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Welp, guess I can't put it off any longer. After delaying the inevitable for about 8 months, it's finally time to quit putting it off and just DO IT! "It" being 'just brew the damned thing', with "damed thing" being a Grapefruit Seltzer clone. As is likely obvious, I'm not a big fan of seltzers, but my daughter has been getting increasingly antsy about when I'm finally going to make this seltzer thingy for her and Son-in-Law-Who-Looks-and Golfs-Like-Phil-Michelson. So any 'helpful' hints and gentle guidance, especially regarding yeast and fermentation, would be greatly appreciated.
For background, I've had the ingredients on hand since early last Spring: 4# dextrose (corn sugar), Proper Nutrient for Seltzer, 5 gallons distilled water, and 8.6 oz/243gr FermFast Turbo yeast. First question: half a pound of dried yeast??? REALLY??? Will I be able to keep a ½" ID blow-off line attached??? The package says it makes up to 6.6 U.S. gallons/25L, which is my target volume, in 48 hours. Is this normal? It sounds explosive! Several recipes I've looked at say to ferment between 65F~85F. With that much activity going on inside the fermenter, I'm wondering if my chiller has enough capacity to keep the heat from fermentation down that low. The instructions on the yeast packet say to pitch the entire contents (one-half pound!) and "secure the lid firmly." Ya' THINK?
The Clawhammer website recipe suggests that my 'wort' numbers should be ~1.038 SG/9.5P original gravity and finish ~0.997 FG/-(0.78)P, or about 40 points in 48 hours. It says to expect quite a bit of sulphur to get produced during fermentation, but it cleans up after itself nicely and drops clear after about 10-14 days. I'll be fermenting in a unitank, hoping to maintain some kind of temperature control (heat and cooling, as necessary), dump any 'trub' and yeast solids, and maybe hit it with some Biofine. Has anyone tried spunding a seltzer, or is it better to just to keg it and pressure carb with bottled CO2?
Final Q: what about the flavoring? I've got a 4 oz bottle of Brewer's Best Grapefruit (their favorite) flavoring. The only guidance I can find is "add to taste", which isn't much help. Clawhammer hypes a different brand (Olive Nation), and they suggest 0.5~1.0ml per 100ml seltzer, so I calculate about 3.4oz for my batch. Sound about right?
Looking for practical suggestions and experiences you might have had. After 35 years of making wine and probably at least 25 of brewing beer, this has me feeling like a real noob. Thanks in advance!
For background, I've had the ingredients on hand since early last Spring: 4# dextrose (corn sugar), Proper Nutrient for Seltzer, 5 gallons distilled water, and 8.6 oz/243gr FermFast Turbo yeast. First question: half a pound of dried yeast??? REALLY??? Will I be able to keep a ½" ID blow-off line attached??? The package says it makes up to 6.6 U.S. gallons/25L, which is my target volume, in 48 hours. Is this normal? It sounds explosive! Several recipes I've looked at say to ferment between 65F~85F. With that much activity going on inside the fermenter, I'm wondering if my chiller has enough capacity to keep the heat from fermentation down that low. The instructions on the yeast packet say to pitch the entire contents (one-half pound!) and "secure the lid firmly." Ya' THINK?
The Clawhammer website recipe suggests that my 'wort' numbers should be ~1.038 SG/9.5P original gravity and finish ~0.997 FG/-(0.78)P, or about 40 points in 48 hours. It says to expect quite a bit of sulphur to get produced during fermentation, but it cleans up after itself nicely and drops clear after about 10-14 days. I'll be fermenting in a unitank, hoping to maintain some kind of temperature control (heat and cooling, as necessary), dump any 'trub' and yeast solids, and maybe hit it with some Biofine. Has anyone tried spunding a seltzer, or is it better to just to keg it and pressure carb with bottled CO2?
Final Q: what about the flavoring? I've got a 4 oz bottle of Brewer's Best Grapefruit (their favorite) flavoring. The only guidance I can find is "add to taste", which isn't much help. Clawhammer hypes a different brand (Olive Nation), and they suggest 0.5~1.0ml per 100ml seltzer, so I calculate about 3.4oz for my batch. Sound about right?
Looking for practical suggestions and experiences you might have had. After 35 years of making wine and probably at least 25 of brewing beer, this has me feeling like a real noob. Thanks in advance!