What are you doing with homebrew today?

I decided to bottle my temperature controlled batch of M47 today, instead of tomorrow.
It looks and smells good. Not as fruity as my high(er) temperature batches (which I also like).
I bottled in grolsch swingtop. I had forgotten how easy that is!
4 bottles will condition in the fermentation fridge. The others, as usual, in the cooler box. We'll do a taste test in 10-14 days
 
Yesterday, I went to lhbs to pick up grains, yeast and hops for my next brew, which will be a PNW IPA. It is actually a reworking of my IPA of the 3 C’s. I also picked up bottle caps, as I need them to bottle my Smooth Stout, then I can use that fermenter for my IPA. My second fermenter is currently working on a 3 gallon batch of primitive cider, so I’ve got some beverages in the pipeline.
 
Bumped the temperature on Frankenbeer III by .5C today. Still had some slight pressure, but wasn't bubbling anymore. Wakey Wakey yeastie beasties!
 
After talking with a local at the beer garden, I’m considering buying a portable induction cooktop. After letting her know that I brew indoors, she warned about the problem of mildew and mold inside homes, something I am very weary about. My wife immediately encouraged me to get an induction cooktop, such that I could boil wort in the garage, or out on the deck. In either case, deck or garage, this time of year, it’s gonna be a cold endeavor.
 
Quality Control straight out the kegmenter on the latest NZ pils. (Not comparrison brew)
20221212_165235.jpg

Yup it's ready to serve I rekon

This is dangerously good and will be bad for my gluten free brewing lucky I'm still allowed gluten for now...;)
 
Herm brews said:
... After letting her know that I brew indoors, she warned about the problem of mildew and mold inside homes, something I am very weary about. My wife immediately encouraged me to get an induction cooktop,...
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Does your stovetop hood vent to the outside? If so you just have to deal with some condensation on the inside of the hood and the rest of the moisture ends up outside. Remember that the portable induction cooktops are advertised as 1800 watts. While they're efficient that's not a lot especially if your ambient temp is low to start with. You might need to add an immersion heater plugged into another circuit to get it to boil in a reasonable amount of time.
 
Herm brews said:
After talking with a local at the beer garden, I’m considering buying a portable induction cooktop. After letting her know that I brew indoors, she warned about the problem of mildew and mold inside homes, something I am very weary about. My wife immediately encouraged me to get an induction cooktop, such that I could boil wort in the garage, or out on the deck. In either case, deck or garage, this time of year, it’s gonna be a cold endeavor.
Click to expand...

I brew indoors during the winter and no problems with condensation (other than a little on the vent hood right above the stove top). If you have a small fan you can distribute it such that it doesn't build up condensation. I have an open kitchen/dining room and there's a ceiling fan that I run to move some air. For my climate, some extra humidity is a bonus, as it gets dry with the furnace running.

An 1800W cooktop might be a little anemic, at least getting things to a boil. When you get your cooktop, test it out with a kettle of water and see if it can do it alone. If not, you can use an immersion heater to supplement.

For brewing on an electric range top, I use a 1500W bucket heater, which works well. Once it gets to a boil, I can remove the bucket heater and the stove top has enough power to keep it going.
 
MaxStout said:
I brew indoors during the winter and no problems with condensation (other than a little on the vent hood right above the stove top). If you have a small fan you can distribute it such that it doesn't build up condensation. I have an open kitchen/dining room and there's a ceiling fan that I run to move some air. For my climate, some extra humidity is a bonus, as it gets dry with the furnace running.

An 1800W cooktop might be a little anemic, at least getting things to a boil. When you get your cooktop, test it out with a kettle of water and see if it can do it alone. If not, you can use an immersion heater to supplement.

For brewing on an electric range top, I use a 1500W bucket heater, which works well. Once it gets to a boil, I can remove the bucket heater and the stove top has enough power to keep it going.
Click to expand...
My kitchen has a glass, flat surfaced radiant electric stove. The largest element easily brings 3.75 +/- gallons of liquid to a boil (after mash) in about 30 minutes. There is a vent hood over the stove, which exhausts out to the roof; the biggest drawback is that the fan is noisy. There is also a window nearby, but I don’t want to let too much 40F air in. The PNW is quite humid, too this time of year. I have used a small portable fan to help blow the steam around. Maybe I’m over thinking the issue. It wouldn’t be the first time I got bogged down by the minutia.
 
FrostyBeach said:
Does your stovetop hood vent to the outside? If so you just have to deal with some condensation on the inside of the hood and the rest of the moisture ends up outside. Remember that the portable induction cooktops are advertised as 1800 watts. While they're efficient that's not a lot especially if your ambient temp is low to start with. You might need to add an immersion heater plugged into another circuit to get it to boil in a reasonable amount of time.
Click to expand...
See my reply to @MaxStout - yeah, I just need to accept some condensation in the vent hood, and the noise that hood generates. My stove can easily boil wort, so there isn’t a need for extra equipment.

I should RDWHAHB!
 
Woke up real early, weather forecast was for 22 oC (71-72 F) so my overnight cooled wort should be same temp as my left over trub and (ideal) pitching temperature.
But it wasn't. It was 25.5 oC (78 F) instead.
Refracto sample was spot on for OG, so couldn't add cold water.
Bummer
Just put everything together, swirling well. And in the fridge. Got within temp range within 30 minutes, so should be fine.
Now rdwhac (relax, don't worry, have a coffee)
 
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Pulled the trub from Frankenbeer III today to start psuedo-secondary ferment. Bumped the temperature to 19.5 C to get the yeasties hyped up a little. Seeing a bubble every 20 seconds or so, meaning it ain't done yet. Still pretty cloudy in the fermenter, too. Should be ready to bottle by the weekend, though.
 
Bottled the (not) Ruby Ale and filled a one gal mini-keg five days ahead of estimated finish. Already starting to clear. Taste has improved again too. Before transfer, I squeezed out the hop bag, just liquid, no bits and let it stand a few hours. Anybody else tried this? I am hoping it might produce a twist on the conditioning. It should serve as a back up to the Brown Ale later into the holiday now. In fact I think I might open the brown ale earlier than planned. Gonna sleep on that.

Today was also my annual boiler-central heating service - thumbs up at the beginning of dark beer season. Never allowed myself to get complacent after the year it was two apprentices attending the old boiler. Sat relaxing on my settee a couple of days later the thing fell apart bit by bit, clang clang clang and I was without heating for a few weeks early winter whilst they waited for a part to come in.
 
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