tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post5055735371751130584..comments2024-02-23T15:34:32.816-05:00Comments on The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog: CaraMunich isn't Caramelized Munich, and 9 Other Homebrewing Myths DebunkedThe Mad Fermentationist (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-54610332869741353592023-12-21T13:39:33.235-05:002023-12-21T13:39:33.235-05:00I generally disagree with #3 in regards to your co...I generally disagree with #3 in regards to your commentary on what judges can and cannot do at the table. I strive to provide as much constructive, actionable feedback as I possibly can (with the understanding that I don't have access to the recipe or any process details).<br /><br />The one aspect I will agree with is that this is "the best" way to get feedback. For those who don't have access to a homebrew club (or are in a club largely populated by newer homebrewers and/or no BJCP / known-good palates to lean on for advice, competitions may be the only outlet for feedback, but as you stated the best avenue is to share the beer with someone with whom you can have a discussion about it.<br /><br />But overall I feel your tone regarding competitions and judging is unnecessarily negative.Boo-Urnsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-29331576534591357192018-08-17T00:15:46.473-04:002018-08-17T00:15:46.473-04:00Higher pressure increases the solubility of gases ...Higher pressure increases the solubility of gases in liquids. See Henry's Law.Scott Knebelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-56374946338709563022018-06-26T23:54:05.010-04:002018-06-26T23:54:05.010-04:00In my early days of kegging, I had clogged poppets...In my early days of kegging, I had clogged poppets from fruit and hop particles. That was resolved by racking and filtering fruit beer and using pellet hops.<br /><br />I've never had a kinked line and I don't fill my kegs using a pump. I use an auto siphon with a ball lock fitting an fill through the beer out poppet. Learned that from a pro brewer.<br /><br />Had I read this before I started kegging many years ago, I probably would have not invested because it sounds like it takes an enormous amount of effort, bottling is quick and easy, and you won't save any time.<br /><br />To me, bottling was a huge pain and very time consuming. That's why I quit. A few days ago I cleaned and filled 4 kegs in about 2 hours. In the time it used to take me to bottle a 5 gallon batch, I kegged 20 gallons.<br /><br />I just don't want anybody to get the impression that kegging is long and tedious and bottling is so much easier. Sorry if I missed your point, but that is how I interpreted it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-22599844236759885952018-06-21T06:33:55.289-04:002018-06-21T06:33:55.289-04:00I think you missed the larger point of my statemen...I think you missed the larger point of my statement. I'm not talking about only the act of kegging/bottling, but rather everything that goes into maintaining kegs and lines. I just worry that people get into kegging with an expectation that there isn't much you need to do and end up with issues. With bottles I've never had to chill and fill a growler before heading to a homebrew club meeting, replace kinked lines, deal with pumps to clean my lines, un-stick a poppit clogged with hops, or run to the gas supplier at 8 AM before work. Certainly the bigger your batches the more time you'll save (and at Sapwood Cellars we're starting with kegs and looking to move to serving tanks for that reason).<br /><br />No argument about how long it takes to have carbonate beer with bottled CO2, that isn't what I was discussing as it's inactive time. <br /><br />The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-4518448156428319282018-06-21T03:11:27.213-04:002018-06-21T03:11:27.213-04:00I respectful disagree entirely with the statement ...I respectful disagree entirely with the statement that the primary reason to do kegging should not be saving time.<br /><br />When I was bottling 5 gallons, to clean and sanitize all ~50 bottles, fill and cap it, that often took at least 2 hours, then waiting at least 1 week to carbonate.<br /><br />If I completely disassemble a keg, clean it, then rack my beer, the entire process often doesn't take more than 20 minutes. I can force carbonate to get a quick sample.<br /><br />So 2 hours cleaning and filling bottles, 1-2 weeks carbonating, or 20 minutes kegging, 10-15 minutes for a quick charge, and drink it... <br /><br />Once I switched to 10 gallons, I bought a kegging system. Now I brew 20 gallons, and there is no way I would even think about bottling that much. All of this being said, it is absolutely a huge time saver for me.<br /><br />Also, 4 kegs takes up significantly less space than ~200 x 12 oz bottles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-84893868544993152052013-06-26T07:12:41.929-04:002013-06-26T07:12:41.929-04:00Another one that gets me with (5) the craft brewer...Another one that gets me with (5) the craft brewers doing something so homebrewers must, is pitching rates. For a craftbrewer, a higher pitching rate gets the beer to ferment faster, which means they get greater throughput. For the homebrewer, a few extra days fermenting is nothing. BUT, if the craftbrewers pitch large amounts, we must.Sheldon Woodsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-3812564337596753862013-05-02T12:42:25.475-04:002013-05-02T12:42:25.475-04:00Nice post, I like your blog.Nice post, I like your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77906494692024765162013-04-08T12:45:09.215-04:002013-04-08T12:45:09.215-04:00Great post. Seems like I still have a lot to learn...Great post. Seems like I still have a lot to learn. Will be back to read some more of the 500 articles here.<br />Thanks for sharing<br />EdEddiehttp://easybeerandwine.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-67177029839553974042013-02-19T17:22:40.160-05:002013-02-19T17:22:40.160-05:00I actually have gone away from using my Color pHas...I actually have gone away from using my Color pHast strips for mash pH readings. They always seemed to give about the same 5.4-5.5 reading of a cooled sample, but I've found that my pH meter gives measurements that differ significantly and are in line with my expectations for where pale or dark beers should be given the water.<br /><br />Couldn't agree more on the comment on "classic" water profiles. In most cases brewers in those cities have specific proceedures to deal with their local water.<br />The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-26169405997679389252013-02-18T22:59:37.462-05:002013-02-18T22:59:37.462-05:00Good points Michael! I thought of a few other myt...Good points Michael! I thought of a few other myths, or at least untenable assumptions:<br /><br />Brewhouse efficiency via fly sparging cannot be matched via batch sparging. (with good mash pH management and other BMPs, batch sparging can yield excellent efficiency) <br /><br />No break material should be carried over from kettle to fermenter. (a little break material actually helps the fermentation)<br /><br />pH strips are not accurate enough for beer making. (some are accurate enough, i.e. plastic ones, especially ColorpHast +.3 to test pH of the mash, sparge, pre-boil, etc.)<br /><br />High alpha hops are not good candidates for dry hopping. (nonsense, as seen with amarillo, columbus, citra, etc.)<br /><br />The best beers utilize water adjustment profiles based on famous brewing city water profiles. (not true, since those profiles were often manipulated by the breweries there and so should not always be seen as the starting point for building your water profile)<br />Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-68860396268203219552013-02-18T12:10:54.407-05:002013-02-18T12:10:54.407-05:00As a BJCP judge (and a damn good one if I do say s...As a BJCP judge (and a damn good one if I do say so myself) I'm going to disagree with #3; sure there are some judges that provide pretty poor feedback (and in your local area you always know which ones those are), but on the whole I think we do our best to try to provide as much constructive feedback as possible.<br /><br />If it was primarily about selecting the best beers we would simply judge every flight in best-of-show style, maybe fill in the checklist-style scoresheet (*maybe*), and call it a day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-54778609858132779102013-02-14T06:21:39.361-05:002013-02-14T06:21:39.361-05:00I agree about the percentage of fermentables being...I agree about the percentage of fermentables being a more functional way to describe sugar component in a recipe. However, I always assume people are giving weight percentage unless they specify otherwise. On the same topic (sugar), you could add that adding simple sugars does not dry out a beer(make it less sweet) or reduce the body. It's only when sugar is substituted for base malt that these effects are realized.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01234888179341561773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-28581734996919024672013-02-08T06:52:09.212-05:002013-02-08T06:52:09.212-05:00There have been conflicting reports over whether W...There have been conflicting reports over whether White Labs Brett C culture has Lacto in it as well. Chad Yakobson said that he found some when plating it out, but White Labs says it is "clean." I'll just say that basically every time someone says "but I made a beer with just Brett and it's sour" White Labs Brett C is involved. Brett can certainly add a tartness on its own, but it really won't make something I'd call sour under normal fermentation conditions (as far as I'm aware).The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-38443494796338147842013-02-07T22:10:22.028-05:002013-02-07T22:10:22.028-05:00My statement was about expectations under normal f...<i>My statement was about expectations under normal fermentation conditions.</i><br /><br />I have a question about Brett and sour/tart flavors. Logsdon's Seizoen Bretta has a distinct tartness to it. I wanted to try to make something similar, and using nothing but White Labs Saison III and Brett C. I made a beer that came out surprisingly sour. More so than the beer it was based on. Any thoughts on how something like this happens?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-61215677095044455912013-02-07T17:29:18.499-05:002013-02-07T17:29:18.499-05:00You are correct that under the right circumstances...You are correct that under the right circumstances (like a stir-plate starter), Brett can produce above threshold acetic acid. This is usually, as your link suggest, not under conditions that resemble a standard beer fermentation. That study talks about a situation (constant aeration and agitation at 30 C in a glucose medium) that doesn't seem very similar to the one you describe for your beer. If air was getting into your beer (maybe a dry airlock or a poorly seated bung?), odds are airborne acetobacter was as well. <br /><br />My statement was about expectations under normal fermentation conditions.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-52424956473503452902013-02-07T14:55:16.279-05:002013-02-07T14:55:16.279-05:00Brett may make more than a little acetic acid and ...Brett may make more than a little acetic acid and acetone.<br /><br />I did an experiment with a 100% brett primary, then white labs lampic blend secondary beer, with some pulled off and aged for 4 years in a large bottle that got some oxygen though the airlock (O2 dissolves in water so we can assume that goes on). It got funky fast, but over the years it became highly acetic. <br /><br />I wondered whether it could have had acetobacter contamination, so I did some searches on Brett studies outside the beer world and found a bunch of interesting stuff, including abstracts that approach the use of Brett with the goal of commercially producing acetic acid. I can't find the best one right now, but here's an example. There were a bunch of studies like this about 10 years ago. <br /><br />http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-4530.2005.00393.x/abstract<br /> Gail Ann Williamshttp://www.beerbybart.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-11399338520077885092013-02-07T07:06:18.527-05:002013-02-07T07:06:18.527-05:00My understanding is that hydrostatic pressure (fro...My understanding is that hydrostatic pressure (from the large vertical column of beer) slows the exit of carbon dioxide from the beer.<br /><br />"The influence of increasing hydrostatic pressure is attributed to the increase in dissolved carbon dioxide in the fermentation medium (16)." - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2223249/The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-90086688941872328452013-02-06T22:33:48.109-05:002013-02-06T22:33:48.109-05:00More on ester suppression: the article you linked ...More on ester suppression: the article you linked showed a connection between increased top pressure/dissolved CO2 and decreased ester production. I wasn't aware that fermenting under top pressure was standard practice for ale fermentation in commercial breweries.<br /><br />Obviously large conical fermenters will create a great deal of pressure simply from the weight of the fermenting beer, but it's not clear to me why this would increase dissolved CO2... Can you help me out here?Lee Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00698409525485698378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-91404929374940147692013-02-06T18:51:04.570-05:002013-02-06T18:51:04.570-05:00If you want to save Star-San you need to use low-m...If you want to save Star-San you need to use low-mineral water (RO, or ideally distilled) to allow the pH to stay low, and store it in an airtight container. I know many people use spray bottles. You can also check the pH (I've heard Five Star say it should be below 3.5 or 3.0 depending on who you ask). For less than a dollar I'd rather make a fresh gallon every time I brew or bottle/keg. With the time/effort/cost of brewing I'd rather have peace of mind. <br /><br />For the Love of Hops has information about how volatile the the key hop oils are, but I'm not sure if having them sealed in a container would prevent them from being destroyed or not. With a hop-back the hot wort is only in contact with the hops for a few seconds before it is chilled. Your idea is a really interesting one, but I really wouldn't considered it to be a hop back. The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77670071723914462342013-02-06T08:43:00.062-05:002013-02-06T08:43:00.062-05:00Kegging is not really a huge time saver, probably ...Kegging is not really a huge time saver, probably b/c i might be a bit over zealous in cleaning. It might not save that much time but I've read that sometimes people store some mixed up star-san for multiple uses. Does anyone have any experience with this? What type of vessel to store it in and how long can it be saved? I hate to mix up a batch just to clean one keg and then throw it away?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-52952658709098173732013-02-06T02:50:51.407-05:002013-02-06T02:50:51.407-05:00Point 7: "How to use a hopback" is great...Point 7: "How to use a hopback" is great. I have a <a href="http://www.orionhomebrewing.com/2012/11/cascadian-dark-ipa-125-gallon-extract.html/" rel="nofollow">slightly different approach</a> to hopbacking my brews as of late. Instead of passing the hot wort through, I have been letting the hops steep in an airtight sealed glass jar for about 30 minutes. The aromatic profile of my brew turned out great, but your post has me wondering if I am destroying many delicate aromatic oils by taking the cooling aspect out of the hopbacking process. What do you think? Do you know of any references to studies done on the degradation of hop oil compounds by heat?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01587061672025703349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-22904998986792647212013-02-05T22:14:07.298-05:002013-02-05T22:14:07.298-05:00No kidding about the competition environment. Serv...No kidding about the competition environment. Serving shit in plastic cups? Folding chairs? Awful lighting? Proper glassware is essential. The only people who drink beer out of red solo cups are college kids at a house party. <br /><br />The BJCP spends an insane amount of time bickering about the most retarded stuff, and having exams laden with arcane trivia. But when it comes to competition standards, their rules are little more than fluff to most competition organizers. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-62496009021638300232013-02-05T17:30:04.097-05:002013-02-05T17:30:04.097-05:00On ester suppression: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.c...On ester suppression: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2001.tb00083.x/abstract <br /><br />“Results show that temperature increases fermentation rate and the production ratio and final concentration of fusel alcohol, independently of the top pressure applied. Conversely, dissolved carbon dioxide controls the production rate and final concentration of ester by limiting yeast growth. Relationships between initial or maximum ester production rates and maximal growth rates were shown.”<br /><br />The opposite (less pressure allows higher ester production) is the reason that many brewers open ferment beers where they want to have a fruity character (Belgians, hefe-weizen, English etc.).<br /><br />Good point Dave, although I think most homebrewers will be honest in their feedback if you ask them to be (my friends rarely have a problem telling me if there is something I can do to change/fix my beers). I get the feeling that some people enter beers in competitions that they know have problems to get feedback, that’s really what I don’t think works.<br /><br />I agree that I am doing a more thorough job cleaning/sanitizing kegs/lines than many, but considering that people complain if a bar doesn’t clean their tap lines once a week, doing it between batches (every couple months) isn’t that crazy. I’d rather not risk yeast in the lines getting back into the keg (for example). I’m certainly not counting the actual effort of bottling off the keg, but it’s true that holding a keg/lines cold is great insurance. I think certain things feel like more work to some people than others. The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-58293211384431452402013-02-05T16:44:57.208-05:002013-02-05T16:44:57.208-05:00Some parts like conicals may be over rated for hom...Some parts like conicals may be over rated for home use but other factors such as the size of the system and all grain can make a huge difference(positive or negative). All grain does not mean better it means more customizable. Bigger systems offer more forgiveness in mistakes but can also be more complex to learn.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-24484000469847217762013-02-05T13:41:14.420-05:002013-02-05T13:41:14.420-05:00I have to agree that "kegging saves time"...I have to agree that "kegging saves time" is a myth. I can bottle up a 5 to 8 gallon batch in about an hour (i've bottled 55 batches in the last 3 years, so Ive had some practice). Add the time rinsing bottles/running them through the dishwasher, etc, and it may be at 2 hours max. With kegging, you have cleaning kegs, lines, etc, and you have other hassles of CO2 leaks, foaming, and other kegorator issues (that are all over brewing forums), and I bet the time is negated. Having all of my beer in bottles allows me to also, just grab some and go when I am taking homebrew places. No filling bottles or growlers off of kegs. <br /><br />That being said, I agree their are benefits to kegging, just as I think there are benefits to bottling. BrewerAdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354197698069717413noreply@blogger.com