hopppity hop

[crasher600]

Just bought my first packet of hops (saaz to add to a coopers lager), they have come as 113g in a nice foil packet. i only want to add 15g so how long will they hops stay fresh once i open the pack ? Also anyone got any good sources for a latge stock pot for a bash at extract ?. oh yeah and if i want a proper go at a lager does it go something like
1) 12-15 deg 2 packs of s-23 until sg steady for 3 days
2) syphon into second fv then stick into an old fridge for a couple of weeks (temp control need upgrading ?)
3) bottle and prime (brewing sugar or spray malt ?) then keep at room temp for 5 days
4) back outside to 12-15 deg again for a while ?

And another thing !
How long does a sanitising solution stay usable for after its mixed up/ can you like keep it on a bucket after you sanitise the fv then use it to sanitize the hydrometer four days later then the syphon tube later too ?
:wha: :wha: :hmm:

 

[Vossy1]

have come as 113g in a nice foil packet. i only want to add 15g so how long will they hops stay fresh once i open the pack ?

They will store really well if sealed back up and placed in deep freeze (-18). There are several brewing softwares (ie, Beersmith etc) out there, that will 'help' you calculate the alpha acid loss v time v conditions

How long does a sanitising solution stay usable for after its mixed up/ can you like keep it on a bucket after you sanitise the fv then use it to sanitize the hydrometer four days later then the syphon tube later too ?

As a general rule of thumb freshly made up sanitiser is always best. There are a few factors to take into account with your question ie, iodone based sanitisers are steadily inactivated (for want of a better word) by light, the bio-burden of your 'cleaned ' equipment is another, etc etc etc. So in short it's better to use freshly made up sanitiser than it is to re-use. Iodine and chlorine based sanitisers are so cheap anyway, it's not worth taking the risk of re-using it. Another way of using your sanitiser is in the form of a spray bottle, worth remembering though that iodine based sanitisers should be kept away from light.

oh yeah and if i want a proper go at a lager does it go something like

Sorry, can't help I'm afraid, don't do lagers.

 

[bolty]

I have one of these Linky. It is great, and if you want to step up to full boil, is the perfect size for 5 gallon brew length.

 

[Bribie]

................ if i want a proper go at a lager does it go something like
1) 12-15 deg 2 packs of s-23 until sg steady for 3 days
2) syphon into second fv then stick into an old fridge for a couple of weeks (temp control need upgrading ?)
3) bottle and prime (brewing sugar or spray malt ?) then keep at room temp for 5 days
4) back outside to 12-15 deg again for a while ?

Yes, that's the general idea. Another really good yeast is w 34/70. I'm a cheapie and culture up one packet for about a week with spraymalt in a sterilised bottle and build up a bit of yeast 'slurry' to pitch.

Traditionally European lagers would be lagered for months but since Globalisation and the fall of Communism (many Eastern European breweries stuck to their age old methods because there was no money to modernise under the old regime) lagering times have gone down and even Urquell only gets 40 days nowadays. That's better than here in Australia where most lagers get 10 days. Whoopee :lol: So two or three weeks isn't too bad unless you are doing something like an all grain Bohemian Pilsener with all imported ingredients etc where you want to be really kosher.

For primary I would go more towards the 12 than the 15 if you can, even by wrapping the fv in a beach towel or quilt with a couple of frozen PET bottles swapped twice a day.

 

[Aleman]

Traditionally European lagers would be lagered for months but since Globalisation and the fall of Communism (many Eastern European breweries stuck to their age old methods because there was no money to modernise under the old regime) lagering times have gone down and even Urquell only gets 40 days nowadays. That's better than here in Australia where most lagers get 10 days.

Actually the 'lagering' time for Urquell is much less than 40 days . . . more like the 10 you have in Australia. . . . There are still some Bohemian Pilsners brewed to the traditional practice and they are leagues better than the current commercial mass produced Bohemian Pilsners distributed nowadays.

The traditional practice was to mash for 1 hour for every degree Plato (4SG points = degree Plato, more or less), so a 1.048 beer (12 Plato) would be mashed for 12 Hours (triple decoction remember). That same 12 Plato beer would then ferment at between 8 and 12C (Often being pitched at 4C into open fermenters with a 36 hour lag time :shock for 1 day per degree Plato (so 12 days). After this time the beer would be transferred to the Lagering Tanks where it would sit at 0-2C for 1 week per degree Plato . . . so 12 Weeks.

However, Blindly following commercial brewery practice in the homebrew arena is unlikely to yield massively significant results . . . unless you are following the full practice using Moravian Barley and Zatec Hops etc. . . . I would go with the 12-14 days in the primary . . . transfer to a winemakers fermenter for lagering (as cold as you can get it for 4 weeks). If bottling then yes bottle with sucrose (Spraymalt will add a haze which you have just gone to a lot of trouble to remove), keep in the warm for a week to 10 days, then back to the cold (again as cold as you can get it) for storage, allowing the bottles to warm up to 8-10C for drinking

 

[crasher600]

Nice one for the help guys. I feel much more confident now, i like the grow your own yeast and frozen pet bottle ideas too. Still really enjoying my ales, but its nice to have a bit of variety and lager in bottles is ideal for the times when my demand out reaches my kegs supply capabiliies :whistle: .