When we first started brewing, we did it by the book (but only as far as we knew to read). We had the recipes to follow, the online forums and tips, and we had some intuition on how to brew beer. We also focused all of our attention on getting the steps right and keeping everything sanitized. All of these things are still being done, but we have found out a few key things that are improving our process and our beers' flavors.
The main thing that we have started to do, that is helping the flavor and quality of our beer, is proper aeration. We knew that we were supposed to aerate the wort before we pitched the yeast, but we were a little lazy and would only shake the carboy for 5-10 minutes at most. The beer would foam up and we assumed that was enough.
1000+ OCBC beers later, our palettes have become more fine tuned with what our brews are supposed to taste like. Many of our beers are very distinct, but we started noticing that some of them were having a slight banana after taste. A little research informed us that our beers may not have enough oxygen and the banana flavor is a result of the yeast suffocating. We decided that the best thing to do was invest in the Northern Brewer Aeration System, that we use after the wort has cooled off, and before we pitch the yeast.
Like everything else, it has taken a few tries, but we have learned how to successfully aerate the brew. The first lesson was how to aerate the wort, but keep the foam contained and "blown off" in a controlled manor. We devised a setup where the diffuser stone and aeration tube runs through a 1" vinyl tube and placed in an universal bung that we drilled a 3/4" hole in. This allows the aerator to continue to run and directs the foam to just fall into the sink or trash instead of all over the side of the carboy and floor.
The other thing that we have learned is how to properly maintain the diffuser stone and in-line filter. The directions just say to not touch the diffuser stone directly, because oils from our fingers will clog the microscopic holes. To keep it clean and sanitized we just boil the stone for 10 minutes before and after use. This keeps any wort that may dry on the stone off and any bacteria from growing where the sanitizer can't get to it. The stone is only handled through the plastic pouch that it was shipped in. We also keep the filter completely dry, so that the air can freely flow through the line.
Since using the system, we haven't had any banana flavors and the fermentation seems to be more intense and uniform. Just another way that OCBC strives to have the best quality and flavorful beers.
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