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Next weekend's project...
Next weekend, I'll be brewing a 5 gallon batch of Porter-style ale for my neighbors. I'll be doing the brewing outside, with the help of a natural gas line, King Cooker, 10 gallon stainless steel pots and 100ft of copper wort chiller. I'll put the beer in a 5 gallon Cornelius keg (old Coke cannister), and put CO2 on it after fermentation has been completed.
I'll post pics of the process in case anyone out there may want to take up the homebrewing hobby as it's very easy, fun and rewarding. I'll get all of the supplies at a local brewing shop this week and get the gear ready for next weekend's activities... |
Subscribed! Lots of pics, please!!
JA |
John,
Will do! I'll document the whole process. I'm doing an "extract" brew, not an all grain, just to keep the process moving. At some point, I'll do an all grain brew and document that, too. |
Yesterday's brewing project, pt 1...
I brewed 5 gallons of Porter in the backyard yesterday. It was 100 degrees and my neighbor likes a nice Porter, so I took advantage of a beautiful day to brew a batch for him. Here's the process..
The recipe... (I did a full boil...) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309698822.jpg Bittering hops... added during the boil http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309698879.jpg Aroma hops...added in last minute of boil and during cool down (wort chill) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309698931.jpg Aroma hops (my favorite!) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309698982.jpg The yeastie beasties... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309699090.jpg 10gal boiling vessel. Note the temp gauge and ballcock valve... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309699175.jpg 170 degrees and climbing. I can bring 6 gallons of water to boil in 30 min using the King Kooker and natural gas... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309699246.jpg |
pt 2...
My "brewery"...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309699898.jpg Close-up... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309699960.jpg Starting to boil... I boil for 1 hour... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309700017.jpg Specialty grains, cracked at the brew shop... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309700085.jpg Boiling! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309700154.jpg Moving along... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309700224.jpg The wort chiller. I hook up one end to the garden hose and cht cold tap water runs through the 50ft of copper tubing to cool the wort down to 76 degrees in about 30min. The hot water (output) gets put into the pool! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309700295.jpg More pics later... |
pt. 3
Malt extract and hops are boiling vigorously for 1 hour...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309704983.jpg Wort chiller cooling things down with cold tap water running through 50ft of copper tubing. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705074.jpg Cooled wort going into fermerter, the swirling provide aeration for the yeast... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705161.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705238.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705292.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705361.jpg Fermenting this AM... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309705483.jpg After the fermentation is done, I'll move the "flat" beer into a 5 gal stainless steel Cornelius keg and then put in CO2 and put into the reefer to get cold. A few days later, we'll have freshly brewed Porter ale! |
You are making me salivate, Art!! Those Cascade hops are great...they say they are mostly for aroma, but I like the citrus overtones that they impart on the beer as well. My other favorite hops are Simcoe...they give a real grapefruit finish, which is great in some of the pale/amber ales, particularly in the summer!
One question...is that fermenter plastic? Do they make glass fermenters? Just wondering if plastic does anything to the flavor? I have never brewed, but I have been thinking about it for a long time. Your "brewery" looks great!! Report back when you tap the first draft! Thanks, JA |
JA,
Yep, the primary fermenter is plastic and it was from a kit called "Mr Beer". I've used these for over 100 batches of beer and the plastic works well but just for primary and secondary short-term fermenting. For long term storage, use stainless steel or glass. Brewing is easy and can be done just about anywhere, even at the backyard pool on a hot summer day. The 10 gallon stainless steel (PolarWare) boiling vessel makes the process really easy. The ingredients cost $35 and we'll have 5 gallons of cold, carbonated Porter in a week to 10 days. I've never tasted Simcoe hops, but the "grapefruit" flavor is great, especially in a IPA. I can't drink beer (liver condition) but I like to brew for my neighbors. I'm the most popular neighbor in my area!! |
One important thing... Everything has to be very clean and you don't want to use anything abrasive, so as not to scratch the plastic and give the bacteria a place to grow....
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Pretty cool set-up Art!
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Tim,
Thanks, it works well and suits my needs. Nothing fancy... |
Awesome. I'm brewing today too. 10 gallons of my summer beer recipe (Kolsch grain bill w/orange & coriander spice and US-05 yeast). Hooray for beer! http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...p/drunk4zc.gif
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Art, the most impressive thing to me is the use of your pool. Genius finds the simple things, combines them, and...beer! Well done. |
(Time: 2:15pm. Date:7/3/11. Pavlovian effect has initiated.)
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Nice write up Art! I wish I was a little closer. I'd volunteer my services as a taste tester. :)
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Thanks, guys!
If you're going to use glass fermenters (carboys), but the straps that enable you to safely handle the big glass jug, especially when it's filled. I really like the plastic fermenters, but you MUST NOT scratch the interior plastic surface or bacteria will grow. I clean with hot water, bleach and soft cloth. Brewing is similar to reloading your own ammo, except it's not quite as detail-oriented. Brewing is a little more "relaxed" as you can do other things while the boiling is going on. I set everything up by the pool because my natural gas line is there for the pool heater. The cold water that runs through the wort chiller gets hot and it goes into the pool for a "sustainable" process! I'm going to brew a mead (fermented honey) in the fall and I'll ferment it in a stainless steel Cornelius keg. I'm saving now for the 30lbs of unprocessed, raw honey. It's expensive and I need a lot of it for 6 gallons of mead. |
The best tools I have found for handling carboys are milk crates. Still, I do not use glass. I just dropped a better bottle in my garage while sanitizing. I'm really glad those are made of plastic. If it had been a glass carboy I'd probably be bleeding out on the garage floor or at least spending the rest of the day in the ER.
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I like the braided nylon straps that completely surround the glass carboy and have handles on them, but glass and brewing do not go together for me, just too dangerous. I have more than 50 stainless steel Cormelius kegs (formerly Coke and Pepsi kegs) that I can use whenever I want.
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My "man cave" is crowded!
Fermenting like crazy... smells like beer in my garage!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309726691.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309726735.jpg |
Keep an eye on that airlock. If that clogs you are to paint the ceiling with Porter.
Have you ever tried the Bells Porter? Man, that is absolutely fantastic stuff. Im jealous of the folks in MI and the rest of the Midwest who have access to the Bells beer. That has got to be one of the best breweries in America. If I could buy beer like that I never would have started brewing. |
Shuie,
Thanks, I'm keeping the airlock clear, I think most of the active fermentation will finish today. When I was able to drink beer, I drank many a Bells, especially Two Hearted Ale, Double Chocolate Stout, Porter and Hefeweisen. I have a few bottles of a Bell's Belgian Dubbel in the basement refrigerator, aging. I met Larry Bell when I was active in the local brewer's guild and he's a very nice (but crazy) guy! He told me "you cannot add too many hops"! |
Nice! I have been wanting to do home brewing for many years. 1 1/2 years ago my wife bought me a Mr. Beer starter kit; it is still in my closet. :( I really need to take the time to learn how to do this....
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The Mr Beer kit is really pretty cool, but I never used the plastic bottles in the kit. I love the fermenter and it's easy to use and clean, just search on the Internet, there are tons of good resources out there. Homebrewing is a lot of fun and very easy to do. Some simple rules to follow and you're brewing excellent beer. you CANNOT brew in aluminum, so get a nice stainless steel kettle to brew in and you're all set.
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Thanks for the tips. I know what I have is just the starting point... I just need to get started! Mybe this will be my inspritation.
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It's a nice winter (indoor) or outdoor (spring/summer/fall) activity. It's not expensive to get started. You may have a homebrewing shop near you, like I do and that really helps. My brewing shop buddy is also a gun guy, so we always have a lot to talk about when I stop in.
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Nice post Art.
I bet it smells a little funny on a hot day like that. I like Bell's Winter White Ale the best. |
did i read that right? you brew, but you dont drink?
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No beer or any alcohol for me for the last 5 years due to a liver disease. It's under control but required substantial lifestyle change and I can't take any chances. Anything that is stressful to the liver must be avoided in my case...
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Still fermenting away....
Day 2 of the fermentation process and the batch of Porter is bubbling away and the garage smalls great!!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1309781364.jpg The family will be here today for the annual July 4th party and they will be happy to see that I'm brewing again. Next weekend I may be moving it to the Cornelius keg and getting some CO2 on it and keeping it cold in the garage reefer. We'll see.... I'll take pics of the kegging process so you guys can see how easy it really is.... Bottling the beer is the most time consuming, tedious part of the homebrewing process and kegging the beer gets rid of about 80% of the work. It costs some $ to get the gear, but once you have the gear, it makes life much easier! |
The airlock clogged, but I caught it in time. Another reason that it's better to brew outside and ferment in the garage (or basement, in the winter). Messes are easy to clean up and the SO (significant other) doesn't get mad at you...
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I used to brew my own beer many many years ago. I may have to do it again soon. I used to make about 10 cases at a time. It never lasted though. All my buds would come over and it would be gone too quick. |
that is some seriously nice krausen! I have two 1 gal carboys of mead sitting now, one will be still and one slightly bubbly. Time to bust out the brew gear and get brewing again! I love that smell in the house...good job.
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Apparently, the acids in the wort (unfermented beer) act upon the aluminum pot while the batch is boiling and it will ruin the beer. I've always used stainless steel boiling vessels.
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This website says aluminum boiling vessels are OK, but not preferred...
Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Brew Wizard - Can you use brewpots made from other materials than stainless-steel? I have only used stainless steel but I know a few guys who tried aluminum and the beers often acquired an "off taste" that can best be described as "metallic" and they switched to stainless steel and no more problems. |
Fermentation has slowed down quite a bit but it smells like beer and I'm getting one big bubble in the airlock every 2 seconds.
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Very cool! I've brewed ginger ale with real ginger root in it., apricot ale, cherry wheat, Berlinerweisse, porters, stouts, just about everything but strawberry beer!
Fermentation is almost complete, so we'll be able to put the beer in the keg this weekend. A little CO2, some time in the reefer and it will be ready to drink (but not for me). |
Into the keg!
The beer stopped fermenting the other day, so we moved it to the 5 gallon Cornelius keg (Coke container) , put CO2 on it and put it in the man cave reefer to get cold. It will be ready to drink tomorrow... The process went so quickly that I forgot to take pictures!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1310241733.jpg |
The keg is cold and it's been on CO2 for over 12 hours now, so my neighbors will taste test the beer this afternoon...
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