Taking my beer to the next level

[mccullpl]

So, I've been doing all grain for, 1.5 to 2 years now, and have learned a lot from a variety of sources. I've brewed a couple great beers, a bunch of decent beers, and a few duds. What is missing from my process to get me brewing consistently very good/great beers?

I do single infusion mashes in a 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler, make starters based on BeerSmith's calculator and pitch a couple degrees under my target temp, aerate by the shake method (no pure oxygen, just air), have a ferm chamber capable of heating and cooling, and keg my beer. I tend to be a bit impatient, and leave my beers in primary for ~2 weeks, then cold crash, and into the keg.

I try to find 'proven' recipes, from books, and from forums...usually english or german style ales, with an IPA thrown in here or there. Rarely any over 1.060.

So, what can I add/change that will improve my beers? Finings? Longer primary/secondary/ maturation times?

Thanks!
Pat

[DrPaulsen]

Can you describe what you think is flawed in your "duds" or your "good, not great" beers? That might also be helpful to start the conversation.

[whitedj]

I second Lee... What kind of issue we are dealing with.. Can u bring samples to the meeting Thursday?

One thing I would definitely look at it is cleaning processes. I noticed a House flavor in my beers, and tracked it down to not clean my ball valves correctly after each use...
Are fermentation vessels clean and odor free?

Looks like your doing temp controlled fermentation... Water could be another way to make beer better.
Could always pickup a book... Gordon Strong?

[DrPaulsen]

Yes - clean your ball valves! I disassemble and spray them out with sanitizer every time I brew.

Also, I find patience via lagering and/or fining to get clear beer almost always improves quality. For fining agents, I like Super Kleer.

[DrPaulsen]

Also, you may want to look at oxidation. Probably not a big deal if you keg right away, but it will cause beer to become dull.

[mccullpl]

Thanks for the responses...

I don't believe I have any consistent issues, and I think my beers have been getting better overall. Just asking what I could be doing in general that would result in better beer. The 'duds' were early on, and I think mostly related to underpitching/fermentation temp issues

So, it sounds like finings are a good thing. I wasn't sure if they just made the beer clearer, or actually improved the flavor.
As far as water goes, I've just been using CR water out of the tap. Most people seem to think that's pretty good brewing water, so I haven't thought much about it, but I'm certainly willing to try something different.


I'll bring my Altbier tonight, and may bring my Two-Hearted clone too.

[mccullpl]

In regards to finings, do you guys use Irish moss, or anything in the boil, or just after fermentation?

Also, Lee, have you tried gelatin? Seems to be a popular choice on the forums.

[DrPaulsen]

I use whirlfloc in the boil.

On the cold side, I've tried gelatin, polyclar, silica gel, isinglass, sparkalloid, and superkleer. Of those, I prefer superkleer since it most consistently deals with yeast, polyphenols/tannins, and proteins. In my opinion, hazy beer generally doesn't taste as good as clear beer. Homebrewing literature tends to focus on "chill haze" as the only source clarity problems in beer. In that case, I would tend to agree with the conventional wisdom that clarity and flavor are not related. However, when you're talking about yeast still hanging in suspension or excessive amounts of tannins (which can cause chill haze), I do think the flavor of the beer can be pretty dramatically affected. I brought two bottles of a Scottish Strong Ale to a club meeting several years ago demonstrating the effect of fining agents. I think most people that tasted both samples agreed that finings improved the flavor of the beer.

If you don't want to fine and have the patience, I would recommend cold conditioning the beer (i.e. "lagering"). It has basically the same effect of dropping out the yeast and other "dusty stuff" in the beer. You get this effect to a certain degree by just letting your kegs sit undisturbed for awhile. I think this is slightly less effective, though, because as the beer carbonates it tends to prevent the haze compounds from settling out.

I'm just now beginning to play around with filtering but think it shows promise. It's looking like a 2 week lagering phase at around 30F followed by a 7 um filter will produce a very clean beer really quickly.

One of these days I'll put together a Tech Meeting on beer clarity.

[mccullpl]

Thanks Lee...very helpful

[Matt F]

Are you treating your CR tap water at all? I use campden tablets to deal with Chloramines. This is a must as they do not boil off or go away by letting water sit out overnight.

I have had good luck making clear beer with mostly patience. I use whirlfloc in the boil but in over 12 years of brewing have never filtered or used finings post boil. I think they are great but for me cold crashing my secondary for several days before any time I rack works very well. I also tend to use a more flocculant English yeast in place of traditional cal ale most people use. I usually primary for 2 weeks and let the beer fall pretty clear before racking to a secondary or keg. It is another reason I like clear fermenters. You can see the beer is clear and ready to be moved.

[Steven P]

I use a whole house carbon filter on my water from the CR tap. It's not usually a big deal in the Winter when the tap water comes out pretty tasty, but I have had issues in the Summer where I have had less than desirable outcomes using straight tap water. I generally don't use water adjustment salts except for maybe some gypsum in an IPA.

Also, water that is pulled from the hose can be different than water from the tap. I use an RV hose rated for drinking water from the outside hose tap instead of running through a garden hose.

Who knows what sort of mid-summer hot garden hose funk you have can leach into your brewing water?

[bf514921]

I second much of the suggestions. For me Whitlock in boil and cold crash works well. I rarely secondary any more. Just a good week or two of cold crashing. In the primary. I use glass and stainless for fermenters. I also use a potable water hose and usually flush it be for use. Periodicaly I replace siphoned hose or anything that's plastic. Also I store my Starsan and test with PH strips to make sure it's safe. It sounds like to me from reading this thread you are doing great at brewing.

[mccullpl]

Thanks guys...

I'll pick up some Whirlfloc and campden tablets, and give those a try on my next brew day.

[Matt F]

One campden tablet will treat 20 gallons of water. I cut them in half when only using 10 gallons of water.