Open Fermenting Beer or Wine
Ok, this is gonna’ be me ranting about why none of the beer books, web sites, or experts talk about open fermenting their beer. Basically, open fermentation was the way it was done in the beginning and is still being used in the Trappist Monasteries. So why the big mystery? Why, close the lid on your primary fermentor? Aren’t we suppose to be getting oxygen to the yeast so that it can chew up the wort and make our beer or wine?
And you know what really bugs me, is that you can’t find any sources for techniques on open fermenting.
I’ve been using open fermentation for the past three years with a lot of success. I usually achieve a high floccuation ratio (75 – 80%) on beer and almost 100% on wine using this method. The trick that I use is to take a large grain bag and tie it over the primary fermentor. Once the primary fermentation process is almost complete (beer usually 1 – 3 days, wine about a week) rack it over to a secondary fermentor and then close the lid. Try it with your next batch, the results are amazing.
Now, if I could only find hop utilization information when dry hopping.
Till next time, Slainte
Gluten Free Beer
A couple of months ago, a customer came into where I work and asked if we sold any gluten free beer. I told him that we did not, but I would look to see who did. I searched on the net and at the time found a couple of companies that made it. But as luck would have it, it is not distributed in my state. I told him that I would try to make some and let him know how it worked out. I haven’t made any yet because I wanted to see if there were anymore recipes than the one that I was making up.
I found 4 good sites on the making gluten free beer. The first 2 sites are:
www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33929.asp
www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35224.asp
The recipe on the first site is fairly simple and should make a decent beer. The second article gives a little more background on gluten free beer as well as a couple of compaies that make it.
The next 2 sites require a little more work than just opening a can and boiling some water. The sites are:
www.fortunecity.com/boozers/brewerytap/555/gfbeer.htm
These are for the adventuresome person and they also look rather interesting. The list of additives looks like fun and I really can’t wait to try the process.
I should be making a batch within the next few weeks, so I’ll let you know how it turned out.
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Easy Beer Recipe
Double Ale
3 1/2 lbs Amber Malt Extract
8 oz Crystal Malt Grain
4 oz Pale Malt Grain
4 oz Oat Grain (I used Old Fashioned Oats)
1 oz Cascade Hops
1 oz Fuggle Hops
1/2 Teaspoon Irish Moss
1 packet Muntons Ale Yeast
3/8 cup Corn Sugar (priming)
Date Brewed: March 21, 2001
Original Gravity: 1.049
Procedures:
1. Steep Grains for 1/2 hour
2. Strain grains and add to brew pot along with 1 gallon water
3. Add Malt Extract and allow to boil
4. When wort begins to boil, add 1/2 of the Hops and boil for 1 hour
5. After 1 hour, remove hops and add the other 1/2 of hops, boil for 1/2 hour
6. Last 15 minutes of boil, add Irish Moss
7. After chilling, pour into primary fermenter and add water to the 3 gallon mark
8. Pitch yeast
Will make about 2.5 gallons bottled or about a case of 12 oz bottles. Also, I like to pitch the yeast around “blood temperature” or 98 degrees. Last couple of years, I have been doing an open fermentation for the first 12 hours. I use a large grain bag tied over the top. I also do a dry hopping by adding additional hops at this stage.
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Welch’s Grape Juice Wine
I’ve had people ask me what is the best way for a novice to make wine. I tell them to go to the store and buy Welch’s 100% Frozen Grape Juice. Man the looks that I get. “Really,” they ask, “you can make wine from grape juice from the store?” I tell them it is no different than going an buying a 5 gallon bucket of grape juice from a winery or wine supply store. The key is to get the 100% Juice without any preservative.
I have found that two 11.5 oz cans to 1 gallon along with some additional sugar, makes a nice medium bodied wine. I have used the white grape juices and most of their varieties with very excellent results. I have also used Juicy Juice, but beware, it is mostly apple juice instead of the real thing.
Here is one of my recipes that uses Welch’s store bought juice.
Silver Medal Winner 2003 Keystone Country Festival
2 11.5 ounces Welch’s Grape Raspberry Juice (frozen)
3 Cups Sugar
2 Teaspoons Acid Blend
1 Teaspoon Yeast Nutrient
1 Campden Tablet
1 Gallon Water
1/8 Teaspoon Grape Tannin
½ Pack Cotes De Blanc & Narbonne Dry Yeast
Original Gravity 1.100
Racked January 12, 2003, Gravity was 1.020, 4 ounces of sugar, 1 campden tablet and potassium sorbate added.
Racked February 1, 2003, Topped off with water
Racked March 2003 added Hungarian Oak Chips
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Simple Beer Techniques
Went downstairs to the basement today and re-discovered an “ancient artifact” of my early beer brewing days. The rootbeer barreled, spigoted, Mr. Beer brewing vessel. Geesh, I haven’t used that thing for about 4 years, and that was to make rootbeer soda, but it did bring back the memories of those first attempts at homebrewing.
I received this piece of equipment as a 2000 Christmas present. Something that I had wanted for several years but never got around to buy one. I did try making beer in the early 80’s but that was one major disaster. Much easier at the time to just go buy a case of beer (around 5 bucks) then it was to make.
Well, anyways, I opened that present and began to read the instructions. Boy, was this going to be easy. Add some water, the canned ingredients, some yeast and voila, beer. That first batch turned out to be drinkable, but was no where near the level of a good beer.
So, I scrounged around bookstores and library to find so books about homebrewing. The best one that I found was “Hombrewing For Dummies.” Real simple book and easy to read. Got all kinds of tips on improving my beer along with the tons of basic information.
So, I went back to using Mr. Beer for about 6 months, but with better results. The beauty of using Mr. Beer is that you make small batches, so you get a lot of practice. I usually advise anyone that is starting out to go this route but I also tell them to buy cans of liquid malt extract along with hops and some specialty grains.
A good website for anyone just getting their feet wet is: http://www.howtobrew.com. Check it out, it is really informative.
Till next time, Slainte.
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