Any Home-brewers?

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

(01-24-2021, 11:42 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Love it!  I'll have to try that with the yeast.  I've dried my grains before and given them to neighbors as chicken feed, but I've never done anything with the yeast.  I suppose you could also make some marmite from it  

What's fun and interesting to me about American brewing vs European is that European brewing is steeped (no pun intended) in tradition.  Hundreds of years of the same yeasts and recipes, passed down over generations.  New methods introduced in some cases, but always with tradition at heart.  German brewing especially is very grounded in science.  American brewing falls more in the "art over science" category.  Experimentation, making new rules, finding new ways.  It's constantly evolving.  What was popular as an IPA 10 years ago isn't now, and will be different again in another 10 years.  I really do appreciate that aspect of being continual pioneers, even if I don't love everything that's being produced.  The number of sour beers being produced now as a great example.  Everyone is doing them, because with kettle souring it can be done quickly, so every brewery is getting their hands onto them and trying new things.  I love a classic style of any beer, but I appreciate people trying new things and pushing the envelope a bit, too.  

I'd like to spend a little more time exploring some of the German techniques, like decoction mashing.  I've never needed to do it for the beer I love making in the styles, but perhaps it could better with a decoction and only one way to find out!  

What is your system for carbonating a keg? I've had very consistent results in every stage of my brewing EXCEPT for carbonation. I've kind of settled on 12 lbs pressure for a week to 10 days as it's been the most consistent but that is still mostly hit and sometimes miss. My neighbors only bottle and they've nailed the carbonation every time that I've had a bottle.

It's because of those neighbors that I've made my first American Hefeweizen after over 100 batches of White Labs Bavarian and Hefeweizen IV. The other 30 to 40 batches of Hefeweizens that I've made were a few Witbiers and the rest were Wyeast batches that I don't like very much because of an aftertaste that bugs me. I went a few years of not using Wyeast and tried it again a couple of years ago wondering "maybe my tastes have changed?". Nope. Still bugs me.