Recent content by zendog

I can't speak for SNPA methods, but my results show I need dry hopping for good aroma. I suppose many factors play into what constitutes good aroma including freshness/amount of hops, yeast strain, fermentation conditions, water profile, etc. I suggest people do side-by-side trials to see what...

I experimented once with hop stand / no dry hop and can report that the aroma was very lacking compared to when I dry hop. I'm convinced dry hopping is crucial for any hop-forward beer.

Never talking Just keeps walking spreading his magic I'll have to try this one. Thanks for sharing..

Should be a good IPA. I just did an IPA with NS, Citra, Mosaic and Galaxy. Served it at a party and was gone in 2 hours. Had comments it was the best, smoothest IPA they've had. I used 2 oz of NS at FWH, which I discovered gave a smooth bitterness because of the relatively low cohumulone. I also...

Made a 500 ml starter for secondary fermentation of a wit beer. After 6 months it's gone from 1012 to 1004. Despite what I've heard that it is lackluster for secondary, I disagree. The wit was meh after primary, but now tastes awesome. Fruity, funky and just the right tang. Temp was at ~64...

I aerate with o2 no matter what I'm brewing. Brewed my saison yesterday and hit it with 2 min. worth (OG was 1062). The 565 is rockin away and up to 74F, smelling of spicey goodness!

Looks like a nice recipe. I've used 565 a few times (coincidentally I'm brewing with it today) and it rocks with earthy, peppery notes. Some have issues with it stalling, but in my experience doing a step mash will encourage fermentability. I mash for 90 minutes at 144, then step to 151 for...

Great, I will pitch just a little slurry then. Wondering if I should transfer the oak cubes to the new batch? I liked the subtle complexity the oak provided for this Red Flanders, but the oak aromatics have probably diminished by now. Any other reasons to keep them?

I have a Flanders Red that I pitched a year ago with WLP665 Flemish Ale blend (supposed to be similar to Roselare). I'm going to transfer it onto cherries pretty soon. When I initially pitched a year ago, I transferred it after one week to a secondary along with an ounce of oak cubes. I want...

Try adding the roasted grains after mashing, prior to sparge. I've had great success with this method, resulting in less acrid taste and improved flavor. Also, I grind my roasted grains finer for deeper roast flavor. This method also keeps the pH from dropping too much (if pH is an issue for you).

I have used this strain a few times with same frustration. It is a very lazy yeast! Just keep shaking/swirling that krausen back down a few times a day. It will keep going, so don't sweat it! Great results.

Hmm. Got a pound of 2013 from Farmhouse recently. Wonder what farm these came from? Will be brewing a Simcoe/Amarillo IPA next. Will report my findings.

5 gallon batch FWIW, I used it in combination with orange zest and coriander for the belgian-style ales. Nice mix. With the porter recipe, I used anise alone and it was too one-dimensional.

I've used star anise on 3 occasions. The first time I used 1/2 star (4 leaves) in a Belgian Pale. I could hardly distinguish the flavor. Second time was in a porter with 2 whole stars. Too overwhelming. The third time was in a Wit with 1 whole star. Just right! Each time I just broke the leaves...

I used the zest of 1 lemon (along with zest of 3 oranges) in a wit once and although it added a nice citrus dimension, it stood out too much. I would use 1/2 lemon next time.