Science Forums 2

[alexander]

hehe,

well, i would recommend getting some real equipment, its not too cheap, its not too expensive, and it weilds a better comfort feeling with the final product. I just got a 6.5 gallon twist lid bucket (for 5 gallon batches) for primary, with an air lock for under 20 bucks... i also have a 5 gallon one (for 3 respectively) that i drilled a hole in the top set a gromet into it and now its a primary also. the 5 gallon i got for free, just asked at the bakery counter of the local grocery store, seriously, they throw them out, and what a better way to recycle them, eh, eeh, giving you some ideas, i hope

So here is my howto (with pictures) for this dema goddess ale derivative... I have used 2 totally new techniques for me, and i have no clue if it all worked, the wart was done aerating a little less then an hour ago, and it hasnt yet had the time to go very active, considering just how high the gravity is, it does not surprise me, i hope it did right though, it would be a lot of money thrown away, like 50 bucks of malt, specialty grain and yeast...

Look at the recipe above, and make sure you have all the ingredients, i ended up not using gypsum, but most of the other ones are kind of necessary

firstly for the aerating pump, went to a local pet shop and picked up an aerating pump (a very quiet one), also grabbed a length of tubing for it and an aerating stone. Stopped by at an automotive store and picked up a fuel filter that seemed to fit the line, ended up being a bit think, but i made it work (the filter is for a lawn mower). Why filter the air? last thing you want is bacteria or fungus to get into the wart, so a fine mesh or a fuel filter should hopefully filter out anything bad that would go into the wart with the pumped air. connect a longer length of the hose to the outlet of the filter, connect a short hose to the inlet and the outlet of the filter. Dont put on the aerating stone till you are about to aerate the mix. To clean the stone, i put it in a dish of water and threw it in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes.

Before you start, activate the yeast slap pack (follow instructions on the pack)

So anyways here we go, first of all, clean everything, you need to wash everything you are planning to interact with the wart with, funnel, spoons, measuring cup, gravity meter, thermometer, teaspoon, what have you...

Now then, set the 4 gal. of water on high heat, put the specialty grains in the grain bag or cheese cloth, and put the grains in the water... attempt to resist the delicious carmel smell that will undoubtedly fill the entire kitchen. Every 5-10 minutes swirl the specialty grains around to release some flavors and mix the water.

when the temp reaches 155-160 turn the heat off or on very very low, and steep the grains at 155-165 for about 20 minutes. take the grains out, let them drip, dont shake the bag, just let it drip off and set the bag on a plate or something for the moment. Turn the heat on high again, and bring the temp to about 170F. Turn the heat off, and pour in the liquid malt, stirr very well, and set it on heat again, this time till boil. Just when the wart starts boiling, throw in 5-6 hop pellets, this will prevent a boil over when you add 2 oz at the beginning of the boil. Let the wart boil for 5 minutes, add the 2oz of Tomahawk (columbus) hops to it and start the 60 min timer.

after that, stir the wart every 5-7 minutes

at 20 min before the end, add the first oz of chinook hops (in my case i had to sub in Nuggets)

also here you would lower in the immersion chiller (this type of a wart cooler lowers the cooling down time from 2-3-4 hours to 15-20 min)

at 15 minutes before the end add Lyle's Golden syrup 1 462g can, as you will have to mix it for a while to dissolve it, this should take you nearly to 10 min mark, at 10 minutes add in the last oz of Chinook hops (once again i had to sub in), 1/2 lb of demerara sugar and irish moss. Finish the boil take off heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.

after 10 minutes cool down the wart to pitching temp (72-74F)

transfter the wart into the primary (i use a 6.5 gallon bucket) try to take out most of the solids at this point, i use a screen filter in a funnel, you can get those at any brewing supply store...

once you have transfered into the bucket, you can measure the gravity, mine was rediculous, like 1.15, so i had to add nearly 20 cups of water to get it down to about 1.103 or so, you are aiming for 1.1, so 1.103 is close enough.

add in 5 tsp of yeast nutrient, mix well. Now its time to pitch in that packet of yeast, mix in a clockwise fashion, and now to the aerating pump, attach all the pieces together, turn on the pump and lower the stone into the wart. This will form surface foam, i had to stand there with the spoon and stir the foam so it would not go over the edges.... for 45 minutes... because i could not wait any longer, ideally an hour is about what you are looking for in 5 gallons at 1.1, maybe a 1/2 hour for lower gravities, like stouts (1.047-1.059) etc. Air allows the yeast to multiply, and its really good in the beginning stages of fermentation.

Anyways, at this point you can close the lid, airlock that thing and go clean up the mess you have created in your kitchen... lol

Here are some pictures from the process