What are you doing with homebrew today?

@Craigerrr I hope you are back to your normal self soon.

As for brewing, right now I am helping my wife with bottling the latest batch of cider. Since there was leftover Belgian Candi Syrup from my brewing of Man Piss Switch, she suggested using that syrup for the bottle priming solution. The syrup is in the priming calculator, so we’re using it.
 
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A gallon of cider, fermented with S-04 and primed with D-45 Belgian Candi Syrup. This is dry (OG 1.052/FG 0.996) and a little boozy at ~7.4% abv. We’ll see next weekend how it fizzes. It smells and tastes good, and I love the color.
 
Donoroto said:
@Herm_brews You fermented for 3 weeks?

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it only took me about eight days.
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This is my normal process, without temperature control. I ferment using a Speidel or FerMonster (3-gallon) in an interior closet under the stairs. I just let my brews sit for 3 weeks, because I am patient. This seems to work for me, as I put the full contents of the kettle into the fermenter, and get clear beer -
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This example is my Memorial Day IPA, drinking nicely right now.
 
@Donoroto during my usual 3 week fermentation, I just let it ride, unless adding dry hops. One of my best beers ever I left in primary for 6 weeks. Just for record keeping, I will check gravity with a refractometer on bottling day. Today, because there was “excess” beer, I drew a sample for the hydrometer - right on my expected number! Then I enjoyed that sample, and posted its picture earlier in this thread.
 
Herm_brews said:
@Donoroto during my usual 3 week fermentation, I just let it ride, unless adding dry hops. One of my best beers ever I left in primary for 6 weeks. Just for record keeping, I will check gravity with a refractometer on bottling day. Today, because there was “excess” beer, I drew a sample for the hydrometer - right on my expected number! Then I enjoyed that sample, and posted its picture earlier in this thread.
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I'm very similar. Though I don't primary for 3 weeks, I always go at least two. I started this because as a small batch brewer I didn't want to waste any beer taking gravity samples. The only final* gravity sample I take is on packaging day. It is amazing to me how much stuff will settle out in that second week.

*I can never be certain that it is truly a final gravity since I don't check it across multiple days. But all signs point that way so I'm confident enough.
 
@Herm_brews Ah, ok, I get it. Makes perfect sense, too. So in theory it could've been done in a week, but extra time certainly doesn't hurt and, as we see, helps a lot with clarity.

I need to try that.
 
I almost always primary for 3 weeks. As long as the beer has been fermented in the temperature-happy-zone for the yeast, I feel confident to bottle after 3 weeks without taking multiple gravity readings to ensure fermentation has completed. I do take a reading before bottling primarily for FG, but also to verify I'm in the expected FG range. Recently however, I did take a gravity reading at 2 weeks but, as soon as I lifted the lid off the Speidel I envisioned an invading army of oxygen molecules assaulting my beer! I know that, since I bottle from a bottling bucket, I probably wouldn't be increasing oxidation in the final beer but, I just feel better with the 3 week primary.
 
My Tilt tells me when fermentation is completed, I just double that time then keg it.
I have an opportunity to wait an extra week here, I'm gonna take it.
I brewed July 1, it finished fermenting 7/7, normally I'd keg it 7/14. I will cold crash it then instead and wait another week, kegging 7/21 or 7/22.
 
Craigerrr said:
Looking at the date on my last brew, May 14th, coming up on two months:(
I just can't physically do it until my sacroiliac heals up.

Here is what/where the sacroiliac joint is, there isn't much you can do to rest it, lying down (yes sleeping) is the worst, at least when you go to get up again. We just went and bought a new $6000 bed with remote control so I can sleep on my back, side sleeping is the worst.
I do some stretching exercises, and have a number of exercises that strengthen the muscles around the joint.
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Hang in there!
 
Before I got a tilt it was 10 days on a low gravity ale and 2 weeks on a lager or something higher gravity. Now I’m like @Trialben :) If gravity is stable 3 days and it’s been at least a week I’ll keg it (ale). Lager I might go 10 days. I do leave it in the fridge for a week or so before drinking it so i clears there.
 
Today I am headed to my buddy’s house to “keg” the Irish Stout. We will use these things called a Beerbox I got last spring and never used, priming with sugar. I also made my first starter. I realized getting the slurry from the bottom of a keg wasn’t super easy. This way II’ll use what I need and save the rest and build it up from there next brew. Figure I’m still being frugal with my yeast.
 
Working on my equipment upgrade plans today. Our new apartment isn't ready until mid-August, so it's hard to resist the temptation to buy equipment right now :rolleyes: but I can still window shop! lol I'm thinking first up will be a mini fridge and temp controller. That should tide me over until black Friday when I can more affordably aquire a keg and CO2 system...
 
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