2023 - What are you brewing?

[wide eyed and legless]

Foreign Extra Stout full volume mash, roast barley added at mash out, (keeps the salt additions simple) Stirred the mash for about 25 minutes after mash in dur e to the amount of flaked barley. Would love to understand the physics of the mash becoming lighter to stir after 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes.

Roast barley added at mash out

 

[Maves]

I would guess that the viscous resistance of dissolved sugars and free husks to stirring is less than the turbulence resistance of starch still bonded to husks.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Would love to understand the physics of the mash becoming lighter to stir after 20 minutes.

Presumably the starch is going into solution, being broken down into sugars that desolve

 

[wide eyed and legless]

That's what I think it is, but the level seeming to go down could just be an optical elusion as for some reason the grains in the mash take on a neutral buoyancy, leaving the bottom of the mash tun clear of grain husks and the liquor free to recirculate on full volume leaving more liquor around the sides of the mash tun.

This was the dregs from the bottom of the kettle from yesterdays brew, the 2 litres I needed to make up the 21 litres from 34 litres in the kettle at the start with 6.85 kg of grain.

.

 

[Half Pint]

That Aussie Sparkling sounds great. Keen to hear how it turns out. I might try that soon. Just have to set up proper temperature control other than ‘in a cupboard in the shed…’

My Sparkling Ale was rated Gold and finished equal 2nd in a field of 11. I’m happy with that. I’ve got 13 bottles qualified for National Championships but this is the one I was really ambitious to have judged.

 

[Maves]

That's what I think it is, but the level seeming to go down could just be an optical elusion as for some reason the grains in the mash take on a neutral buoyancy, leaving the bottom of the mash tun clear of grain husks and the liquor free to recirculate on full volume leaving more liquor around the sides of the mash tun.

This was the dregs from the bottom of the kettle from yesterdays brew, the 2 litres I needed to make up the 21 litres from 34 litres in the kettle at the start with 6.85 kg of grain.

View attachment 123718
I can imagine that starch grains are "bulkier" than dissolved sugars. That may explain part of the perceived volume drop.
.

 

[the.cassowary]

My Sparkling Ale was rated Gold and finished equal 2nd in a field of 11. I’m happy with that. I’ve got 13 bottles qualified for National Championships but this is the one I was really ambitious to have judged.

That's fantastic. I'm definitely going to give that a try. I'm doing a double batch of American Cream Ale this Friday (every second Friday is a Brew Day now!), and then I might try to replicate your recipe on the next brew day. I've never done a yeast starter before, so that's something I'm going to need to get under my belt. If I can't afford to buy the equipment to make a yeast starter, I'll just have to try an easier pitching beer while I wait.

 

[Half Pint]

That's fantastic. I'm definitely going to give that a try. I'm doing a double batch of American Cream Ale this Friday (every second Friday is a Brew Day now!), and then I might try to replicate your recipe on the next brew day. I've never done a yeast starter before, so that's something I'm going to need to get under my belt. If I can't afford to buy the equipment to make a yeast starter, I'll just have to try an easier pitching beer while I wait.

I start them in pretty basic gear.
My equipment to make starters:
Saucepan, stovetop, aluminium foil, thermometer, funnel, bung, airlock, 2 litre flagon. I used to use a 2 Litre PET bottle but the flagon is more durable and easier to clean.
It’sa two step process for me. First stage is to drain as much beer as possible from 2 750ml bottles of Coopers Pale Ale, while leaving as much yeast as possible. That’s actually the tricky part I think. Helps to start with the freshest possible beer, store it upright in the fridge a few days so the yeast is as settled as can be. Have a couple of jugs ready so you only have to tilt the bottles once to decant.
Then I tip dregs from one bottle into the other, via sanitised funnel.
I make a little wort of 400ml water plus 40g dried malt extract (or a little less), and boil it for long enough to sanitise. Cover with foil and cool it to below 30°.
Tip it into the beer bottle with the dregs.
Bung it up however suits you. I cover with foil first and shake it all up so it’s foamy, then usually put a drilled bung and airlock on it. Give it a bit of a shake from time to time if you like.
Once you can see it’s come to life and had a bit of a go and is maybe settling down, it’s time for stage 2, which is similar process except with a litre of wort and a 2 litre flagon to hold it.
Maintain sanitary practice and keep it at a suitable temperature throughout.
PET bottles in appropriate sizes are also perfect for this. They even have airtight lids so you can just tighten the lid when you want to shake them up, and loosen it a crack so they can vent the gas .
Or you can buy an Erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate and do it that way. Might be simpler and more predictable but costs a few more bucks. I’ve just always done it my way and can’t be bothered changing

This might be more coherent/easier to follow than my ramblings
https://brewsrq.com/blogs/you-can-brew-it/yeast-starters-the-shaken-not-stirred-method#:~:text=It's%20very%20passive%20after%20the,won't%20oxidize%20the%20starter.

 

[the.cassowary]

I start them in pretty basic gear.
My equipment to make starters:
Saucepan, stovetop, aluminium foil, thermometer, funnel, bung, airlock, 2 litre flagon. I used to use a 2 Litre PET bottle but the flagon is more durable and easier to clean.
It’sa two step process for me. First stage is to drain as much beer as possible from 2 750ml bottles of Coopers Pale Ale, while leaving as much yeast as possible. That’s actually the tricky part I think. Helps to start with the freshest possible beer, store it upright in the fridge a few days so the yeast is as settled as can be. Have a couple of jugs ready so you only have to tilt the bottles once to decant.
Then I tip dregs from one bottle into the other, via sanitised funnel.
I make a little wort of 400ml water plus 40g dried malt extract (or a little less), and boil it for long enough to sanitise. Cover with foil and cool it to below 30°.
Tip it into the beer bottle with the dregs.
Bung it up however suits you. I cover with foil first and shake it all up so it’s foamy, then usually put a drilled bung and airlock on it. Give it a bit of a shake from time to time if you like.
Once you can see it’s come to life and had a bit of a go and is maybe settling down, it’s time for stage 2, which is similar process except with a litre of wort and a 2 litre flagon to hold it.
Maintain sanitary practice and keep it at a suitable temperature throughout.
PET bottles in appropriate sizes are also perfect for this. They even have airtight lids so you can just tighten the lid when you want to shake them up, and loosen it a crack so they can vent the gas .
Or you can buy an Erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate and do it that way. Might be simpler and more predictable but costs a few more bucks. I’ve just always done it my way and can’t be bothered changing

This might be more coherent/easier to follow than my ramblings
https://brewsrq.com/blogs/you-can-brew-it/yeast-starters-the-shaken-not-stirred-method#:~:text=It's%20very%20passive%20after%20the,won't%20oxidize%20the%20starter.

Just got an erlenmeyer flask, bung, and some DME for fathers day, so I'm going to get a yeast starter going and try your Aussie Sparkling recipe next Friday. I might do a double batch so I don't get too thirsty as Spring heats up