Is it ok to just wing it, cause recently I just dumped in three cans of
blueberries into my wort and am fermenting it. The citric acid in one of
the cans apparently didn't affect the yeast because it's blowing off stuff.
I got a 1.032 specific density out of it and all seems to be going well,
what with the yeast I scraped off the bottom of the fermenter last time I
brewed beer.
Am I right, go ahead and wing it, just keep meticulous observations so
that I can get it right next time?
I'm worried about too sweet beer. How high of an alcohol content can
brewing yeast get before it konks out? I ask because I'd like to dump two
cans of malt extract in and thus dobblebock but don't want to waste time
and effort to test the limits. If there were an easy way to test the
limits I would, maybe someone out there knows. Guess I could set up a
temporary lab, but I'll probably never use this yeast again if I crap up
and lose the strain. My last brew was 4.2%, can't you get it up to 7% or
is it higher?
I tried this homebrew stout the other day this guy made and it was
awesome, what with it's thick body and sincere chocolate undertones. What
was the name of it?? the guy didn't have labels.
Sincerely, G_cowboy
ps. yes I did remove the blueberries and leaf hops

G_cowboy wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Is it ok to just wing it, cause recently I just dumped in three cans of
> blueberries into my wort and am fermenting it. The citric acid in one of
> the cans apparently didn't affect the yeast because it's blowing off stuff.
> I got a 1.032 specific density out of it and all seems to be going well,
> what with the yeast I scraped off the bottom of the fermenter last time I
> brewed beer.
> Am I right, go ahead and wing it, just keep meticulous observations so
> that I can get it right next time?
> I'm worried about too sweet beer. How high of an alcohol content can
> brewing yeast get before it konks out? I ask because I'd like to dump two
> cans of malt extract in and thus dobblebock but don't want to waste time
> and effort to test the limits. If there were an easy way to test the
> limits I would, maybe someone out there knows. Guess I could set up a
> temporary lab, but I'll probably never use this yeast again if I crap up
> and lose the strain. My last brew was 4.2%, can't you get it up to 7% or
> is it higher?
> I tried this homebrew stout the other day this guy made and it was
> awesome, what with it's thick body and sincere chocolate undertones. What
> was the name of it?? the guy didn't have labels.
> Sincerely, G_cowboy
> ps. yes I did remove the blueberries and leaf hops[/color]

Um, there's a lot of your post I can't really make out, but most ale
yeast will easily go to 10% ABV or above. Did you dump the blueberries
into your primary fermenter? That will work, but the fermentation will
blow off most of the flavor and aroma. I prefer to add them to a
secondary fermenter.

--------->Denny
--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.

Reply to denny_dot_g_dot_conn_at_ci_dot_eugene_dot_or_dot_us

[color=blue]
> Um, there's a lot of your post I can't really make out, but most ale
> yeast will easily go to 10% ABV or above. Did you dump the blueberries
> into your primary fermenter? That will work, but the fermentation will
> blow off most of the flavor and aroma. I prefer to add them to a
> secondary fermenter.
>
> --------->Denny[/color]
No, I didn't leave the blueberries in the wort, I just wanted undertones of
blueberries as the yeast has a delicious imparted flavor. One part I did
screw up, one of the cans of blueberries I forgot to mash with a wooden
spoon and when I went to pour the wort in the fermenter they were all
sitting on the bottom untouched

G_cowboy wrote:
[color=blue]
> No, I didn't leave the blueberries in the wort, I just wanted undertones of
> blueberries as the yeast has a delicious imparted flavor. One part I did
> screw up, one of the cans of blueberries I forgot to mash with a wooden
> spoon and when I went to pour the wort in the fermenter they were all
> sitting on the bottom untouched[/color]

That doesn't really matter. So, if I understand you, you added the
blueberries to the fermenter, but then took them out? Could you
describe your procedure better? Did you just add the blueberries to
leftover yeast in your fermenter???

---------->Denny
--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.

Reply to denny_dot_g_dot_conn_at_ci_dot_eugene_dot_or_dot_us

scuse me, no
merely put them in the boiling mixture and strained all, I've heard you get
tannin extraction if you leave them in the fermentor, and plus, I'd like to
harvest sediment for my next brew of beer.

G_cowboy wrote:[color=blue]
>
> scuse me, no
> merely put them in the boiling mixture and strained all, I've heard you get
> tannin extraction if you leave them in the fermentor, and plus, I'd like to
> harvest sediment for my next brew of beer.[/color]

The usual way to do it is to add the grains to cold water and start
heating it up. When the water reaches 170F, remove the grains. Temps
over 170 can extract tannins.

-------->Denny
--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.

Reply to denny_dot_g_dot_conn_at_ci_dot_eugene_dot_or_dot_us

> The usual way to do it is to add the grains to cold water and start[color=blue]
> heating it up. When the water reaches 170F, remove the grains. Temps
> over 170 can extract tannins.
>
> -------->Denny[/color]


I read somewhere that the temperature the grains are steeped at is
important, too. At 140, some of the extract can be converted to alcohol,
and at 160 and over, it is no longer fermentable, with 150 being the
midline. Don't know how much truth there is to this, but I thought it was
interesting.

Bill Hall wrote:
[color=blue]
> I read somewhere that the temperature the grains are steeped at is
> important, too. At 140, some of the extract can be converted to alcohol,
> and at 160 and over, it is no longer fermentable, with 150 being the
> midline. Don't know how much truth there is to this, but I thought it was
> interesting.[/color]

Pretty close, Bill. The lower the temp, the more fermentable the wort,
meaning less body and more alcohol. Temps over 170 denature the enzymes
used to convert the grain starches into sugars for fermentation. But
most of the grains you steep (crystal, roasted barley, etc.) have
already had the enzymes denatured by the malting process and don't
require conversion. In that case, the main issue is keeping the temp
under 170 so you don't extract tannins.

----------->Denny
--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.

Reply to denny_at_projectoneaudio_dot_com