Archive for category Home Brewing
Home Brew – One for the Road ESB bottled
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing on February 4, 2012
In between studying for my Hunting License exam I bottled the ESB I made a couple weeks ago. Final gravity was right around 1.010, making this a strong 6.5% ale. My wife is due any time now so my home brewing is going to be put on hiatus until further notice.
This is one for the road.
Home Brew – Mead’s done. Beer’s done. Wine’s done.
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing on January 28, 2012
A basement full of fermented goodness.
The mead is finished enough I am happy considering how horribly stuck it was for over a week. The gravity read at 0.998 (12.3% ABV) and though it could probably drop a few more points and maybe it will, but now I am going to ignore it for the next several months.
My ESB is also finished and I am unsure if I need to rack it to prevent it from going any lower. Its gravity 1.010 (6.4% ABV). I think I will ignore this one for several weeks.
And the wine is also done. The final gravity 1.000 and I think I am going downstairs to bottle it now.
Home Brew – English Pale Ale
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing on January 22, 2012
I love making beer almost as much I love drinking it. I may have said it about the previous beer I made, but this one really is going to be the last one I make for the next several months. The kid is coming very soon and I am realistic about my ability continuing my hobbies with the newborn around. I am not complaining, just stating a fact.
One for the Road English Pale Ale
Grains/Adjuncts
- 8.5 lbs Pale Ale Malt
- 4 oz Grapenuts
- 4 oz Oatmeal, flaked
- 4 oz Toasted 2-Row and Oats
- 2 oz Maple Syrup @ 5 minutes
Hops/Herbs
- 1.0 oz Fuggle @ 45 min
- 0.5 oz Fuggle @ 30 min
- 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings @ 20 min
- 0.5 oz Fuggle @ 10 min
- 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings @ 5 min
Misc
- 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ Flame out
- 1/2 tsp Irish Moss @ 10 minutes (for clarity)
- Nottingham Ale Yeast
Procedures
- Unconditioned malt, milled once
- Brew-in-a-Bag
- Single Step Mash, ~156F-158F, 70 minutes, 4.5 gallons
- Sparge, 1.5 gallons, 170F
- 60 minute boil
- No chill
Beer Profile
- Batch Size – 4.5 gallons (Ended up being around 3.5 gallons)
- Actual OG: 1.059 (Eff: 75%), Estimated FG: 1.012 (6.5% ABV)
- IBU – ~31
Home Brew – Mead. Is. Go.
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing, Photography on January 21, 2012
You know last week I would have been happy if the mead finished at anything around 1.030 (which would have been horrifically sweet). Just took a reading and its sitting at 1.011 (11%ABV) and still fermenting like crazy. If it does not stall out over the next 7 days I think its going to hit below 1.000.
Logan’s Birthday Meads are a go!
Home Brew – Meads away.
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing, Photography on January 17, 2012
I just kept throwing nutrient and energizer at it and viola! Mead has started up again. I hope the large amount of nutrient and DAP based energizer won’t affect the final flavour of the mead, but even if it does this is going to age for a long, long time. Todays reading was 1.039. It just needs to drop 40 more points and I will be a happy-pappy.
Mother nature has bared her teeth today. Its hard to believe it was +3C on Friday and -38C (with wind) now.
Home Brew – Harpy New Year bottled
Posted by bradinator in Beer, Home Brewing on January 14, 2012
Bottled the English Bitter I made. 32 Pints, FG 1.018 (ABV – 3.5%), is beer.
Gravity is a bit higher then I wanted, but it is what it is. Next time I will mash a lower as I seem to have better luck.
Mead is still stuck. Woe is me and my First World problems.
Home Brew – Mead is stuck
Posted by bradinator in Home Brewing on January 9, 2012
Two days after adding my last nutrient addition and they gravity has not changed from 1.060. It is officially stuck.
I pitched another packet of EC-1118 in an attempt to bring it back to life, but I won’t know for a couple days. Also I have turned on a small heater to bring up the ambient temperature in the basement which can also assist in the fermentation.
Failing these I am going to need to try some more drastic measures to get the yeast going.
Update (10-Jan-12) —
Repitching the yeast and raising the temperature has had zero affect so far, but its only been less than 24 hours. I am going to start making a mead re-starter to be safe. It is going to be 1L of the mead must, 2.5g of Yeast Energizer and 2.5g of Nutrient, plus another packet of EC-1118. By tomorrow AM this should be ready to be pitched into the stuck mead and hopefully kick start it again.
Update (11-Jan-12) —
I pitched the re-starter last night right before bed. This morning their appeared to be new signs of fermentation, but without gravity readings I will have no real idea. I am just going to leave it alone until the weekend when I will check the gravity.