Accidental Icebeer

[roger mellie]

Howdy Taxdodgers

As is usually the case - I got busy doing other stuff and delayed the kegging of an American Pilsener (Completely Rebored American Pilsener) chilled down for a week or so.

46 L batch in 2 fermenters - one of which was pushed further back in the Fridge. Almost but not quite touching the back of the fridge - where the fridge coil is.

Can you see where this is going.

Filtered the first fermenter for Keg # 1 - went to grab the 2nd fermenter for Keg # 2 - felt a bit strange - rigid. Upon investigation there was an Iceberg on the top of the fermenter. With a bit of persuasion the iceberg broke in 2 - was only about 2" thick. I calculated this to be approx 3 L of beer in my 23L fermenter - with what was left in the filter --> Still plenty of volume to fill keg # 2.

So - 2 kegs - identical wort, same yeast, same FG.

Keg # 1 was as expected - about 5% - nice D Saaz finish that was subsequenty Dry hopped with D Saaz Tea for CC just to up the aroma a bit.

Keg # 2 was different in oh so many ways.

Firstly the Colour was more pronounced - expected this - just more concentrated - darker golden.
The mouthfeel was heavier maybe little bit glycol like - again - assuming that the 3 L of ice was mainly water - not unexpected
The aroma was similar
The head was different - thick and longer lasting
The most notable difference was how smooth the beer tasted - no harshness - concentrated flavours but smooth and long

If there was a way to put a glycol coil into the top of fermenter and freeze out 2 - 3 L out of a fermenter during crash chill I would do it every time - seriously impressed by the difference it has made.

Accidental Icebeer - like most beer I make - unrepeatable.

RM

 

[michael_aussie]

that's interesting ... do others have the same experience?

 

[Amber Fluid]

Ice Filtered? :blink:

 

[Lecterfan]

Can you please elaborate on how the IBUs were affected in the final 'icebeer'? I.e. were they more concentrated, were they now signifcantly lower (by comparison) due to the increased alc/maltiness etc etc...

CHeers :icon_cheers:

 

[zebba]

Can you please elaborate on how the IBUs were affected in the final 'icebeer'? I.e. were they more concentrated, were they now signifcantly lower (by comparison) due to the increased alc/maltiness etc etc...

CHeers :icon_cheers:

In my experience, the alcohol, sugars and ibu's were all amplified. So a balanced beer at the start came out balanced at the end.

May depend on technique though. I kept agitating to make a slushy. the guys that go to a block seem to leave a lot of color behind

 

[Thefatdoghead]

That is similar to how they make ice cider. They freeze the lot then thaw it out and get the first syrupy runnings from the fermentor. Interesting.

 

[roger mellie]

Can you please elaborate on how the IBUs were affected in the final 'icebeer'? I.e. were they more concentrated, were they now signifcantly lower (by comparison) due to the increased alc/maltiness etc etc...

CHeers :icon_cheers:

I didnt really notice the bitterness changing between the 2 kegs. Both were dry hopped with D Saaz Tea prior to carbing and CC. Put another way - the original beer was supposed to be 38 IBU's - Keg # 1 is not overly bitter - tastes about what I would expect. Keg # 2 is just like a stronger version all round

I am interested to see that there are fellow brewers who are doing this - seriously - the difference is stark - I will do this again - would just like to be in control next time.

RM

 

[michael_aussie]

Ice Filtered? :blink:

no, this results in freeze distilling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing

water is removed, but no alcohol.

i think it's actually illegal in aussieland

 

[michael_aussie]

In my experience, the alcohol, sugars and ibu's were all amplified. So a balanced beer at the start came out balanced at the end.

May depend on technique though. I kept agitating to make a slushy. the guys that go to a block seem to leave a lot of color behind

"I kept agitating to make a slushy" ... so how did you remove the ice??

"leave a lot of colour behind" .. what do you mean??

 

[zebba]

"I kept agitating to make a slushy" ... so how did you remove the ice??

"leave a lot of colour behind" .. what do you mean??

Open the tap and the liquid component of the slushy comes slowly out, the ice component is left behind. Had to apply hot water to the tap a few times. The ice crystals in the slushy are mostly water, the liquid is sugar and alcohol. My hypothesis was that slushy was better s you get less goodness trapped in the ice.

The color comment is based on posts people put up of frozen fermenters. The blocks of ice aren't white, they are dark. My slushy, after draining, was white, the only color being down the bottom in the vessels dead space

I went from 7% to 11%. Loosely based on an English ale with golden promise, Styrian goldings, and 1968. Nothing amazing on that front but the result was the best beer I've ever made... IMO

 

[Amber Fluid]

no, this results in freeze distilling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing

water is removed, but no alcohol.

i think it's actually illegal in aussieland

Thanks, I am aware of this. I was just being facetious

 

[michael_aussie]

Thanks, I am aware of this. I was just being facetious

lol amber .. the written word is horrible for transmitting meaning like that ... i totally missed that it was written in facetious font!!

 

[Lecterfan]

Thanks for the replies - so this would imply that once the 'water' component had mostly frozen, most of the bittering compounds (don't know any technical names for it) were still with the liquid 'beer' rather than being dispersed equally through the liquid and ice?

 

[pk.sax]

Basic science tells me that the solubility of anything except gases in water at 4C is quite low. I think it picks up going down to 0C, my Chem is muddled here. Either way, freezing will cause those compounds to be less and less soluble in the water/ice part of it. I would expect the alcohol in there to be binding the bitterness. --- said with zero research. Just a hunch.

 

[Lecterfan]

Any hunches from anyone with basic science or above is welcome :beer: . I have zero science, other than a thorough understanding of the Kuhn vs Popper argument.

 

[zebba]

No science, but experience suggests that is the case.

 

[Adam Howard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bock#Eisbock