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

[Dougal]

Yep, starting to wish I had too ;)

Got curious and found this, which seems to show that:

a.) acetic acid in solution does evaporate at lower boiling temps than 118C

and

b.) really smart people make chutney.

 

[jt]

b.) really smart people make chutney.

 

But just to prove you wrong - I made a batch of red capsicum chutney during the week ;-)

[Dougal]

I'm pretty sure beer cancels the effect :)

[jt]

I'm pretty sure beer cancels the effect :)

 

possible, there was an ale accompanying the chutney

[Llew Bardecki]

I was originally planning on using S05, but then on the way to the fruit and veggie market today I was listening to a podcast about kvass where they discussed fermenting with bread yeast.  

They talked about how the fact that it's produced under less sanitary conditions means that it may end up with a few interesting wild yeasts and bacteria mixed in in small quantities.

I've made a few decent beers (mostly spiced beers) with bread yeast myself, so was considering giving it a shot here too. 

Though upon reflection, that's just one more variable added, and might not really be the thing to do for a first batch.  I probably will end up going with the S05.

[denimglen]

Fair enough.  At the end of the day there's no reason that bread yeast won't work, I just believe bread yeast is made to make bread and beer yeast for beer :-P

 

The thing I've found with bread yeast is that it seems to give everything a bready flavour, not a yeasty or wheaty flavour but something else I attribute to white bread for some reason, just not something I'm looking for in a BW.

[Llew Bardecki]

Just bottled the Berliner (along with a coffee porter) last night.

It had what looked like a pellicle on top of the fermenter, which was surprising, given that it was boiled for 15 minutes and had only been in the fermenter for about 18 days.  Perhaps this is just what Sacchromyces can look like if it ferments at a way low pH?  I wish I'd taken a photo to post here!

The beer itself was a very pale straw colour and hazy.  It had a lemony acidic smell, with a faint "cheesy" aroma (from the lactobacillus in the sour mash?) along with some fruitiness (probably from the US-05, which fermented on the warm side.)
I forgot to measure final gravity until after I'd added the priming sugar.  It measured 1.010 after adding 100g of sucrose to 10L of beer, which suggests that it finished around 1.006, and 3.4% ABV.

Tasted beautifully, cleanly sour with no barnyard funk at all.  Maybe like a 3:1 mix of water and lemon juice.  Had a nice grainy flavour that came on after the sourness faded from your mouth.

I'm very pleased with how this came out, and am really looking forward to trying it again once it's carbed up.

[Dave W]

Just starting the sterilising process for my next brew, an extract based (don't have the gear at the mo to do a grain mashup) American Amber Ale which is going to christen my new 60L stainless steel fermenter. :-D

 

First attempt at an amber ale, couldn't find a decent extract only recipe on the web so I'm winging it, here's what I have planned;

20l Batch

Using unhopped Black Rock Amber extract and Blond extract (total 3kg),

45grm Williamette @ 60min

15 grm  Cascade @15min

15grm Williamette dry hop

15grm Cascade dry hop.

Safale US-05 yeast

And water from the Petone aquifier.  :o)

[jt]

Only 20 litres in a 60 litre fermenter - sounds like you're being cautious there Dave ?

[Dave W]

Partly that, partly the size of my budget this week.

[jt]

Yea, 60 litres would equate to $90 of extract ?

I can understand that !

[Dave W]

Like a dumb arse  I got distracted and did check the OG last night.

Just checked it now and its a stupid high 1082?????

What the hell!?!?!?!?!