After brewing my Chocolate Porter, I decided to give yeast washing a try so I can try to save some money on buying yeast. Yeast washing is when you take the yeast left over from fermentation and separate it from the trub (protein particles, hop particles and other stuff). After reading this post on HBT, I got enough confidence to give the whole process a shot.
Before you are ready to bottle, you need a couple big mason jars, some small ones and their lids. You put the jars and lids in a big pot with enough water to cover, and then you boil for about 20 minutes to sanitize the jars and the water. After the boil, take the jars out of the pots keeping the water in the jars and cool in the fridge overnight. Once you have finished bottling your beer, you dump all the water from the jars into the fermenter and give it a really good swirl.
At this point, you have a slurry of yeast and trub. Carefully (I made a mess of course), pour the slurry into your big mason jars, put the tops on and let it sit for about half an hour. Since the trub is a lot heavier than the yeast, the trub is quicker to settle to the bottom. Once you see a nice layer of trub settled, carefully pour the liquid on top into the smaller jars. The liquid on top still has the yeast in suspension. After you transfer the liquid to the smaller jars, put on the tops and stow it away in the fridge. Yes, it’s that easy!!! Below, is a picture of the washed yeast the next day. The yeast I washed was White Labs Irish Ale Yeast.
White Labs Irish Ale Yeast
That, my friends is PURE yeast on the bottom of those jars!! Once you are ready to re-use your yeast you take one jar, pour most of the liquid out, giver ‘er a good shake and pitch into your yeast starter. They say you can keep doing this through four generations, but I think if I can use these jars for four batches, I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth. 
Alas, it’s been a couple weeks since my birthday and my last post. The day after my birthday, Amy and I went to my Parents house for a cookout with ribs! My Dad has really gotten the hang of BBQ-ing ribs, they keep getting better and better each time he does them!
There was one gift that was yet to be opened and it came in a huge box. What could it be? A Tap-a-Draft system! This was the gift that I was really hoping that I would get for my birthday. Now I know what my Wife and Parents were scheming about. 
There it is in all its glory (with our cat Cooley as the equipment model, lol)! These 6 liter PET bottles are so much bigger in person compared to what it looks like in the catalog. Three 6 liter PET bottles will hold almost a full five gallon batch of beer. I am chomping at the bit to try this out, and I’ve got a beverage that’s ready to be racked into these bottles. Tomorrow I will be transferring a malt cider into each bottle.
From what I’ve read, you prime the bottles with corn sugar just like you do when you are using regular glass bottles for your beer, wait a couple weeks, then tap the bottle. After you tap the bottle, you put a CO2 cartridge in each spot and that’s what is supposed to maintain the serving pressure. Thank you so much Mom and Dad, I can’t wait to try it out!!
Yesterday was my one year anniversary in the home brewing addiction, err I mean hobby! I would like to thank my darling wife a bunch for getting me that basic home brew equipment kit one year ago.
It’s amazing how far I have progressed in one year. I’ve gone from brewing extract kits on top of the stove to doing all-grain batches outside. So far, my wife, family and friends have liked all the batches I have done so far. It can only get better!
For my birthday, my wife got me a six gallon better bottle! It’s like a glass carboy, but safer and virtually indestructible if you accidentally drop it, and you don’t have to worry about broken glass.
I think I’ll break in this new plastic carboy with a simple batch of malted cider (graff) soon. It’ll be cool to see the fermentation in action; I can’t wait!!
My parents in law also got me a one year’s membership into the American Homebrewers Association! I can’t wait to reap all the benefits, including the subscription to Zymurgy magazine!! Thank you very much!!
Until next time, happy brewing!
After three weeks in primary, I’m happy to say that this brew is finally bottled! I had my first ever run-in with a stuck/slow fermentation. Last weekend, when I checked the gravity, it was 10 points too high. After some good advice from the forum, I swirled the bucket and wrapped some blankets around the bucket to warm it up so the yeast can finish their work.
Yesterday, to my relief, I checked the final gravity and it was right at 1012 which works out to over 6% ABV. The hydro sample was pretty tasty. So..I’ve got 2 cases of beer capped and conditioning in the bottle. I’m carbing it on the lower end of the style (2.4 volumes which works out to 3.97oz of corn sugar). In a week and a half to two weeks, my wife should be very happy with HER beer. I might get lucky enough to have one to taste!
Until next time, happy brewing!
Two weeks to the day, I decided to make my first beer with wheat. I decided on brewing a Belgian Witbier (I got the recipe from the home brew chatter forum). The whole brewing process went really well. I can definitely say I am getting more confident with the all-grain brewing process. I mashed a few degrees lower than I wanted to at 151. Someday I’ll get my mash temp right! If anything the beer will have a drier finish which should be welcomed.
This was also the first time that I have ever brewed with spices. In this recipe I used some coriander and bitter orange peel. Something tells me that I didn’t use enough of the spices. It’s always better to use not enough then way too much; time will tell how well I utilized the spices. For your viewing pleasure, below I will post the recipe. With the low mash temp I ended up with a stunning 79% efficiency with a SG of 1.060!! That’s a huge improvement from the 50’s and 60’s that I’ve been used to getting.
BeerSmith Recipe Printout – http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Belgian Wit
Brewer: John Darsie
Asst Brewer:
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)
Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 7.19 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 3.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 4.35 %
6 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 52.17 %
5 lbs Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 43.48 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 16.9 IBU
0.25 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944) [StartYeast-Wheat
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 11.50 lb
—————————-
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 20.13 qt of water at 162.5 F 154.0 F
Until next time, happy brewing!!
Since I couldn’t bottle my Belgian Wit (post to follow), due to a stuck fermentation, I decided to try my hand at making bagels. I am quite pleased with the result! The recipe that I found was pretty easy to follow. I, of course had to try one and it was TASTY! Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I’m trying not to toot my own horn here, but I honestly can’t see myself buying store bought bagels ever again!
Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve last posted but that doesn’t mean that I have given up! This is my second all-grain brewing attempt which is an Irish Red Ale.
Appearance: A deep, beautiful burgundy color. It almost reminds me of a Smithwick’s. It’s got a nice head that dissipates to a nice ring of foam with nice lacing.
Smell: I pick up on a little bit of the roasted barley and I get a nice sense of maltiness with a slight hint of fruitiness (from the yeast).
Taste: The first thing I pick up on is the roasted barely but it isn’t too over powering, very nice. On the back end I taste a little bit of fruitiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, nice carbonation. This beer is definitely something you can enjoy year round as it’s not too heavy.
Overall Impression: Very nice beer that I can be proud of for brewing. I think next time I will try for another recipe so I can explore this style even more.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Until next time, happy brewing!
This post is LONG overdue I know. You know it’s a very tasty brew when you are now down to only three beers left of this batch!!
Appearance: Beautiful dark golden color with no real head that sticks around. There is a nice ring of foam around the edge and it has beautiful clarity. Very visually appealing, in my opinion.
Smell: I get a slight hop aroma. It could have plenty more hops in the aroma in my opinion, but that’s probably because of the age of the beer.
Taste: The malt definitely makes a subtle appearance, followed by the nice crisp refreshing finish from the hops. This beer is definitely very tasty.
Mouthfeel: This beer is light in the mouthfeel, but that’s because it’s a Pale Ale and it should be a little light for mouthfeel.
Overall Impression: I am very happy with this beer and how it turned out. I didn’t do too bad of a job for being my first all grain brew! There is definitely room for improvement, which is always the case when you’re brewing beer! Personally, I would like the malt to show through a little bit more in the beginning.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Until next time, happy brewing!!
Life and work has been crazy lately, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been brewing! I made the transition to all grain brewing and I am three batches in (soon to be four). I’ve brewed a Pale Ale(pics and tasting to follow in another post), Irish Red, and an India Pale Ale. Needless to say I have plenty to blog about!
That picture says it all; this beer is really really good! I can say without a shadow of a doubt this is the best home brew yet! Now on to some more pictures and the tasting.
Appearance: This beer pours a beautifully black color with a tan head. There is wonderful lacing as you drink the brew and the ring of foam is constant.
Smell: A wonderful roasty aroma, with a slight presence of chocolate. Taking in the aroma made my mouth water!
Taste: There is a big presence of roasted maltiness and the taste of the chocolate malt is right there along side. No one element of taste is overpowering and the chocolate is in nice balance. This beer definitely lives up to its name!
Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is smooth and rich and the carbonation is perfect for the style.
Drinkability: This is a beer that you don’t want to polish off a whole six pack of in one sitting. It is highly drinkable, but it would definitely be a beer you want to have in stock in the wintertime.
Overall Impression: I am extrememly impressed with this beer. I was kind of nervous in the beginning of the process as I’ve never brewed a dark beer before. Dad and I did a great job brewing! This will definitely be brewed again and I’ll have to convert the recipe to all-grain.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Now for more of your viewing pleasure, more pictures of the brew.
Until next time, happy brewing!
karmabrew
