plactagonic
@plactagonic@sopuli.xyz
- Comment on Stuck fermentation? 2 days ago:
You may try refractometer with correction and then using hydrometer before bottling/when you need exact measurements. Other options are too expensive for homebrewers, like in our brewery we use device from AntonPaar that uses about 10ml per measurement. It costs about 5-10 times more than the pill.
- Comment on Stuck fermentation? 4 days ago:
No it isn’t bad or large fluctuation, in our case it got to 15 C and then stopped at about 6 or 7 °Bx (~1,025 SG) and get to about 10C afterwards.
US04’s or other ale strains are pretty tolerant to “small” fluctuations or don’t getting the temperature right.
- Comment on Stuck fermentation? 4 days ago:
I had to deal with this issue few months ago.
Stopped fermentation was caused by fluctuating temperature and too quick cooling after pitching the yeasts.
We salvaged it to sellable beer but it wasn’t great.
Give it a taste test and proceed as normal brew, in a best case scenario you will have sweeter beer.
Restarting a fermentation is tricky and unreliable so I wouldn’t do it. You may have issues with carbonation so it may end up flat or, if you can, force carbonate it.
Try to find what caused it, so you don’t have to deal with it in the future. I can’t tell what it is from your post - yeasts, temperature, bad measurements…
I don’t see anything obvious so that’s it, I don’t have experience with this hydrometer so I can’t help with that (bad calibration or some issue there).
Tldr: not much to do now, try to find out what caused it for future brews.
- Comment on anyone had a homebrew club have a faction split? 1 week ago:
This is sooo weird to me. I know lot of people (brewmasters, owners…) and it is usually about cooperation.
Like on local food festival we coordinate with other brewery what beer to bring, who will take portable taps so we all can be sold out at the end and don’t need to bring everything.
- Comment on blast me off, fam 2 weeks ago:
I love that half is in metric and other half has pounds, foots and quarts.
My metric wired brain just don’t understand it.
- Comment on party poopers 2 weeks ago:
When I see this meme I always remember the glass rod I stuck in my thumb when we learned to do some basic lab glassmaking.
- Comment on Secondary Lager Fermentation Slow? 3 weeks ago:
Tldr of this measurement is that density is affected only negligibly (with low concentration of alcohol). Refractive index changes a lot.
These numbers were “discovered” by trying, maybe from some 15 yo Czech seminar my dad attended when he started. I just know that it works.
For sugar I am adding the least amount possible- it has some already ~3.5 °Bx and I don’t want bombs.
- Comment on Secondary Lager Fermentation Slow? 3 weeks ago:
I use hydrometer it gives you real gravity but you need more beer.
But when you calculate real gravity from refractometer you can use it.
The window for this method is from 4-4.5°Bx and I only used hydrometer so it may need little bit of trying to not get bombs.
Now I work in brewery and we use basically the same method, but because the tank caps work as regulated pressure relief valves, they are cooled… It is just more regulated and done before packaging (bottling and kegging).
- Comment on Secondary Lager Fermentation Slow? 3 weeks ago:
I brewed in about the same style but mainly with S-185. If you measure gravity during fermentation you can put it in bottles with ~4,5°Bx and skipp adding sugar.
It is enough to pressurize it and fermentation isn’t completely stopped (it is just slowing down). After week in 10 - 12°C it should be pressurized.
When I miss this window I add only about 3.5 g of sugar per bottle and 30g per 30l keg.
- Comment on Secondary Lager Fermentation Slow? 3 weeks ago:
Lager styles usually take longer in secondary leave it at least week to pressurize.
Which yeasts did you use?
- Comment on Is there any gadget that helps find, kill or repel mosquitoes? 4 weeks ago:
Mosquito nets and DEET. You have few options- physical barrier and chemical deterent.
- Comment on Grain Crush Size for Brewzilla 5 weeks ago:
I had to deal with AIO once and didn’t like it, but yes you are right coarse malt don’t restrict the flow and stays in the basket.
Also look at the grain size, we got some smaller sized grains and when you set it too coarse they may don’t get crushed.
- Comment on Is wine active enough to cultivate and use as a yeast? 1 month ago:
- Comment on Is wine active enough to cultivate and use as a yeast? 1 month ago:
I experimented with wild yeasts.
If you can’t get/don’t want to use lab yeasts (dried in bag), the best bet is to start with about 1l of fruit juice or wort, put it in Mason jar or some container with larger opening and let it sit outside in garden or on a window over night.
Put it inside, let it ferment completely (it will take about 7days) in somewhat warm room (20 - 25°C). Taste it and smell it if it is good (no off smells and off flavors like acid, bitter or rotten). And use it as starter.
I messed with yeasts about 2 years ago with petri dishes, isolates, microscope and stuff but this basic recipe will do it. Bear in mind that it is about 50/50 if you get good or bad strains so make multiple batches and use only the most promising ones.
Yeasts are pretty much everywhere so you will most likely catch something, but you don’t want any bacteria or mold.
I will try to find yt vids about this (someone recommended me sth on reddit) and post them there.
- Comment on Has anyone had success with debloating their Phones? 1 month ago:
I can’t tell a difference, I just uninstall all unnecessary apps when I buy a phone. The same way I selected all recommended apps from all lists and I got to about 5 apps on homescreen without a problem.
- Comment on Yeast strains for wine and cider 2 months ago:
As others said it makes a big difference.
I made cider with lager, ale, champaign, wine and yeast separated from live culture (some garden mix). Each had different character and some were bad.
I would suggest some wine or ale yeast but it is because they are easiest to come by for me.
- Comment on mountain dew wine from goldenhivemead 2 months ago:
Yeah sometimes I miss r/prisonhooch.
- Comment on First draft of a label for one of my ciders 2 months ago:
You brightened my brew day.
I am too lazy to make labels, so I sometimes drink some surprise beer or cider.
- Comment on I am lost on chemical stabilisation 3 months ago:
I am few years out of school, but in short SO2 tests are quick and easy with right equipment and on small scale not worth it (under few thousand liters).
Pasteurization or filtration is better option - easier and not so much things to go wrong.
I cant sugest you anything specific because each brew (beer, wine, cider, mead) requires different approach.
- Comment on Forgot fruit wine with citrus zest in it for over a month 3 months ago:
I tried to make some liqueur with currants and wine and it was disaster so not much help with that.
Now I usually let them sit in some “slivovice” for half a year and have much better results.
- Comment on Forgot fruit wine with citrus zest in it for over a month 3 months ago:
It will probably need to be stronger so it is more aperitif. So maybe little bit of some sort of “moonshine” (it is legal in my country to make some distillates) and sugar and drink it.
I did some sort of this few times mostly by maceration of fruits and herbs.
- Comment on Forgot fruit wine with citrus zest in it for over a month 3 months ago:
There are lots of bittering compounds and best bet for you is some kind of sweetening it. Because they didn’t dissipate by ageing.
Maybe look into artificial sweeteners -combinations of them mask each other bitter after taste. But it wouldn’t be exactly natural.
Quick search pointed me to some paper about how to prevent it in juice and lots of papers about medical use.
Main compound that may be your problem is limonene (Wikipedia has good article) but I can’t tell how to get it out.
- Comment on Has anyone scaled back from 5gals to 3gals or 1gal? 3 months ago:
I found sweet spot at about 35l - usually I brew for some kind of occasion like birtgday, friends wedding… So 30 l keg and few test bottles. But I didn’t brew at home since I started working in brewery.
So I upscaled from this to 2000 l batches.
- Comment on When you've been in the pool a little too long... 4 months ago:
When friends ask me how cold is water I usually answer “Cold about 3cm cold” or something like that.
- Comment on local brewery gave away bottle caps! 5 months ago:
I think that they will no longer sell beer in glass bottles with these caps. Best way to package beer is in kegs, bottles take too much time and efort to make.
- Comment on Spicing up a bland cider 5 months ago:
I make ciders from my apples and it is usualy good. My friend made cider from store bought juice and it was bland as well. I wouldnt add anything else than spices or fruit to correct the flavour.
Also good option would be some wood chips, they add lots of flavour and dilute the alcohol taste.
- Comment on my first tepache! 6 months ago:
I never heard of this. From what I read on wikipedia it seams simillar to kombucha - non/very low alcohol level, carbonated and chilled drink. Maybe I will try it, this version and the original made from corn.
- Comment on a few lessons learned during my first cider 6 months ago:
I would sugest to dont bother with cleaning it for first brew. From what I heard it makes neglegable diference in taste but it is clear.
I don’t bother with it and had lots of perfectly drinkable cider.
- Comment on Two yeast mead 6 months ago:
I tried to ferment some beer with yeasts isolated from sourdough starter. It took longer in bottles to clear but was fine after that.
- Comment on Fucked around, found out 6 months ago:
Hmm painting accident.
One christmass my dad opened his beer at the table with presents. One of my books still smells like beer after about 8 years.