Urgent: Kettle heating piece died

[Apatride]

Hi guys,

I was brewing a clone of the Old Rasputin, used a lot of grain plus 40$ worth of malt extract.
My heating piece in the kettle just stopped functioning (I m using the buckets with electric heating piece). I have no option to go on and I just had 1 minute boil for 3.5 cluster and 1.5 centennial (plus the grain bill).
What is your advice? Dump it or try to put it in fermenter as a (probably uncarbonated) malt, 9% ABV stuff?

 

[emjay]

What does it have to do with carbonation? Just ferment it.

 

[Apatride]

I just don t want to waste extra time with it. I am just really disappointed right now about it and considering that it is probably gonna taste like crap, either I dump it or I actually bottle it but I don t want to waste more extract and time trying to carbonate a zero IBU "beer"

 

[Apatride]

OG should be around 1.090, IBU is at zero. Do you know of anything tasting remotely good along these lines?

 

[Dynachrome]

I think he needs to boil for bittering.

Do you have steel pots and a stove? BBQ grill with a side burner? ...a hot plate?

You could strain the hops out and make a hop tea with a small kettle if nothing else.

I've made a lot of beer on the stove top.

 

[Dynachrome]

OG should be around 1.090, IBU is at zero. Do you know of anything tasting remotely good along these lines?

It will ferment. The O.G. will drop.

It just won't taste like beer without bittering.

Do you have yeast ready to go? ...re-hydrated or a starter?

 

[Apatride]

Yeast ready, no pot to go on with the boiling. I can still ferment it but did anyone tried a very malty stuff with no bitterness at all? Did it taste remotely drinkable?

 

[Dynachrome]

Hop tea. Do you have a pyrex mixing bowl and a microwave?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/hop-tea-bitterness-120027/

 

[Apatride]

Wort cooling down right now, still wondering if I should simply dump it in the loo or try to ferment it anyway

 

[Dynachrome]

Yeast ready, no pot to go on with the boiling. I can still ferment it but did anyone tried a very malty stuff with no bitterness at all? Did it taste remotely drinkable?

Make yourself some bittering. This will still work.

 

[Apatride]

I have a really bad electric stove, I kind of rule out that option. It is gonna taste like crap but I guess I m gonna try to ferment that one and see what happens... Why did it have to happen on the most expensive beer I ve ever brewed?

 

[Apatride]

I would need to boil about 80 IBUs to make it remotely close to the recipe and the clock is ticking since my wort is cooling down and cannot be heated again

 

[emjay]

Get some isomerized hop extract. You can make it whatever IBUs you want... just add it to the fermentor whenever you feel like it.

 

[Apatride]

Thanks. I ll read on bittering techniques (I m actually feeling quite bitter about that already) so I know what to do next time. For today, I m just putting this **** in the fermenter with some yeast and I ll probably just leave it for a few weeks and label it as a malty and weak port...

 

[Apatride]

Yes, maybe I ll add some hop extract but I have no local homebrew store so it won t be here before at least a week

 

[emjay]

Yes, maybe I ll add some hop extract but I have no local homebrew store so it won t be here before at least a week

That's fine, you can still add it after a week.

 

[Dynachrome]

Yes, maybe I ll add some hop extract but I have no local homebrew store so it won t be here before at least a week

It's gonna be fine if you carry through.

 

[Apatride]

Thanks guys. I m moving it to the fermenter and, as a chili addict, I decided that if it has to be screwed, I m gonna do it properly so I dumped 5 sanatized and punctured dry habanero in the fermenter.

 

[Dynachrome]

They have habeneros in Cork?

 

[Apatride]

I think there might be a place to find them fresh but I ordered mine dry.

 

[Dynachrome]

I would need to boil about 80 IBUs to make it remotely close to the recipe and the clock is ticking since my wort is cooling down and cannot be heated again

For the record, I disagree with that.

Just keep t sealed and you could reheat it later. You don't want it to oxidize.

Extract is just wort that has been distilled down.

The peppers won't add the heat you need though.

 

[Apatride]

I meant that I don t have anything to heat the wort right now.
I actually boiled 2oz of Northern Brewer in some water (about half a gal in total) for 60 minutes and added it to the fermenter. Fermentation is very active.
I ll keep you updated but the plan right now is to wait for a week, get an idea of the taste and decide to carbonate it, leave it as it is (maybe ice it?) or simply dump it.

 

[Apatride]

Wow... The krausen just went down (2 weeks of fermenting) so I was finally able to taste it. And that stuff is great!! It is not over-sweet and the booze (it is young) heat is replaced by a nice habanero warming... If it goes on like that, this one definitely goes to the list of screwed up beers ending really well...
A huge thanks to the guys here for your advices and preventing me from simply dumping it in the sink out of frustration!
Only problem now: How can I make the same again without all these incidents...
Actually, could anyone confirm the IBUs considering that it was 60 minutes boiling 2oz of Northern Brewer in about half a gallon of water? For 28L in fermenter (about 7.4 gallons)

 

[Apatride]

So, it s been a month, I took the chillies out today and took a sample as well and I can say that this stuff is thick. I got the motor oil right. It is quite spicy as well but I had to squeeze the chillies when I took them out of the glass so it might be tamer in the fermenter. I d say that for a non carbonated sample it is actually pretty good. I m gonna leave it in fermenter for a few more weeks (running low on empty bottles anyway) but it looks like it might be pretty interesting!
It is a bit too "diluted though which can be explained by the very short boil but still drinkable.