May 2012 Hopheads Meeting

The May meeting will be hosted by Rena at her house this Saturday, May 12 , from 4pm to 10pm.  Please email us if you need directions.

FTH container size / big bottle bill is dead. NOT! It passed today……

Although not really anything to do with Homebrewing, the FTH sponsored bill to raise the container size  from a statewide 16 oz limit for bottles and cans died today.
(13) counties in Alabama already allow for containers larger than the 16 oz limit, but this was supposed to be the year.
Were not really sure what happened to the votes we were supposed to have , but it failed to pass the BIR  by a vote of 42-40.
Technically the bill isn’t dead, but it would be a miracle if the sponsor and lobbyist got it on another calendar before the session runs out. (4) days left.

EDIT: After all that I wrote above being frustrated, SB294 was put back on the Calendar today and passed handily. Soon, big beer bottles and more variety for good beer lovers in Alabama.

Making a Yeast Starter for Homebrew

If you use liquid yeast, most likely you need to make a starter first for a better quality brew.  I’ve patched together a few explanations on the whys and hows to do this below. Billy Brew breaks things down the best:

Making a yeast starter is one of the best homebrewing techniquesfor improving your beer. While not absolutely necessary, starters can really take your beer to the next level.

If you already brew, making a yeast starter is a piece of cake. Here is why you do it, and how it is done:

What is a Yeast Starter?

A yeast starter is essentially a mini batch of beer. The difference is that whereas you brew a batch of beer to have a tasty beverage, you make a yeast starter to make more yeast. So while you need to take into account flavor and aroma when brewing, the only thing you need to focus on with a starter is growing healthy yeast.

You make a yeast starter in order to:

1. Grow enough healthy yeast to properly ferment your beer. Pitching a larger amount of yeast will ensure a quick and complete fermentation, prevent off-flavors, and lead to all around better tasting beer.
2. Prepare the yeast for fermentation. Yeast that have been sitting in the refrigerator for months are dormant. A starter will activate the yeast and get them ready to start fermenting beer.
3. A starter is a way to proof your yeast. If you have yeast that has been sitting around for a long time, you want to make sure it is still viable. If it is completely dead, you’d rather find out in a starter than in a 5 gallon batch of beer.

What Yeast to Use?

Starters should only be made for liquid yeast cultures. Dried yeast packs already contain enough cells (220-230 billion) to inoculate a 5 gallon batch, so it is not necessary to grow them. Simply rehydrate the dry yeast according the the manufacturer’s instructions.

The most common liquid yeasts are the Wyeast Activator Smack Pack and the White Labs vials. Each of these contain roughly 100 billion cells, but you’ll want about 200 billion for a typical 5 gallon batch of ale. The starter will get you there.

Starter Size

The size of the starter depends on the beer that you’re making. Higher gravity beers and lagers require bigger starters.  Check out my post where I go into more depth about the proper yeast starter size where I give a video walk-through of the Mr. Malty pitching rate calculator.

If you’re brewing a beer with a high starting gravity (1.065+), a lager, or have old yeast, then I suggest you use the calculator to figure out the correct size. For a standard gravity ale, you’re safe with a 1 liter starter.

Wort Size
The size of the starter refers to the amount of wort (water + DME) in the container after the wort is boiled and cooled. This means that you should put slightly more water into the pot than you want to end up with because a portion will boil off. You are only boiling for 15 minutes, so it won’t be much.  I add 100-200 ml extra to a 1 liter starter and it ends up very close. Experience is key here, but it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Amount of DME to Use
The starting gravity of the starter wort should be between 1.030-1.040. There is a very simple metric ratio you can use that will get you there: 1 gram DME for every 10 ml wort (after boiling). So using the 10 to 1 ratio, a 1 liter starter requires 100 grams of DME.

Dried Malt Extract Weight to Volume Conversions
You might not have a scale, which makes weighing the DME pretty tough. While measuring DME in weight is always better than measuring in volume, if all you have is standard measuring cups then you can use the conversions I’ve measured out for you. Keep in mind these were taken with the cup filled to the brim and after tapping the side to fit more DME. It’s not perfect, but will get you close enough.

1/4 cup = 33 grams

1/2 cup = 66 grams

3/4 cup = 99 grams

1 cup = 132 grams

So for example: If you are making a 1 liter starter and using the recommended ratio of 1 g DME to 10 ml, then you would need 100 grams. Working with cups, you would add 3/4 cups.

Equipment needed

• Saucepan or pot. At least twice the size of the starter liquid volume is ideal because you are going to get significant foaming, just like in brewing beer.
• Large glass container for making the starter. I use an 2 liter Erlenmeyer flask, but you could also use a growler or large mason jar. Clear is better because you can see the starter activity. The size depends on what size starter you are making, but 2 liters (~ 1/2 gallon) will do for most of your starters.
• Liquid yeast, either White Labs or Wyeast.
• Light Dried Malt Extract (DME).
• Egg whisk.
• Scale for weighing DME.
• Thermometer.
• Sanitizer (I use Star-San).
• Ice.
• Aluminum foil, cut into a square that will cover the top of your starter container.

Steps

1. Measure out your DME and place it aside.
2. Measure out your water and pour it into the pot; turn the burner on high.
3. When the water starts to boil, dump in the DME and stir vigorously with the whisk in order to break up clumps. Boil for 15 minutes
4. While the wort is boiling, prepare your sanitizing solution and sanitize your pot lid, thermometer, funnel, yeast package, aluminum foil, and starter vessel.
5. Near the end of the boil, prepare an ice bath in your sink to cool the wort.
6. After 15 minutes of boiling, remove the pot from the stove, place it in the ice bath, and cover with the lid.
7. Check the wort temperature with your thermometer. When it reaches 70-75 F, remove it from the ice bath. Cooling will take about 10 minutes.
8. Pour the wort into the starter vessel using the funnel and cover loosely with foil.
9. Add the yeast and swirl vigorously for 30 seconds, being careful not to spill.
10. Place the starter somewhere where it won’t be knocked over.  It doesn’t need to be protected from light the way a batch of beer does.
11. Add oxygen. You can do this using a stir plate or just give it a shake as often as possible for those first 24 hours.
12. After 18-36 hours your starter will be done fermenting. You can either pitch it at this point into a fresh batch of beer, or if you are not yet ready to brew you can put it in the fridge until brew day. If this is the case, see the additional steps. Otherwise, you’re done!

Additional steps if you are storing the starter in the refrigerator until brew day:

1. Store the starter in the refrigerator to let the yeast settle out of the wort and form a layer on the bottom.
2. On brew day, take the starter out of the refrigerator and decant (pour off) the wort down the drain, while being careful to leave behind the yeast cake. Leave about a 1/2 inch of wort in the vessel so you can stir up the yeast. Give it a swirl and set aside. Let the starter come up to room temperature before pitching. Taking it out of the refrigerator 3-5 hours before you pitch is a safe bet.
3. When your cooled wort is in the fermentor and you are ready to pitch your yeast, give the starter one final swirl and pitch it into the wort.  You are done!

Here are a few videos to inform you more:

Mr. Malty has a free calculator  if you need to know what size of starter to make.

2012 Emerald Coast Beer Festival Competition Brewoff.

This years ECBF will again include a homebrew competition. This year they have chosen Kolsch (BJCP style 6C).
If any of you guys are interested (and ladies), we will have a brewoff to determine the beer we will submit as a club.

We would like as many people that can to submit their beer for evaluation and judging at the August Hopheads meeting. We will evaluate each others beers based on the accepted style guidelines and vote on the beer that the majority views as the best beer according to the rules and guidelines for the competition.

These events provide valuable feedback to you as a brewer and can’t do anything but improve your brewing skills. This year we would like to win the competition and bring the award back to the valley area.

Please notify D. As soon as possible if you are entering the brewoff in August. FYI, Kolsch takes a while to clear and you should be expecting to brew yours no later than the end of June.

EDIT:

I decided to post a simple Kolsch recipe I found on the Internet, this is reportedly Jamil’s recipe, but I dont have my book in front of me to check. I am not saying you should use this recipe, I am only giving you something to think about.

Ingredients:

11 lbs	German 2-row Pils info
.5 lbs	German Vienna info
1.75 oz	Hallertau (Whole, 4 %AA) boiled 60 min. info
.5 oz	Hallertau (Whole, 4 %AA) boiled 5 min. info
1 tsp.	Whirlfloc tablet boiled 10 minutes. (not included in calculations)
Yeast :	WYeast 2565 Kolsch info

Mash at 148F for 90 min. Boil 90 min. Ferment at 60F.

Hopheads brewers score with two brews in the first round of the 2012 NHC.

Category 13: Stout Sponsored by Brew & Grow

# of Entries: 57

1	13e	James Blum of Nashville, TN
2	13f	Mark Schoppe of Austin, TX, Austin Zealots
3	13b	Richard Moore, Jay Stephenson of Columbus, GA

Category 22: Smoke-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer Sponsored by Alaskan Brewing Co

# of Entries: 25

1	22b	Richard Moore, Jay Stephenson of Columbus, GA
2	22c	Nathan Harms of Vicksburg, MS, Homebrewers Association of Middle Mississippi
3	22c	Rodney Sedillo, Tommy Orr of Tampa, FL, Special Hoperations

Homebrew of the Month June: Session Beer

The Club members used to brew a different beer every month, (same style) different interpretations. I suggest that for June we all brew a nice session beer Pale or Red Ale, low in alcohol 3.5 to 4.5 % ABV and lightly hopped. do your best and lets compare ingredients and how we got to our final products. dont bitch, just brew. you will be glad you did.

Iron Brew

I thought this was neat.  Maybe Chatahoochee Brewing would host something like this in the future.  Of course it would bring some legitimacy if we had someone as a BJCP judge.  I’m really starting to consider this.

Mellow Mushroom Charleston and Holy City Brewingare teaming up to host “Iron Brew,” an Iron Chef-style home brewing competition where homebrewers will have just over a month of time to brew a beer using a secret ingredient.

The secret ingredient will be announced at a Mellow Mushroom Avondale Happy Hour launch party on Thursday, June 14.

After a period of six to eight weeks, the “brew”-testant’s beers will be sampled by a judging panel of Holy City Brewery owners, Mellow Mushroom Beer Club members, and select special guests. The winner of the competition will receive a Mellow-Holy City prize pack and the winning beer will be put into limited production, which will then be tapped and sold exclusively at Mellow Mushroom Avondale and Mellow Mushroom King St. The winning entry, runners-up, and “People”s Choice Award” will be announced the night of judging.