Quote from: gitano;154970Too bad about the leg cramps. I get those when I eat eggplant. So I don't eat eggplant.

 Paul

Hmmm, makes me wonder if there's a common compound in there somewhere.


Although, you could probably eat heartily at our place.
Eggplant is NEVER on the menu.


(But we do like our brussel sprouts  )

QuoteEggplant is NEVER on the menu.


(But we do like our brussel sprouts )

Paul

Collecting sap is finished. Compare this jug's cloudiness with the crystal clarity of the first day's collection. The taps have been pulled and the holes plugged. The yeast I ordered is supposed to have arrived at the PO yesterday. I'll attempt to pick it up tomorrow. Providing it's there, I'll start the brew tomorrow.

Paul

OK - I had to wait for Nottingham dry yeast to arrive from Amazon before I could start brewing the birch 'beer'. Got the yeast this morning.

I combined the three containers-worth of condensed sap into my 3.5 gallon stainless steel pot and warmed it to 60F. (The temperature at which the hydrometer was calibrated.) Specific gravity was 1.098. Volume was 2.35 gallons.

Once the wort was at a rolling boil, I added about 2 ounces of Hallentauer Mittelfruh leaf hops, (in a mesh bag), and started the clock for a 60 minute boil. At 45 minutes I added, (again in a mesh bag), one ounce of Mt. Hood pellet hops. Fifteen minutes later - 60 minutes total - I turned the heat off and moved the pot into a cold water bath and removed the hop sacks. I then took a cup of 92F water and added 1/4 teaspoon of yeast 'food' to it, and one packet (11 grams) of the dry Nottingham yeast. I stirred it up and let it sit until the wort was down to 92F. At that point I added about 8 ounces of lactose ("milk sugar" that brewer's yeast doesn't ferment), to bring the starting gravity to 1.118, siphoned the wort into a 5 gallon glass carboy, and pitched the re-hydrated yeast. It was 12 noon exactly.  I was reading about the Nottingham yeast, and noticed that the manufacturer stated EMPHATICALLY NOT TO STIR THE YEAST WHEN REHYDRATING IT. I pitched the second packet of yeast straight into the wort. I didn't THINK it would matter that much, but I didn't want to take any chances. Extra yeast - to a point - only accelerates the fermentation. At 3:15pm, the brew was 'cooking'. I was getting about a cubic centimeter of gas (CO2) every 10 seconds.

Since this yeast ferments best in the temperature range from 50 to 72 degrees F, I moved the carboy out to my shop which is a consistent 57F. Primary fermentation should be complete in 4 to 7 days, at which point I'll transfer it to another glass carboy and let the secondary fermentation go until it stops.

Letting the fermentation "go until it stops", was not my original plan. That has a tendency to make VERY dry (high alcohol content) beer while at the same time (and that's what's critical), using up ALL of the available sugar. Thereby leaving no "sweet". I don't like that. A lot. This is precisely why I added the lactose. By adding a sweetener that the yeast WON'T ferment, I can let the ferment continue until the yeast is "done". There's nothing left in the wort that the yeast 'wants', but there is still some "sweet" left. This is a common practice among vintners. In fact, the lactose is called "wine lactose". HOPEFULLY, there will be some of the natural birch sweetness remaining, but the flavors from the components of the sap that aren't fermentable sugar is what I'm looking forward to.

Nottingham yeast is supposed to stop fermenting at about 10% ABV. Based on experience with the ABV figures posted by yeast sellers, "I'll believe 10% ABV when I see it". (It's akin to reported BCs by bullet-makers.)  While I would prefer about 6% ABV, the ONLY way to achieve that is to chemically arrest the ferment. I don't want to do that.


So far so good.

Paul

I like beer that is cold. I know when I've had enough when it's gone. I do miss the German Beers, however. One of the good things about spending 3 years of your life there!

Every little burg in Germany has its own "home-town" beer. Heidelberg's home-town beer is Schlossquelle - which literally translates to "castle source", or correctly, "spring of the castle". (I don't know if there is a city in Germany that identifies more with its local castle than Heidelberg does.) Schlossquelle is, in my opinion, not only the worst beer in Germany, it's the worst beer IN THE WORLD! Of course I lived a year in Heidelberg. Yech! Disgusting stuff!

Most local beers were at least tolerable. Some were 'to die for'. Unfortunately, like everything else humans "get after", they usually ultimately ruin it. First comes, "experts", then "If you don't do it the way EYE say it has to be done, YOU'RE WRONG", then REGULATIONS, then LAW. Beer, even German beer, is no exception to that 'rule of humans'. The solution is; make your own stuff and screw the experts and their opinions.

At the moment, I'm back on a fermentation kick. Currently I have the following ferments going:
Birch "beer",
Kimchi,
Yogurt, and
Japanese sauerkraut.

More vegetables fermenting soon. Like tomorrow.

Personally, I believe fermented foods, ALL OF THEM, are 'good' for you. No, they won't cure cancer in spite of what SOME "experts" (like nutritionists), like to claim. They won't cure COVID-19, or any other virus, as far as I know. BUT... I do think they help keep the 'bug' population in your gastro-intestinal tract properly balanced which promotes good, complete, digestion as well as providing micro-nutrients that are otherwise "cooked out" of most processed foods. I don't 'hate' processed foods. They feed the world. They prevent death by starvation. However, they are not the BEST food you can eat. I do believe fermented food stuffs, (including beer and other fermented beverages), are among the best foods you can consume.

Drink more beer!

Paul

One of the truest cogent posts ever written in the history of man. Bravo, Paul.

Quote from: gitano;154982Every little burg in Germany has its own "home-town" beer. Heidelberg's home-town beer is Schlossquelle - which literally translates to "castle source", or correctly, "spring of the castle". (I don't know if there is a city in Germany that identifies more with its local castle than Heidelberg does.) Schlossquelle is, in my opinion, not only the worst beer in Germany, it's the worst beer IN THE WORLD! Of course I lived a year in Heidelberg. Yech! Disgusting stuff!

Most local beers were at least tolerable. Some were 'to die for'. Unfortunately, like everything else humans "get after", they usually ultimately ruin it. First comes, "experts", then "If you don't do it the way EYE say it has to be done, YOU'RE WRONG", then REGULATIONS, then LAW. Beer, even German beer, is no exception to that 'rule of humans'. The solution is; make your own stuff and screw the experts and their opinions.

At the moment, I'm back on a fermentation kick. Currently I have the following ferments going:
Birch "beer",
Kimchi,
Yogurt, and
Japanese sauerkraut.

More vegetables fermenting soon. Like tomorrow.

Personally, I believe fermented foods, ALL OF THEM, are 'good' for you. No, they won't cure cancer in spite of what SOME "experts" (like nutritionists), like to claim. They won't cure COVID-19, or any other virus, as far as I know. BUT... I do think they help keep the 'bug' population in your gastro-intestinal tract properly balanced which promotes good, complete, digestion as well as providing micro-nutrients that are otherwise "cooked out" of most processed foods. I don't 'hate' processed foods. They feed the world. They prevent death by starvation. However, they are not the BEST food you can eat. I do believe fermented food stuffs, (including beer and other fermented beverages), are among the best foods you can consume.

Drink more beer!

 Paul

You should try making some Curtido.
It's like a fermented central American cabbage based relish.  Almost a spicy-oniony Kraut.
https://www.slowburningpassion.com/make-curtido-el-salvadors-famous-fermented-cabbage/


We like it on fish tacos, but the El Salvadorans eat it mostly with pupusas. (fried cheese stuffed corn cakes)

I'll give it a whirl.

Paul

It's been 12 days of primary fermentation, and the CO2 production has decreased from 1cc/10sec, to 1cc/30sec, so it's time to move beer to secondary fermentation container(s).

The initial specific gravity was 1.117. The SG today was 1.020. That suggests an alcohol content by volume (ABV) of 9.7%. It doesn't taste that high, but taste is very subjective even within tasters. Nevertheless, it tasted 'good' to me. I'm not sure it's as good as the first batch was some 10 years ago or so, but it's certainly 'good'. My wife said, "It's a little bitter but a little sweet". That's EXACTLY what I was trying to achieve. Not that I like bitter, but more to appease my beer-snob friends that equate "good" with "HAS to have bitter taste". However, I was fortunate this time, and got a level of bitterness (so far) that is just about 'right' to my palate. Not so bitter as to be foul - like MOST beer - but enough 'bittering' to take the cloying edge off of the sweetness. All in all, I'm happy with the taste AT THIS TIME. I don't know how the secondary fermentation may change the taste. I don't expect much change (and what does occur, to be for the better), but I've been wrong before.

The color remains VERY dark. I like that.




It's difficult to see, but it remains somewhat cloudy. I don't know if I will try to clarify it after the secondary fermentation. It may clear on its own. This yeast is supposed to have "good flocculation". We'll see.


Four weeks on the secondary ferment. I'll let it go at least that long. If it tastes better after four weeks, I'll let it go another two. If it doesn't taste different, or it tastes worse, after four weeks, I'll bottle it then.

More when there is more.

Paul

We must keep this a secret from Eric. He see's this and he'll be buying a jet ticket to AK!:MOGRIN:

Tell him that I will reserve a bottle just for him.

Paul

The secondary fermentation has slowed to a 'trickle', so I decided to go ahead and bottle the beer and let it finish 'in the bottle'. Given the level of fermentation going on and the fact that the refer is pretty cold, (I haven't measured it), I am not concerned that I will get exploding bottles. The brew went into 16, 16oz Grolsch bottles with just enough left over to test the specific gravity: 1.020. (Note that it hasn't changed since I put the brew in the 4L growlers.) So... Starting gravity 1.117. Final gravity 1.020. For a change of 0.097 units. That suggests that the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) is ~9.7%. May be. When the little bit used for measuring the final gravity cools and settles again - this evening - I'll have a taste and see if I think it's actually that high.

My birthday is coming up next month, so I'll crack a bottle on my birthday and let you know the verdict.

Paul

Checking the math is where I mis Don a lot. In truth my eyes start glazing pretty quick