Brewcommune

Sorry, but unable to attend tonight. I have play tickets at the Performing Arts Center.

I posted some thoughts/opinions on those topics in the Members section.

Hope you have a great meeting!
--LexusChris

Hey Brad,

Sorry I did not see this sooner! Glad to hear Wyatt is on his way to college! What a amazing time (and it goes by quickly!) :happybeer:

I imported your .BSMX file to BeerSmith3 and exported it as XML. I hope this helps you get what you need! It would be good to see you at a meeting ...

But don't wait too long!

Waiting too long to burp your bottles of mead!


--LexusChris

Using BeerSmith3's Refractometer tool, the numbers are slightly different.

31.5 Brix = 1.133 OG
18.5 Brix ferementing = 1.040 @ 12.75% ABV
16.1 Brix should be FG reading @ 1.024 and 15% ABV.

But, whether it is 20 points or 16 points to go, that is enough sugar to create too much pressure. Yes ...

California Homebrewers Association
4/21/25

SCHF 2025

Only 11 days until we are gathering for SCHF 32 we have some exciting things to share with you. But first if you haven't gotten your tickets yet now is the time to do that. Remember, only members can attend Fest. If you have friends that are ...

No need for yeast nutrient this late. Sounds like a stronger stir to get tge yeast well suspended would be good.

Some yeast hulls can help scrub out any odd aromas. When you pop the lid, get an ounce of Mead to taste test ... should not be getting sour or vinegar.

For me, D47 always stops at 15 ...

Romen, I would continue to stir and keep yeast in suspension, even using a little more vigor. Since I use a lees-stir on an electric drill, I could really overdue it and add a lot of O2 by accident. So I use short pulses and watch the mead swirl to make sure it doesn't get frothy or create a ...

Not able to make this one.. too much going on today. Have fun!
Lexuschris

I've not used the Ikea bottles, and wonder if they would handle any pressure from post bottling fermentation. You may want to look for brewing rated bottles like these from MoreBeer.com
https://www.morebeer.com/products/pop-tops-swing-top-bottles-16-oz-clear-qty-12-1.html

The clear ones are nice to ...

Brewing for Homebrew Festival!

After a few false starts (weather related), I finally got my SCHF brews done on Sunday! My systems is built for 10-gallon batches (brutus stand, 3 burners, 2 pumps) with 15 gallon kettles.

To get 2 beers out of brewday, I do a shared big mash, then split to 2 vessels ...

Calvin, what is your gravity at?

My gravity was down to 18 brix tonight. It had some slow spats over the past week, but it is closing in on 13% ABV and 1.035 SG. So I think by this time next week, it should be finishing around 1.025 SG or so. I started at 1.135 SG.

I pulled the all-spice (cracked ...

I'm at 21.5 brix tonight. Sunday night, I replaced the ginger slices, with fresh ones. Tonight it tasted really good! I had pulled the lemon peel out Thursday nite as the peel was getting a bit pithy. I'm liking the combination now, but still feel a short soak with some all-spice will be awesome ...

Thanks for posting that Calvin!

I read through it, and liked how he did it. I noticed he specifically called out the 1/2 sugar break as the point to avoid things that add oxygen to the must. That is why I suggest 'gently stirring' once you are done with your feedings. You want just enough to degass ...

I hit my 1/3 sugar break on Thursday night, and was too busy Friday to even look at my fermenter. Today, I measured 24.5 bx which is almost halfway for my mead. Corrected that is about 1.084 SG. Started at 1.135, expect to hit 1.024. So, that's 0.111 points to max out the ABV for this yeast. Half of ...

Calvin, sounds like a good plan.

Romen, looks like your readings are now on-track! There will be periods where it seems like nothing is happening, but give it a few days. Keep those yeast in suspension with some gentle stirring or swirling now.

Tonight, my reading was 27.5 brix, and I started at ...