Brewnaldos brewday

[Brewnaldo]

This sounds good - anything that makes bottling day a bit easier !

Almost a pleasure may be just a touch of poetic licence..... But you know.... It was less horrific!

As you are here.... Can you remind me of your festbier fermentation temperature

 

[DocAnna]

Almost a pleasure may be just a touch of poetic licence..... But you know.... It was less horrific!

As you are here.... Can you remind me of your festbier fermentation temperature

I've been avoiding bottling just recently, though have a whole load to do for my son coming up .

The festbier was fermented outside early new year in the back shed, with the temperature stable over all but day 3 or 4, temperature was 9 to 11 deg, though on one day it went up to about 14 deg briefly I think. I realise that's a bit lower than the CML Hell yeast normal fermentation temperature but I was aiming to really keep a lid on the fermentation, keep it slow. After I think about 3 weeks I brought it in and warmed to 18 deg before lagering. Interestingly I've recently made a modification of the same festbier using Red X malt and it's not clearing with lagering as expected, so I'm thinking of taking it back up to 18 deg again for a couple of days for another diactyl rest and then cool back to 0.1 deg which is where it is at the moment.

Anna

 

[Brewnaldo]

I've been avoiding bottling just recently, though have a whole load to do for my son coming up .

The festbier was fermented outside early new year in the back shed, with the temperature stable over all but day 3 or 4, temperature was 9 to 11 deg, though on one day it went up to about 14 deg briefly I think. I realise that's a bit lower than the CML Hell yeast normal fermentation temperature but I was aiming to really keep a lid on the fermentation, keep it slow. After I think about 3 weeks I brought it in and warmed to 18 deg before lagering. Interestingly I've recently made a modification of the same festbier using Red X malt and it's not clearing with lagering as expected, so I'm thinking of taking it back up to 18 deg again for a couple of days for another diactyl rest and then cool back to 0.1 deg which is where it is at the moment.

Anna

Lovely thank you. I will probably aim for 11 degrees I think, two packs of CML Hell and wel see what this ferminator is capable of for fermentation then maybe lagering, although its getting on towards cold enough not to have to worry about that

 

[DocAnna]

Lovely thank you. I will probably aim for 11 degrees I think, two packs of CML Hell and wel see what this ferminator is capable of for fermentation then maybe lagering, although its getting on towards cold enough not to have to worry about that

It was pitched at about 15 deg but the first night dropped quickly to 9 before recovering to 11 deg. Interestingly this was less temperature controlled than many of my brews, but was kept properly cold throughout. I'm keen to try to replicate this in future similar brews, ferment cold and slow over at least three weeks.

 

[Brewnaldo]

It was pitched at about 15 deg but the first night dropped quickly to 9 before recovering to 11 deg. Interestingly this was less temperature controlled than many of my brews, but was kept properly cold throughout. I'm keen to try to replicate this in future similar brews, ferment cold and slow over at least three weeks.

Well youl be more than welcome to a return bottle of mine to see how it stacks up

 

[Brewnaldo]

Having not done a proper cold ferment for a long time this one is messing with my mind... Been leaving it well alone but today I moved all my brew stuff onto a new table ( ) and took a sample. Popped the hydromer in and it went to 1.011 so I nipped out and set the temp to 18 for a diacetyl rest. Then when I came back it was up at 1.030. Panic took me outside where I set it back to 12.5 then set about considering my options for a stuck ferment (bear in mind at this point the previous only sample was at 1.020 several days ago )

The hydrometer has since settled back at 1.014. I will allow it to come fully up to room temp before making a call on the D rest, but I did not enjoy that period of uncertainty at all

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

The hydrometer has since settled back at 1.014. I will allow it to come fully up to room temp before making a call on the D rest, but I did not enjoy that period of uncertainty at all

Good tip - I shall watch out for that

 

[Brewnaldo]

In a fit of excitement I now have not one but two batches of grain/hops lined up, on the basis that having this ferminator affords me the ability to have 2 temp controlled beers on the go, provided one of them ferments above ambient (I only have a heat source plugged into my inkbird. So next up will be a wheat beer which will comfortbaly not need any cooling in October, and then a Perle Pilsner inspired by Foxbat once the current Festbier has had a couple of weeks at lagering temps.......

However, with this comes a shortage of fermenting buckets...... I can certainly make use of my fermentasaurus for the warmer brews, but I need to keep a bottling bucket handy, and I do tend to use at least 2 FVs during the course of a brewday...... So can anyone advise the cheapest source of the bog standard, 25l buckets? I usually get the Brew2Bottle ones but they are sold out. A lot of places seem to be charging through the nose IMO

 

[jof]

Check the map and see if there is anyone close by that you could borrow one from?

 

[Brewnaldo]

Check the map and see if there is anyone close by that you could borrow one from?

I dont mind buying one or two, I actually would quite like to replace one that i've had since day 1 as I believe in replacing the plastic cold side stuff before it gets too old...... Just wondered if I was missing a decent vendor of them because b2b seem to be a wee bit cheaper than everywhere else then it all gets a bit more expensive than id like for plastic bins

 

[DocAnna]

I've spare fermenters at the moment if you were looking for one at the moment - I've several actually not in use so you'd be welcome to have one donated if you'd like and I could drop off next time I'm at FVRH?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Check out the “hard wearing buckets” (or possibly ‘hard working’?) on Amazon

 

[Brewnaldo]

I've spare fermenters at the moment if you were looking for one at the moment - I've several actually not in use so you'd be welcome to have one donated if you'd like and I could drop off next time I'm at FVRH?

Thats a very kind offer Anna much appreciated. It's ok though it's not neccesarily urgent, just occurred to me that I might have need and noticed B2B were out of stock.

That said, I will happily co-ordinate a cup of tea and chat with your work schedule once I have a festbier bottled I can give you. It was yourself that inspired it after all.......

 

[moto748]

35 quid for a bucket?!

You're 'avin' a laugh!

 

[Brewnaldo]

35 quid for a bucket?!

You're 'avin' a laugh!

Thats for 5 buckets tbf to TETB tbf.... tbh

 

[Brewnaldo]

Kegged my festbier today. Filled the wee 5l keg and the rest went into the 20l keg with some 2 part finings and now both are pressured up with CO2. Really excited to try this one as its my first go with the ferminator and proper, close to 0 lagering.

The only real learning from this one is that the ferminator works a little faster than the blurb says which is pleasing, and my method of taping the probe to the FV needs work! Stability wise it was fine, but I think based in limited observation of my diacetyl rest, a ferment which is above ambient may be a bit swingy, which will require some playing with the probe placement.

Thats the weeks easy job done. Hard job now fonding time to brew a weissbier and a pilsner.....

 

[Brewnaldo]

Sneaked a wee sample today.... Carbing a good 2 or 3 days off despite the head, and the finings still.have soke work to do but a few days lying in garage should cure those.... Pretty happy with the colour and flavour though. Hoping the 5 litre keg carbs up a bit faster as I am itching to to try a proper fizzy pint of this...

 

[Brewnaldo]

Weissbier brewday currently underway. Nice and easy, nothing complicated today. Equal parts of wheat and pilsner, Herkules at 60 and 10 to about 14 IBU, Wyeast 3068. Returned to a basic dunk sparge today to save some time as I was a hit late in getting started.

Think I will ferment this one at about 21 and just keep it there. My notes from last time indicate maybe a wee bit too much banana flavour, so I think no ramp up this time around for a comparison

 

[Brewnaldo]

Left the tap on my keg lastnight, which shouldnt be a problem obviously.... Went into the garage today to find beer all over the floor, and the tap leaking from inside the ball lock.

Livid. Lost a good few litres I think

 

[Brewnaldo]

Just got offered a free undercounter fridge. Pleasing. Probably dont need to conveet it to a fermentation chamber considering I have my ferminator now, but it will be handy to be able to lager for long durations without tying up the ferminator. A program of 1 lager fermenting and 1 lagering at all times would be about the Ideal I would think....

It may find its was to being a kegerator eventually though.