your recipe report in this thread. I'd post that up as, if there is a problem, it could be in the recipe itself.
       
       :peace:
       PP
       11 Replies
       12354 Views
       PistolPatch
       12 years ago
   20. Where can I find the latest version of the BIABacus?

       by BDP, 12 years ago in BIABrewer.info and BIAB for New Members

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       Hi,
       
       Is this the latest version of the BIABacus?
       
       BIABacus PR1.3 - Blank.xls
       
       Thanks,
       Bryce

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       Umm Rivvo,
       
       You appear to be right, it seems to have been replaced by Google' s Quick office, not as easy to use as QuickOffice Pro HD, but it should work. I will have to make sure I don't accedently delete my installed version.
       
       I was pinged by Microsoft a couple of weeks ago, MS office is finally coming to the iPad, soon, so that will help. But meanwhile check out QuickOffice.
       
       I will keep checking
       10 Replies
       11914 Views
       Yettiman
       12 years ago
   21. Too stout

       by BDP, 12 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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       Hi Fellow Brewers,
       
       I'd really appreciate some feedback on some issues I've had with my second batch brewed, an American Stout styled extract with steeping grains recipe. First, here are the recipe details (actuals follow later ...) :
       
       Brew Method: Extract
       Style Name: American Stout
       Boil Time: 60 min
       Batch Size: 21 liters (fermenter volume)
       Boil Size: 15.14 liters
       Boil Gravity: 1.095
       
       STATS:
       Original Gravity: 1.069
       Final Gravity: 1.016
       ABV (standard): 6.94%
       
       FERMENTABLES:
       3 kg - Liquid Malt...

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       Thanks for the responses. I'll see what a few additional months do for the carbonation levels. If the priming sugar attenuates, then it should not taste as sweet as it does now.
       
       As for the possible infection, I can speculate as to a couple of likely causes, in addition to the obvious, general sanitation of equipment. The secondary fermenter I used is a glass carboy that I inherited from someone who used to make wine. I had a solution of PBW soaking overnight in it, and then sanitized with Star...
       3 Replies
       4955 Views
       BDP
       12 years ago

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