Got the bug again...What have I missed?

[Dextersmom]

Several years ago I was a very active brewer but due to a career change / schooling I've been out of the game for quite some time. I'd brew a batch here and there but didn't keep up on new techniques or the forum. Since returning to the forum I've noticed some new lingo and "electric brewing." I'm wondering what I might have missed in the world of home brew in the list 3 to 5 years. Any quick updates and or advice anyone might be able to give me?

lol I know this is a very general sounding question / post, but any pointers or direction to anything "newish" would be greatly appreciated!

also, thinking about doing the Remmy Extract version of the NEBCO Gandhi-bot clone as my second batch of the year this weekend unless anyone has any other suggestions (I've changed from a malty lover to a hop head and the bot is a great brew)!

 

[RM-MN]

BIAB has gotten a good start because it is a way for people to get into all grain brewing without a bunch of money tied up in equipment that they don't have room to store. A simple pot big enough to hold all the wort and a bag to put the grains in that becomes the filter at the end of the mash. It allows very fine milling without a stuck sparge which leads to better efficiency.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Old and busted: the need to transfer from primary to another vessel for clearing

New hawtness: extended primary then bottle/keg

 

[Dextersmom]

Old and busted: the need to transfer from primary to another vessel for clearing

New hawtness: extended primary then bottle/keg

This real? lol I've still been transferring to secondary...Although there have been times and batches where I've been lazy and gone without it.

 

[brrman]

Yeah xfer to secondary is widely seen as unnecessary for a typical fermentation now.

Electric brewing (non-stovetop) has taken off quite seriously.

Big Mouth Bubbler seems to be replacing the traditional carboy.

 

[Dextersmom]

this is why I posted the thread here cuz I'd likely spend hours sifting through the forum and not have read anything about secondaries not being used as much or BMBs

 

[unionrdr]

Brew in a bag is also great for partial mash or steeping. I use it for both. Many of us only secondary when oaking or adding fruit. I & a couple others have experimented with juicing the fruit & then adding that. We're also experimenting with rare or extinct brews a tad more now. We have a thread on the extinct German Kottbusser going now. I/we have threads about the rare German Dampfbier as well. The dunk sparge with biab is also gaining ground , since using nylon bags allows it to be stretched over the lip of the kettle to stir the grains while sparging for greater efficiency.

 

[Dextersmom]

I've done some brew in bag with partial mash batches and never really knew it was a thing...Just figured I was being slick. Last year I more or less did an all grain 3 gallon batch that way. Can I do a biab 5 gallon batch if I don't have a kettle large enough to steep 5 gallons in? I'd really prefer to make the transition to AG but dont have the space or a burner / kettle large enough for a full boil...

 

[Spartan1979]

I started up again about 5 years ago and the best new thing I found was FermCap S. I only use it in the boil but it allows me to walk away from the kettle and get others things ready/cleaned during that time.

I also like the newer cleaners/stanitizers like PBW and StarSan. Much easier to use than what I had been using before.

Other than that, I'm pretty much doing things the way I did before. I do want to move to electric brewing, but mainly so I can brew in the same area that everything is stored.

 

[LLBeanJ]

This real? lol I've still been transferring to secondary...Although there have been times and batches where I've been lazy and gone without it.

I sh*t you not.

 

[blizz81]

Down with Barley Crusher, up with Monster Mill

 

[unionrdr]

I've done some brew in bag with partial mash batches and never really knew it was a thing...Just figured I was being slick. Last year I more or less did an all grain 3 gallon batch that way. Can I do a biab 5 gallon batch if I don't have a kettle large enough to steep 5 gallons in? I'd really prefer to make the transition to AG but dont have the space or a burner / kettle large enough for a full boil...

You'd either have to use a second kettle or get a bigger one to go AG. And my Barley Crusher works just fine, thank you. Although I don't use my drill on it.

 

[Dextersmom]

Yeah xfer to secondary is widely seen as unnecessary for a typical fermentation now.

Electric brewing (non-stovetop) has taken off quite seriously.

Big Mouth Bubbler seems to be replacing the traditional carboy.

big mouth bubbler....looks massively easier to clean and not too bad to store since its plastic...but - its plastic.

plastic vs glass...what's the opinion on that these days?

 

[Dextersmom]

crap also I've seen some pictures here (and of course I can't find one now) of carboy stoppers that are red and seem to have a port for an airlock or one that can be used for blow off tubing...is this real life? b/c this would be amazing. can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[madscientist451]

I use both plastic and glass. I bulk age my cider, wine and any beer that will be aged more than 3 weeks in glass. But I also use fermenting buckets and better bottle carboys. The buckets are so much easier for me to clean the typical primary mess out of than carboys.
I've seen some large mouth glass carboys, but I've heard they are made with thinner glass and may be easier to break, so I'm not buying any of those.
Three of the biggest changes (for me) in the last 5 years:
1. Dramatic increase in new and existing breweries and offering interesting beers, sometimes in creative hybrid styles that homebrewers can taste and then use those ideas themselves. As competition has increased, brewers off all sizes are trying to set their product apart and many of these commercial examples are widely distributed and the clone recipes are available.
2. Tremendous increase in quality and availability of information
pertaining to homebrewing . Through podcasts, youtube videos and really great books, brewers can gain skills and knowledge that was hard to get before.
3. Advances in brewing technology are now available in off the shelf products you can just take home, assemble, plug in and use.
If you don't want to do wiring or hunt for individual components or tinker with different things, you can get an advanced system up and running quickly. I don't have the numbers, but I suppose the increase in homebrewers has made it possible for manufacturers to make these items in enough quantity to be available in the marketplace.

 

[MerlinWerks]

big mouth bubbler....looks massively easier to clean and not too bad to store since its plastic...but - its plastic.

plastic vs glass...what's the opinion on that these days?

In general, plastic is widely accepted for the usual primary of 2-4 weeks. For long term aging glass still rules.

The caveat here is no brushes or sharp objects when cleaning. The wide mouth options (BMB, Speidel) are not a problem because you can easily get inside them with just a soft cloth. Narrow necks (Better Bottle) will require a PBW soak at a minimum and many people DIY a carboy/keg washer. Just make sure to leave your carboy brush in the closet with any of these

I'm particularly fond of the Speidels because of the easy cleaning and the spigot makes racking a breeze.

I think most people would warn you away from the glass BMB's due to quality control/breakage issues...

 

[brrman]

The idea of the BMB allows for cloth cleaning with your hand, so the problems with scratching plastic are not relevant unless you use a scrubby (of which there is no need)...

 

[Dextersmom]

I'm sure I can simply google..but for the sake of conversation - are they expensive? I'd consider getting one or two because of the ease of cleaning and can have more batches going.

any word on what that red carboy plug thing with the airlock and blow off port?

thanks for all the advice guys!

 

[unionrdr]

Are you talking about this one? http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/siphoning-equipment/3-5-6-gall-carboy-cap-orange.html
I got it with my 6 gallon better bottle. not bad, but better for siphoning & such. I got this for when I use it as a secondary; http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/fermenting-equipment/stoppers-bungs/universal-bung-medium-fits-better-bottles.html I think it'll seal better with an airlock.

 

[Dextersmom]

yep that was it....I use those universal stoppers currently. Just thought that carboy caps might be easier. When I do a blowoff tube I push a bit of siphoning tube through the universal stopper. Truth be told It all works fine the way it is. But when I wanted to switch from blow off to regular air lock once things calmed down, I figured the cap would make for less fidgeting.

 

[unionrdr]

I think the ported, tapered plug seals better even though the carboy cap is easier to use.