National Homebrew Club Ireland

One of my early big ones, never pour boiling water into a glass carboy the base will shatter clean off

Always close the valves or tap of the vessel you are filling, i'm still doing it :-[
I now try where possible to reverse fill!

When counter pressure bottle filling slowly remove stem as otherwise you end out with a lovely spray of beer all over you

when formulating recipes for grain and hop additions mark off with a pen, completely missed a 10 min hop addition a couple of brews back, now they are all laid out with mins written on plastic bag

Sad Ken in the 3.30 at Chepstow

Be careful with your hop bag doesn't get caught around an element during the boil. I had to ditch a batch after this happened.

When bottle conditioning always fill a 500 ml (or same size as the bottles) lucozade bottle as well. Leave an inch of head space, squezze the air out and screw on the cap.

That way you can see if the sugar has disolved (if not using a bottling bucket and batch priming), and then visually track fermentation and by squeezing the bottle see how much carbing is going on!

Good tip for all the fly spargers:  Instead of sparging your full volume of water through the mash, shoot for 10 - 15% lower efficiency than your true brew house efficiency when designing your beer. Just sparge to 70% of your full pre boil volume & take a gravity reading. It'll be higher than what you'd normally get. Thats good. Now top up your wort with hot water from your HLT to hit your numbers & volume. Saves time on sparging & you only extract the best from the grain. All it costs you is a bit more grain which is cheap.

Also, measure the temp of your sparge water where it comes into contact with the grain bed. It can often be too cold. Ive a 5 degree drop in temp from my HLT through my pump & hoses. So my HLT water is at 83c these days for sparging.

As per hop additions; when weighing out your grain before crushing, mark them off as you weigh them, as they all look very similar, when you're pouring them into a bucket before crushing, "Did I add the Wheat Malt to that?"

When locating the temp probe in your keezer, put it 1/3 the way down, at the top and your kegs and beer will freeze.

Quote from: Ciderhead on August 13, 2015, 02:12:39 PM
When locating the temp probe in your keezer, put it 1/3 the way down, at the top and your kegs and beer will freeze.

& creating a now TradeMarked process for brewing great lagers

Quote from: Ciderhead on August 13, 2015, 01:21:31 PM
Always close the valves or tap of the vessel you are filling, i'm still doing it :-[

+1,

From personal experience, I can combine this one with "Don't drink while brewing..".

Take the temperature of your wort before pitching your yeast. Don't assume anything!

Invest a few bob in a good thermometer - mash temperature, pitching temperature and fermentation temperature are the main difference between good beer and shit beer.

Remember to remove the blockers that are inside those Aldi hose connectors before using them with your chugger pump. Stops you cursing the pump :-[

Quote from: Bubbles on August 13, 2015, 03:18:36 PM
Invest a few bob in a good thermometer - mash temperature, pitching temperature and fermentation temperature are the main difference between good beer and shit beer.

Any recommendations for a 'good thermometer'?
I have a couple of cheap ones thata re doing the job, but I don't know how reliable they are

http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=67&prodid=396

Quote from: PCBrewer on August 13, 2015, 03:39:37 PM
Any recommendations for a 'good thermometer'?

CDN DTQ450X (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N172OBC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00) - Review  (http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2012/11/hands-on-cdn-dtq450x-quick-read.html)

Until you can do it in your sleep , lay off the beers till after the brewday. 

Quote from: PCBrewer on August 13, 2015, 03:39:37 PM

Quote from: Bubbles on August 13, 2015, 03:18:36 PM
Invest a few bob in a good thermometer - mash temperature, pitching temperature and fermentation temperature are the main difference between good beer and shit beer.

Any recommendations for a 'good thermometer'?
I have a couple of cheap ones thata re doing the job, but I don't know how reliable they are

I would recommend the Thermapen:
http://www.amazon.com/ThermoWorks-Super-Fast-Professional-Thermocouple-Thermometer/dp/B008JG4S78

Not cheap, by any stretch, but they're accurate and reliable. I got mine off Nisbets.ie, but they don't seem to stock them anymore. I'm sure you'd be able to find an alternative Irish supplier with a quick google.

Quote from: Bubbles on August 13, 2015, 03:14:38 PM

Quote from: Ciderhead on August 13, 2015, 01:21:31 PM
Always close the valves or tap of the vessel you are filling, i'm still doing it :-[

+1,

From personal experience, I can combine this one with "Don't drink while brewing..".

+1
This is obviously a common occurance

Don't buy any shiny toys until you have proper fermentation temp control. You can pretty much do everything wrong and still make ok beer when you let the yeasties do their thing.

1. Don't use boiling hot water with plastic bottling wands as they melt really easily.
2. Add oats hulls or similar hulls to buffer the grist when using a large % of rye (> 20%) or wheat malt ( > 30%). Both these malts tend to disintegrate when crushed as they have little or no useful husk. The addition of the hulls will help prevent a stuck sparge.
3. When using a large HLT for boiling water, stir your water before using it to ensure that the water temperature is consistent. Befor doing this I would get wildly different temperatures reported by the dial thermometer built in to my HLT and the temperature readings I took at the top of the HLT and also in the water temperature that ended up in the mash tun.
4. If you get scorching on your element when doing high gravity beers, clean your elements afterwards with some kind of cleaner and a brush. Accumulated burnt on wort will carbonised further over time, this will overheat your elements and contribute to your electricity supply tripping out. It can however lend a certain "je ne sais quoi" to Scotch ales :) If you get really bad burnt on wort use the back of a knife to scrape it off the elements.
5. Buy some paint strainer bags and boil them for around 10 minutes or so before each use of them to contain pellet or leaf hops for dry hopping. It makes removing the hops a breeze afterwards.
6. When using a connical flask for making up wort for a starter pay attention when mixing DME with water as its easy to create a glue like substance that will burn in a heart beat.

Shanna

Invest in heat resistant gloves.

Quote from: Shanna on August 13, 2015, 05:54:07 PM
6. When using a connical flask for making up wort for a starter pay attention when mixing DME with water as its easy to create a glue like substance that will burn in a heart beat

I mix the dme with boiling water before adding to the flask.

Quote from: molc on August 13, 2015, 05:36:53 PM
Don't buy any shiny toys until you have proper fermentation temp control. You can pretty much do everything wrong and still make ok beer when you let the yeasties do their thing.

+1

This is the absolutely the first item you need to invest in. It will turn kits from average to good beer (& stunning when you get to AG)

Secondly, buy yourself some StarSan, makes life a lot easier.

Quote from: Shanna on August 13, 2015, 05:54:07 PM
4. If you get scorching on your element when doing high gravity beers, clean your elements afterwards with some kind of cleaner and a brush. Accumulated burnt on wort will carbonised further over time, this will overheat your elements and contribute to your electricity supply tripping out. It can however lend a certain "je ne sais quoi" to Scotch ales :) If you get really bad burnt on wort use the back of a knife to scrape it off the elements.

Tip from a fellow GCBrewer, rub half a lemon on the elements to clean. The citric acid helps dissolve the burnt wort. Overnight soak with Oxi (or similar) for really bad stuff.

Quote from: pob on August 13, 2015, 07:12:17 PM

Quote from: Shanna on August 13, 2015, 05:54:07 PM
4. If you get scorching on your element when doing high gravity beers, clean your elements afterwards with some kind of cleaner and a brush. Accumulated burnt on wort will carbonised further over time, this will overheat your elements and contribute to your electricity supply tripping out. It can however lend a certain "je ne sais quoi" to Scotch ales :) If you get really bad burnt on wort use the back of a knife to scrape it off the elements.

Tip from a fellow GCBrewer, rub half a lemon on the elements to clean. The citric acid helps dissolve the burnt wort. Overnight soak with Oxi (or similar) for really bad stuff.

Citric does wonders for elements. You can buy tubs of it for crazy cheap in pharmacies.

Quote from: armedcor on August 13, 2015, 07:17:14 PM

Quote from: pob on August 13, 2015, 07:12:17 PM

Quote from: Shanna on August 13, 2015, 05:54:07 PM
4. If you get scorching on your element when doing high gravity beers, clean your elements afterwards with some kind of cleaner and a brush. Accumulated burnt on wort will carbonised further over time, this will overheat your elements and contribute to your electricity supply tripping out. It can however lend a certain "je ne sais quoi" to Scotch ales :) If you get really bad burnt on wort use the back of a knife to scrape it off the elements.

Tip from a fellow GCBrewer, rub half a lemon on the elements to clean. The citric acid helps dissolve the burnt wort. Overnight soak with Oxi (or similar) for really bad stuff.

Citric does wonders for elements. You can buy tubs of it for crazy cheap in pharmacies.

In my experience it does not work on burnt on carbonised wort on an heating element, believe me I have tried it, vwp & also oxy (note not at the same time :))

Shanna

When using glass bottles fill 2 pet bottles so you know when your beer is carbonated.

Somebody posted here a few week back and I cant't find the original thread to thank them.
Double concentration starsan to cover elements after a boil soaked overnight like the lemon juice shifts everything, thankyou whoever it was.

interesting

never knew you could use starsan for cleaning !

you can't as I doen't remove fats but I guess cos its acid like the lemon juice, by god its removes crap off an element incl beerstone

My tip is to go to a pharmacy and buy some tincture of Iodine to perform a mash conversion test before mashing out. It will reduce the likelihood of the "why is my fermentation stuck at ....." Questions. Especially if using coloured malts or other adjuncts which need the malt enzymes to convert them. Even with the latest automated equipment we still did iodine tests!
https://byo.com/mead/item/1435-successful-mash-conversion-tips-from-the-pros

Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on August 15, 2015, 03:20:10 PM
My tip is to go to a pharmacy and buy some tincture of Iodine to perform a mash conversion test before mashing out. It will reduce the likelihood of the "why is my fermentation stuck at ....." Questions. Especially if using coloured malts or other adjuncts which need the malt enzymes to convert them. Even with the latest automated equipment we still did iodine tests!
https://byo.com/mead/item/1435-successful-mash-conversion-tips-from-the-pros

Get one with an eye-dropper

* not keeping records - when I started out I not saved my recipe 'step-by-step' so I don't know now how I made two very good batches
* not waited long enough- cider? sure it is good after two weeks... Mead? Of course it is drinkable after three months...
* not aerating...
* not controlling fermentation temperature
* worrying too much: more fun!

make sure you rinse off Starsan from your autosiphon it eats the polycarbonate tube.

Sanitising and Cleaning are not the same thing

Label the in/out gas/beer connections on your cornys if they aren't already.

Keep track of what beer is in what keg

Mr D gave me the idea of using plant labels to label your cornies, fix to the pressure pull ring with a cable tie or fishing line through the hole in the planter label. Great for recording what it was and when it was kegged.
Then wipe clean with starsan or when you are cleaning with detergent

Pre heat your mash tun. Just pour one liter of boiled water and empty before  pouring strike water

Quote from: Ciderhead on August 15, 2015, 11:51:19 PM
Mr D gave me the idea of using plant labels to label your cornies, fix to the pressure pull ring with a cable tie or fishing line through the hole in the planter label. Great for recording what it was and when it was kegged.
Then wipe clean with starsan or when you are cleaning with detergent

These are handy too

(http://i.imgur.com/qCYVGVL.jpg)

Can be put onto the taps too

Quote from: delzep on August 16, 2015, 12:16:45 AM

Quote from: Ciderhead on August 15, 2015, 11:51:19 PM
Mr D gave me the idea of using plant labels to label your cornies, fix to the pressure pull ring with a cable tie or fishing line through the hole in the planter label. Great for recording what it was and when it was kegged.
Then wipe clean with starsan or when you are cleaning with detergent

These are handy too

(http://i.imgur.com/qCYVGVL.jpg)

Can be put onto the taps too

I just use masking tape on my kegs. Type of beer and date of kegging. Hasn't failed me yet:)

Quote from: molc on August 16, 2015, 12:20:22 AM
...
I just use masking tape on my kegs. Type of beer and date of kegging. Hasn't failed me yet:)

+1 works great

Use your old malt to make wort for starters. If it's really manky just dump it. But stale-ish malt is fine for starters and saves on expensive DME.

Good record keeping is essential especially change of malt/hop batch, yeast info plus any equipment changes including instrumentation, process times and temps etc. it makes fault finding so much easier later.

If you can control your mash temp herms/rims/bruameister/grainfather. Mashing it at under 50℃ will prevent doughballs

If you underlet, (pump in your water from the bottom into your mash tun) you don't get doughballs at all ;)

Expired dried yeast can be chucked in your boil as a nutrient

Expired liquid yeast will come back if you allow it an extra day for every month it's gone, use a 500ml 1st step to avoid stressing it

Let yeast vials settle before pitching and open cap slowly to avoid Mentos and coke experience.

Always sanitise you liquid and dry packets, incl scissors in some starsan or similar before pitching

+1 on soaking autosiphons. I use(d) mine in work and let it soak in weak paracetic acid and it warped to fuck :(

Always have a spare hydrometer.

This definitely come under the heading "to educate by our mistakes":
When cooling the wort and it seems like a good idea to swirl the wort chiller about a bit - DON'T. This is a whiz way to loosen your hose connections, like I did today. My water supply is from the garden tap (with a long hose) because I have already deformed the tap in the kitchen. Bit of a fast run to turn off the water!

Better to have the hoses positioned differently or tightened because moving the chiller (or the wort around the chiller) is way more efficient. You're getting poor heat exchange if everything is static. I like chilling overwith quickly.

Mill your specialty grains first. When you run the 3+ kg of base malt through the mill, the rollers are nice and clean for the next brew.

As discussed back on page three, Corny labelling can be done with chalk on the black rubber top.

Learned from DCBrewing - when heating strike water pull off kettle fulls from the boiler tap, boil and re-add to speed things up.

When entering recipes into beersmith, prefer percentages over weights. E.g. if a recipe says 5KG pale ale malt (80%), .2KG crystal 60 (5%), etc. use the grain pct button (http://beersmith.com/building-a-recipe-using-grain-percentages/) to enter it rather than the weights they give you. This way it automatically scales to your setup and chosen efficiency.

When milling grain into a builders bucket, always make sure you have it centered otherwise you get a lovely pile down one side

Try to use Beersmith Mr Malty etc or some other online software to work out your yeast starter sizes and pitch rates, and always carry a spare packet of 05 or similar to chuck in just in case you have a disaster and your starter doesn't kick off otherwise it will end in  :'(

So much for not using dry yeast....

I don't my 05 gets chucked into boil as nutrient every 6 months, wish DoubleG was closer he'd be welcome to mine

Requesting tips on starters. My usual dual method is to grow mine twice. First 1L pitch to get the vial active 3 days before the brew, then recant and a 2L starter 1 day before brewing, so I can pitch around peak activity. Also overbuild to save 600ml of clean yeast for the next step.
Any other approaches.

Sounds like best practice from what I've read and it's what I do.

Did you read this 'shake it like fuck, once' (http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=70926&hilit=shaken) method? Sounds logical. Lots of O2 trapped in the foam.

Quote from: Ciderhead on September 02, 2015, 12:13:11 AM
I don't my 05 gets chucked into boil as nutrient every 6 months, wish DoubleG was closer he'd be welcome to mine

Dry yeast denier eh? Might have to start a James Randi style reward for anyone who can blind taste the difference between 05 and 001 ;)

Quote from: Simon F on September 02, 2015, 09:38:02 AM
Sounds like best practice from what I've read and it's what I do.

Did you read this 'shake it like fuck, once' (http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=70926&hilit=shaken) method? Sounds logical. Lots of O2 trapped in the foam.

Just read the whole way through that thread. Thanks for flagging it up. I prefer the idea over a stirred starter for so many cheap-ass reasons, and I distrust smelly yeast.

Quote from: pdb on September 02, 2015, 09:56:53 AM

Quote from: Ciderhead on September 02, 2015, 12:13:11 AM
I don't my 05 gets chucked into boil as nutrient every 6 months, wish DoubleG was closer he'd be welcome to mine

Dry yeast denier eh? Might have to start a James Randi style reward for anyone who can blind taste the difference between 05 and 001 ;)

Piece of p that one packet strips everything