Anybody home brew?
- Thread starter t71ford
- Start date
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
Count me in... on and off for about 3 years. I'm still doing the extracts but have been mixing various ones to play with my own "custom" flavors.
A Stout and a Pilsner together give me a nice custom Porter. I thew a pound of honey in a Lager for the wife once and thought I would add more yeast to handle the extra sugar... it fermented like crazy! She said it tasted like ear wax and wouldn't drink it....but man it packed a punch!
A Stout and a Pilsner together give me a nice custom Porter. I thew a pound of honey in a Lager for the wife once and thought I would add more yeast to handle the extra sugar... it fermented like crazy! She said it tasted like ear wax and wouldn't drink it....but man it packed a punch!
I'm an all-grainer here. I'm pretty good at the amber ales, and also the seasonal ales. I make a mean christmas brew. I would really like to start doing some pilsners and lager for S&G's. I just lack the refigeration capacity to do so. Anyone have a good easy cheap set-up for those darn bottom fermenting cold nataure yeasties?
t71ford
Over 1,000 Posts
I don't know how cheap you are looking to go, but there is a controller available to convert an old refrigerator to a lager kellar for bottom fermenting. What is your definition of cheap?
Nice job on grain mashing, by the way. That is a level of commitment I can only hope to achieve some day!
Nice job on grain mashing, by the way. That is a level of commitment I can only hope to achieve some day!
boingk
Standard gearhead.
Yeah go the fridge with temp control thing. If you set it to 10~12'C then you'll get good lagers and the fridge will cost next to nothing to run.
Red ales hey? Hmmm...might have to make one up for my next batch. I'd use the previous recipe but use Crystal instead of Munich grain and throw in about 25g Choc and 10g Black grains. That should cover it, but I'll look up a proper recipe anyway for you, twisted. The Choc Stout you're after can be done on any level - the one I'm ageing now is a Coopers Stout kit plus a Tooheys Dark Ale kit, was drinking very well when I cracked one the other month too.
Going more complex, I've got an all-grain version of the stout that I could post up when I find my brew book. You could substitute the base malts for extracts and just do a mini-mash on your stove for the specialty grains.
Cheers - boingk
Red ales hey? Hmmm...might have to make one up for my next batch. I'd use the previous recipe but use Crystal instead of Munich grain and throw in about 25g Choc and 10g Black grains. That should cover it, but I'll look up a proper recipe anyway for you, twisted. The Choc Stout you're after can be done on any level - the one I'm ageing now is a Coopers Stout kit plus a Tooheys Dark Ale kit, was drinking very well when I cracked one the other month too.
Going more complex, I've got an all-grain version of the stout that I could post up when I find my brew book. You could substitute the base malts for extracts and just do a mini-mash on your stove for the specialty grains.
Cheers - boingk
Cafe-XV750
Been Around the Block
I've been brewing for over a year now - 5gal bucket kits ... prefer mixed extract/grains rather than just extract kits - probably 5-6 different batches by now. I'm just finishing off a red ale batch and just starting to sample a REALLY dark stout that is pretty good IMO.
Every other month I throw a sample tasting for some work people ... haven't had any complaints yet (then again it is free beer!). I've been too lazy to measure alcohol content, but more than a few of the batches have been potent as they're really felt after a couple!
Every other month I throw a sample tasting for some work people ... haven't had any complaints yet (then again it is free beer!). I've been too lazy to measure alcohol content, but more than a few of the batches have been potent as they're really felt after a couple!
boingk
Standard gearhead.
This ones for you, Twisted!
Recipe for a Killkenny-style red ale:
MALTS
1.5 kg Light dried malt extract
1.5 kg Light liquid malt extract
0.3 kg Dark Crystal
0.2 kg Weyermann Caraaroma
HOPS
25 g Northern Brewer (Pellets, 9.6 AA%, 15 mins)
25 g Challenger (Pellets, 7.9 AA%, 15 mins)
25 g Goldings, East Kent (Pellets, 4.8 AA%, 5 mins)
25 g Fuggles (Pellets, 4.0 AA%, 5 mins)
YEAST
200 ml yeast starter of variety Danstar - Nottingham
Steep the grains for 30min at 68'C and sparge them once with hot tap water. Throw spent grain away and bring the liquid to the boil. Add hops at times specified. Top fermenter with 10 litres water and pour the grain liquor and hops straight in on top. Add the dry and liquid malt then top to final volume with water, after a good stir. Add yeast at desired fermentation temp (any ale variety should do, try Fermentis Safale if Danstar isn't available).
Heres the Stout (more of a Robust Porter) I promised:
MALTS
3 kg light liquid malt extract
500 g Crystal 140
350 g Chocolate Malt
200 g Roasted Malt
HOPS
60 g Goldings (Pellets, 6.0 AA%, 60 mins)
YEAST
12 g DCL Yeast S-04 - SafAle English Ale
Same method as above, although with over a kilo of grains here you'll be doing a real mini mash with at least 4 litres of water if not more like 5 or 6.
Cheers guys - boingk
Recipe for a Killkenny-style red ale:
MALTS
1.5 kg Light dried malt extract
1.5 kg Light liquid malt extract
0.3 kg Dark Crystal
0.2 kg Weyermann Caraaroma
HOPS
25 g Northern Brewer (Pellets, 9.6 AA%, 15 mins)
25 g Challenger (Pellets, 7.9 AA%, 15 mins)
25 g Goldings, East Kent (Pellets, 4.8 AA%, 5 mins)
25 g Fuggles (Pellets, 4.0 AA%, 5 mins)
YEAST
200 ml yeast starter of variety Danstar - Nottingham
Steep the grains for 30min at 68'C and sparge them once with hot tap water. Throw spent grain away and bring the liquid to the boil. Add hops at times specified. Top fermenter with 10 litres water and pour the grain liquor and hops straight in on top. Add the dry and liquid malt then top to final volume with water, after a good stir. Add yeast at desired fermentation temp (any ale variety should do, try Fermentis Safale if Danstar isn't available).
Heres the Stout (more of a Robust Porter) I promised:
MALTS
3 kg light liquid malt extract
500 g Crystal 140
350 g Chocolate Malt
200 g Roasted Malt
HOPS
60 g Goldings (Pellets, 6.0 AA%, 60 mins)
YEAST
12 g DCL Yeast S-04 - SafAle English Ale
Same method as above, although with over a kilo of grains here you'll be doing a real mini mash with at least 4 litres of water if not more like 5 or 6.
Cheers guys - boingk
tWistedWheelz
BUILT NOT BOUGHT!
Thanks boink, when I get set up again, that red will be my first one! I have not done it for years, so I am excited about it, but it will be a while before I can. Thanks again!
JustinLonghorn
No Purple Hearts, No Blue Ribbons
I have an entire book full of specialty grains/extract recipes that I have brewed. Trippels, Dubels, Ales, Hefe's, etc. Let me know if there is anything that y'all are looking for.
Swagger
Putting boot to ass since 1967!
JustinLonghorn said:
Ok.
A few years ago I had dinner in an 'Irish themed' pub.....I say it that way because let's be honest...if it ain't in Ireland...it's NOT an Irish Pub.
Just sayin'....
Anyway, I had a very nice ale called "Nelson's Creme Ale" on recommendation of the server, I found it quite good.
Medium amber color, THICK head, slightly heavy body with absolutely zero bitterness. It wasn't what I would normally go for but it fit both the evening and the meal, and while I'm a pretty dyed in the wool Guinness man I'd still like to find some, or a suitable alternative.
Anything?
