I finally got up the supplies and urge to do another batch of mead. I should mention that I tried a little bit of the Sweet Raspberry Mead when my brother and his wife came to town and it is so good! I cannot wait for it to age a few years, it will only get better. I will have to make another 3 gallons soon.
On to the metheglin:
I love Celestial Seasonings tea. So why not make a mead out of it? Here’s the recipe for 3 gallons of mead:
3½ lbs orange blossom honey
3 lbs wildflower honey
24 tension tamer tea bags
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp yeast energizer
Lalvin EC-1118
water to make 3 gallons
I used the heat pasteurization method. I brought 2½ gallons of water to a boil for 10 minutes. I then removed it from the heat and added the honey along with the nutrient and energizer. I then let this sit for 30 minutes to pasteurize. During this time I added the tea, 12 bags at a time, for 7 minutes each. I took a reading with the hydrometer to find the OG at 1.077.
I didn’t think ahead enough to make a starter, so I settled for re-hydrating the yeast at 100° for 15 min while I cooled the must with my wort cooler. I cooled it to 68° and pitched the yeast. That’s all there is to it! I may try bottling it in about 2-3 months instead of waiting longer. This after hearing that Redstone Meadery only ages their nectars for 3 months before bottling.
I think I may have to make another batch of mead soon, perhaps another melomel. It goes fast after I start to share it!
I got the notice that a package was waiting for me at the apartment office just after they closed on Friday so I had to wait until Saturday morning to tear into it, but damn was it a beautiful sight! Now I’m the proud owner of a 40lb 15G brewpot.
I did a test fill/drain on it with 5G of warmish water and it seals really well. It looks like some siphoning will be needed to get the last little bit, but that’s no big deal.
After the 15G brewpot setup is complete with the burner setup and mash tun, the next step will be a ginormous steel fermenter like this bad boy:
She’s in the primary now and looking mighty fine. I made a half recipe and measured an OG of 1.067 and it smells amazing. It should be drinkable in 2-3 weeks, so I’ll update in due time.
Also I got some kinks hammered out in the batch sparger, so the next (all-grain) batch should be coming in the next week or two. I’ll post some photos of the setup around brewing time, so stay tuned for more updates.
Update:
Added photo of the cider in the fermenter and will be bottling it tomorrow. The mash tun is sealing like a champ and now I just have to shorten the false bottom a bit since I didn’t account for the protruding of the drain outlet. Hopefully I’ll get to put it to use next weekend. I’m thinking it’ll be a hef, but only time will tell!
I’ve added a note to the Fly Sparge HowTo Post. This was because I used galvanized steel on the sparge tank and I really shouldn’t. So stainless steel or copper will replace that when I get the chance (and money). Here’s the note:
A note on materials: I used the aluminum stock pot because I have it. Aluminum is not as terrible as people think and I have no problem using it for my sparge water. CPVC is good up to 200° and so it is fine for everything up to boiling, and sparge water doesn’t go hotter than 180°. Stainless steel and copper are both good for all brewing purposes, galvanized is not, it rusts (although it is used for water lines; I’m not sure how that works).
So my co-contributor, Mike, wanted a boil kettle, and since New Belgium practically gives away old kegs, I hooked him up. I also converted it for him, since I had the experience of mine. Without further ado, here is the process:
First off, materials:
$15……..1 old keg
$45……..1 weldless stainless steel spigot
$6……….a short section of 1/2″ copper tubing
$1……….a female threaded copper coupling
$1……….a 90 degree elbow (1/2″ copper)
$20……..a 7/8″ drill bit
$20……..a propane torch along with flux and solder for copper
an angle grinder and the appropriate blades
a drill
The first step is to cut the top off of the keg. I found the best way to do that is to butt your angle grinder right up to the side of the keg and use that as your guide. Last time I drew a circle and tried to follow it, but I ended up with a bunch of straight limes (think hexagon) insted of a circle. Here’s how I did it this time:
After the top is off, you need to sand the edges until you get all of the sharp points nice and rounded so you don’t lose a finger in your beer. Sand until you are confident it is child safe – not a dumb test. So the top is beautiful and you aren’t going to die when you touch it. Now you need the hole for the spigot on the inside. I measured up 4 1/4″ from the bottom, just to match the last one I did. I have yet to find a standard measurement. Here’s where I’m going to drill the hole:
After drilling the hole, again you need to sand it down so that it is not sharp. This is about it for the hard parts. The only other thing to do is to make the copper ‘L’ piece to go inside that goes from the inside of the spigot to the bottom of the keg to drain all the way to the bottom. This is just simple copper soldering. Cut your tubing the length you want it and then sand the edges to clean them (inside and out). Then put some flux all around the outside of the tubing and stick it in the fitting. Finally, heat up the fitting until the solder melts on contact to the copper (not directly in the flame). Make sure the solder fills all the way around the tube.
That’s basically all there is to it, it only took about 1 1/2 or 2 hours start to finish. It’s really easy and the best way to get into a 5 gallon or even 10 gallon boil with the addition of a propane burner.
APPENDIX – Using Your Brewpot:
Supplies:
a copper dish scrubber (find it at the grocery store)
teflon tape (in the plumbing section of the hardware store for a buck)
a stainless steel spoon, around 2 feet. Find a cheap one here.
After making the brewpot, you want to prep all the threads by putting teflon tape on all male threads ($0.99 at hardware stores). This will keep the threads from leaking: then put it all together in this order:
The spigot goes handle-side outside the brewpot, the threaded end through the hole in the keg (if you can’t figure that much out, you’re in trouble). On the inside, you’ll put on the O-ring, then the stainless steel washer, and finally the female threaded coupler. Coming out from that you will want the copper fitting you have soldered together screwed on, ending up facing down toward the bottom of the keg. It will look like this:
Inside:
Outside:
Next time you’re at the store, pick up a copper dish scrubber. This will act as a screen for all the hops and trub (sidenote: it is pronounced ‘troob’) at the end of the boil. put this around the bottom of the copper ‘L’ fitting. When you get the scrubber, it has a hole right in the middle that is not very conducive to this project. Simply unroll the mesh and you will get something that looks like this and can be folded up and used as an effective screen:
Next you’ll want to test the setup for leaks, and while doing it, mark gallons as follows. Add water 1 gallon at a time (or 1/2 gallon at a time if you want to be more precise). At each point, mark on your metal spoon at the water level. This allows you to measure how much liquid you have left, allowing you to know when you get to your 5.5 gallon mark or whatever you are aiming for.
Now you’re ready to boil the beer! After the beer has boiled it’s course (60-180 minutes), you need to drain it out and cool it down before you pitch the yeast. The easiest way to accomplish this is to put your immersion chiller in the wort for the last 15-20 minutes of the boil to sanitize it, then chill it right in the brewpot. But, if you can’t get a water source to your propane setup like me, you’ll have to drain it into a bucket, take the bucket to where you have water access and then cool it there. If you are going to cool it in the brewpot, do that. If not, just keep reading.
Now before you drain the beer, it is best to create a whirlpool to get all of the hops and trub (sidenote – it’s pronounced ‘troob’) to the middle of the brewpot. Simply stir the wort in a circular motion getting it going as fast as you can, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. After that, drain it through your already installed copper screen, and you will minimize the sediment that gets to the primary. This is why you put the copper ‘L’ drain on the side, and not into the middle. You won’t need to siphon because all that’ll be left is sediment. You’ll lose a little liquid, but not enough to make a fuss over. Just make sure to boil a little extra to make up for it. After you drain it, if you have not done so, cool it to yeast temperatures and pitch your yeast. If you are draining the beer while it is still hot (without cooling to yeast temperatures), you will need to use special heat resistant tubing, not just the nylon stuff you use for syphoning. You’re local homebrew store should have it.
There you are! Enjoy using your brew pot (or as the cool people say, your keggle).
So I went down to Hops and Berries to pick up a compression valve for Mike’s new boil kettle I scored for him, and I also picked up a few gallon jugs for my raspberry mead. I did this because it was in the 2.8 gallon carboy and was only filling that about 1/2 way. So I racked the mead into the (2) gallon jugs and what space was left I decided to fill with water so there was no airspace to create oxidation. One was 1.5 cups added and the other was just a tad.
I also bottled the lemonade. I did it a little bit hap-hazardously though. I added 3/16 cup priming sugar straight in (I was too lazy to boil it). I also added a little of the raspberry mead in there because it sounded good. It didn’t taste all that great either. I even forgot to take a reading on it. Oh well, it has to be about the same, as I saw no bubbles come out since I racked it.
Well, as you can probably tell, this post is pretty poorly written too. Off to bed after I post these updates in their respective posts.
I’m adding a couple of lesser known parts for the brewing equipment scrounger.
First up is Brewery Gaskets. Although it is not the most informative site in the world, it does carry all of the gaskets you will ever need for your brewing needs in several materials that are good up to over 400° and higher. A little pricey, but that’s what we get for being in a niche market.
Next up is Plumbing Supply’s Stainless Steel section. Every stainless steel coupling or other fitting you could ever want. Again, not cheap, but that is the price we pay for good world-class beer.
I have ordered from Brewery Gaskets, but have not yet ordered from Plumbing Supply (I do have purchases lined up though. All that to say that I ordered from Brewery Gaskets on 02/26 and received the order in the mail today, a total of 6 days. Not bad, I’m happy. At least I’m using proper heat-proof gaskets now.
You can now find these in the ‘links’ portion of the sidebar.
I updated the raspberry mead post, here it is for easy finding!
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I tasted this about a week ago and could not be more pleased. If anything, it is a bit too sweet and should perhaps be watered down, but I don’t plan on mucking about with it. I can’t wait for it to age and get even better! I heartily recommend you brew up a batch of this mead!
I’m excited to announce that we have broke 1000 hits! I can’t believe it’s already at 1042, I just checked late last night and it was only 970. I guess all-grain brewing does the trick…I hope that the site only becomes more informative and useful for all!
Well, the day is here and it is time to find out if I can make a decent all-grain beer! I have my grains all converted and it is time to sparge as we speak! First a bit of catch-up:
The Recipe:
11 ½ lbs. pale malt
1 lb crystal malt (60L)
3/4 lb. chocolate malt
1/3 lb. black patent malt
1 cup blackstrap molasses
½ tsp Irish Moss Hops:
2 oz. hallertauer (whole) @ 60 min
½ oz. Cascade (whole) @ 10 min Yeast:
American Ale Yeast (Dry)
Target gravity: 1.060
Target IBU’s: 36.2
Method:
Step Mash
50 min at 147° followed by 1 hr 50 min at 153°. My 147° was a little closer to 149°. 153° was right on. I got this schedule from the book The Brewer’s Companion by Randy Mosher. This book is a must have when you get to all-grain!
Sparge
5 gallons of sparge water at 180° for a total of 45 min of time. It actually was only about 25 minutes…I’ll have to work on that and see how big a deal timing is on that. The sparge arm worked like a champ though! I may have drilled too many/ too big holes.
Boil
90 min boil with the following additions:
2 oz hallertauer at 90 min
1/2 tsp irish moss at 15 minutes
0.5 oz cascade at 10 min
The new burner seems to work alright and it looks like it is boiling away happily although I cannot see the liquid because of all the steam because it is only 30° outside…
Whoops! I only ended up with 3.5 gallons of wort after the boil. I’ll have to devise a better way of working that out…I added tap water to bring it up to 5.5 gallons.
Icooled with the wort chiller to 75° in 17 minutes. I pitched the yeast and then cleaned up.
Well, that was quite the experience. It gives me a new appreciation for extract brewing – it’s much quicker, that’s for sure. But it was a good experience and the beer will be wonderful. It’s a good feeling to know I took grains and made beer all by myself.
03/16/08
Today I racked Clementine’s Porter. I sneaked a taste and was very pleased. It is very chocolatey with just a hint of molasses. Very good indeed. The SG was 1.011. I will bottle next weekend.
03/23/08
I’m bottling Clementine’s Porter today. I’ve decided to do 3 gallons with the normal proportion of dextrose sugar, but for the other 2 gallons I am priming with molasses (at the rate of 1 cup per 5 gallons). I’m only doing two gallons of the molasses-primed stuff because I think it may overpower the beer. But it may be perfect – who knows…
