I use glass for primary, yes. Food grade plastic buckets are almost as expensive as glass, and since they scratch easily, they can harbor organisms that can contaminate the wert, even after you sanitize. besides, when you use glass, you get to watch.
I have made several meads. You do need to use wine or champagne yeast, beer yeast will only ferment up to ~12% whereas premier cuvee will go up to ~22%. The trick with meads is to use a lot of yeast nutrient. Honey doesn't have anything but sugar in it, so if you don't use nutrient, your yeast will not thrive. Also, you need to wait AT LEAST a year after bottling before consuming. Young meads suck. Most people who don't like mead have sampled young ones. A dosing of malolactic bacteria in the secondary helps.
I use the conical for everything, and, also have one of the plastic mini brew conicals. The SS one was a gift, and, I never would have bought it for myself, but, I love them. So easy to clean. I haven't used a carboy in many years. Once you see one of those shatter and see someone rushed off to the hospital with glass shards sticking out of your hand, you won't use one again either.
I do 11 gal. batches. That's just enough to get me the 10.8 gal. I need for my larger cask. If filling 2 cornies, I usually hold back a little on the sparge for less volume.
Casks are naturally conditioned. Usually, I add a little priming sugar. vent after a week, serving a day or two later. You can't force carbonate a cask. well, if you're truly cask conditioning in a real cask you can't. They won't hold that kind of pressure, and, kind of defeats the purpose.
I brew when I can, and, with a 5 year old, and, a 14 month old, not as often as I'd like, but, I can get a batch done, cleaned up etc in 5 hrs. so not bad. My system and routine are pretty efficient.
Favorite styles are American IPA and english cask conditioned best bitter, and Saison. I'm not all that crazy about the new double this and that fad happening in America now. I hope that trend dies soon. Too many brewers think throwing in as many hops as possible makes for a good beer. There are lots of truly great ones. Russian River Pliny the Elder comes to mind, but, most of it is way out of balance.
A venting cask of best bitter
(Message edited by jim_williams on January 05, 2010)
Hey Jim, thanks for the pix! I would be interested in your best bitters recipe or just a little more info on it, to compare with the others I've seen.
Cask conditioning is very interesting, tell us more! Have you bottled conditioned your best bitters and compared it to the cask conditioned variety? In your opinion, do the stainless steel or plastic fermenters create a different flavor than glass fermenters?
I'm going to be brewing browns for a while, but best bitters is my favorite Sierra Nevada beer (sold only on tap at their restaurant in Chico, CA), so I may head in that direction in the future.
After just a few batches, I really don't need to watch the reaction again. It is beautiful though.
I don't know if you read one of my posts above, but I did break a 6 gal carboy this week, what a mess, and I did get a little cut up, but no need for stitches this time. I know I can devise a way to make the glass safer, primarily by respecting it, and having good routines. I have read how some people wrap the glass carboys in plastic pallet wrap, to contain any shards if broken. Others have used tool coat, etc.
In another life, I wouldn't mind brewing my own. Meanwhile, in this life, there's plenty of good beer out there. +1 on that Dogfish IPA (support your local brewery...as long as it's good brew!).
I raise a glass (or a bottle) to all you brewers out there. Cheers!
good thread. nice setup jim. i know jim and hex and other brewers will know this http://brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/is sue5.6/flavorwheel.html but take a look. tasting/smelling and identifying the flavor characteristics in beer is harder than you'd think. i don't care for sam addams either
Hey Hex ,have not been on here in a while. Parked the bike in November and picked up a few extract kits. Just last week switched to All Grain brewing with my new setup.
First batch is in primary, Amarillo Pale Ale Just checked gravity last night 1.053 down to 1.014, right at 5.2%
Using a 10gal Igloo MLT, flysparging from a 10gal HLT, 15.5gal Keggle, 220,000btu burner (son of a b!tch is impressive), Got a March 125 pump for liquor transfer from keggle (or into carboys), Wort chiller, big ass stainless steel canoe paddle, 20lb grain bill and 10oz hop schedule and a 70 minute boil.
Beersmith says 75% efficiency ought to get me 1.055 OG.
I hit my mash in and mash out temps on the button, vorlaufed 4 quarts, last two were the same clarity, fly sparged real slow for 40 minutes, preboil OG was two points high (was nervous about that.) Was supposed to be 1.046 corrected but it was 1.048. Boiling down to 1.055 then into primary.
10 oz or Amarillo gold and 20lbs of various grain, recipe customized by Chris of AIH for me.
Grain and malt mill
Hot Liquor Tank Mash Lauter Tun Brew Kettle burner Extra water for heating up if needed.
