You guys rock it every time and this latest iteration is home brewing gold! I raise my glass to you both and wish the best for you and your families in 2023. Years ago I taught a homebrewing class at a local school and basically covered everything you mentioned, especially regarding cleaning/sanitization and yeast management. I guess I was so effective that someone came into the classroom while we had left for lunch and relieved me of my tub of "Easy Clean", which I've used both as a cleanser and sanitizer (tho' I now go the more traditional route of PBW, hot rinse, then sanitizer). Always pays to have some extra on hand!
I just want to take a moment to mention that you guys are pros at making your videos… all in one take, no awkward cuts… that’s next level. Also, love the new logo and you’ve finally done away with the 80’s infomercial/educational video theme music. Hahaha, I may kinda miss it (but really, don’t bring it back). Brew on!
Yeah. If anything it's great to have a record to look at in the future for sure. I have found note taking to have had the most direct impact on making better beer also. Cheers! -Mike
It's videos like this that remind me why I have always enjoyed this channel ! Great content, gentlemen. Also, if I don't see a collab video with you guys and the Apt Brewer, I'm gonna be bummed! Just like with him, I've learned a lot from you guys. Thanks!
Certainly will be paying more attention to my yeast selection and pitching from now on. May of been looking in the wrong areas previously!! Thanks guys!
Great stuff dudes! I have an inconsistency I cant seem to remedy and it's probably not an easy answer, but could be small steps in the whole process. Its over attenuation. I use brewers friend calculators and nowhere does it ask for yeast type, but a general attenuation percentage either low, medium, or high. No matter what I do it's always higher then I want or is calculated. I'm starting to think I mash too low. I've started mashing in the 153- 154 range hoping to keep the attenuation down a few points but I almost never match the calculators. I'll figure it out one day or, figure a way around it! I don't have closed transfers and I'm very primitive so contamination is obviously present in very small doses but I chill and pitch usually within 15 minutes if it's a warm ale yeast or a few hours if I need to finish chilling down to lager yeast temps in the fridge. I have very precise fermentation temp control once I reach pitch temps though. Ink bird, fridge, thermowell, the whole 9 yards but maybe I am picking up a small amount of wild yeast that drives attenuation further a few points that I don't want. Sorry for the novel! Brew on dudes!
Great post. If you're looking for something to try read on, if not just smile and pass. First thing would be to get a new thermometer or find a friend and cross check your temp device with theirs. Next, I'd brew two beers in succession. I'd mash one as normal then mash one stupid high like 158. Use your exact process including yeast treatments. See if you still have an attuenuation issue. over attenuation can sometimes be subtle contaminations of microbes that, believe it or not, don't always come out as a flavor right away. If you still get low attenuation in both mashed beers then maybe that's the culprit. Or take a current beer you have and let a sealed bottle sit really warm for a week, like behind the fridge where its warm. Then chill it and crack it open. If you have a microbial issue it will show up there as over carbonated and possibly in the flavor. That's my first ideas. I tend to suffer from under attenuation but its a battle I think I am waging against quality yeast. (Maybe we should do a video on this topic) Cheers! -Mike
Great advice. Another thing beginners need to know is leave the fermenter alone, don't keep looking at it or trying to take measurements. Be patient and let the fermentation finish. When you're bottle conditioning beer, it takes some time for the beer to go through another fermentation cycle. I would wait like 3 weeks after bottling before the beer was really good. Kegging is quicker since you're force carbonating and not kicking off a new fermentation. But depending on the style, alot of beers are better after about 3 weeks. The hoppy beers are usually better when they are fresher. And don't get carried away trying to add all kinds of weird ingredients. Beginners tend to want to be creative before they even get a handle on the basics.
This is absolutely a good one. When I converted to stainless buckets I found that I looked a lot less. Just learned to trust the "magic" was happening in there. Cheers! -Mike
I haven't brewing for a 20 something years and I've never taken notes. I probably vould have solved so many issues if I had. Regardless, The word change I made that had the base impact on my peer quality was switching to reverse osmosis water. The day I did that it was like an epiphany moment happened
I use tap water but I have good water. I fill my mash tun and HLT 24 hrs before I brew and leave it open to gas off, and add a Campton when I start heating the water.
Agreed that too much focus is placed on making wort vs the fermentation process. I’d also argue a lot of homebrew info older than 5 or 6 years should be questioned as a lot of old rules have been debunked.
Really good info, thanks. I tend to concentrate sanitizing on the cold side and let the boil sanitize the hot side. Any problems with this? I use a ceramic/charcoal filter for water, maybe I should consider usinf Campdem as well? I buy base malts in bulk but always buy yeast with-in days of brewing.
No problem with your hot/cold split. At least from a sanitation satandpoint. Its still important to clean stuff on the pre-hot side. Charcoal filters sort of work with chlorine but you have to go pretty slow from what I understand. I've find one campden tab is easier and seems to work. Cheers! -Mike
From my experience water is huge and over looking it is a massive mistake. Brewfather is such an easy tool to use and simplifies water chemistry process to almost dumb proof. Also the advice about the pre planning is excellent. I start planning weeks in advance and start on Sunday with yeast and usually brew 3-4 days later depending on how much I build yeast. I've gotten super nerdy about yeast looks like a science lab in the brew house. I got super lucky with my house the previous owner was a dentist and made alot of stuff in the basement so he made a semi clean room and thats where all the magic happens.
I'm curious on your process around fermentation temperature control. Mike I've noticed that you frequently have fermenters in the background out in the open. Do you have a chamber where you set temperatures?
Those fermentors in the background are exlusively long term souring projects gone awry and I just haven't really decided to toss them out. Most of all my ales go into a dedicated fridge in the garage kept at 65F in the summer. I ferment in the ambient basement as much as possible when we are in the shoulder seasons (not to hot/cold). I only heat my basement to about 65F in the winter. I usually throw on a heat wrap to finish those beers towards the end. I don't think active temp control is a total must but its nice if you can afford it. Cheers! -Mike
I absolutely love your content But city water in the world is not good for drinking and socking bad for beer fluoride is toxic and they put in our water I use reverse osmosis water for everything but what you guys do I love thankyou
I think overall that's what we normally recommend. I always use spring or RO due to the high Na and Cl levels in our water. I have to go to ridiculous levels of gyspum to balance it out. Not all municipalities put flouride in the water anymore. Ours does not. Which was the point of that one piece. Everyone should learn something about their water. Cheers! -Mike
I was surprised that you recommended distilled and "salts to taste" rather than just recommending weighing out everything to build a specific profile. It's super easy to do when you have RO or distilled to start with. If you're starting with a blank canvas, might as well paint a nice picture, right?
I didn't literally mean salt to taste. I mean that historical profiles are garbage and you should in fact be weighing out your salts, taking good notes and adjusting it for the next brew. By salt-to-taste I mean you should find what works to make the beer great for you. Weigh it out, write it down and change it again next time if you think it needs help. 90% of the time just CaCl or Gypsum is all that's needed in RO/Distilled water to get the mash pH right. If you still need water additions for flavor needs you can add those to the kettle; but I rarely have found that necessary. Cheers! -Mike
@@BrewDudes I've never heard that about historical profiles before. Oh, and now I understand what you meant, my bad, I misunderstood. So instead of historical profiles, should we be using basic salt profiles that are readily available? Like hoppy, malty, dark beers, balanced, etc.? And just adjust to our own water? Right now I'm looking into either buying RO system, using distilled, or just buying a brewing water test kit, treating with campden and adding salts "to taste" (now that I know what you meant haha) for whatever style I'm brewing. It looks like a testing kit is actually the cheaper way to go at this point.
Speaking of John Palmer ... I heard him say on a Brew Strong podcast that a small amount of ascorbic acid will take care of chlorine / chloramine in your brewing water. To me ascorbic acid is a better solution than campden tablets.
To each his own. It's all just chemistry really. Certainly ascorbic acid avoids added sulfites if that's an issue for some. I tend to use spring water (or distilled) most of the time which is chlorine free where I get it from. But the ascorbic acid option is nice to know. Thanks for adding it in here. Cheers! -Mike
I think you missed oxygen free tranfer is just as important than temperature and healthy yeast if you have done everything right in the proces and have made a great beer then you can ruin a perfectly good beer if your proces adds oxygen to your brew it’s specially important for NEIPAS of, course, but also lagers is ruined by oxygen
This is one of the many reasons why you're the best homebrew channel going. Great stuff.
Oh you're making me blush... thanks for the kind words! BREW ON! CHEERS! -Mike
Process > Recipes + Equipments!
500% agree!
Been a fan of your channel and blog for years guys.......enjoying every video......cheers for another great vid......brew on......
Oh, for nostalgia maybe bring back 2 guys and a camper lol. Weather permitting.
All great points, stated well.
You guys rock it every time and this latest iteration is home brewing gold! I raise my glass to you both and wish the best for you and your families in 2023. Years ago I taught a homebrewing class at a local school and basically covered everything you mentioned, especially regarding cleaning/sanitization and yeast management. I guess I was so effective that someone came into the classroom while we had left for lunch and relieved me of my tub of "Easy Clean", which I've used both as a cleanser and sanitizer (tho' I now go the more traditional route of PBW, hot rinse, then sanitizer). Always pays to have some extra on hand!
Awesome and thanks for the support. One step and easy clean are all good products. Made better with follow up with a genuine sanitizer! Cheers! -Mike
I like the advice dished out here. Heeding these guys will reduce chances of difficult to drink beer!
Ugh. Difficult to drink beer. We've all been there. Cheers! -Mike
I just want to take a moment to mention that you guys are pros at making your videos… all in one take, no awkward cuts… that’s next level. Also, love the new logo and you’ve finally done away with the 80’s infomercial/educational video theme music. Hahaha, I may kinda miss it (but really, don’t bring it back). Brew on!
Great video guys, a lot of good info 🤘🏽
Great advice guys. RO water and building a water profile for the style of beer being brewed was a game changer for me.
Excellent content and helpful information guys. Brew on!!!!!
great video my dudes!
I do like your level of detail and explanations. You guys are great. Cheers
great content!
Great tips dudes! I'm big fan of note taking as well, it's an underrated way to improve as a brewer.
Yeah. If anything it's great to have a record to look at in the future for sure. I have found note taking to have had the most direct impact on making better beer also. Cheers! -Mike
It's videos like this that remind me why I have always enjoyed this channel ! Great content, gentlemen. Also, if I don't see a collab video with you guys and the Apt Brewer, I'm gonna be bummed! Just like with him, I've learned a lot from you guys. Thanks!
Certainly will be paying more attention to my yeast selection and pitching from now on. May of been looking in the wrong areas previously!!
Thanks guys!
I love homebrew! It makes me able enjoy new experiences and not have to boy from the big companies! Ive homebrewed my psp, 3ds, wiiu and much more!
Good, wise information guys 👏
Cheers! -Mike
Great stuff dudes! I have an inconsistency I cant seem to remedy and it's probably not an easy answer, but could be small steps in the whole process. Its over attenuation. I use brewers friend calculators and nowhere does it ask for yeast type, but a general attenuation percentage either low, medium, or high. No matter what I do it's always higher then I want or is calculated. I'm starting to think I mash too low. I've started mashing in the 153- 154 range hoping to keep the attenuation down a few points but I almost never match the calculators. I'll figure it out one day or, figure a way around it! I don't have closed transfers and I'm very primitive so contamination is obviously present in very small doses but I chill and pitch usually within 15 minutes if it's a warm ale yeast or a few hours if I need to finish chilling down to lager yeast temps in the fridge. I have very precise fermentation temp control once I reach pitch temps though. Ink bird, fridge, thermowell, the whole 9 yards but maybe I am picking up a small amount of wild yeast that drives attenuation further a few points that I don't want. Sorry for the novel! Brew on dudes!
Great post. If you're looking for something to try read on, if not just smile and pass. First thing would be to get a new thermometer or find a friend and cross check your temp device with theirs. Next, I'd brew two beers in succession. I'd mash one as normal then mash one stupid high like 158. Use your exact process including yeast treatments. See if you still have an attuenuation issue. over attenuation can sometimes be subtle contaminations of microbes that, believe it or not, don't always come out as a flavor right away. If you still get low attenuation in both mashed beers then maybe that's the culprit. Or take a current beer you have and let a sealed bottle sit really warm for a week, like behind the fridge where its warm. Then chill it and crack it open. If you have a microbial issue it will show up there as over carbonated and possibly in the flavor. That's my first ideas. I tend to suffer from under attenuation but its a battle I think I am waging against quality yeast. (Maybe we should do a video on this topic) Cheers! -Mike
Great advice. Another thing beginners need to know is leave the fermenter alone, don't keep looking at it or trying to take measurements. Be patient and let the fermentation finish. When you're bottle conditioning beer, it takes some time for the beer to go through another fermentation cycle. I would wait like 3 weeks after bottling before the beer was really good. Kegging is quicker since you're force carbonating and not kicking off a new fermentation. But depending on the style, alot of beers are better after about 3 weeks. The hoppy beers are usually better when they are fresher. And don't get carried away trying to add all kinds of weird ingredients. Beginners tend to want to be creative before they even get a handle on the basics.
This is absolutely a good one. When I converted to stainless buckets I found that I looked a lot less. Just learned to trust the "magic" was happening in there. Cheers! -Mike
I haven't brewing for a 20 something years and I've never taken notes. I probably vould have solved so many issues if I had. Regardless, The word change I made that had the base impact on my peer quality was switching to reverse osmosis water. The day I did that it was like an epiphany moment happened
I use tap water but I have good water. I fill my mash tun and HLT 24 hrs before I brew and leave it open to gas off, and add a Campton when I start heating the water.
Agreed that too much focus is placed on making wort vs the fermentation process. I’d also argue a lot of homebrew info older than 5 or 6 years should be questioned as a lot of old rules have been debunked.
Really good info, thanks. I tend to concentrate sanitizing on the cold side and let the boil sanitize the hot side. Any problems with this? I use a ceramic/charcoal filter for water, maybe I should consider usinf Campdem as well? I buy base malts in bulk but always buy yeast with-in days of brewing.
No problem with your hot/cold split. At least from a sanitation satandpoint. Its still important to clean stuff on the pre-hot side. Charcoal filters sort of work with chlorine but you have to go pretty slow from what I understand. I've find one campden tab is easier and seems to work. Cheers! -Mike
Excellent and well-thought out advice! Thanks guys!
PS Mike looks like a monk lol
From my experience water is huge and over looking it is a massive mistake. Brewfather is such an easy tool to use and simplifies water chemistry process to almost dumb proof. Also the advice about the pre planning is excellent. I start planning weeks in advance and start on Sunday with yeast and usually brew 3-4 days later depending on how much I build yeast. I've gotten super nerdy about yeast looks like a science lab in the brew house. I got super lucky with my house the previous owner was a dentist and made alot of stuff in the basement so he made a semi clean room and thats where all the magic happens.
I'm curious on your process around fermentation temperature control. Mike I've noticed that you frequently have fermenters in the background out in the open. Do you have a chamber where you set temperatures?
Those fermentors in the background are exlusively long term souring projects gone awry and I just haven't really decided to toss them out. Most of all my ales go into a dedicated fridge in the garage kept at 65F in the summer. I ferment in the ambient basement as much as possible when we are in the shoulder seasons (not to hot/cold). I only heat my basement to about 65F in the winter. I usually throw on a heat wrap to finish those beers towards the end. I don't think active temp control is a total must but its nice if you can afford it. Cheers! -Mike
Where's the old theme! I can no longer imagine you on the dance floor - John in a white pimpin' suit & fedora, and Mike in S&M black leather.
I absolutely love your content But city water in the world is not good for drinking and socking bad for beer fluoride is toxic and they put in our water I use reverse osmosis water for everything but what you guys do I love thankyou
I think overall that's what we normally recommend. I always use spring or RO due to the high Na and Cl levels in our water. I have to go to ridiculous levels of gyspum to balance it out. Not all municipalities put flouride in the water anymore. Ours does not. Which was the point of that one piece. Everyone should learn something about their water. Cheers! -Mike
I was surprised that you recommended distilled and "salts to taste" rather than just recommending weighing out everything to build a specific profile. It's super easy to do when you have RO or distilled to start with. If you're starting with a blank canvas, might as well paint a nice picture, right?
I didn't literally mean salt to taste. I mean that historical profiles are garbage and you should in fact be weighing out your salts, taking good notes and adjusting it for the next brew. By salt-to-taste I mean you should find what works to make the beer great for you. Weigh it out, write it down and change it again next time if you think it needs help. 90% of the time just CaCl or Gypsum is all that's needed in RO/Distilled water to get the mash pH right. If you still need water additions for flavor needs you can add those to the kettle; but I rarely have found that necessary. Cheers! -Mike
@@BrewDudes I've never heard that about historical profiles before. Oh, and now I understand what you meant, my bad, I misunderstood. So instead of historical profiles, should we be using basic salt profiles that are readily available? Like hoppy, malty, dark beers, balanced, etc.? And just adjust to our own water? Right now I'm looking into either buying RO system, using distilled, or just buying a brewing water test kit, treating with campden and adding salts "to taste" (now that I know what you meant haha) for whatever style I'm brewing. It looks like a testing kit is actually the cheaper way to go at this point.
Speaking of John Palmer ... I heard him say on a Brew Strong podcast that a small amount of ascorbic acid will take care of chlorine / chloramine in your brewing water. To me ascorbic acid is a better solution than campden tablets.
To each his own. It's all just chemistry really. Certainly ascorbic acid avoids added sulfites if that's an issue for some. I tend to use spring water (or distilled) most of the time which is chlorine free where I get it from. But the ascorbic acid option is nice to know. Thanks for adding it in here. Cheers! -Mike
"Remember Kids the Only Difference Between Screwing Around and Science Is Writing It Down" - Adam Savage
I remember this quote! Awesome. Cheers! -Mike
I think you missed oxygen free tranfer is just as important than temperature and healthy yeast if you have done everything right in the proces and have made a great beer then you can ruin a perfectly good beer if your proces adds oxygen to your brew it’s specially important for NEIPAS of, course, but also lagers is ruined by oxygen
🥳
Great info here, and great video as always. $2500 glycol chilled unitank beer is always better, you blasphemers! (LOL)
If only we could all afford the super high-end stuff. If any companies want to send a couple dudes a uni-tank and chiller, hit us up! Cheers! -Mike
It's pronounced "wert"