Rairdog's Shanks on sale 1.27 $/lb

That's why I have not gone elec heat and pumps.  Even the most sophisticated system with temp control and auto valves need valve adjustment.  I can watch the vids of complicated android, brew pi, brew boss, HG, or whatever....then I watch them adjust a ball valve.  They spend just as much time and worry as I have.  Grain has it's own mind when it comes to clogging or flowing.  Temp fluctuations within a couple degrees is not important IMO.  A racking cane is so simple.   
 
I tapped the Haus PA with added honey after 3 days of fermenting.....wow, easy drinking and smooth although not properly carbed yet.  As I learn the taste, carb is just an afterthought and can be manipulated to your own pref.  The beer shines through half flat. It is an easy 2 week grain to glass thus far and will be added to favs.
 
The SNPA clone shined at the end...I should have let it age another couple weeks.  It will be returning to the brew regiment.  I am anxious to find out it the PDG AP edges it out at the same price of 22 $/5gal. 
 
The Dunkelweizen sat at 62 for 5 days and then ramped up to 67 over 2 days.  There are mixed reviews of letting this one age a little more than the normal Hefe.  I plan on kegging at  day 10-14 and giving it a week to carb up slow.
 
 
 
 
 
There's a lot of stuff that happens while not-brewing that's time consuming, and I'm looking to improve those things in the next chapter ...
 
The keg washer is a time saver ... you really get that impression that everywhere that's clean, is sanitized ...
 
It's really doesn't do a great job of cleaning one thing after the next, but it will sanitize one thing after the next ...
 
You need the temperature of freshly poured hot water and PBW per item, especially if it has dried krausen ...
 
You can sanitize a bunch of vessels in a row with one batch of SaniClean (to not foam), after you've cleaned them using batch-per-item PBW rounds ...
 
Canned starter wort is coming, I bought a Presto I just have never pressure canned anything and need to read how (and I do pressure cook, so I'm not too worried about it) ...
 
I'm also going to get all of my kegs pre-readied and store them w/ a serving of 1.25 gal StarSan and 10 psi purge through CO2 ...
 
The night before I'll put it in it's destination in the ferm chamber to cool it down to 65F, and on brew-day I'll grab it when I start to chill the work and shake it up and turn it over and all that jazz ...
 
Because I use a refractometer and boil-sterilize my starter flask, silicone tubing, and plate-chiller in-process, I don't need any sanitizer made up on brew day ...
 
And the temperature ramping for the ferm chamber is something I'm going to program and save as a program per yeast strain ...
 
I'll just run the US-05 program starting the night before which will change the temp to 65F starting the night before, and then leave it there for the 1st 12 hrs, and then begin a smoothed ramp in .1F increments throughout the first 5 days of ferm, up to 70F ... that will free me from babysitting it after brew-day, a win for my attention span for work ...
 
The only other thing is a secondary regulator, or two ... I'm not satisfied with all kegs being on a distributor and not being able to force carb a new addition to the keezer, or even having to serve the saison and the RIS at the same psi ... I want to set the taprite at 35 psi, and to be able to handle the 4x slots individually ...
 
But yeah, I'm a little bit down on mash automation ... the controller would have been infinitely more useful if I could have programmed stepping programs there ... then it might be more useful ...
 
:CHEERS:
 
Well the S-05 is kicking.  I have not really had any bubble action in the airlock for the saved yeast.  It all fermented out and tasted good except for the tail end of the last Hefe.  I'm thinking I was overpitching with saved yeast and building it up with a starter.  
 
I still don't see a need for a stir plate.  I built one and it worked somewhat.  I never bought a flask so I didn't have a flat bottom to keep stir magnet in place.  The starter in a gallon jug always explodes.  So much so that it would pour foam out of a 2 liter flask.
 
Keg washing is a pain.  I opted to throw back to back Hefe's in the same keg.  It could of been the reason for off flavor IDK. Breaking them down and cleaning O rings makes you feel more confident.
 
The single regulator is working so far.  I have been shutting off 1 keg while bursting the other at 25 to 30 for 24 hrs.  Then playing with the valves to balance them out.  So far the kegs flow great with good carbination after 3 or 4 days.  Then they are overcarbed towards the ends.  That is probably due to short 5 ft serving lines.....IDK
 
Fermenting temps are in limbo.  The shop is 50's and the house is 64-74.  When it winter sets in the house will be more stable at 65.  I can also set up a heat chamber in the shop.  The PDG PA I brewed Sat has gone from 64-67 in one day which has been by far the most varying temps I have put fermenting through.
 
Rairdog said:
I still don't see a need for a stir plate.  I built one and it worked somewhat.  I never bought a flask so I didn't have a flat bottom to keep stir magnet in place.  The starter in a gallon jug always explodes.  So much so that it would pour foam out of a 2 liter flask.
Click to expand...
 
How are you keeping the starter yeast in budding mode, and from going into fermentation mode ... if you aren't oxygenating the wort? ...
 
I just swirl it often.  I will probably move away from starters/saving yeast and use rehydrated S-05 for the next few APA batches.  The way I read it, anything under 1.055 probably doesn't need a starter.   
 
I just know the fermenter exploded with smack packs and S-05.  The smell was good and it instilled confidence.  I was nervous when using saved yeast with little action and weird smells.   They all fermented and fell to 1.010-1.012.  Once I get good at making easy fast turn around beer that I can drink more than a couple on a consistent basis I will move into bigger beers.  I will need more kegs/space to let them sit and enjoy in small samples along side the easy drinking beer.  1 or 2 Porters/Stouts/Big Beers and I'm full of them.  Then I switch to a lighter easy drinking beer. 
 
There is just too much conflicting information on saving yeast and I really don't want to start adding things that are out of the basic 4 of malt, water, hops and yeast.  That's just chasing more paranoia unknown's for me.  I gotta keep it simple and move up.  I'm 35 gal in since 9/15 and have not dumped a batch and enjoyed them all...but I still don't feel like I got a handle on it.
 
I mostly only like to drink the big one's, which makes it all a bit harder ...

I really don't care for most beers either, so that's both limiting and at once provides some freedom in constraint ...

Seems like it's going alright for ya to me!

:cheers:
 
It's alright....I just don't like the word dump or the thought of dumping.  Seen it in within a few of the members threads lately which makes me think.  Stay in bounds! 
 
Rairdog said:
It's alright....I just don't like the word dump or the thought of dumping.  Seen it in within a few of the members threads lately which makes me think.  Stay in bounds! 
Click to expand...
 
I drain-poured the open-ferment batch that had a solvent-like vibe w/ a side of fusels from being heated during fermentation ...
 
It was drinkable, but not enjoyable ... so I dumped it.
 
And I'll likely dump the Charliewine batch as it's cloyingly sweet, but in such a way that it literally turns my belly after sipping a few oz ...
 
Nope....so broke I can't even pay attention.  I will hamm up my Dunkelwietzen.  I has been one of the best so far.  It has that slight porter nut flavor with a hint of banana/clove.  Awesome mouthfeel and head from the Vienna and Munich combined with the wheat.    I thought I might have overdone it on the Choc/Crystal 60 since dark beers aren't my thing.  I would call it a gateway to darks....not too nutty, not too thick, not to coffee and better head/mouthfeel.  It will go on the repeat list fo sho.
 
 
Looks like a nice beer!

So, I imagine you are good on beer though, have already produced 35 gallons - right?

Will watch for the repeat ...
 
LOL, I have about 7g on tap and 5g fermenting.  I might have to go back to work in a couple weeks for beer money.  Or...take a baseball bat...I mean hit up....I mean ask legally some contractors that owe me money.  Been trying to stay mellow in my old age.
 
The neighbor a few houses down worked for the same guy after I warned him.  He got screwed as well.  Long story short....I let him try my Dunkelweitzen.  He is calatino and said it's like negro modelo but much better lol.  Then he proceeded to offer 40 bucks a case.  I told him 40 bucks would be the cost to make 10 gallons.  He looks at his wife and started speaking spanish.  I picked up a lil.  Like keg, fridge, garage, denero and por favor....lol.  It was classic!   
 
Good thing I'm a hick in IN cause this last batch of PDG PA is one of the best I've made.  Iffin I could try one of them fancy high dollar beers I might step it up.....Naw...no sense chasing a water profile and an outrageous hop expense.  I do just fine!  Just call me a mediocre brewer one step above the Sierra Navada PA and I'm ok with that.  
 
I have working on this concept for a while.  I was trying to figure out how to brew 7 - 5 gal batches for 100 bucks.  I hit the LHBS today and this is the outcome.  All double crushed.
 

 
50 # sack of Briess  2 row
18 # Briess White Wheat
1 # Muntons Crystal 60L
1 # Muntons Chocolate
 
There will be 3 wheat beers that will use 6# of Wheat and 4# of 2 row and some 60L/Choc experiment.
That leaves me with 38# of 2 row for 4 batches.
 
Hops
 
3 oz of Tett 3.9% = 1 oz per 3 batches of Wheat/Dunkel
 
Here's where I need help and am clueless
 
2 oz Columbus 17.8%
2 oz Galaxy 15.0%
2 oz Flaconers Flight 9.1%
2 oz Galena 13.9%
 
I am not stuck on a SMaSH.  I have no problem mixing up the hops and using the higher percentage for bittering and others for flavor aroma.  There will also be some left over 60L/Choc to play with in the 2 row batches.
 
Yeast
 
1 pack S -05  It will be back to back batches pitched on 1/2 =/- of previous yeast cake for the PA's
1 pack S -06  Already had...Back to back on previous yeast cakes for the wheat
 
Total was $116.92
 
 
To start of I brewed 5gal of Dunkel today
 
6 # W Wheat
4 # 2 Row
6 oz 60L
5 oz Choc
 
5.5 gal to 160f for 1 hr mash at 152....on the money
2.1 gal sparge at 170f
60 min boil and 1 oz of Tett
 
Hit an OG of 1.052....on the money.  I lowered my water from previous notes
5.25 gal in the fermenter @ 62f
 
 
 
 
 
First snow of the year to brew

 
Nice and dark

 
1.052

 
 
The next batch will be 10# 2 row.  I can play with a little 60L/Choc and the Hops from above. 
 
 
Help a fellow out with your Hop opinions.
 
 
 
 
 
Here is a spreadsheet I made to help me balance the grain bill and hops over 7 batches for my winter budget purchase.  It will be useful developing recipes and determining total grain/hops when buying grains in bulk.  It is basically on the principle of 9-11 lbs of base malt grains in the 1.045 to 1.055 OG range and 4-5 ABV range.  The winter budget purchase was based on 100's of recipes and clone kits.  Then I found the common ingredients and based those on my tastes and preference.  The later batches need some work and I'm still working on the hop schedule.  I don't need expensive hop bombs but more traditional PA's and Wheat's that will become house favorites.  When the kegerator and kegs expand I will venture out.  The don't want hoppy/heavy beers occupying a keg until there is staple beers on tap.   I can input the "start" grains and balance recipes or I can input recipes and figure out how much to buy in the "remaining".  It is balance to zero now.  If I change a recipe or hop schedule it will tell me what I need to purchase. 
 
   
 
 
I will be working on a hop schedule to interface with this once I get a better handle on the ibu calcs vs boiling times.  This is no big deal and has been done probably 100's of times and is available free on the net.  It just helps me to get my head in the numbers and repetitive process when applying to brew process.
 
I still plan to dig into this eventually, but I'm jamming on my work and trying to make Wednesday a half-day as a priority right now ...
 
:CHEERS:
 
Soon, though ...
 
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