Homebrew Time Lapse, Hoptastic IPA

Just over a year went by since my last entry, crazy!  The kid has grown and another is on the way.  Life moves fast now.  With limited time, I found that Twitter was the best medium to share my latest brewing adventures.  Posting the below time lapse video of my last brew day really brought me back here.  This brew was the 16th batch on the new system which has now yielded 195 gallons.  On my old 5 gallon system, the same volume would have taken 39 batches.  Since I started brewing with the B3 2050, I have been really enjoying splitting a batch in increments of 5 gallons to test out different yeast strains.  In the future, I want to also experiment with varying fermentation temperature schedules.

The video below was taken using a time lapse camera over the course of a casual homebrew day.  The camera took one shot every 2 seconds and compiled the images at a rate of 30 frames per second.  I edited out some of the longer waits (all grain, all day) to show more of the busy-body action of the day.  For a better resolution video, you can go here Chillindamos Homebrew Time Lapse.

Hoptastic IPA

Imperial IPA

BJCP: 14C	Date: 02/10/2013
Type: All Grain	Brewer: Sean
Batch Size: 15.50 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: 15G B3 2050
Est Original Gravity: 1.073 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.072 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.2 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 7.9 %
IBUs (Tinseth’s): 110.7 IBUs	Est Color: 9.6 SRM
Total Hop Weight: 21.50 oz	Calories: 243.1 kcal/12oz
Description:
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 38.20 gal SD Alvarado Water 1 - 6.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 35 lbs Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM) Grain 3 81.4 % 3 lbs 8.0 oz Munich (Dingemans) (5.5 SRM) Grain 4 8.1 % 2 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.7 % 2 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.7 % 8.0 oz Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 7 1.2 % 1.50 oz Homegrown Chinook [13.00 %] - First Wort 90.0 min Hop 8 27.9 IBUs 2.00 oz Homegrown Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 33.8 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 18.2 IBUs 6.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Boil 60.0 mins) Water Agent 11 - 2.00 oz Homegrown Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 12 12.2 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 13 2.4 IBUs 1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 14 5.7 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 15 1.2 IBUs 1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 16 2.8 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Cascade 20 min Whirlpool [5.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 17 1.3 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Centennial 20 min Whirlpool [10.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 18 2.2 IBUs 1.00 oz Homegrown Columbus 20 min Whirlpool [14.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 19 3.0 IBUs 1.40 oz Simcoe Rocket 175°F [13.00 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 20 0.0 IBUs 0.45 oz Homegrown Centennial Rocket 175°F [10.00 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 21 0.0 IBUs 0.15 oz Homegrown Cascade Rocket 175°F [5.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 22 0.0 IBUs 1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml] Yeast 23 - 1.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35.49 ml] Yeast 24 - 1.0 pkg Pacific Ale (White Labs #WLP041) [35.49 ml] Yeast 25 - 3.00 oz Homegrown Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 26 0.0 IBUs 3.00 oz Homegrown Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 27 0.0 IBUs
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Infusion Add 52.47 qt of water at 161.3 F 148.0 F 70 min Mash Step Heat to 168.0 F over 50 min 168.0 F 5 min
Mash Type: SMART 148 and Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 43 lbs
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Pre-boil Volume: 18.95 gal
Days in Primary: 7.00	Primary Temperature: 68.0 F
Days in Secondary: 10.00	Secondary Temperature: 66.0 F
Days in Tertiary: 7.00	Tertiary Temperature: 65.0 F
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 13.72 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 13.72 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Storage Temperature: 42.0 F
Notes: B3 2050 Batch #16 Divded wort into 3 five gallon carboys pitched with 1 vial each of the 3 yeast strains. No starters. One minute of oxygen via diffusion stone in each carboy. Also, 1 vial of WLN4000 Clarity-Ferm in each carboy (first time use).
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B3 2050 BrewSculpture is Here!

The new system has arrived and homebrewing has elevated to a new level.  The MoreBeer 2050 BrewSculpture was ready ahead of time and it was difficult to wait through the holidays for the opportunity to fire it up.

The first of many homebrews, B3 2050 BrewSculpture.

As with any upgrade or new location, I anticipated a rough start.  I wasn't even sure if the BrewSculpture would fit through the doorway since specs slightly exceeded the width of our garage door.  I decided that I would test and scrub everything on one day before committing to a brew day.  Luckily, it fit through the door and was moderately manageable to move the stand to my existing brewing location.  With the kettles and everything loaded, the weight is insane.  Just the stand, moving around is quite easy.
After a thorough scrub and testing of all systems (pumps, float switches, temp gauges, gas lines, digital burner, probes), it was a GO for Inaugural Pale Ale.  Here's the homebrew recipe:

Inaugural Pale Ale

American Pale Ale

BJCP: 10A	Date: 01/14/2012
Type: All Grain	Brewer: Sean
Batch Size: 10.00 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: B3 2050
Est Original Gravity: 1.057 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.057 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.007 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.0 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.6 %
IBUs (Tinseth’s): 42.9 IBUs	Est Color: 5.9 SRM
Total Hop Weight: 8.00 oz	Calories: 187.8 kcal/12oz
Description:
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 17.30 gal SD/RO 70/30 Water 1 - 1.00 tbsp pH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 17 lbs Rahr 2 Row Malt (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 81.0 % 2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.5 % 1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.8 % 1 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 6 4.8 % 1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 22.1 IBUs 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 8 - 0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 9 - 2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 12.3 IBUs 1.00 oz Cascade [6.60 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11 4.1 IBUs 1.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 12 - 2.00 oz Cascade [6.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 13 4.5 IBUs 2.00 oz Cascade [6.60 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 14 0.0 IBUs 2.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml] Yeast 15 -
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 27.30 qt of water at 165.3 F 152.0 F 60 min Mash Out Heat to 162.0 F over 10 min 162.0 F 0 min
Mash Type: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 21 lbs
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Pre-boil Volume: 11.15 gal
Days in Primary: 4.00	Primary Temperature: 66.0 F
Days in Secondary: 10.00	Secondary Temperature: 60.0 F
Days in Tertiary: 7.00	Tertiary Temperature: 65.0 F
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Storage Temperature: 45.0 F
Notes: Pale Ale, such an under appreciated style these days. Especially in San Diego, where I like to tell people that IPA flows out of drinking fountains, pale ale just sounds ordinary. As one of my favorite beers styles, I haven't brewed a pale ale in such a long time. I wanted to brew a great first beer on the new MoreBeer B2050 BrewSculpture and pale ale was very appropriate. Suprisingly, the brew day went very smooth. Over a decade of homebrewing enabled a fairly easy transition. Hops at 0 minutes were used in a Hop Rocket. Nugget and part of the Cascade hops were homegrown by Travis. Centennial from my farm.
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There were a few minor hiccups during the first brew but nothing that hindered the bulk of the process.  I was having way too much fun to really care about the details.  The second batch had to wait a few weeks but by then all the kinks were worked out.

Getting ready to heat up the mash liquor.

California Common was next on the homebrew list.  An observer on this day would have probably noted that it would have appeared that I had been using this system for years.  Everything went extremely well.  I don't even think we spilled any grain during the tippy clean-up.  Clean-up is a bit more involved than before but luckily Kara helped out both brews.  After this batch, I'm ready to ramp up the production if needed for sheer quantity and experimentation.

Start Your Steam Engines

California Common Beer

BJCP: 7B	Date: 02/02/2012
Type: All Grain	Brewer: Sean
Batch Size: 10.00 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: B3 2050
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.021 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.0 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.7 %
IBUs (Tinseth’s): 32.6 IBUs	Est Color: 12.0 SRM
Total Hop Weight: 6.00 oz	Calories: 219.2 kcal/12oz
Description:
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 23.50 gal SD/RO 70/30 Water 1 - 0.50 tbsp pH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 17 lbs 16.0 oz Rahr Malting 2-Row (1.8 SRM) Grain 3 71.6 % 4 lbs Belgian Munich (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 15.9 % 1 lbs British Crystal Malt (70.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.0 % 1 lbs Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.0 % 1 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 7 4.0 % 2.1 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 8 0.5 % 1.50 oz Northern Brewer [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 18.0 IBUs 1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 10 - 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 11 - 2.25 oz Northern Brewer [7.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 12 13.4 IBUs 1.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 13 - 2.25 oz Northern Brewer [7.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 14 1.2 IBUs 1.0 pkg San Francisco Lager (White Labs #WLP810) [35.49 ml] Yeast 15 -
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Infusion Add 43.47 qt of water at 167.7 F 154.0 F 60 min Mash Step Heat to 168.0 F over 20 min 168.0 F 5 min
Mash Type: SMART 154 and Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 25 lbs 2.1 oz
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Pre-boil Volume: 12.56 gal
Days in Primary: 14.00	Primary Temperature: 60.0 F
Days in Secondary: 10.00	Secondary Temperature: 65.0 F
Days in Tertiary: 7.00	Tertiary Temperature: 65.0 F
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.5
Pressure/Weight: 12.27 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.27 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 40.0 F	Storage Temperature: 40.0 F
Notes: This time of year, from a combination of old plaster walls and wood floors, the house fermentation area maintains a consistent 58-60°F. Too cold for ales and too warm for lagers but close enough for a hybrid yeast strain such as White Labs WLP810 San Francisco Lager to thrive. Recipe formulation started with Jamil's recipe shared during his Brewing Network podcast on brewing California Common.
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Puna Noni Sour

Time for some Radical Brewing!  When Bryan came to visit us from Oahu I asked him to bring an interesting and wild Hawaiian ingredient. Noni juice is what arrived. The noni fruit is loaded with carbs, dietary fiber, and a host of other micronutrients and phytochemicals. The Puna Noni juice label describes the product as a nutrient supplement with a suggested daily dose of about 1oz (should be about an ounce per serving of beer in the final product). Searching the web, you can find several noni homeopathic applications none of which have been thoroughly investigated.  From urinary tract infections to cancer inhibitors, noni juice seems to have a number of health benefits.  This beer might be the cure you're looking for! Apparently, the juice is already fermented prior to bottling so there might already be some interesting critters in the juice.  This would also explain why I didn't see a jump in OG after adding the juice.  For better or worse, I applied the juice after the boil so as not to disrupt the funkiness already present in this concoction.

Puna Noni Juice

This has got to be radical brewing, right Randy Mosher?  This fruit develops a strong odor as it ripens that give it nicknames like "cheese fruit" and "vomit fruit".  You'd never think that this species is in the coffee family!  According to the noni Wikipedia article, people will only eat this fruit during times of famine.  Well, let's see how it does in a homebrew.  Should be an interesting experiment and I have several glass carboys that are screaming for long-term projects.

Noni Fruit, Morinda citrifolia

Puna Noni Sour

Specialty Beer

BJCP: 23A	Date: 12/20/2011
Type: All Grain	Brewer: Sean
Batch Size: 5.00 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Chillindamos Brewhaus
Est Original Gravity: 1.061 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.059 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.017 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.9 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.4 %
IBUs (Tinseth’s): 38.1 IBUs	Est Color: 14.3 SRM
Total Hop Weight: 3.80 oz	Calories: 196.2 kcal/12oz
Description: The noni juice is dark brown and very aromatic. The flavor and aroma are hard to describe since I haven't had anything like this before. Definitely funky! Should put most recipes found in "Radical Brewing" in the tame category. I'll categorize this brew in BJCP Category 23 - Specialty Brew for its unusual and exotic fermented fruit ingredient and no definitive baseline style.
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 8.40 gal SD/RO 50/50 Water 1 - 0.50 tbsp pH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 90.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 65.6 % 4 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4 32.8 % 3.2 oz Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.6 % 1.60 oz Tettnang [4.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 24.5 IBUs 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 - 1.20 oz Saaz [3.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 8.4 IBUs 1.00 oz Saaz [3.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 5.1 IBUs 1.0 pkg Belgian Saison I Ale (White Labs #WLP565) [35.49 ml] Yeast 10 - 3.00 qt Puna Noni Juice (Primary 0.0 mins) Flavor 11 - 2.0 pkg Belgian Sour Mix 1 (White Labs #WLP655) [50.28 ml] [Add to Secondary] Yeast 12 -
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 13.42 qt of water at 173.8 F 152.0 F 90 min
Mash Type: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out	Total Grain Weight: 12 lbs 3.2 oz
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Pre-boil Volume: 5.95 gal
Days in Primary: 14.00	Primary Temperature: 65.0 F
Days in Secondary: 365.00	Secondary Temperature: 60.0 F
Days in Tertiary: 7.00	Tertiary Temperature: 65.0 F
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Storage Temperature: 60.0 F
Notes: Added noni juice directly to the primary just before pitching WLP565. Saison I yeast was choosen for its known ability as an underachiever leaving food behind for the sour blend to do its work. 60 seconds of oxygen via diffusion stone also applied prior to pitching. No yeast starter used, single vial only. Started ferment at 65°F and insulated well to allow free-rise.  I will not ramp up the temperature like most saison fermentation profiles. Instead, I will let 565 do what it can before racking to secondary and pitching two vials of WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix I. Then, it will sit for a year.
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Image Source:
Rodríguez, Wilfredo. Noni Fruit (Morinda Citrifolia).jpg. 2008. Photograph. Morinda Citrifolia. Wikipedia.org, 15 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Dec. 2011. .

Stringing Your Trellis and Training Your Hop Vines

Here's a couple of great videos from HopsTV for all you hop growers out there. HopsDirect has been making videos on their farming process.  Farmer, Stacy Puterbaugh, provides a number of tips to the homebrew grower.

Check out how fast these guys are stringing the hop yard! A very simple knot is tied to the top guide wire at Boy Scout competition speed. Additional crew anchor the lines to the hop mound. Hops TV Episode 10: Stringing Hop Yard:


Stacy's soil is VERY different than what I have. Looks so soft compared to the intensely hard and rocky soil that I have to work with. Goes to show that hops can grow in a variety of soil conditions. Stacy shares very important information about the amount of water needed. Hops TV Episode 2: Training Hops and General Care:


Happy Hop Growing! I'm heading to my farm tomorrow for general maintenance.

BetterBottle Volume Levels and More

5 Gallon BetterBottle Volume Levels

6 Gallon BetterBottle Volume Levels

I really need to just mark my BetterBottles for volume levels with tape or stickers.  The website for BetterBottles shows the volume levels (select "Carboys" from the left-side navigation).  Linked here is the volume levels for the 5 and 6 gallon carboys.
An even better BetterBottle would have volume levels already marked for the end user.  Just sayin!  It would have been really awesome if the volume levels were stamped in the actual locations with gallon (at least 0.5 gallon accuracy) and liter markers.
Product information on their website also indicates the nominal volume (5 or 6 gallons) reached at the bottom of the neck.
Overall, I really wish I would have thoroughly navigated BetterBottle's website before using the bottles for the first time.  I initially only looked at information for cleaning and sanitizing since my method cleaning glass carboys would end up scratching the internal surfaces (some use a brush anyway).  I really didn't look beyond their suggestions for cleaning and sanitizing.   
There's some other great information on the website that I would have also found very useful.  One immediate discovery one gains when using a BetterBottle for the first time is that the flexible walls create back pressure on standard 3-piece airlocks.  I typically use a bit of Star-San solution in my airlocks and really don't want this in my beer.  Lifting or moving a full BetterBottle can squeeze the internal volume causing positive pressure to be released by the airlock.  Once you put down the bottle, the pressure is reversed, creating a negative pressure internally.  3-piece airlocks are designed to only expel positive pressure from the bottle so when there's negative pressure, the liquid inside the airlock gets sucked into the bottle.  Very unchillindamos!  Better Bottle's website shows what happens:

Effects of positive and negative pressure on 3-piece airlocks using BetterBottles.

I've quickly learned to carefully use 3-piece airlocks with my BetterBottles and try to use bungs or vented silicon stoppers when moving the carboys.  BetterBottle has a product called a DryTap (select "DryTap Air Lock on the left-hand side navigation) that also avoids the situation above.
Another really cool use of their DryTap is for oxygen-free transferring.  Check this out:

Similar to using a Carboy Cap, BetterBottle's DryTap can also be used for oxygen-free transferring.

More applications or transferring can be found on their website, click "How-To Tips" on the left-side navigation of the site.
After using BetterBottles for a while now, I'm a fan.  Strong, extremely light, safe, and fairly easy to clean, homebrewers and home wine makers can't go wrong.  Of course, I'd rather have a stainless steel conical but for 5 gallon purposes, the BetterBottle is the best choice out there.
Speaking of cleaning these things, I'm likely going to get this Carboy Cleaner to get out the stubborn yeast build-up when PBW doesn't seem to be enough.  I'm simply going to buy the replacement pads and bolt them on my lees stirrer since it only gets occasional use.  Hopefully, using the Carboy Cleaner will make using BetterBottles even better.

Image Sources:
BetterBottle Product Images. Digital image. Better-Bottle Bottles, Better-Bottle Carboys, and Better-Bottle Fermenters for Home Winemaking and Home Brewing. High-Q, Inc. Web. 16 Apr. 2011. .