What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[jt]

I was pleased with the Windsor in the pale. Stopped at 1010 down from 1033 so a nice 3% quaffer
Seems to be quite good on the hop front too
The plan was to repitch it into a Lil darkie, trouble was the dry hops, couldn't seperate the yeast from them
The North Welly Technical Unit (aka Chris) managed to, but I've gone with an order on Joe for some more

So Lil Darkie with Windsor coming up in the next week or two.

[Martin Bridges]

Brewed a nice Imperial American Brown Ale on Saturday. OG of 1.072, lots of late Cascade & Centennial. Got my whirpool running nicely so lovely clean wort into the fermenter. Bubbling away frantically this morning with a beautiful aroma coming out of the fermenter.

[Ralph]

Brewing a NZPA at the moment. Mostly NZ Cascade and Nelson Sauvin for hopping. Using yeast I washed from a previous brew and it is bubbling away hard out! Fermentor cabinet smells beautiful.

 

How much hop aroma do you think gets lost out the airlock during the ferment?? It does smell like quite a wack, but I guess there is not really any way around this?

[JoKing]

You lose heaps. Some yeasts more than others... the best way to retain your hop aroma is to throw a handful in the day after it starts fermenting. It's dry hopping as usual... just at a different stage in fermentation. I did a few trials with it - and like the process. The hops churn around in there heaps while its fermenting, and drop out with the yeast when it finishes up. It doesn't add any time to your regular ferments, but adds some bright hop notes - similar to post ferment dry hopping.

[Ralph]

Interesting! Might have to chuck another handful of hops in there in a day or two, post the hard out ferment... thanks Joe. The yeast wash was originally a packet of Danstar Nottingham from you... 

 

Maybe in future I will save my dry hopping until after most of vigorous ferment??

[JoKing]

Flip - Nottingham finishes out in like 3 - 4 days...

 

The whole reason why I like this method is because of the churning action of the fermentation. The contact time would be as much as 3 times more than idle floaties. Obviously the drawbacks are that it makes it difficult to re-use yeast. I don't do it for every beer - like in my IIPA's I do a series of post ferment dry hoppings, just because of the extra brightness that you get. But for a quick batch of APA that you wanna hit 2 weeks after you pitch the yeast, it's ideal.

 

 

[jt]

Flip - Nottingham finishes out in like 3 - 4 days... ... and clear too. Also nicer on the hops and less estery than S04.

But Windsor nudging ahead of Notts for my money

[Ralph]

Windsor was going to be my next yeast to try out... unless I happen to get up and running with some liquid yeast/starters/stir plates etc....

 

Oh so many things to brew and only so much time and space in my fermenting cabinet!!

[jt]

I'd say give them both a go, they're really good alternatives to '05 and '04

[JoKing]

I'd listen to JT - he makes awesome beer.

[Ralph]

 JoKing 9 hours ago

Flip - Nottingham finishes out in like 3 - 4 days...

 

Seems to have ripped through the current ferment in about 48 hours!! It was bubbling way harder than any other brew I have done...

[Michael van Wijk]

Hey Jo, interesting idea... do you advocate replacing dry hopping once fermentation has finished with this method?

I have heard that commercial brewers sparge co2 from the bottom of the fermenter to circulate the hops through the beer for dry hopping. I can't do that but would this method kinda replicate that?

If using this method, what impact would active yeast have on the hop addtions? Sounds a good method to try!