Posted on 02/01/2016 4:50:31 PM PST by markomalley
What are you drinking tonight for the caucuses?
As for me, I'm working on a Vienna Lager that I just tapped a couple of days ago. Lagered for 3 months.
Recipe:
Primary for a week in the 50s. Then into the keg and in the back of the fridge for 3 months. Turned out smooth.
How about you all? What are you imbibing to help pass the time this caucus evening?
Long Island Teas (multiple)
A barley wine is on my list to brew. Never made one. I did recently brew a Thomas Hardy’s Ale clone. It’s supposed to be an Old Ale style but has a barley wine original and terminal gravity. We came a bit low at 1.095 (should have been 1.105). We used a old ale yeast from Wyeast. It has some Brett in it to get that ‘age funk’ thing going on. I keg everything else, but will bottle that one for the cellar. We’ll see how it is in about a year!
Sounds yum... I last brewed. Going all electric. Hope to be back up soon.
I lust after an all electric system, but $$$.
Growlers are typically 64 Oz bottles, grunts are 32 ounce bottles, filled at your local brewery. I like the half gallon size as it is just enough for 4 pints which is perfect for my wife and I.
Well here in south weather sucks..esp summer...humid hot rain. Got tired after a couple years and last summer built up basement to accommodate. Best decision ever. So much time saved vs propane.
Three fingers of George T Stagg (Jr.)
Got a keg (6 gallon) of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA for the Superbowl. It worked well tonight too. That and a keg of Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout. Fortunately Cruz came out ok, so I still have some left over for next weekend. :)
Buffalo Trace,
American Bourbon.
Thank you.
Thank you. I’ve learned something from you guys today.
Took a little sample of it with a wine thief. Good flavor, dry as I wanted it, but still has too much yeast in solution. (Trouble is with Cotês des Blancs yeast is that it has low flocculation). Hopefully more will drop during secondary; if not, I'll fine it with some gelatin when I keg and cold condition.
I've used champagne yeast (like EC-1118) before with good results. I wanted to try thie Cotê des Blancs to see if it would dry out just a little less. (It did... 0.998 vs 0.996 on avg with champagne yeast LOL)
As for the Chitosan and Kieselsol, not being a wine maker, I've never used the two (always associated the two with wine rather than beer). What would concern me with trying something new like that is if they are so effective that they'd counter the effects of the dry hopping I'm doing. Have you ever used the two with a dry-hopped beer?
I've always used Gelatin with good results in the past, that's why I plan to use it this time.
BTW, I noted that there was a special on unfiltered apple cider at the Ft Myer Commissary ($2.25 /gallon). I usually only do ciders a couple of times a year, but with that kind of price, I may have to adjust my plans LOL.
Biofine is a powdered preparation of purified isinglass (a type of collagen), isolated from the swim bladders of tropical fish. At the pH of beer, the collagen of Biofine has a positive charge which reacts with the negatively charged yeast cells and suspended solids, prompting flocculation. This accelerates the sedimentation process and produces a more compact, clearly delineated sedimentary layer at the bottom of the beer. The collagen binds with the yeast and other colloidal material in the beer, and is removed with the sediment. It does not remain in the beer. Biofine treatment makes clarifying beer quick and easy, significantly improves chill haze stability, and can also improve head retention in some beers.
0.5 ounces of powder makes enough solution for 100 gallons of beer. The solution is temperature sensitive, mix below 40F and store below 60F. There is a stabilized premixed product, Isinglass Liquid, requiring only a drop per 5 gallons, about 48 hours before bottling.
I've used the stabilized liquid Isinglass before, but the rate was considerably higher (2 ounces per 5 gal). Honestly, I wasn't any more impressed by it than good old gelatin. I haven't ever tried the powder before, but I will look into it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.