Beer is a BITCH

[fizzix]

Distilling.
Been distilling a tad over a year, with a 100% success rate.

Beer brewing.
Been beer brewing since February, with a 9 of 12 success rate, or 75%.

Beer is a BITCH

That's all.
Carry on.

[dieselduo]

And a hell of a lot more work

[Twisted Brick]

Too many steps, you have to sanitize everything, and worst of all... you can drink it in a 10th of the time it takes to make it.

[seamusm53]

My son who is a very good brewer bought me a copper still for my 60th. He works way harder than I do and for much smaller production volumes. On the other hand he isn't waiting months and longer to drink what he makes. So we share.

[kiwi Bruce]

BEER...nectar of the Clod's !
If I'm not drinking it ten days after I pitch my yeast, I've done something wrong. That said...I've been keg brewing and force CO2 feeding for two decades. I used to AG brew and went back to 1/2 and 1/2 because it's ten times faster and I can't tell the difference...and I'm the only one I have to please. I've had bad luck in the past with "Helles" style German lagers, so I switched to APA's which are almost as good. I brew the best Irish Stout I've ever tasted and one of the best IPA's. Remember K.I.S.S. brewing isn't Rocket Surgery...and keep good notes
BUT...you need to brew beer (if your not from NZ) everything but I mean EVERYTHING ! that we use in this hobby can pass as some part of homebrewing, it's the perfect camo for stilling. Figure out a code for everything you do stilling and keep your notes in your beer brewing book, that way if something should go wrong and the Peelers show up at your door, your lawyer will have a far better chance of getting you the "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.
just saying...if our ancestors could brew good beer four millennia ago, with none of the modern tools and knowledge we have to day, I think you should be able to too !
Don't give up, try and brew a simple APA, all extract or 1/2 and 1/2, three times in a row. learn from your mistakes...it does get easier and the rewards are well worth it...Kiwi

[nuncaquite]

Kiwi, could you elaborate a bit more on this 1/2 and 1/2 brewing, or put me onto a forum that can instruct?
thks

[dieselduo]

The homebrew talk forum will have that info

[still_stirrin]

Kiwi, could you elaborate a bit more on this 1/2 and 1/2 brewing, or put me onto a forum that can instruct?
thks

Sorta’ like UJSSM....grains are added (steeped) for added flavor, but the fermentables are from malt extract (either liquid or dry, or both). It saves the time (and equipment) investment of doing a full grain mash.

A lot of homebrewers start out this way, because of the simplicity. But, you won’t have the control of the flavor or texture that you would if doing a full grain mash. It’s like painting a picture “by the numbers” instead of using your own artistry talents.
ss

[nuncaquite]

I find this interesting. I dont even drink much beer, but its interesting. Feel like Ive got to try it.
Thanks for the info.

[zach]

I've been brewing about the same time as Fizzix with 4/5 successful brews. The one batch that was not a complete success ended up a kettle sour when I had a 18 hours mash. Still had a number of people that liked sour. Beer.

[kiwi Bruce]

Kiwi, could you elaborate a bit more on this 1/2 and 1/2 brewing, or put me onto a forum that can instruct?thks

Yes, give me a day or two and I will, I may have to start a new tread

I find this interesting. I dont even drink much beer, but its interesting. Feel like Ive got to try it.Thanks for the info.

Got to give it a go...unless you hate beer

Sorta’ like UJSSM....grains are added (steeped) for added flavor, but the fermentables are from malt extract (either liquid or dry, or both). It saves the time (and equipment) investment of doing a full grain mash.
Yes and No but I'll elaborate
A lot of homebrewers start out this way, because of the simplicity. But, you won’t have the control of the flavor or texture that you would if doing a full grain mash. It’s like painting a picture “by the numbers” instead of using your own artistry talents.

Along the right lines but without giving up on the flavor control and the artistry. It's actually a mini mash using grains for 1/2 the fermentables

[The Baker]

kiwi Bruce said, 'Yes, give me a day or two and I will, I may have to start a new tread'....

As the old rooster said to the young cock....

Geoff

[fizzix]

"Hijack" away, Kiwi.
I've said my peace and if you can add some tips, I'm all for it.

[kiwi Bruce]

Part One...P.D.Q. Brewing Procedure.
Pick your brewing day, lets say it's next Saturday...on Monday night sterilize your carboy/fermenter, cork/ stopper and bubbler. I still use 2 fluid ozs of household bleach in 5 gal of water, you can use any of the iodine/safe sterilizers you like. Give everything a clean rinse and setup your carboy with the stopper and bubbler...put vodka in the bubbler and not water. (Time :- ½ hour )
Each evening boil some of your brewing water, tap water if your home supply isn't too hard, bottled spring water or a mix of the two if it is, but you MUST boil all your brewing water and have if cooled to room temp before your start to brew, doing a little each evening is just more convenient. Put the boiled water, when it's cooled, into your carboy and keep it closed up. (Total Time over several nights :-1 hour)
Wednesday night or three days before brew-day, boil a heaped teaspoon of malt extract in 8 fluid oz of your brew water, let it cool to room temp and put it into a sterilized preserving jar. At the same time rehydrate your yeast USING YOUR BOILED BREW WATER ONLY ( Important...don't use the malt extract water to do this) Let the yeast sit of 15 to thirty minutes and add it to the cooled extract solution, and let it start to work. (Time :- ½ hour)
Friday night or the day before brew-day, take two gals of your brewing water and heat to 155 F, while this is heating take all your ground grains and adjuncts for the beer your going to brew the next day, add a cup full of warm brew water and mix the grains with the water. This will make sure there are no dry chumps in your grains. Preheat your oven to low, mine is set to 170 F, when the water temp reaches 155 F add your grain/adjunct mix give it a quick stirr and put it in the low heated oven for 1 hour, then turn off the heat but leave it in the oven overnight. (Time :- 1 hour)
Saturday Brew-day. You should have 3 gals of boiled, cold brew water in your carboy, and a jar full of vigorously working yeast. Heat 2 quarts of brewing water to near boiling. Pour the liquid and the grains through a large sieve into your boiler and wash the grains with the hot brewing water, this is just a rinse, not a full sparge. Give your spent grains to your hens. You should have 2 gals of thin wort. To this add the extract and bittering Hops raise the heat and SIMMER (not a full rolling boil) for an hour, then add the aroma Hops and turn the heat off. Let the pot sit with a lid on it and cool down to a safe handling temp, but it can still be quite hot. Use a sterilized funnel and pour the hot wort into the cold water in the carboy, adjust your volume to 5 gal if needed, check the temp and pour off enough liquid to get a Starting Gravity reading (O.G.) If it's low, pour off some wort and adjust with extract. When the temp is safe, and that should be now, pitch your yeast and put on the stopper and bubbler, clean up. (Time :- 3 hours)
Notes :- the hot wort splashing into the cold brew water is enough oxygenation, don't shack the carboy up any more than that.
If you used pellet hops they'll settle out as the yeast drops, if you used flower bittering hops you can sieve these out as you pour the liquid into the carboy, however leave the aroma hops in the beer if you can.
Next up...when the ferment stops.

[still_stirrin]

...three days before brew-day, boil a heaped teaspoon of malt extract in 8 fluid oz of your brew water, let it cool to room temp and put it into a sterilized preserving jar. <— great tip...this is an “experienced” beer brewer’s recommendation. Newb’s pay attention.

At the same time rehydrate your yeast USING YOUR BOILED BREW WATER ONLY ( Important...don't use the malt extract water to do this) Let the yeast sit of 15 to thirty minutes and add it to the cooled extract solution, and let it start to work.<— again, experience here talking. You DON’T need to rehydrate the dry yeast in a sugar solution. In fact, it causes undue osmotic stresses on the already fragile yeast cell walls....just use water, preferrably body temperature too (that’s where yeast thrive).

...take all your ground grains and adjuncts for the beer your going to brew the next day, add a cup full of warm brew water and mix the grains with the water....Preheat your oven to low[/b, mine is set to 170 F, when the water temp reaches 155 F add your grain/adjunct mix give it a quick stirr and put it in the low heated oven for 1 hour, then turn off the heat but leave it in the oven overnight.<— OK, you’ve got my attention. This is a completely new process to me, but I LOVE the sound of it.

Saturday Brew-day:
You should have 3 gals of boiled, cold brew water in your carboy, and a jar full of vigorously working yeast.
1) Heat 2 quarts of brewing water to near boiling. Pour the liquid and the grains through a large sieve into your boiler and wash the grains with the hot brewing water, this is just a rinse, not a full sparge.
2) Give your spent grains to your hens. You should have 2 gals of thin wort. To this add the extract and bittering Hops raise the heat and SIMMER (not a full rolling boil) for an hour, then add the aroma Hops and turn the heat off.
3) Let the pot sit with a lid on it and cool down to a safe handling temp, but it can still be quite hot.
4) Use a sterilized funnel and pour the hot wort into the cold water in the carboy, adjust your volume to 5 gal if needed, check the temp and pour off enough liquid to get a Starting (original) Gravity (OG) reading. If it's low, pour off some wort and adjust with extract. When the temp is safe, and that should be now, pitch your yeast and put on the stopper and bubbler, clean up. <— Beautiful...I’ve got to try this process. I’ve brewed all grain for 30+ years and I just learned a new method. Thanks Kiwi..

...Note — If you used pellet hops they'll settle out as the yeast drops, if you used flower bittering hops you can sieve these out as you pour the liquid into the carboy, however leave the aroma hops in the beer if you can.
Next up...when the ferment stops.<— personally, I much prefer whole hops over pellets. Much more delicate on their contribution. But, to each...their own.

[kiwi Bruce]

Part 2 P.D.Q. Brewing Procedure.
After five to seven days the ferment will slow down and stop, using a siphon starter AND NOT YOUR MOUTH, rack the beer over into another clean sterilized carboy. If it's cloudy, warm 4 fluid oz of water and dissolve a packet of flavorless gelatin (hot but don't boil or it won't work) add this to the beer and leave over night.
Keg beer. using a siphon starter AND NOT YOUR MOUTH, rack the beer over into clean sterilized keg, hook up the CO2 and set it on 20 psi. Sit the keg on your knees and lifting one leg at a time gently rock the keg for 10 minutes. Put it into your beer fridge over night still on 20psi CO2. Next day it's ready to drink. Lower the keg pressure to under 5 psi, wait 15 minutes for the beer and the head space to come into balance, around 6 psi, and serve.
Bottle Beer...clean, sterilize and rinse around 40 X 16 oz bottles, add the correct amount of corn sugar per bottle and siphon using a starter AND NOT YOUR MOUTH, fill the bottles with beer, cap and wait 10 days to sample. When ready cool and serve.
Next up...an AP (American Pilsner) and how to make it.

[kiwi Bruce]

Brew an A.P. (American Pilsner)
This style of beer is the most popular beer drunk in North America. It's a lightly Hopped, golden yellow beer with a light malt and grain flavor, that's quite low in alcohol content, and it's served very cold. It's the idea beer for a long, hot summers afternoon with friends or after you've just mowed the lawn.
Ingredients :-
Brewing water :- has to be very soft, use bottle spring water if you have too (boil all brewing water)
Friday night mash
2 lbs of pale malt
2 X 4oz cups of corn flakes (use a good name brand)
Brew day
1.5 lbs corn sugar
1.5 lbs light malt extract (liquid or dry)
6 oz Maltodextrin
Hops :- 1 oz of Cascade in the boil
½ oz of Cascade for flavoring
Yeast, use a dry lager yeast like Diamond Lager Yeast from Danstar. Ferment this at the low end of ale brewing temp around 60 F
O.G 1.035 F.G, 1.006 ABV = 3.6%
Notes :- for a more Bud style beer add 3 packets stevia or saccharin sweetener at the end of the boil.
For a more Coors style, add 4 oz of malted Rye to the Friday night mash, change the corn flakes to flaked rice and the Hops to Tettnang or Saaz
Lite or Light beer...increase the Brew day Hops to 1.5 oz in the boil and 1 oz flavoring ( and 4 packets of sweetener for that style) At bottling or kegging time, add two gals of preboiled brewing water.
Next up, A.P.A. (American Pale Ale)

[nuncaquite]

Thks for following up on this.

[6 Row Joe]

Thanks Kiwi, great recipes. I have been brewing for a couple years now but I have not gotten into a all grain yet. I started with a Mr. Beer kit and a Lager mix and worked my way to a 2 hops kit of American wheat from Midwest supplies. I have done Orange Shandy, Canadian Blonde, and American Ale. Nothing fancy but all were very drinkable. Kits are a great place to start.

[fizzix]

Appreciate this, kiwi Bruce.
I'm in for the long haul as I just received my maltodextrin jumbo bottle.

About 16 boils worth.

[kiwi Bruce]

Brew an A.P.A. (American Pale Ale)
This style of beer is becoming more popular in North America. It's a well Hopped, yellow to amber red beer with a strong malt and subtle grain flavor, with a medium alcohol content, it's served in bottles and on draught. It's a good substitute to an A.P. And a good all year drinking beer.
Ingredients :-
Brewing water :- can be moderately hard, use bottle spring water and hard tap water mix (boil all brewing water)
Friday night mash
2 lbs of pale malt
1 lb of crystal malt
½ lb of rye malt
Brew day
4 lbs amber malt extract (liquid or dry)
8 oz Maltodextrin
Hops :- 2 oz of Cascade or similar low alpha hop in the boil
1 oz of Tettnang, hallertau or saaz for flavoring
Yeast, use Nottingham Ale Yeast from Danstar. Ferment this at normal ale brewing temp.
O.G 1.05 F.G, 1.015 ABV = 4.6%
Notes :- the rye malt givers this beer a very dry finish that promotes the hops.
If you prefer a brew with a less dramatic hop taste substitute the rye malt for 2 cups of corn flakes or flaked rice.
Next up, I.P.A. (American India Pale Ale)

[Wolfairious]

Been beer brewing for several years. Started with Mr Beer Kit. Moved to all extract on the stove, then to 1/2 and 1/2 as you call it (extract with grains). Got a Turkey burner and "graduated" to a keg boiler. Finally started all grain mashing in a cooler. Built my own 3 tier, 2 burner stand and eventually added pumps to it. Finally built my own 3 vessel 15 gallon all electric EHERMS PID controlled brew rig. Started Kegging after my 1st extract kit. I have changed a lot of equipment out (chillers, boil kettles, mash tuns and filters). Add to that my stir-plates and lab glass for growing yeast and my yeast "bank" in the fridge. I even grow my own hops now (6 different varieties, 14 plants). Add to that Fermentation chambers and controllers and I have a lot into my beer brewing. 4-5hrs for a 10 gallon brew day is the norm with clean-up. Everything has to be just right. Hit this temp exactly for the mash and hold it there for an hour, boil for this long and add hops at the right time. Chill to this temp and hold it there for more hops. Chill it and then ferment at just the right temp... ect ect(recommend people look into Brew-in-a-bag if they are just starting out too).

"Dad" wanted me to make him a still. why not, I have a lot of stuff that will cross over. So I built a basic 15 gal keg pot still with a 18" column and a liebig condenser powered off that original Turkey Burner. After 4 (5 gallon wash) runs I am already "upgrading" that to a CCVM still. Since I built it all modular it will be easy to switch back and forth. Fermenting I use some of my older beer buckets and my Beer fermentation chamber.

WOW! is distilling 100 times less work! The sanitation requirements alone! The clean-up is so much easier too!
I agree BEER is a BITCH.

[kiwi Bruce]

Brew an I.P.A. (American India Pale Ale)
This style of beer is the most popular micro-brewed beer in North America, it accounts for 40% of production. It's a monster Hopped, amber beer with a strong malt flavor, and a relatively high alcohol content, it's served in bottles and on draught.
If you don't like a bitter, hoppy beer, this one's not for you.
Ingredients :-
Brewing water :- can be moderately hard, to hard, you don't need spring water for this, just hard tap water will do. (boil all brewing water)
Friday night mash
3 lbs of pale malt
2 lb of crystal malt
Brew day
5 lbs amber malt extract (liquid or dry)
8 oz Maltodextrin
Hops :- 2 oz of Nugget or similar high alpha hop in the boil
1 oz of Tettnang, hallertau or saaz for flavoring
Yeast, use Nottingham Ale Yeast from Danstar. Ferment at normal ale brewing temp.
O.G 1.065 F.G, 1.019 ABV = 6%
Notes :- the rye malt is lost with this beer, it needs the malt to offset the hops.

Next up, The conclusion...

[kiwi Bruce]

In conclusion...
I've attempted to give a reasonable insight into PDQ or ½ and ½ brewing, you can see now how this works and adapt this method to any other receipt you like.
If your new to beer brewing you'll see that I used corn sugar and not white household sugar. White sugar affects the way that brewers yeast reacts during it's growth stage (aerobic phase) It produces an aldehyde that tastes like green apples. I recommend not using it.
You can cut all of the amounts in half and do a 2 1/2 gal mini brew if there's a receipt your not sure of.
I hoped this helped...Kiwi

[bilgriss]

Thanks Kiwi, that's great. I've been brewing beer for many years. I haven't had a "bad" batch in 2008, when I started kegging. Amazing how many problems I must have had from being too lazy to properly sanitize bottles. I'm still lazy, but it's easy to sanitize a keg.

Love your tips. After kegging, the other laze - inspired upgrade was switching to batch sparging. Very minimal impact on efficiency, none on taste, huge on time reduction. I would only recommend to those reading the "pour hot wort into cold water" bit that you be very, very careful if you use glass. Thermal shock is real. I know.

Fizzix, I hear your pain, but keep at it and I guarantee you'll hit a point where it's all second nature and things just happen the way they are supposed to!

[kiwi Bruce]

I would only recommend to those reading the "pour hot wort into cold water" bit that you be very, very careful if you use glass. Thermal shock is real. I know.

I use glass carboys, but I put a length of clear food grade plastic tube on my large funnel, it's held on with a SS hose clap and reaches into the room temp cold brew water. That way it doesn't splash onto the side-walls and greatly reduces the risk of Thermal shock.

[fizzix]

Good news for me!
I'm up to 83.3% success as the 2 bottles I had tried must've been the beginning of the latest batch
and just weak and aerated. Delving further into the case, the Scottish Ale got better and better.
No, not drunk better, just regular better.

Had my mom (from whom I inherited the beer gene) try it (she's brutally honest --HATES my rye)
and she said it was the best beer I've made yet. So 10 of 12 success = 83.3%

Woo to the hoo!!!
-----
And thanks kiwi Bruce for the great write-ups!

[bilgriss]

[bitter]

Fizzix if you are serious about brewing beer something like a robobrew v3 might making is easier.

I use a cave man brewing setup.

HLT is my keg boiler for my still
Mash ton is an old cooler
Boil kettle is a keggle (beer keg with top cut out and 5500w elment)

Cleaning is key for brewing.

I clean everything before I start and then use starsan or iodifor to ensure no infections. Stainless is easier to clean than plastic.

The night before I weight out grains and mill them.

I also PBW the carboys, hoses spoons etc and then rinse and leave starsan in it for brew day. Anything that touches the worth after chilling that is not boiled this is were you will get any infections. Also when transferring to a carboy ensure you put paper towel spayed with starsan over the hose.

Vodka as mentioned is great for airlocks but starsan works also.

A tip is to put starsan in a spay bottle and use to to spray anything down you need during the brew process, like spoones etc.

Happy brewing!

B

[6 Row Joe]

Fizzix if you are serious about brewing beer something like a robobrew v3 might making is easier.

I use a cave man brewing setup.

HLT is my keg boiler for my still
Mash ton is an old cooler
Boil kettle is a keggle (beer keg with top cut out and 5500w elment)

Cleaning is key for brewing.

I clean everything before I start and then use starsan or iodifor to ensure no infections. Stainless is easier to clean than plastic.

The night before I weight out grains and mill them.

I also PBW the carboys, hoses spoons etc and then rinse and leave starsan in it for brew day. Anything that touches the worth after chilling that is not boiled this is were you will get any infections. Also when transferring to a carboy ensure you put paper towel spayed with starsan over the hose.

Vodka as mentioned is great for airlocks but starsan works also.

A tip is to put starsan in a spay bottle and use to to spray anything down you need during the brew process, like spoones etc.

Happy brewing!

B

Clean, clean, clean! I should have said Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Star San is a must! I even get wigged out about pulling the lid off to check the progress. Most of the time I just ferment for 7 days and then take a look. I need to try my boroscope through the airlock hole. Star San first of course! LOL