I hope it's not an infection. There wasn't any horrible smell when I recapped. Unfortunately I don't have a hose big enough for blowoff so I'll have to wait. I'm going to be keeping my eye on it throughout the day.
Looks like you just have a good fermentation to me.
Blowoffs don't have to be a terribly large diameter - if you've got two or three feet of tubing big enough to fit around the inner post of an airlock, that's usually enough.
But yeah, this is why I keep an assembled blowff ready to go.
Seriously. Pete has made Band-aids. And Acetone. He has had his share of "well I guess this batch is a total loss" beers. Yet he still makes beer, and most of the time he even does it successfully.
Oh, I guess a few days ago I tried PBR and actually kinda liked it. I don't know what level of ironic it is that the first beer I actually liked is the hipster shit.
Oh, I guess a few days ago I tried PBR and actually kinda liked it. I don't know what level of ironic it is that the first beer I actually liked is the hipster shit.
I also checked the temp sticker and it was a bit too high of temperature in the closet (near 80f), so I turned on the AC and I hope it slows things down a bit.
Almost all of my friends homebrews seem to have a pretty good start, but the aftertaste is usually aweful. This is only comparing three different peoples stuff, but it seems to be a consistent issue.
Oh, I guess a few days ago I tried PBR and actually kinda liked it. I don't know what level of ironic it is that the first beer I actually liked is the hipster shit.
Dude, PBR is like the king of the cheap beers. Roughly the same price point as Keystone and Coors and all that bollocks, but actually palatable when served cold.
Have no shame. I drink really challenging, complex beer all the time, but if I'm just knocking out a case with my bros at a party, PBR is always the cheap and safe bet.
Almost all of my friends homebrews seem to have a pretty good start, but the aftertaste is usually aweful. This is only comparing three different peoples stuff, but it seems to be a consistent issue.
Almost definitely microbial. What does the aftertaste taste like?
Oh, something else that might interest some of you beer nerds.
Most of you know I'm in the SCA, where I do historical brewing research and experimentation. My historical beers are very very well-received - to the point that I'm undefeated three years running in our big local brewing competition.
So my next research project is going to be fun - I'm attempting to recreate a possible Viking-era Icelandic beer (circa 870 AD) purely from archaeological evidence. I will start with malting an appropriate grain bill (a blend of 6-row, rye, and oats - all preferably heirloom or wild), kilning them over an appropriate Icelandic cooking pit (which resembles, to some extent, old Irish corn-drying kilns and an Iron-Age German malt pit), and attempting to estimate the probable grain:water ratio that would have been used based on projected crop yields in Iceland at the time. I'll use Viking-era tools wherever practical.
They used sheep dung as a fuel source. Until recently, getting a source of sheep dung was my largest obstacle. I've now encountered someone who raises a breed of sheep that is close to what existed in Viking-age Iceland, so I've got that one sorted out.
Here's hoping it doesn't taste awful. I'm predicting it will taste smoky and sweet - something like fermented barbeque sauce. I hope I'm wrong.
Do you have a reason to secondary? Are you oaking or dry hopping it?
Don't transfer your beer unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Most of my beers sit in primary for 3 weeks before I do anything. If your beer kit is telling you to secondary for the hell of it, just ignore it.
Ok, cool. They suggest moving to a secondary but it's not required. Everything I've read says it's "better", but I see no reason why to just leave it as is. Most of the sediment has settled at the bottom now and things seems to have slowed down.
Ok, cool. They suggest moving to a secondary but it's not required. Everything I've read says it's "better", but I see no reason why to just leave it as is. Most of the sediment has settled at the bottom now and things seems to have slowed down.
The better way to think about it is "do I have a reason to handle this beer right now" rather than "do I have a reason to wait." Patience will reward you with good beer. Shortcuts will reward you with bandaids.
The big thing is that every single time you handle your beer, you create a possible route of contamination. You can take measures to control that, but you cannot eliminate the possibility.
Also, yeast do all the work in making beer. It's better to leave the beer in contact with a healthy yeast population, as the wee beasties will serve to inhibit other organisms. You'll also give the flavors time to blend and mellow out a bit if you leave it alone.
Plus, your primary fermentation may take longer than you think. I don't move my beer unless I have identical hydrometer readings 4 days apart. Yes, you have to expose the beer in order to take the hydro sample, but that's unavoidable.
I've had fermentations take more than 3 weeks to complete. You want it to be as complete as possible before racking.
Has anybody made legitimate weed beer? I mean I can't imagine it would taste too great but since Cannabis is in the same family as Hops, one would think someone would have done it. I suppose you could just fortify another beer with some green dragon, but that isn't really in the same spirit as my idea.
Comments
You've either got a terrible infection that will render it undrinkable, or a wonderfully healthy fermentation that will be delicious.
Losing the airlock and cap isn't really a big deal. Got a healthy krausen? Pics! We need pics!
I hope it's not an infection. There wasn't any horrible smell when I recapped. Unfortunately I don't have a hose big enough for blowoff so I'll have to wait. I'm going to be keeping my eye on it throughout the day.
Blowoffs don't have to be a terribly large diameter - if you've got two or three feet of tubing big enough to fit around the inner post of an airlock, that's usually enough.
But yeah, this is why I keep an assembled blowff ready to go.
Whatcha brewing?
Relax, don't worry, and have a beer.
My rate of success is much higher these days. I've learned since Bandaids, acetone notwithstanding.
Have no shame. I drink really challenging, complex beer all the time, but if I'm just knocking out a case with my bros at a party, PBR is always the cheap and safe bet. Almost definitely microbial. What does the aftertaste taste like?
Most of you know I'm in the SCA, where I do historical brewing research and experimentation. My historical beers are very very well-received - to the point that I'm undefeated three years running in our big local brewing competition.
So my next research project is going to be fun - I'm attempting to recreate a possible Viking-era Icelandic beer (circa 870 AD) purely from archaeological evidence. I will start with malting an appropriate grain bill (a blend of 6-row, rye, and oats - all preferably heirloom or wild), kilning them over an appropriate Icelandic cooking pit (which resembles, to some extent, old Irish corn-drying kilns and an Iron-Age German malt pit), and attempting to estimate the probable grain:water ratio that would have been used based on projected crop yields in Iceland at the time. I'll use Viking-era tools wherever practical.
They used sheep dung as a fuel source. Until recently, getting a source of sheep dung was my largest obstacle. I've now encountered someone who raises a breed of sheep that is close to what existed in Viking-age Iceland, so I've got that one sorted out.
Here's hoping it doesn't taste awful. I'm predicting it will taste smoky and sweet - something like fermented barbeque sauce. I hope I'm wrong.
Don't transfer your beer unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Most of my beers sit in primary for 3 weeks before I do anything. If your beer kit is telling you to secondary for the hell of it, just ignore it.
The big thing is that every single time you handle your beer, you create a possible route of contamination. You can take measures to control that, but you cannot eliminate the possibility.
Also, yeast do all the work in making beer. It's better to leave the beer in contact with a healthy yeast population, as the wee beasties will serve to inhibit other organisms. You'll also give the flavors time to blend and mellow out a bit if you leave it alone.
Plus, your primary fermentation may take longer than you think. I don't move my beer unless I have identical hydrometer readings 4 days apart. Yes, you have to expose the beer in order to take the hydro sample, but that's unavoidable.
I've had fermentations take more than 3 weeks to complete. You want it to be as complete as possible before racking.
EDIT: Yeah, you're 4 or 5 days in? Wait a week.