Hops Winter Season – Winterizing and Pruning Hops

A little end-of-season care and some judicious root-pruning will help your hop plants come back stronger from year to year.  The hop plant is a perennial in most climate zones.

Beginning at the first frost, the hop bine will begin to die back to the ground. Only the rhizome survives over the winter. Until the first frost, you should leave your hops standing, as they are still storing energy in the rhizome for the winter.

After the first frost, preparing the bines for winter is straightforward:

Cut the bines down to the ground and compost or discard them. Be careful where you place them, however; almost any large, live section of stem will sprout in the spring.

Add fertilizer or manure to each hill. The hop bine's explosive growth can exhaust the nutrients of the surrounding soil.

Cover each hill with a generous portion of mulch to protect the roots over the winter, especially in colder climates.

At the end of the season healthy bottom vines can be buried for the propagation of new plants the next spring. Simply bury the vines in a shallow trench and mark their location. In spring dig them up and cut them into pieces about 4 inches long. Make sure each new cutting has an eye or bud.

The Hop root requires 6 weeks at or below 38 degrees to reinvigorate them for next spring.

Beer Yeasts

Yeast is a eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described. An estimate of only 1% of all fungal species.

The species Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohols - for thousands of years the carbon dioxide has been used in  alcoholic bererages.

How long does the fermentation take to complete?

Most fermentations will be complete within 14 days. Lager fermentions can take up to one month, plus aging time. The typical ale profile is to ferment very actively for 1-4 days, which is called the "exponential" or "log" phase. Then the yeast enters a stationary phase, which helps to mature the beer and can last from 3-10 days. The beer should be ready to bottle at this time. It is important to check the final gravity (FG), and calculate the percentage attenuation to make sure the fermentation is complete. If the particular yeast strain is not very flocculent, it is hard to gauge when fermentation is complete without calculating attenuation %.

 What is yeast nutrient?
 
Yeast Nutrient is a complex blend of nitrogen, vitamins, and co-factors. It is designed to increase vitality and viability in the yeast propagations. This increases the rate of metabolism, which results in faster fermentation and greater yeast viability. It is an affordable way to increase the success of your brew. Our brewers have found it very beneficial for first generation, stuck fermentation and high gravity beers. Yeast nutrient can also be helpful when brewing high gravity beers. Nutrient is good for every generation and a must for beers above 1.070 SG or 17 Plato.

At what temperature should I pitch Ale yeast?
 
The yeast should be pitched at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, 21.1 to 23.9 Centigrade. Once you see active fermentation, bring the temperature to the desired fermentation temperature listed on the yeast package.

What temperature should I pitch a lager yeast?

There are two different methods of pitching lagers. Brewers use each method with success, but every brewer has their preference. The easiest method is (A).
A) Start the yeast warm and lower to 50-55F after the start of fermentation. The yeast should be pitched at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you see active fermentation, bring the temperature of the wort down 10 degrees per 12 hours until the desired fermentation temperature has been achieved. This method works well without forming high amounts of esters because most esters are produced after the first 12 hours.
B) Pitch the yeast at the desired fermentation temperature (48-55 Degrees F). Lager yeast ferment well at this temperature, but they grow very slowly. If you are using this method, understand that you may not see signs of activity for 48-72 hours. If starting the fermentation cold, we recommend you make a 1-2 liter starter per 5 gallons, or a starter 10% of the batch size.

Why should I use liquid yeast as opposed to dry yeast?
 
Purity and variety of liquid cultures. Currently, dry yeast contains some level of contamination because the drying technology is not available to create a sterile product. There is more variety with liquid yeast because only certain strains of yeast can be dried. Even if they could be dried, most yeast strains do not have the demand to make a large batch of dry yeast economically viable. An increased variety of liquid stains also gives the brewer the flexibility to produce many different beer styles.

What is meant by pitchable quantities?

White Labs and Wyeast yeast have a concentrated cell count which does not require any additional propagation time. Therefore, vials can be directly pitched into a five-gallon batch of wort, giving you approximately a 5-15 hour lag time.

Why is the fermentation not starting in the recommended time?
 
The most common causes are oxygen limitation and temperature. Low dissolved oxygen levels may cause a long lag at the start of fermentation. Oxygen is a primary element needed for yeast to be able to produce cell walls. Temperature of the wort when the yeast is pitched is also critical. If the wort is above 85-90°F, this may decrease the cell viability. If the wort is too cold it can cause the yeast to slow down, therefore increasing the overall time needed for fermentation to start.

What is the lowest temperature I can ferment ale at?
 
Ale strains are most commonly fermented between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It is not recommended that you try and ferment ale below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The ale strains have much harder time fermenting wort at the lower temperatures.

What is the lowest temperature I can ferment a lager?
 
Lager strains are most commonly fermented at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. At 45 degrees Fahrenheit the lager strains will slow down and fermentation may stop. There is some variation between strains so it is recommended to follow the temperature ranges on the vial or strain descriptions.

How can I increase the alcohol level in my beer?
 
Alcohol is a byproduct of the yeast cells consumption of the sugars in the wort. As the alcohol level rises in the wort, the fermentation begins to slow down. Adding yeast nutrients to the wort can give the yeast new food allowing for an extended fermentation period. Yeast nutrient also helps to create stronger cell walls, which make yeast less susceptible to alcohol death. Another way to increase the alcohol level in the beer is to add yeast with a higher alcohol tolerance towards the end of fermentation.

Why is my beer over-attenuating?
 
Over attenuation can occur from wild yeast contamination, or from a warm fermentation. Also, the mash profile creates different types of sugars, which the yeast consumes differently.

Why is my beer under-attenuating?

Low oxygen levels may be one of the primary reasons for under-attenuation. Another factor could be under pitching. If an insufficient amount of yeast is added to wort, than you should expect a much longer fermentation time.

Why does my beer have a high ester and/or sulfur level?
 
High ester and sulfur levels are most commonly associated with high fermentation temperatures. Different types of strains also produce different ester and sulfur attributes. Make sure you choose the proper yeast for the style of beer you are making and ferment the wort within the recommended temperature ranges.

Can I combine yeast strains?
 
Yes, some brewers like to combine strains for more unique flavor profiles. 

Will there be any benefits or drawbacks from this?
Some of the benefits of blending yeast strains would be to blend flavors or aromas of different strains. Over time one strain can dominate the other so the consistency of flavors would be lost over time. If flocculation is different between the strains, it is hard to collect an equal amount of each strain.

What is diacetyl?
 
Diacetyl is a natural byproduct of yeast. It is most commonly recognized as a butterscotch or buttered popcorn flavor in the beer. To minimize the diacetyl attributes in beer, it’s recommended that the fermenting wort rest once the beer has reached terminal gravity for 48 hours at 62-70 degrees prior to crashing the temperature. This stage allows to yeast to reabsorb the diacetyl.

What are anaerobic bacteria?
 
Anaerobic bacteria do not require oxygen to grow. In the brewery, the most common types of anaerobic bacteria are pediococcus and lactobacillus. Good cleaning practices and frequent testing are the best ways to avoid contamination in the brewery.

What are aerobic bacteria?
 
Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to grow. In the brewery, the most common types of aerobic bacteria are acetic acid and enterobacteriaceae. Good cleaning practices and frequent testing are the best ways to avoid contamination in the brewery.

Is overpitching yeast harmful?
 
If the beer is overpitched, yeast do not grow though a complete growth cycle. This results in few new yeast cells, which makes for unhealthy yeast and low viability by the end of fermentation.

Is it best to store yeast under beer?
 
Yes, the best way to store yeast is under finished beer. It is best to remove yeast from the fermentor because high pressure and heat that can affect yeast in a fermentor.

Is your yeast gluten free?

White Labs and Wyeast yeast are low in gluten and is below the European standard for being labeled as gluten free; the American standards are still being developed. The European standard for gluten free is below 20 ppm.

Yeast slurry in package:  12 ppm

When yeast is used with ingredients such as sorghum to make gluten free beer:  2 ppm

If you’re a news buff, you may have seen several news stories about home brewing and home brew kits hit the news wires - both nationally and internationally. Stories like the apartment fire in Colorado, or even the “flat” in Wales” caught on fire by home brewing have raised several eyebrows in the community.

Although these headlines can be concerning and raise questions about the safety of home brewing, they don’t show an accurate picture of the home brewing process. Nor how safe home brewing actually can be.

Home Brewing Kits Don’t Start Fires 

Although these articles try to say that the home brew kits were to blame for the fires, that’s not how home brew kits work. Home brew kits don’t start fires. The Hardware Equipment Kit, or any recipe/ingredient kit for brewing beer, do not include burner elements. The only elements home brewing kits include the buckets and accessories needed to brew like thermometers and carboys. The recipe kits include grains and other mixes in for the brew.

What’s Unsafe about Home Brewing? 

If anything is deemed “unsafe” by home brewing, it’s the heating elements that brewers already have installed in their homes. Heating equipments like stoves (gas or electric), propane burners, or even turkey friers are often used to boil water and/or wort. Occasionally these heating units will malfunction or fail. However, whether the heating elements are being used for home brewing or for cooking chili - the brew kits are safe. It’s the malfunctioning and failing heating elements that are to blame for the house fires.

Staying Safe when Home Brewing 

As these headlines have reminded us, it’s always important to take precautionary steps when home brewing. Here are a few safety tips we recommend as you brew from home:

1. Make sure your heating elements are working properly. 
2. When boiling water and/or wort, do not leave the pots unattended.
3. Keep your home brewing equipment and grains out of reach from children. 
4. Make sure your brew pot is large enough to maintain the boiling wort within the brew pot. 

Table Top Brewing  - Brewing Procedures

TTB Cystal Amber Ale Recipe 

Description:  2-Row/Crystal Malt with a caramel medium rich flavor and a deep copper amber color. Slight bitterness from hops with a balance with malt flavor.

60 Minute Boil in Brew Pot

30 Minute Steeping of Grains at 150 ºF

6 lbs Sparking Amber Liquid Malt Extract (LME)

0.75 lbs Crystal 60 L Malt (steeping grain)

0.25 lbs Caramel 80 L Malt (steeping grain)

1.0 oz Northern Brewing Hops (Bittering) @ 60 Minutes

0.5 oz Willamette Hops (Flavor) @ Final 30 Minutes

0.5 oz Willamette Hops (Flavor) @ Final 10 Minutes

Yeast: Muntons Ale Sachet

OG: 1.052 – 1-057, IBU: 23-28

 Procedures

1.        Read – read all of the procedures before you begin.

2.        Sanitize – sanitize all brewing equipment and utensils that come in contact with any ingredients, wort or beer.

3.        Steeping – Heat 2.5 gallons of clean ph neutral water in your brew pot. When the water is within the steeping temperature (145- 160 ºF) slowly add the grain bag into the brew pot. Steep grains for recipe time (30 minutes). After 30 minutes remove the grain bag. Allow the bag to drain, but do not squeeze the gain bag. Your water now has grain sugar in it and this is called wort.

4.        Boil – Bring the wort to a gentle boil. Add the 6 lbs Sparking Amber LME into the boiling brew pot.  (Stainless Steel brew pot preferred for best results)

5.        Hops - Add the bittering hops and set the cook timer to 60 minutes. When the timer equals 30 minutes and 10 minutes add the flavor hops.

6.        Wort Chilling – Fill your sink or tube with ice water and carefully place the hot brew pot into the ice water. Make sure the ice water is not above the top of the brew pot. When the temperature of the wort is between (68 ºF and 78 ºF) pour or siphon the wort into the sanitize fermentation bucket.  Use the hydrometer to measure the original gravity (OG) of the wort. The range should be within specifications. Leave the trub in the brew pot.

7.        Water – Add enough clean water between (68 ºF and 78 ºF) into the fermentation bucket to bring the wort to 5 gallons. Stir with a sanitize spoon to mix the wort and water together.

8.        Pitching – Sprinkle the yeast sachet over the top of the wort and stir well with a sanitize spoon or paddle. Firmly snap the fermentation lid onto the fermentation bucket. Fill the airlock half way with water and genly twist the airlock into the grommet lid. Do not push the grommet into the bucket. Move fermentation bucket to a dark stable area and maintain temperature between (68 ºF and 78 ºF).

9.        1^st Stage Fermentation – The wort will begin to ferment with the first day (24 hours). You will see bubbles releasing from the airlock, this is CO2. Within 3- 6 days the bubbling will slow down to one or no bottles per minute. Use the hydrometer to read the final gravity (FG) of the wort. ABV% = (OG-FG) * 131.25

10.     2^nd Stage Fermentation (Optional but recommended) – use your sanitized siphon and carefully siphon the beer form 1^st Stage Fermentation into the 5 gallon carboy. Do not siphon any trub (sediment). After fermentation exposure to air is not good for beer.  When siphoning do not splash the beer into the carboy, but let it flow from the bottom of the carboy up. Fill the 5 gallon carboy to the top (least amount of air). Add clean water if needed to fill. Remove the airlock used for 1^st stage fermentation and place on carboy. You will need a bung to adapt the hole size. Let the carboy stand a minimum 1 week.

·          2^nd Stage is used for dry hopping Pale Ale and IPA beers. Some brews add other adjuncts at this time.

11.     Bottling – Sanitize the bottle and siphon equipment. In a small saucepan dissolve the priming sugar into 2 cups of boiling water. Pour this mixer into a clean sanitize bottling bucket. Carefully siphon the beer from the fermenter to the bottling bucket. Do not siphon any trub (sediment). Stir gently to mix priming sugar. Use your siphon with bottle wand and fill the bottle to 1 to 1.5 inches from the top. Use a bottle capper and apply sanitized crown caps.

12.     Bottle Conditioning – Move the full beer bottles to a dark warm area (68 ºF and 78 ºF). Over a two week period the bottles will carbonate. Carbonation varies depending on beer recipe, temperature and yeast. Be patient if it takes a week or two longer.

13.     Kegging Option – Sanitize you Cornelius (Corny) Keg (Pepsi or Coke Stainless Steel keg). Send a small squirt of CO2 into the keg. CO2 is slightly heavier than air and will settle to the bottom. Fill the keg with your beer from the bottom to top.  The beer and CO2 will push the air out of the keg. Once full place the corny keg lid on firmly. You may need to use keg lube to help seal the lid to the keg.  Connect your CO2 regulator to the keg. Cool the keg to temperature (36 ºF) and regulator from 7 to 11 psi. I like 7 psi.  Typically the keg will be carbonated in 3 or 4 days. Another option is to lay down the keg and set the regulator to 25-30 psi. Gently roll the keg back and forth until you stop hearing the CO2 flowing.  Set the regulator back and purge the 25-30 psi head pressure inside the keg. Your beer is carbonated in a few minutes and ready for enjoyment.

14.     Cheers! Cool the beer and enjoy your home brew.  Please share your great beer with friends and family.

OG:                 ______________________                    1^st Stage Ferment Day             ______________________

SG:                  ______________________                    2^nd Stage Ferment Day            ______________________

ABV%              ______________________                    Comments                                ______________________

New Inventory - We expanded are grain selection today. W

We added 7 new Weyermann grains and 2 Dingemans grains as follows:

1. Weyermann Abbey Malt
2. Weyermann Cara Aroma
3. Weyermann Cara Hell
4. Weyermann CaraMunich
5. Weyermann Caramber
6. Weyermann Carafoam
7. Dingemans Cara 20
8. Dingemans Cara 45

Currently we have 45 types of grains or flakes.

We are expanding 10 more within the next few weeks.

We will have in stock 55 varieties of grains or flakes.

Tom

Today I am brewing a modified version of SummerGold. I am switching out the honey with Maple Syrup.  This way I can have two versions or see which one everyone prefers.

 Last month we brewed two Oktoberfest beers. One is Traditional German brew and the other is Off the Wall Oktoberfest. I broke the recipe with the yeast I used.
Last week I brewed a Honey Brown Porter, Peach Ale, and a Peach wine.
Today, Fireside Double Chocolate Mint Porter.

Tom

 Cheers!  The picking of hops is finished.  This year's crop was okay, but not the best. The spring/early summer rains slowed down the growth of the younger plants.  Now it is time to dry the hops and package. Table Top Brewing will have a good supply of fresh organic homegrown hops.  Here are a few pictures of the cascade hops.  This is a 10 ft table covered.

1st Issue: Fermentation did not start up after 15 hours.

Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager optimal temperature is 46-58 °F

White Labs WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager optimal temperature is 50-55 °F

Oktoberfest/Marzen Beer is one of the world's most popular beer types.  Here are the specifications for an Oktoberfest beer:

OG: 1,057 or lower

FG: 1.015

SRM: 13/14  (Copper Red to Lt.Brown)

IBU:28 or lower (Use Noble Hops)

Wehner's Oktoberfest

1.058/1.015

13% SRM

29.0 IBU (Spatlz, Hallertauer, Hersbrucker)

Yeast (doulbe Pitch): Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager + WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager

3wks at 51-52 °F

48 hours Diacetyl Rest 60 °F

Lager at 35 -37 °F

5 wks lagering 

I will be submitting this beer on October 22, 2011; CMI Oktoberfest

This will be one of the Wehner's Brewery Seasonal Beers

Tom

The grading was not that good. They had the wrong beer for the Black IPA. Their comments did not match the beer and one judge could not rate my Fireside Chocolate Porter because he could not compare to a standard beer. It must have been a new judge. It is very similar to Double Chocolate Boch beer except I used an ale yeast and added some peppermint. Not sure what's was up with the judge. He gave me a zero which killed the average.  The In Cinn Lager had a keg issue. The new keg I used had a bad beer tube that leaked in air.  I fixed the keg yesterday. The flaring on the tube was bad.

Here is one of the many compliments of the three beers;

Beer & Sweat

The world's Largest Keg - only Homebrew Competition

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Drawbridge Hotel

Hops 

We have included Hopunion as our supplier. We now stock the following hops:

Ahtanum, Palisade, Newport, Admiral, Sterling, Galena, Citra, Falconers Flight, NZ Motueka, NZ Pacific Hallertau, NZ Hallertua Aroma, and NZ Pacific Jade. 

The new "New Zealand" hops are very good. I had the pleasure to use some last year and the beers came out great.

Yeast

We have both White Labs and Wyeast liquid yeast. We expanded our White Labs selection and added a new section for Wyeast yeast. We carry around 10 - 15 seasonal varities. 

Tom

Ha – there are a lot of great craft beers with spices, fruits and about anything you can think of in it. The fall/winter beers offer some of the great spice/fruit beer recipes like Oktoberfest – Pumpkin beers – Chocolate beers etc.

Table Top Brewing is stocking up on spices. Here is a list of spices to add to you beer recipe.

All recipes I have brewed and approved by beer lovers.

1) White Ale (Class Beer) This is a light summer beer

Recipe: White Ale (Partial Mash/Extract Recipe) OG:1.046/FG:????/IBU:26-28

3.3 lbs (1 can) Briess LME Pilsen Malt (Liquid Malt Extract)   

1 lb Briess DME Bavarian Wheat (Dry Malt Extract)

2.0 lbs Malteurop 2-row malt grain

0.5 lb Briess Red Soft Wheat Flakes

0.25 lb Briess Barley Flakes

0.25 lb Briess Oat Flakes

1.5 oz Kent Golding Pellet Hops

0.5 oz Cascade Pellet Hops

Nottingham Ale Yeast (dry)

Mash the 2-row for 60/30min at 148 °F/165 °F

Steep Flakes for 30minutes

Boil LME and DME for 60 minute boil

1 oz Kent Golding 60 minutes

0.5 oz Cascade 60 minutes

0.5 oz Kent Golding 15 minutes

2) Imperial IPA (Class Beer) Smooth malt and hop beer for all seasons

Recipe: Imperial IPA (Partial Mash/Extract) OG: 1.070/FG:1.017/IBU:60.1 (Mash: 90/15 @ 145 °F/168 °F)

5.0 lbs Maris Otter 2-Row

6.6 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

8.0 oz Briess Carmel 120L

1.0 oz Briess Chocolate

1.0 oz Cascade Hops (60 min)

1.0 oz Centennial Hops (60 min)

0.5 oz Hallertau (15 min)

0.5 oz Hallertau (5 min)

Yeast: Safbrew s-33

3) Honey Brown Nut Porter Great Fall/Winter Beer

All Grain Recipe(Mash: 155 °F Sparge 168 °F

7.0 lbs Malteurop 2-Row Grain

2.0 lbs Crystal 60L

0.5 lbs Chocolate

0.5 lbs Carapils

0.5 Munich II

0.5 Vienna

0.5 Barley Flakes (Head Retention to cancel the walnut oils)

2.0 oz Crushed English Walnut Center (almost to powder)

1.0 tsp Bitter Orange Peel

1/4" Piece of Cinnamon Stick

16 oz. Honey

1.0 oz Fuggle Hops (60 min)

0.5 oz Centennial Hops (60 min)

0.5 oz Centennial Hops (15 min)

Yeast: WLP023 Burton Ale

Special Notes: 

English Walnut- boild for 60 minutes. May put in muslin bag (not all will dissolve)

Cinnamon Stick - boil for 60 minutes.

Add Bitter Orange Peel and Honey last 5 minutes

Warning - allergens to Walnut?

More to come

 Yeast - How & What is Yeast

 Beer Yeast  - Quick Profile of Yeast

 A fast guide on How to Taste Great Beer

 1. Visual Appraisal: Take a look. Is the beer clear & crisp like a lager or cloudy like wheat based beers? Make sure there is a good head on top to gather all of it's flavor.

2. Aroma: Give it a whirl and take a good whiff. Does it smell spicy or piney? That's the hops. Does it smell sweet? That's the malt.

3. Taste the Body: Is the beer complex in your mouth? Good beers not be watery or thin. You will taste sweetness on the tip of your tougue and hop spicieness in the back of your mouth.

4. Taste the Flavor: Great Beers have a lot of flavor, balanced between sweetness and spiceness, and complex.

5. Overall Appraisal: Do you want another sip? If yes, congratulations you've found a Great Beer!

Cheers!!!

 Fermentable Grains

The following grains should be "mashed" (steeped at about 155°F) and "sparged" (rinsed with water at approximately 168°F. Do not go over 170°F) at controlled temperature prior to boil.