Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

First Wort Hopping

Brewers are always interested in improving the flavor and aroma of their beer, and there seems to be an endless array of techniques by which to accomplish this. One technique that is receiving much attention is first wort hopping. Also known as, and referred to as, FWH in most brewing circles and software applications.

First wort hopping is the method by which a hop addition is added to the boil kettle prior to lautering your grain bed. This allows the hop oils to steep in the 150F-160F wort during the lauter and then be boiled for the entire duration of the boil. There are complex reactions occurring in the hop oils during this low temperature steeping that are not well understood, but the effect is unmistakable. FIG 1.

Fig 1

This process is well suited for beers where you would like to accentuate the hop aroma and flavor of your beer, for obvious reasons this is probably not a great match for a malty Marzen or malty Holiday Ale.. FWH’ing provides the beer with a much more refined bitterness and flavor, it is sometimes referred to as a “round” flavor, less sharp.

Though the hop utilization is generally about 10% greater than a typical hop addition added at the beginning of the boil, the bittering perception is many times said to resemble that of a 20 minute hop addition. For this reason, FWH’ing generally does NOT take the place of your bittering hop additions. There are a few simple FWH’ing rules, but these are by no means limits to FHW’ing, just general guidelines.

Simple First Wort Hopping Guidelines:

1. Do not alter your bittering additions, whether they be 60, or 90 minutes. The increased utilization is offset by the more refined bitterness and flavor of the addition.
2. Use noble or low AA hops with a low cholumene level for FWH’ing. Some claim that high AA bittering hops utilized in this manner create a less pleasing flavor and bitterness than do low AA or noble hops.
3. Use the recipes late addition hops (0-20 minute additions). The flavor and aroma from the FWH addition is a suitable substitute for these additions.
4. Use approximately 30% of the total hop bill, for FWH. This 30% will constitute the 0-20 minute hop additions from the original recipe.

The afore mentioned “rules” are a general guideline for FWH’ing, but they are by no means the limits of this method. I have brewed an APA that uses ONLY a FWH addition for bitterness and it is one of my favorite beers, so you can feel free to experiment. Until you feel comfortable with the FWHing technique, try the afore mentioned “rules” and then branch out once you get a feel for what it contributes to different beer styles.

Partial mash and extract brewers can also experiment with FWH’ing in their beers!. The key here is to realize that the FWH is dependent on the hops steeping for a time in 150F-160F wort. In the case of a FWH’ed partial mash the hops could be added to the wort immediately after the grains are removed. Steep the hops for 20-30 minutes prior to the boil to mimic the time interval that would take place during an all grain lauter. After this steep, then boil as usual and make your usual hop additions.

To use this method in 100% extract brewing you will have to heat the water + extract wort to 150F-160F and allow the hops to steep in this warm wort for nearly 20-30 minutes, this will closely mirror that of FWH’ing in an all grain brew. After this steep, then boil as usual and make your usual hop additions.

Posted in Brewing | 14 Comments »

Yeasts the difference between ale and lager

Beer snobs will insist that there are truly only two types of beer: ales & lagers. While it’s amusing to hear them explain why a German Dopplebock is a lager while a Wietzenbock is an ale, the truth is that they’re not actually talking about flavors or styles, but yeasts.

Yeasts are living organisms. The distinction between ale yeasts and lager yeasts is based on the temperature range at which they are most active, and where in the wort-suspension the yeast concentrates. Ale yeasts are top-fermenting. During the most active stages of fermentation, usually within the first 5 days of pitching (or adding) the yeast to the wort, ale yeast is visible on the surface of the beer, amidst the foam and bubbles. Lager yeast is active at the bottom of the beer, and is easily missed after the first week as it mixes in with the sediment.

The top- versus bottom-fermentation is an aesthetic difference though; the real distinction is the temperature at which the beer should ferment. Ale yeasts ferment best between 60 -75 degrees F; (12-24C) going below this range slows fermentation, causing the yeast to be “sluggish”, while going above the range increases the risk of bacterial growth and other contamination, as well as causing off-flavors from the yeast. A friend’s batch of hefeweizen suffered because the home thermostat was set to cycle to lower temperatures at night.

Lager yeasts are a slightly different animal. While they ferment best between 35 & 55 degrees F (2-13C), for the first day, the temperature should be in the ‘ale’ range. This is because of the life cycle of yeast: for the first 12-24 hours, the yeast is converting starches in preparation of reproduction and releasing CO2. After this initial “blow off” is done, the beer should be placed in a temperature controlled environment (like a refrigerator) and gradually chilled down to lagering temperatures. Note ‘gradually’; when cooling the wort, the goal is to chill quickly to limit exposure to wild yeasts and bacteria. When chilling the beer to lager it, no dramatic steps are necessary, as the beer should already be in a carboy with an airlock. Sudden, rapid changes in temperature can ‘shock’, or even kill, yeast. Smaller batches are inherently more susceptible to temperature shock due to the smaller volume of liquid.

Some people prefer to make a lager yeast starter at room temperature, then pitch into cooled wort from the kettle, then move the fermenter into the fridge. Lager yeast may also need a dialectal rest, which involves raising the temperature into the 60-65F range for a couple days to let the yeast clean it self up. Diacetyl is a butterscotch like flavor and can be seen as a defect in certain types of lagers, especially light lagers.

Posted in Lagering, Yeast Cultures | 2 Comments »

Lautering Equipment False Bottom vs Manifold

There are some distinct differences between the these two popular methods of lautering your mash that you will want to consider prior to building your mash tun. As with most brewing equipment or brewing methods, you need to determine which one will provide you with the results that you desire.

A false bottom is simply a plate, generally stainless steel, that is filled with hundreds of uniformly spaced small holes. These are generally round, limiting the user to a round mash tun.

Fig 1: Example false bottom.

A manifold is simply a series if pipes, either CPVC or copper, that has been drilled or slotted with a saw. These are laid as closely to the bottom of the mash tun as possible with the holes or slots facing downward. A manifold can be constructed to fit any size or shape mash tun.

Fig 2: Example copper manifold which fits into cooler.

Time to explore some facts!

Let’s begin with a list of FACTS about false bottoms, their Pros and Cons.

PRO’s for false bottoms:

1. They are readily available, professionally manufactured
2. They are nearly 100% efficient
3. They will lauter nearly 98% of the grain bed uniformly
4. Grain bed depth barely affects their efficiency
5. They are more efficient than manifolds in all cases

CON’ s for false bottoms:

1. More prone to stuck sparges than manifolds
2. They are difficult to make yourself
3. They are only manufactured to fit ROUND coolers or buckets

Time for the FACTS about pipe manifolds, their Pros and Cons.

PRO’s for pipe manifolds:

1. Though not commercially available, they are very easy to manufacture at home
2. They are nearly 93% efficient
3. They will lauter nearly 93% of the grain bed unifromly
4. Stuck sparges are very rare with a properly built manifold

CON’s for pipe manifolds:

1. They are never as efficient as false bottoms
2. Grain bed depth with affect the efficiency of the lauter
3. Pipe spacing will affect the efficiency of the lauter
4. More prone to channeling (fluid taking path of least resistance, also rinsing less sugar)
5. Cleanup can be tiresome as it should be taken apart and rinsed completely.

False bottoms are pretty simple, there is little left to the imagination or to the design, this cannot be said for the construction of manifolds. There are a few principles that need to be discussed if you want to get the most out of your manifold.

#1. Plan your MLT size to coincide with having a deep grain bed, the deeper the better. This will serve to improve the efficiency of any manifold that you construct. A 12” or deeper grain bed is preferred.

#2. Plan the layout of your manifold pipes carefully, optimum spacing is about 2” to 2.5” between pipe centers, OR 4x the pipe diameter. (1/2” pipe spacing is optimal at 2” between centers, 3/8” pipe spacing is optimal at 1.5” on center etc…)

#3. Pipe spacing from the walls of the MLT should be planned at HALF of the optimal center to center distance from #2 above. (1/2” pipe spaced at 2” between centers, would be spaced 1” from center to the edge of the inner wall, 3/8” pipe would be spaced at .75” from the pipe center to the edge of the inner wall etc…)

The afore mentioned design rules will allow for the most efficient manifold for YOUR mash tun. The principles that govern the design needs for a specific manifold are related to fluid dynamics, fluid flow, path of least resistance and creating an even flow velocity around EACH tube in the manifold.

Posted in Equipment | 4 Comments »

Adding Sight Gauges on A Budget

$3.26 Sight Gauge modification for hot liquor tank (HLT) or mash lauter tun (MLT).

This article explains how I added a sight gauge to a 10 gallon hot liquor tank (HLT) cooler as well as an identical 10 gallon mash lauter tun (MLT). Gas fired vessels may also be converted in this manner, but use caution! Many polycarbonate tubes are rated up to only 200F, so their use on boil kettles can become a concern if the heat from the gas burner moving up the side of the kettle exceeds this value to any large degree. The temperature of the liquid may be 200F-205F, but the heat licking at the side of the kettle may be much hotter. This parts list for this modification are suited for the mash lauter tun or hot liquor tank – NOT THE BOIL KETTLE!! When adding a sight gauge to a boil kettle, the tubing needs to be rated for higher temperatures, and different gaskets and fittings are needed to withstand the higher temperature and pressure.

This article demonstrates heating and bending the plastic tubing.  I took care to follow safety precautions such as wearing thick gloves, eye protection, not drinking alcohol while doing this mod, staying away from flammable materials, and I kept a fire extinguisher on hand.   Now that we are past the safety warnings we can get on with the mod, which comes out looking like this:

Parts List:
Qty: (1) ½” OD x ¼” ID polycarbonate tube approx. 19” in length (McMaster Carr $1.65/foot)
Qty: (1) #5.5 drilled gum rubber stopper (LHBS $.65 each)

Tools Required:
Hack saw/cutoff saw/Dremel tool
Propane Torch/Deep Fryer
1” hole saw/1” step drill
Label Maker
Drill

Step 1. Properly locate the hole where the stopper and sight gauge will enter the side of the vessel. This does not need to be at the very bottom of the vessel, but rather at a location where the minimum fluid level required in the vessel can still be measured. For me this is near the 1 gallon mark. I drilled a 1” diameter hole on center at this location. Fig 1

Fig 1

Step 2. Determine the length of the tubing which to cut. I was sure that the tube reached nearly to the top of the vessel, and that there was ample length after the “L” bend at the bottom to get the tube into the vessel and into the stopper. (The sidewalls on some coolers can be as thick as 2”-3”) Cut the tubing using a fine tooth hack saw or some sort of cutoff saw. A rotary tool such as a Dremel would work as well.

Step 3. Determine where to bend the tubing, this will be 2”- 4” from the end of the tubing depending on your application. I marked this location with a permanent marker. Fig 2

Fig 2

Step 4. The polycarbonate tubing will need to be heated at the end that you intend to make the 90 degree bend. This is where the propane torch, OR deep fryer will work. Using a torch will take more skill than using the deep fryer method, and requires heating the tubing gently and evenly.With the deep fryer, I set the temperature to 350F. When the oil was heated I inserted the end of the tubing intended to be bent, submerging it just past the point where I wanted to make the bend. In either case, 350F polycarbonate retains its integrity, but is very pliable and HOT! I used an oven mitten to protect my hands. After the tubing was made pliable I needed to move fairly quickly make the bend, I used the edge of a cutting board with a ½” radius corner as my guide. This allowed a uniform bend and assured a 90 degree angle. Fig 3, Fig 4

Fig 3

Fig 4

Step 5. Then I let the tubing cool!

Step 6. ASSEMBLE: Inserted the stopper from the inside, into the hole that I drilled in Step 1, then inserted the bottom of the “L” tubing into the stopper in the wall of the vessel. I though of using an eye bolt to support the top of the gauge, but then I realized I can simply use the existing cooler handle.

Step 7. CALIBRATE: I filled the vessel one gallon at a time, marking the level of fluid in the sight gauge as I went. Using a label maker I marked these locations accordingly so that I can now precisely measure strike water, infusion water and sparge water quantities quickly and easily. Fig 5

Fig 5

Posted in Equipment | 8 Comments »

New Belgium Brewery Tour

I remember when Fat Tire ale came out and how awesome it was. New Belgium Brewing has carved out a respectable niche and I’m really glad I got to visit. It is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, about a hour north of Denver. By the way, the town is nick named ‘Fort Fun’ by the local college students who like to frequent New Belgium and two other local breweries nearby that give free tastings – daily! Essentially if you visit Fort Collins, no need to buy beer, you can get totally loaded for free on high quality brew.

The place is packed all the time (we went there twice). When you walk in get ready for a very youthful, loud, fun atmosphere. Beer everywhere – it is all they serve! You get to choose four 4oz samples from their menu, which explains the different varieties. You only get one shot per day so pick wisely. I was lucky to share with my wife. We both left there in high spirits.

Their lambic style was right in line with barn yard like flavors and ripe fruit. They also had a Belgian golden ale which was delightful, hints of white wine, but a mild bitterness, very refreshing. I was not a fan of the 1554 Ale, it seemed too light in body for such a dark beer. Apparently they used lager yeast on it, but I was searching for malty body and my tongue did not find it.

They also offer guided tours. I took some snaps of the behind the scenes.

Yes, those are cans, New Belgium is packaging in cans these days. Who’d a thunk it??

I sure would love to have a stainless steel canonical fermenter of that size (or any size for that matter)!

I don’t even know what these pipes are for but they look shiny and must be important.

I highly recommend visiting this brewery, it was a lot of fun, I learned a few things, and I got some free beer. Did I mention free beer?…..

By the way, if you want to piss off a Belgian, mix up the grammar. Say ‘wow you are from Belgin‘, man I’ve heard ‘Belgium beer is CrAzy’. As I was writing this post I mixed it up myself several times.

One of the things I learned there, the host/bouncer will “bounce you out of here like a golf ball in a Walmart parking lot” if he doesn’t like you. He felt obliged to let the entire room know this at one point. Thanks for reading!

Click here to read about the Coors tour we took on the same trip.

Posted in Fun | 2 Comments »

Baby Hops Sprout Pictures

After only three weeks of putting hops rhizomes in the ground they are already sprouting!  Check back on the website for regular updates. Growing hops is easy and so much fun!

Cascade Hops Sprouts 1 – After 3 Weeks

Hallertau Hops Sprouts – After 3 Weeeks (about 5 inches tall)

According to Fresh Hops we are not to prune anything off the baby hops. When they are big enough I will train the strongest shoots onto a climbing line attached to the trellis. Thankfully due to the Oregon climate, I have not had to worry about watering them as it has rained almost every day! If it gets dry I will gently wet them down with the hose, but I won’t over do it.

We put in six new hops plants this year. One Nugget, one Magnum, one cascade, one Kent Goldings, and two Hallertau. As I understand it, Hallertau (aka Hallertaur) is being pulled by hops farmers in favor of higher yield, higher alpha acid varieties in Oregon. This concerns me as Hallertau is a noble hop variety and one of the best for German lagers and Pilsners. Mt. Hood is a substitute for Hallertau, but its not the same. The lagers I have made with Mt. Hood turned out great, but there are differences. Across the batches I have brewed, Mt. Hood is cleaner smelling and tasting, while the Hallertau adds a more floral scent and subtle complexity to the flavor of the beer (the kind of thing money can’t buy). I am growing Hallertau for my personal supply so I ensure myself access to the variety.

For information on how we planted these hops rhizomes see this article on planting hops.

Posted in Hops Growing | 1 Comment »

Cold Crashing Ales A Way to Clarify Beer

Many homebrewers are interested in achieving that sparkling clarity that they see in mass produced beers. A clear beer doesn’t taste any different, and if it is free, your friends won’t be complaining if it is a little hazy! Clearing your creation will further highlight the care and effort that you put into producing it.

Clearing beer with cold temperatures is easy and effective, if you are patient. Ferment your beer as you always do, being sure that you have reached FG and that the beer is ready to be bottled or kegged. Place the fermentor in your lagering/fermenting refrigerator for a minimum of one week at nearly 38F. Given more time, more of the haze producing proteins will coagulate and settle out.

During this time at cold temperatures, proteins and yeast will be settling out of the beer, as they do when you place your bottles of hazy beer in cold storage for long periods. Temperature and time are your friends when you are cold crashing beer. After a minimum of one week at about 38F you can rack your beer off the settled yeast and trub and either bottle or keg it.

If you are bottling your beer, prime the beer normally but be sure to place the bottles in a 70F climate to ensure that the yeast has an optimum temperature at which to carbonate your beer.

If you are kegging your beer, simply transfer the clear beer to an awaiting keg. Since the beer is at or near your serving temperature this is a great time to apply pressure and begin to carbonate. CO2 does not dissolve well into warm beer, but at nearly 38F you will be able to properly carbonate your keg in as little as 24 hours.

Posted in Brewing | No Comments »

All Grain Brewday Checklist Posted

Dear fellow brewmeisters and brewmistresses,
A checklist of steps in the beer brewing process for all grain based recipes has just been posted. Find it by linking to it in the upper right corner of the site or clicking on this link: All Grain Brewday Checklist.

I was inspired to build this the other day as I nearly forgot to add brewing salts to the mash tun! With this brewing checklist on hand, I won’t forget a critical step in the brewing process. It complements the recipe templates and calculators at this site.

We are currently working on expanding the mash calculator, and partial mash brewday sheets.

PROST! – Larry

Posted in Announcements | 5 Comments »

White Labs Burton Ale Yeast or Wyeast Thames Valley

Earlier this year I brewed 3 pale ales with WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast. According to mrmalty, it is the same Wyeast strain as: 1275 Thames Valley Ale Yeast.

I had success with this strain, and propagated it a few times without any problems. The beer is excellent but I would like to warn fellow brewers. This strain is not suited for light ales. It is suited for deep flavored, malty amber or dark beers with higher levels of bitterness. The yeast imparts a roasted/burnt spicy flavor at the end. This addition does not compliment a light grain bill and I see it as a defect in one of my batches. I can see how the flavor goes really well with the beers matched to the high sulfate levels in the brewing water in Burton/Thames. Next time, I would use it in an IPA, Porter, Stout, Brown Ale, etc. It is a bit of a risk for a Pale Ale, or anything lighter, but you might enjoy the spicy roasted character in the aftertaste so I encourage people to try it out.

This yeast finished fermenting in about 10 days every time. It tended to get easily kicked up when siphoning. It is rated as medium flocculation, I would call it low but not super cloudy like a hefeweizen. Compared to results I got in the past with WLP002 English Ale, the beer is not as clear, but definitely has more character in the flavor profile.

I did three batches with it, playing around with hop varieties against the same grain bill (90% Pale 2-Row, 10% Crystal 40). I tried a Chinook/Centennial ale, a Nugget/Centennial ale, and an all Cascade ale. All were geared for 35-40 IBU, with the first hop listed as the bittering hop and the second hop listed as the aroma hop for 10 minutes.

In terms of attenuation (how well it converted sugar to alcohol), it is above expectations. White Lab’s website says this yeast gets 69-75% attenuation, but I got slightly higher. I was doing a one step mash at 152F for 60 minutes. The fermentation temperature was between 65-68F in the house.

Batch 1 attenuation : 76.2% FG was 1.010
Batch 2 attenuation : 77.2% FG was 1.008
Batch 3 attenuation : 82.6% FG was 1.008

The next time I do a run of pale ales I will try a different yeast variety with the same grain bill and hops to see how it changes. My bottles are almost all full again so I need to have a party or something.

Posted in Yeast Cultures | 7 Comments »

Coors brewery tour

My wife and I took vacation recently in Colorado, specifically Fort Collins and Boulder which is about a hour north/north-west of Denver by car. There are several breweries that give tours in that area. One of them happens to be the largest single site brewery in the world, the Miller-Coors brewery in Golden Colorado. Hey, that sounds too good to pass up even if it is swill beer?

Miller-Coors pumps out an astounding 22 million barrels annual. A barrel has 31 gallons, so that is 682 million gallons, or 87.3 billion ounces of beer! It is hard to imagine all that beer. Sadly most of it is keystone light, Coors, and a few others. They have their own freight system which is pretty sweet.

The brewery is built right on the water source. They also own a glass bottle plant nearby. This all factors into why the beer is so inexpensive. The water there is reportedly very good for brewing, comes down out of the Rockies, must be pretty low in overall mineral content.

The tour starts on a bus that drives a few blocks through the town and then drops you off inside the complex. After they check you in, they take your picture. Later they try to sell it to you for $20. Then they give you a hand held device that acts as your tour guide. Like their beer, the tour was tailored for mass production.

Some of the inside of the facility is pretty neat, pictures provided.

They press their grains with these odd contraptions which they don’t explain. I imagine this is how they get an extra few percentage points of efficiency out of the brewing process, which probably amounts to millions of dollars annually.

Towards the end of the tour you get to see one of the packaging lines.

At the end, you can have three free glasses of beer, from about four different types too choose from.  We were not totally impressed and left most of it behind. Granted, we are discriminating beer drinkers. I wouldn’t say we are beer snobs, but our taste for beers has developed with our home brewing skills. One of the most notable flavors in Coors’ banquet beer is the sweetness. It dominates the flavor profile and squelches out any malt or bitterness. In the other styles we noted tannins, sourness, and oxidized flavors!

After the tour and the free beer, finally the best part – the gift shop. We had fun modeling cardboard keystone light and Coors hats made from the boxes the cans come in. They also make Coors Light bikini underwear, but we didn’t pick that up. I did bring home a $1 Miller-Coors plastic mardi gras chalice cup. I collect chalices and other beer glasses, so if figured for $1 what the heck!  It works good for ice cream.

Click here for the New Belgium brewery tour we took on the same trip, up in Fort Collins Colorado. Now that is worth going to. Fort Collins also has two other local breweries that give free tastings and a couple other brew pubs.

Posted in Fun | 7 Comments »