brewing

Brewing again tomorrow and using the same yeast as above. Got to get the beers done before it gets hot! Imperial/Double IPA, double batch, and then shifting to lagers assuming my yeast starter is good.
 
Brewing again tomorrow and using the same yeast as above. Got to get the beers done before it gets hot! Imperial/Double IPA, double batch, and then shifting to lagers assuming my yeast starter is good.
Brew a couple gallons of a low gravity IPA so you can drink em without getting hammered....
 
It's Alive!..... Might need a blowoff hose due to this VERY active ferment.

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RU U bottling or kegging???
That krausening is beautiful.
 
Kegging most beers. Weizens and really strong beers that are meant for aging get bottled.
 
I'm really struggling to get a couple batches brewed. Still have not brewed the Pliny clone, nor the Irish Stout (quasi-Guinness). Bad...bad...bad...
 
Here’s one of my recent ones and a question for those who keg:

I have one keg (pretty sure it’s not the quick disconnect as it doesn’t happen on other kegs) that foams. I've replaced the poppet in the stem, but no real change. Any other thoughts before I just continue to replace parts? Could the dip tube have a rough edge which is providing nucleation sites for the CO2 to come out of solution? Second pic shows the foam collecting in the line after pouring one.


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Brew a couple gallons of a low gravity IPA so you can drink em without getting hammered....

Wouldn't a low gravity IPA just be a Pale Ale? :D

I guess I just don't get the fascination with trying to come up with all these different substyle names... Session IPA again is just a Pale Ale...
 
Here’s one of my recent ones and a question for those who keg:

I have one keg (pretty sure it’s not the quick disconnect as it doesn’t happen on other kegs) that foams. ...

Is the beer line temp is warmer than the beer, by chance?
 
No. I still am just using "picnic" faucets which stay inside the temp controlled freezer. The disconnect does have a threaded fitting which accepts a threaded hose barb as seen in the photo. Perhaps air is getting in sort of vacuum like and teflon tape on the threads might help. But again, it doesn't happen on other kegs IIRC, so I really don't think it's the disconnect, but occuring somewhere between where the beer enters the line from the bottom of the dip tube through the liquid out post. Problem is there's no way to test for it before carbonated beer is in the keg.
 
I know that when I put a new keg in the setup (still using picnic taps myself) I do get some foaming for longer than I'd expect until the lines, beer, etc. all normalize/equalize in temp.

But, if not that, then I'd probably look at the post o-ring or the dip tube o-ring.
 
Replaced the dip tube o-ring, added a little teflon tape to the post threads, and the post o-ring had also been replaced...no change. Only thing left to try is swapping dip tubes with another keg or swapping posts with one.
 
Check the dip tube near the top. If there’s a crack it will cause foaming. Look around where the metal has been rolled over to make the lip.
 
I don't see a crack, but thanks for the thought. I did try a post from a different keg, but ut didn't seem to make a difference. So, perhaps there is something to do with the dip tube that I can't see. I may just transfer the contents to a different keg under CO2 pressure and try a more thorough inspection. Hassle, but probably less than that of having to pour, let settle, pour...
 
Well, I did transfer to a different keg and pulled the dip tube. Though no crack, there was a little bend in one part of the rolled edge that could have been letting air in. So, I flattened it a bit to be more in the same plane with the rest of it. I'm thinking it will be the fall before I get to see whether this cured it or not. Put my last two batches in kegs yesterday, but won't get a chance to carbonate till the weekend. I don't leave CO2 lines attached, but rather rock and roll to carbonate quickly.
 
To me carbonating beer is a critical if not the most critical part of making beer. You can put almost anything in the keg and if its carbonated correctly it will taste good. Set up a pressure gauge on the keg. Use a connector to the out tube. I do not carbonate rolling it around. Too many things can happen .

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I carbonate slowly over time in 34 degree temp. It's never the same but basically set pressure at 10lbs or so for a few days, after I have shot 30+ pounds in a couple times and checking as it goes into solution.
I keep checking the beer for good carbonation and eventually just remove the CO2. Letting tank pressure push the beer.
If it needs more push I give it a shot. It pours 5-7 glasses before I have to give it more push. This way the CO2 level stays where you want it.
Controlling carbonation while connected is very difficult. As volume changes percentage of carbonation goes up if constant pressure is on. Over carbonated ie: foam. Patience is needed. Carbonating beer needs cold temps. Very cold. Rolling it on the floor is faster but quality suffers.
Your problem is probably solved by now but I was wondering, was the problem keg a different size??
 
Interesting contraption, but looks like it would put quite the side stress on the fitting.

I've always carbonated by rolling. Never had the beer quality suffer at all from doing it that way. I do let it rest a couple days afterward (at least one) before dispensing.

Today's brew is an Altbier. It's boiling away right now to "Quadrophenia". I'm trying to get all my brewing finished up for the year while the temps are still relatively cool and the water temp (for the chiller) is nice and cold. Brews completed:

Kolsch
Helles
N. German Pils (double batch)
Belgian Witbier
Maerzen
Dunkel

I still want to brew an IPA or Imperial, but need a different yeast than what I've been using currently.
 
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Last batch to use up the malt. A little darker than planned due to the amount of Munich malt I had left, so it may be more of an Imperial Amber Ale and Imperial lager. I'll split the batch between the two yeasts I have to see the differences. Legacy hops (FWH), German Northern Brewer as the main bittering hop, then Columbus for flavor and aroma. O.G is expected about 1.081, so a beer to lager all summer and then sip during the cooler autumn and winter weather.
 
Fired up the brewery last week while the water temp is still cold (for the wort chiller) and there's not as much wild yeast in the air. split batch of Tripel and Pale Ale ( post boil added some extra Rock Candy to the Tripel portion and some steeped Crystal to the Pale Ale portion). Fermented the Tripel with Safale BE-256, and the Pale Ale with Nottingham. Haven't been able to find my favorite White Labs European Ale yeast (WLP011), so have been experimenting again with dry yeasts for the convenience). Brewed a Stout today to rack on to the yeast cake from the Pale. Here it is AFTER chilling in my beer fridge to 58 F! Going like gangbusters. Added the blow-off tube since it's just a wee bit active right now. :D

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