/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>tfw no replies

does anyone want help from a home brewer that's been doing it for years?

Slow board dude, give it time

>>428726
Ahoy mr brewsky, I'm looking to source some cheap and clean(pure) dextrose or D-sucrose for another DIY project. Do you have any secret tips on where to get it at a major discount?

>>428769
local bakery can probably do a piggyback order for you when they get theirs
thats how I order my oats and wheat

Making some homemade alcoholic beverages with my friends. For about 10 gallons of pure white cranberry juice and let it ferment til the yeast died. It turned out decent, but is there a way we could raise the alcohol concentration without conventional distillation? We're underage so we have to be subtle. Would it be possible to freeze it, since water has a higher freezing point than ethanol, and then scoop out the ethanol?

>>428769

buy a 50 lb bag. ask your local home brew store that sells dextrose to hook you up with a 50 lb sack, you can probably get one within a week. it'll stay good as long as it doesn't get wet.

>>428775
No, just put more sugar in the mix. Alcohol is converted sugar, so, more sugar in the mix (and subsequently longer time to ferment) and you get more alcohol.

>>428778
Ahh alright thank you! Is distillation even necessary for what I have?

>>428775

short answer: yes

however, if you freeze an alcoholic beverage you won't be scooping out the ethanol because the ethanol won't freeze. you will only be scooping out the water and that will dramatically decrease your yield of final drinkable beverage. look into turbo yeasts, they have a much higher alcohol tolerance and can rather clean fermenting.

if you're just fermenting cranberry juice you should get a turbo yeast that doesn't have the AG enzyme. (AG enzyme is something i can't pronounce or spell). they have an alcohol tolerance of up to 20% abv as long as they don't have to ferment complex starches, such as corn or rye...because a yeast like superyeast x-press won't have the AG enzyme

>>428778

well, yeast does not like its waste products. when yeast ferments it create 2 by products, one being co2. which is what you'll see exiting in the bubbling of an airlock. but, the other waste product is alcohol. yeast don't like alcohol or co2 and when co2 can be expelled, meaning they can get away from it. however, yeast have to live with the alcohol they create so they will stop after a certain point.

you can't just add sugar and expect a yeast to ferment it unless you have a specific yeast that can tolerate a lot of alcohol. look at
>>428784

>>428780

it's not unless you already have distilling equipment i wouldn't even consider it.

>>428780
Do you even into distilling? That's an entirely new world/realm of info and techniques that I don't personally have.

If you're underage I doubt you can handle it...

>>428775

google applejack

basically its freeze distilled hard apple cider

the problem with freeze distillation is it takes colder and colder temps to make the water come out of solution with the alcohol and freeze

the real problem is unlike heat distillation you aren't able to get rid of the methanol and fusels you don't want, they simply concentrate with the rest of the alcohol, so don't go for some insanely high concentration of alcohol by freeze distillation

I've made batches for parties out of apple and pomegranate juice, added around 100g sugar per liter (including amounts already present in the juice), and fermented with EC-1118 yeast.

After a couple weeks they turn out very drinkable, yet it seems letting it go longer/stronger is more likely to produce off-flavors. How do you get it under control with additives such as DAP in the beginning or some 'stopper' to halt fermentation?

>>428802
Well would fermented cranberry juice even make methanol? I figure the glucose decomposes into just ethanol and CO2, where does the methanol come from?

got 15L of apple pie cyser and 15L of plain old mead and 22L of apple cider finishing up in secondary. got half a keg full of australian larger on tap as well.

>>428812
those off flavours will come out of the drink the longer you let it age. first batch of mead i ever made tasted like absolute shit 1 month after bottling. i just opened up another bottle last week, and after 6 years it tastes absolutely beautiful.

homebrewing is a waiting game. i know all you faggot underage children do it to get drunk, if thats the case just buy extract kits and drink that swill.

>>428818

The cell walls contain pectins and those ferment to (small amounts) of methanol. It shouldn't be a problem, though.

>>428818

yeast doesn't convert everything cleanly to ethanol, inevitably some minor percentage of what they make will be methanol, not an issue generally but when you're condensing the alcohols by fractal distillation you'll be concentrating the methanol as well

generally not an issue using a household freezer since it shouldn't get cold enough to condense the alcohol high enough for the methanol to be an issue, but it will be come more noticeable the higher the concentration

op, your airlock is useless without the top bit, you do realise this right?

enjoy your ruined brew

>>428876
what the fuck are you smoking?
that one works just fine, the float is still in it, there is still water in it

>>428876
Maybe you need a new monitor. Or glasses? The float is clearly visible.

Also, a flexible tube can be attached instead of a float, and placed in a bucket of water. Or an empty bucket if it's very active fermentation (like right at the beginning).

>>428880
>thinks that works
>cant see the MASSIVE gap letting air in

what the fuck are you smoking, dick head?

>>428887
maybe you need a new moniter? or glasses?

fucking look at the gap you dumb cunt

>>428926
the massive gap thats FULL OF WATER?

just stop posting since you don't know what you're talking about fucknuts

in reality it does need the top to control air flow, the top keeps the inner tube forced down, only releasing enough air to relieve itself of pressure, it will probably be fine but it should have the top on it

>>428942
cap only matters if the wort is really really active, otherwise gravity does a fine job of keeping things going in a downward direction and has for quite a few years

>>428936
the massive gap full of air you dumb cunt

>>428954
simple fact is OP is a dumb fuck and his brew is ruined

>>428954
You fail to realize, that every-time it burps, it is releasing excess gasses because its no longer forcing against water, the cap is built to prevent excess air from escaping when it burps, and with the tiny holes in the top of it also force the water down after its burped, its a multi chambered device , and if one of the pieces isnt intact than it's missing one of the vital points of being an airlock, its a simple tool but it's designed to be used with the cap on. Only time the cap ever comes off mine is if i'm cleaning or refilling it. It will be fine but don't sit there and tell me it doesnt matter if its used because gravity is always there, especially when your dealing with pressure.

>>428960
>>428942
>>428926

wow, sometimes the home brew threads on 4chan scare me. you can tell some people tried to do their research but they didn't understand what they read or maybe their only getting some of the pieces of the puzzle.

an econolock works perfect fine without the plastic top on. i'd like to read an explanation of why my airlock won't work, since you all seem to be such experts. the co2 is expelled through the inner part and bubbles in water that's capped by the plastic piece...why is that going to ruin my brew?

have you ever heard of a twin bubble airlock? tell me more about everyone who uses that style airlock will ruin their brews.

>>428960

you mean the gap between the water and the air of the room the carboy is sitting in? how would that change if it had the cap on?

the plastic cap has holes in it to allow air to be inbetween the water, (where the co2 escapes), and the top of the airlock. what difference does it make?

>tfw amateurs dont care about QCing the product
>mfw they probably didnt even get most ingredients fresh
>mfw all these mead fags running around because it was in SKYRIM LAWL
>mfw dumbfucks are brewing pleb entry level shit

>>428829

no it doesn't, pectin isn't fermentable.

>>428977
fuck off cunt, i own 6 of those airlocks and you NEED to have no gaps. thats why they INCLUDE THE PIECE OP ISNT USING

fuck you and fuck your mother, cunt

>>428981
no, if i meant that i would have said that, you dumb cunt. the little cup thing he is using isnt working properly, you blind or somthing dick head?

>>428982
agreed, homebrew noobs fuck me off to no end. like these dumb cunts ITT

>>428982

>mfw fags want to make mead because its gluten free
>not having celiac disease and avoiding gluten

>>428985

still waiting for you to explain why that matters instead of just swearing. watch out, we have an expert on our hands.

>>428988
because there is a gap in there, letting in air from the outside into the brew

do you even know how that airlock works you dumb cunt?

>>428990

OP here. no it's not. how is this plastic piece with fucking holes in it, designed for keeping air out of my brew? how will air go through the water into my carboy without this perforated piece?

I've got a question:
So I started a batch of hard lemonade, and at the time I didn't have a hydrometer, so I never took a gravity reading pre fermentation. It fermented for a good while, and then it came to a stop (no bubbles anywhere) so thinking it was done, took out a sample and tried it, and its suuuuper sweet, and hardly any alcohol. Brought the sample to my LHBS and they said it wasn't done fermenting, and if it's quit bubbling to warm it up, agitate, and re pitch another packet of yeast (used Montrachet the first time, second time I used Red Star Champagne yeast), and I also purchased a hydrometer (didn't know they were only like 6 bucks) and took a reading. SP was at about 1.113. Question is, how the fuck do I know if it's done fermenting? I figure I'm gonna keep taking a small sample/reading every day or two and once it gets to where its not sickly sweet and I can taste the alcohol, throw some potassium sorbate in there to quit the fermenting and go ahead and bottle it.

>>428986
Gluten is actually really fucking bad for you regardless (supposedly). Something about a weird bacteria that grows in grain silos? I don't know, I still eat it.

>>428990
ive never seen an airlock like in OPs pic, i only use these "S" type bubbler tubes filled with water.
but
>implying a little hole will ruin your brew
>implying you cant just brew in a pot with a loose lid on top

>>428996

>gluten is bad for you
>because of a bacteria

so which is it then? make up your mind...

>>429001
Chillax. I said I didn't exactly know, it's just everyone I know who makes a conscious (more then your "diet soda with my big mac" conscious) effort to eat healthy says it's bad for you.

Here's something that came up on google, that I only skimmed, because I don't really care.
http://www.therawfoodfamily.com/7-reasons-why-gluten-is-bad-for-you-and-your-kids/

>>429004

so people that have been eating bread for the past several thousand years have been eating something that's bad for them?

this is remarkable ignorance, everyone.

>>428975
I "realize" it just fine, but 30+ years of brewing 5 gallons every 2 weeks tells me you're overreacting on how much that little piece actually matters, or even works for that matter

>>429004

you should find a website that ends with .gov that explains why gluten is bad.

pro-tip: you can't because .gov implies a a reliable source.

>>428990
and where exactly is this mythical "gap" you keep mentioning?

>>429006
A lot of people are inclined to think so, yes.
This website provides a compelling argument that humans were a lot healthier as hunter/gatherers (gluten free diets). Now, since I know you or someone else is going to be all "but muh lifespan", people back then lived shorter because of violence, infection, and other non diet related factors that modern man has worked out.

http://hunter-gatherer.com/why-hunter-gatherers

If you put humans on a time scale, along side with their diets, and their illnesses, you'll find that humans survived as hunter gatherers a lot longer then we have been surviving as agriculturalists, and a whole host of new illnesses popped into our lives since the switch. Now there's obviously more to it then just gluten, but gluten wasn't introduced to our diets till we domesticated grain.

>>429011
Keep in mind we all thought nicotine was perfectly safe a few decades ago...

>>429011
Or, to get all tinfoil hat on you guys, .gov implies a biased source.

>>429006
Your body can't digest gluten properly so some dieticians say you shouldn't eat it because it will mess with your metabolism or something, you're not dying because you're eating it or anything, but avoiding it actually does have positive health effects, just go a couple weeks making a conscious effort to not eat gluten and you will feel the difference. I stopped eating gluten and I've found that overall I just feel better, it alleviated the mailaise that I had become accustomed to, I don't get headaches or stomach aches as often, and honestly I feel like I'm on top of the world. Just research it yourself at least before you go calling people ignorant, most of the time claims like that have some reason for being made.

>>428998
exactly

I used to have a great 2 piece S trap, all glass, thing was tits but the fucker broke a while back and I can't find one line it anywhere

>>429013
Also, to keep things semi on topic, the discovery of mead had a huuuuge part in the switch from hunter gatherer to agriculturalist. The book 6 cups that changed the world goes more in depth, it's been a while since I read it but my impression was humans found out accidentally about fermentation and decided to hang around one spot to figure out how to make more booze.

>>428995
I always call mine "done" when its not venting enough co2 to cause the trap to bubble more than once every 10 minutes at room temp, at that point its not active enough to generate enough co2 to blow a bottle before the pressure kills the yeast

I'm pretty new to home brewing, so what are some good fruits that I should try fermenting? I've tried straight white cranberry juice and it turned out fairly bitter but alright tasting. Also I used baking yeast to ferment, so could that have a dramatic effect on the quality?

>>429014

and by biased you mean a scientific, researched based source, right?

how else would government research be biased?

>>429019
See that's what I had read online too, and is why I took a sample to try. But I think what actually happened was my brew just came to a "stand still", because it was pretty obvious it wasn't done fermenting. I think the acidity had something to do with it, I read that acid can be rough on yeast, and lemon is pretty acidic...

>>429022
yeah, stalling can be a bitch, might be too late for this batch but try neutralizing the acid next time, fermenting, then adding some citric acid back in after the ferment is done doing its deed

it might be the acid this time, not sure what the ph is but yeast generally does ok, but the combination of the acid, sugar and alcohol might be a bit much to ask which is why its stalling out now

>>429021
Like I said, time to bust out the tin foil hats ladies and gentlemen.

It's pretty safe to assume that the governments primary interest is economical prosperity, and it's also pretty safe to assume that the grain industry is a big fucking deal here in the states (I'm not looking up market statistics). So tell me then, why exactly would the government be the first to state that gluten is bad for you? Maybe if the god of all grain farmers raped one of Obamas kids, and Obama was all "ha ha FUCK you".
Remember, the tobacco industry is a big fucking deal too, and it took a LOT of people dying from cancer before the government ever stepped in, and since nobody (except celiacs) are going to be dying from gluten, I doubt there will ever be a .gov paper outlining the harmful effects of gluten consumption.

>>429020

apple juice
and baking yeast is designed to generate lots of co2 and next to no alcohol, get yourself some whitelabs yeast from any of a thousand online retailers or local vendors, personally I like morebeer.com because they're damned close so I get stuff next day

>>429025
Well, this is what the batch is:
5gal water
4 lemonade concentrates and 3 pink lemonade concentrates
10# sugar.

I think it would take a whole lot of whatever you'd use to neutralize all that acid, and god knows what that would do to the taste. Plus I imagine it costs a lot. But this is my first home brew, and I'm not too worried about it. If anything I can mix it with a unsweetened tea if it's too sweet, or back sweeten it if it's too dry. I'm just worried about the alcohol content.

>>429026
The higher gluten percentage than it should be as a percentage of the grain, and because it's a new type of gluten?

>>429020

yes, don't ever use baking yeast. it's not brewers yeast and baking yeast has next to no alcohol tolerance.

>>429028
>co2 and next to no alcohol

>>429028
I can second this. Be sure to get apple juice with NO preservatives. Fucks with the yeast. Also, packets of Montrachet or Red Star Champagne yeast are .99 cents at the local homebrew shop here, as are airlocks. So for like 3 or 4 dollars, and the glass jug the fancy AJ came in, you've got just about everything you need to start out.

>>428994
i said gap, not holes

enjoy your ruined brew

>>428998
>implying outside air wont ruin it

fucking homebrew noob

>>429010
you blind or just dumb?

>>429035
I don't even know what the hell you're asking.

>>429034
all you need is a base, baking soda does wonders and its cheap as shit, probably don't need much, maybe a Tbsp will do, in the end you shouldn't be able to taste it at all, then when its done add some citric acid in, you can find it in the spices or baking aisle of your grocery, sometimes sold as sour salt

>>429040
Relax.

I think the general consensus is that if the plastic cap didn't serve a purpose, the companies wouldn't spend the money to make it. However, if you remove it, and you're only objective is to ferment some juice, it certainly isn't a deal breaker.

>>429040
apparently many of us are blind because this gap you speak of sure is hard to spot

the only "gap" I can see if the one on the inside of the float, which isn't exactly a fucking problem

>>429038

what? your baking yeast dumps out gallons of pure grain alcohol?

>>429043
That's interesting. So if I put a bit of baking soda in, I'll be reducing the acidity and basically giving my yeast a break and letting it (hopefully) do it's job easier? Good to know. I'm swinging by the brewshop tomorrow and I'll ask their opinion too, thanks!

>>429040

you're starting to overdo your trolling...unless youre just stupid.
the gap between what? the space where the co2 is release into the air and....?

>>429048
I mean, I'm sure its not optimal, but it gets the job done if you're just atalented /diy/ertryin to make some hooch in the closet at moms house...

>>429044
im talking about the little cup like thing he has inside it, not the cover you dumb fuck

>>429047
get better eyes then, fucking slanty eye ching chong, cant even fucking see properly. i bet i could blindfold you with my shoelace you nip fuck

>>429052
Well as long as the water is up to the fill line what the fuck does it matter?

Can anyone (without starting a god damn flame war) explain the differences between the double bubble S bend airlocks and the ones in OP's pic?

I've seen super nice blown glass S bend airlocks before, and I just use the .99 cent plastic ones in OP's pic. Am I missing out on anything?

>>429053
>get told
>call me a troll

fuck off cunt, if you are to blind to see it, not my fault, cunt

now fuck off back to hte shit hole you came from and stop avatarfaggoting with homer simpson you pathetic shit

>>429057
one in ops pic is shit in comparison to s bend

i prefer sbend over any other

>>429057

there is literally no difference. they both do the exact same thing. only one airlock is easier to clean than the other

>>429048
the amount of alcohol/co2 is fixed
its the science behind fermentation. no matter what kind of yeast you use.
the difference between yeast strains affect taste, speed and tolerance of alc or ph

>>429034

might try cutting back on the concentrate during the fermenting too, maybe only 2 and add the rest afterwards

>>429051

so does drinking coors, but why make it if its shitwater when making it right costs the same

>>429063
no, you are wrong. s bends are so much more better as they are a single piece construction, and less likely to fuck up. they also produce and audible sound when it bubbles

>>429067
you are to blind to see the gap, you should fuck off already blind cunt

>>429059

see what? why don't you share you infinite wisdom and explain your stupid ass instead of just swearing at me?

>>429049

yeah pretty much, you're raising the ph back toward neutral making it easier on the yeast

>>429057

personal preference, they both work the same in the end

>>429070

people as dumb as this guy actually exist

>>429059
maybe because you're a cuntroll?
now STFU twat we're tired of you at this point
you're full of shit, know fuckall about air traps or brewing, not fuck off back to /b/

>Occurrence in freeze distillation

Freeze distillation can concentrate methanol and fusel alcohols (by-products of fermentation which true distillation separates out) in applejack to unhealthy levels. As a result, many countries prohibit such applejack as a health measure.

The methanol comes from the pectin, which mainly composed of methyl esters of galactose. When pectin breaks down, by enzymes introduced by microorganisms, or deliberately introduced, the methyl esters combine with water to produce methanol, so the aim should be to leave the pectin well alone if you can.

I think Jack would agree that what he means is that fermenting at a high temperature, or adding pectin enzyme, or trying for an abv higher than 12% all increase the risk of methanol being produced, so his advice about low temperature fermentation, adding no exra enzymes, and a target lower than 12%abv is all good stuff.
http://homedistiller.org/intro/methanol/methanol

tl;dr; No, it's not directly produced by the yeast, but it is a product of the fruit pectin, and small amounts can occur in any fermentation. If the alcohol is not concentrated through distillation it doesn't matter because the ethanol you're drinking along with it actually helps your body process the methanol so it doesn't produce formic acid.

If you distill is badly (don't throw out the first few ml, methanol evaporates before ethanol) or if you freeze-distill a product of fruit fermentation, you're fucked.

>>429070

where do you get your information from? either you didn't understand what you read or you're just missing pieces of the puzzle. my econolock makes a sound when it bubbles. i also don't get how twin bubbles are "much more better" by being a single piece. they both do the exact same thing, do they not?

>>429079

he's just trolling at this point, ignore the dumbfuck

>>429040
this guys a troll, fuck him.
1. a small gap in your fermenter will not let in outside air because it will fill up with co2, which is heavier than air.
2. the few airborne spores that could still somehow make it inside are easily overwhelmed by fast growing yeast, if you get an infection _most_ likely you missed a spot in your equipment while handling the not-yet-fermenting brew. its at this point where its vulnerable. airborne infections are negligible.

i made a 500l batch of beer once, in a huge copper cettle over a fire. to cool off, we just put a wooden lid on and let it sit outside overnight.
brewing is not fucking rocket science.

>>429077
>small amounts can occur in any fermentation

true, the point I was trying to make that unlike heat distillation you can't have a step to eliminate the existing methanol, not that fractal distillation somehow makes it worse

with heat distillation you toss the heads and tails to eliminate the methanol, fractal distillation you don't get that chance

but yes, you fuck up on either and you're fucked

ITT: people getting trolled to shit