http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g09b17V4NWQ
beer My First Home Brew
- Thread starter Capsicumexanthematicus
- Start date
ohh my god, I am cringing as I am watching this video
your yeast was absolutely shot, you could have gotten some at a homebrew store for a dollar a packet, it has a shelf life of about 4-6 months
your hopped extract had to be so oxidized and so stale
and you added coconut?
dude
next time ask haha
your yeast was absolutely shot, you could have gotten some at a homebrew store for a dollar a packet, it has a shelf life of about 4-6 months
your hopped extract had to be so oxidized and so stale
and you added coconut?
dude
next time ask haha
Lets just say this has been an experiment in defying convention. While not particularly tasty, it was still drinkable and extremely alcoholic. I drank about 3 or 4 pints of it yesterday and was nearly blind I was so lit. I've ordered the refill kit for 'west coast pale ale' and if I can get it right this time I'll probably graduate to a five gallon Carboy and brew some extracts that are a little higher quality than Mr. Beer. This only cost me six dollars, so my expectations were pretty low.
I do, I'm about 1.014 with this brew out of the bottle. I didn't take a starting off measurement because Mr. Beer doesn't acknowledge the existence of specific gravity. But after doing extensive reading during the five weeks it took me to make this abomination, I figured that the use of a hydrometer is prudent.
Just count how many drinks before ya cant walk. Anything over six drinks its not alcoholic enough.
I'd say about three or four pints of the 'charcoal burp beer' makes the world a little fuzzier. But since I'm sort of a monster I usually stay on my feet.
On an off topic side note. I'd just like to say I'm a huge fan of thehippyseed, and have watched every video Neil has ever made. You guys are providing a great service to the world. That said what is the likelihood of me ordering some Butch T. seeds from you guys?
Heres a tip for the homebrewer, which I still do regardless of if I brew professionally or not
Gravity readings are pointless unless you want to repeat recipes and generations of mother yeast strains, so you can figure out viability and attenuation after so many pitches
yea its nice knowing the plato, but on a homebrew scale, its super simple to calculate your malt extract you are using, and figure that into the attentuation of your specific yeast strain which you can find online
you have so many contamination factors coming into play on an amateur homebrew level that its not even worth it to do readings
you use 7lbs of DME, or even LME, and you are going to net yourself around 5.5-6.0 depending on the strain, period
use that as a reference and you will be ok
Gravity readings are pointless unless you want to repeat recipes and generations of mother yeast strains, so you can figure out viability and attenuation after so many pitches
yea its nice knowing the plato, but on a homebrew scale, its super simple to calculate your malt extract you are using, and figure that into the attentuation of your specific yeast strain which you can find online
you have so many contamination factors coming into play on an amateur homebrew level that its not even worth it to do readings
you use 7lbs of DME, or even LME, and you are going to net yourself around 5.5-6.0 depending on the strain, period
use that as a reference and you will be ok
Thanks for the information.
So anyway, It's not getting a completely negative reception;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLI_bQdWOE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLI_bQdWOE4
Alright, So I think I got it right this time;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4x7fxoe20
I can't handle having Wheebz and Mr. Beer on the same page.
It's hilarious.
Dude, step up to a glass carboy and do a partial mash. It's just as easy as what you're doing and you have so much more freedom.
I wouldn't recommend pre-hopped extract either. You can really experiment with the types and amount of hops you use when you use whole or pelletized.
Hopefully your $6 investment has excited you enough to step up a level.
BTW, having wheebz here is truly an asset. Do whatever he says...it will work!
It's hilarious.
Dude, step up to a glass carboy and do a partial mash. It's just as easy as what you're doing and you have so much more freedom.
I wouldn't recommend pre-hopped extract either. You can really experiment with the types and amount of hops you use when you use whole or pelletized.
Hopefully your $6 investment has excited you enough to step up a level.
BTW, having wheebz here is truly an asset. Do whatever he says...it will work!
Actually I've made three partial mash recipes and a coopers kit simultaneously while I was making this batch of Mr. beer. The Coopers is chilled and kegged in a kegerator That a converted out of a sanyo 4912m mini fridge. Two of the partial mashes are in secondary and the third is finishing up primary fermentation. I'm still going to get my six dollars worth out of the Mr. Beer though. I'll keep making a new batch of MRB until I've tried all of their recipes. Here's the Partial Mash recipes I've come up with;
http://hopville.com/recipe/771676/doppelbock-recipes/mike-ale-red-rocket
http://hopville.com/recipe/761322/specialty-beer-recipes/mike-ale-chile-beer
http://hopville.com/recipe/771825/specialty-beer-recipes/mike-ale
1. The first one is going to be overly sweet, and I do mean overly overly sweet, you are going to have to have a 60 minute hop addition, and its gonna have to be way higher in AA's than the Saaz, like try Northern Brewer, around a 7.5
60 minute boils arent just because you are trying to isomerize your AA's, there is more than just that reason to boil your beer for the full 60, at the brewery we do 90 minute boils on everything
2. Way way too much corn syrup in your chili beer, and 5 habs is going to make it undrinkable. Take one hab, poke holes in it, and boil that in the 5 gallons, you wont need any more than that. I like the jap's in the secondary.
3. Simple recipe, but again on the corn syrup.
Stop using corn syrup too, make it up with DME, or keep it under 1lb per 5 gallons, it will have detrimental effects on your yeast if used in those higher percentages that you have
60 minute boils arent just because you are trying to isomerize your AA's, there is more than just that reason to boil your beer for the full 60, at the brewery we do 90 minute boils on everything
2. Way way too much corn syrup in your chili beer, and 5 habs is going to make it undrinkable. Take one hab, poke holes in it, and boil that in the 5 gallons, you wont need any more than that. I like the jap's in the secondary.
3. Simple recipe, but again on the corn syrup.
Stop using corn syrup too, make it up with DME, or keep it under 1lb per 5 gallons, it will have detrimental effects on your yeast if used in those higher percentages that you have
Thanks for the feedback wheebz, I really appreciate it. I've got a couple additional questions;
1. Do you think I could cancel out some of the sweetness, by dry hopping for an extended period of time with something that has high AA, like the northern brewers you reccomended for the boil?
2. I tasted the wort before I put it in primary, and could barely taste the habs. It seems like most of the capsaicin bonded to the hot break which I've been ladeling out during the boil (is this good practice or should I leave it in in the future?). I tasted the hot break and it was about as hot as Sriracha sauce. The wort itself was essentailly heatless. I'm hoping to get more heat during the dry hopping. My goal is to have a pepper presence in the beer that is on par with the jalapeno wine that Cardinal hollow makes.
I'll try to cut back on the corn syrup. I've just been putting it in to boost the ABV. Is muntons extra light DME an acceptable substitute in your opinion?
1. Do you think I could cancel out some of the sweetness, by dry hopping for an extended period of time with something that has high AA, like the northern brewers you reccomended for the boil?
2. I tasted the wort before I put it in primary, and could barely taste the habs. It seems like most of the capsaicin bonded to the hot break which I've been ladeling out during the boil (is this good practice or should I leave it in in the future?). I tasted the hot break and it was about as hot as Sriracha sauce. The wort itself was essentailly heatless. I'm hoping to get more heat during the dry hopping. My goal is to have a pepper presence in the beer that is on par with the jalapeno wine that Cardinal hollow makes.
I'll try to cut back on the corn syrup. I've just been putting it in to boost the ABV. Is muntons extra light DME an acceptable substitute in your opinion?
ok heres an easy to understand and quick breakdown of how hops work in beer, and no this isnt all the info obviously, this is just to make it simple
Your bittering that you are getting from your hops is relative to time and temperature. The longer they hops are in contact with the beer, up until around 75 minutes, the more the AA"s are going to bitter your beer. AA's will not work in your beer unless its over about 200 degrees. Therefore, no, dry hopping will not bitter the beer whatsoever
There are generally 4 phases for hop additions, generally. Bitter, flavor, aroma, dry hop .
The first three are done during the boil, at approx 60 min, 15 min, 5 min respectively. The other is obviously done in the fermenter.
The bitter hops you use have absolutely no impact on flavor or aroma, you only want it for its bitterness. Flavor adds little to no bitterness, and shouldnt be factored into it. Aroma adds nothing other than the smell to your beer, its not in there long enough for flavor, and obviously not for bitterness. Dry hopping is all aroma and a touch of flavor if used in high enough percentages, but thats why you boil it, so you dont have to. Now this is just relevant to hops, as obviously when you add the peppers they are gonna give it a significant amount of flavor
As for the hot break, dont scoop it out, let it settle at the bottom of your pot with all the other particulates and then rack your chilled wort out of the pot and into your fermenter.
And yes, I would suggest DME. OR, you can do what I used to do, and add a pound of table sugar, simple table sugar, to every beer you make. Shoots the abv up by about a percent give or take .2, but remember by doing this, you have to adjust your bitter hop addition. Unless you really dont care if its a perfectly balanced beer or not. I never used to adjust the hops, i just jacked up the alcohol
Your bittering that you are getting from your hops is relative to time and temperature. The longer they hops are in contact with the beer, up until around 75 minutes, the more the AA"s are going to bitter your beer. AA's will not work in your beer unless its over about 200 degrees. Therefore, no, dry hopping will not bitter the beer whatsoever
There are generally 4 phases for hop additions, generally. Bitter, flavor, aroma, dry hop .
The first three are done during the boil, at approx 60 min, 15 min, 5 min respectively. The other is obviously done in the fermenter.
The bitter hops you use have absolutely no impact on flavor or aroma, you only want it for its bitterness. Flavor adds little to no bitterness, and shouldnt be factored into it. Aroma adds nothing other than the smell to your beer, its not in there long enough for flavor, and obviously not for bitterness. Dry hopping is all aroma and a touch of flavor if used in high enough percentages, but thats why you boil it, so you dont have to. Now this is just relevant to hops, as obviously when you add the peppers they are gonna give it a significant amount of flavor
As for the hot break, dont scoop it out, let it settle at the bottom of your pot with all the other particulates and then rack your chilled wort out of the pot and into your fermenter.
And yes, I would suggest DME. OR, you can do what I used to do, and add a pound of table sugar, simple table sugar, to every beer you make. Shoots the abv up by about a percent give or take .2, but remember by doing this, you have to adjust your bitter hop addition. Unless you really dont care if its a perfectly balanced beer or not. I never used to adjust the hops, i just jacked up the alcohol
I'm going to have to take a little bit out of secondary and taste it I guess. As far as imbalance goes I'm more likely to tolerate overly sweet beer as opposed to overly bitter. If the worst case scenario occurs and it tastes like a sugary nightmare, what do you think about taking an ounce or two of something like chinook or centennial and boiling it in a small volume of fresh water then adding that to the beer that's already in secondary?
Also, is it possible to get better isomerization if I boil at higher temperature under pressure, say 15psi/250deg in a pressure cooker? Can I achieve the same bitterness in a shorter time period this way?(or higher total isomerization?)
What I was going for with the Red Rocket was a red ale that would taste like a dopplebock. Back when you told me about how the 7lbs of DME/LME depending on strain of yeast would net me 5.5-6% ABV, I started googling sites that would do those calculations for me. That's how I stumbled upon beer calculus. I figure + or - 20 IBUs is right around my taste preference. Adjusting the boil time down and picking lower AA hops was the way I kept it under 18ibus (prerequisite of dopplebock according to hopville). I guess what I'm getting at is, can something be too sweet and still measure high in IBUs?
Also, is it possible to get better isomerization if I boil at higher temperature under pressure, say 15psi/250deg in a pressure cooker? Can I achieve the same bitterness in a shorter time period this way?(or higher total isomerization?)
What I was going for with the Red Rocket was a red ale that would taste like a dopplebock. Back when you told me about how the 7lbs of DME/LME depending on strain of yeast would net me 5.5-6% ABV, I started googling sites that would do those calculations for me. That's how I stumbled upon beer calculus. I figure + or - 20 IBUs is right around my taste preference. Adjusting the boil time down and picking lower AA hops was the way I kept it under 18ibus (prerequisite of dopplebock according to hopville). I guess what I'm getting at is, can something be too sweet and still measure high in IBUs?
Absolutely something can be sweet and measure high in IBU's. Take Dogfish Head's 120 minute IPA. RIght around 100 or so IBU's but at 18% alcohol its incredibly sweet.
and + or - 20 ibu's is an absolutely huge huge margin
As far as the water and boiling the hops, No i wouldnt do that for multiple reasons. Its too late at this point unless you can find pre-isomerized hop extracts and add them, but at at homebrew scale unless you know someone in the industry you wont be able to
Well besides boiling your beer under pressure, which is dangerous, you can not make any hop additions to the beer, nor anything else for that matter. Just boil it on a stove like a normal person for 60 minutes.
and + or - 20 ibu's is an absolutely huge huge margin
As far as the water and boiling the hops, No i wouldnt do that for multiple reasons. Its too late at this point unless you can find pre-isomerized hop extracts and add them, but at at homebrew scale unless you know someone in the industry you wont be able to
Well besides boiling your beer under pressure, which is dangerous, you can not make any hop additions to the beer, nor anything else for that matter. Just boil it on a stove like a normal person for 60 minutes.
I guess I've been confused about the IBU unit in general. It seemed to me if one were measuring soley the individual bitterness charateristic, they'd use a unit like IAA ppm or ppt. When I was changing ingredients around in beer calculus I noticed the IBU's would decrease when I added more fermentables, regardless of whether or not I changed the hop additions or boil times. This gave me the impression that ibus measured the overall flavor of the beer. Like on a scale fro 1-100 one being completely sweet, 100 being completely bitter.
As far as the dogfish head 120 minute IPA goes, I wouldn't consider that a sweet beer at all. I find it extremely bitter, it almost tastes like it has quinine in it(do you know what the predominant type of bittering hops is?). By far the best IPA I've ever had is the Stoudts Double IPA, I'd love to have a clone recipe for that one. It tastes like mothers milk.
I guess I'm becoming concerned that I might have to dump an entire 5 gallon batch... If worst comes to worst do you think I could bitter another batch of pure DME with 2oz of chinook for 60 minutes and mix if 50/50 with the red rocket? And do you realy think it might be too sweet to drink? Keep in mind my palate is discerning but not selective. I'm the same idiot in that first youtube video who ended up drinking two gallons of Mr. beer that was made with bakers yeast and 15 year old LME.