First Brew Day! - Paging Dr. Bubra to the ER.

[fistwizard]

I

Congrats on the first batch, you will soon be addicted if not already.

Please remember to brew no- style as this really increases both quality and taste.

Damn right, it does!

impressive vorlauf

[Dr. Bubra]

I know, spiderwrangler, it was a novel & ill tone it down a bit in the future. My apologies but just trying to include as much relevant info as possible in hopes of creating the best possible. That said, I was probably on overkill status, but thanks for the help you could provide given the heady info. Thanks adamK, as well, for all the input. Lets see how she rolls over, because we already know she got what she asked for. I'll keep y'all posted. Hoping for the best.

Thanks BNA!

[Dr. Bubra]

Oh & CO monitors in effect. I AM burning propane indoors, ALL Windows open...NOT sleeping with the enemy, NOT trying to wake up dead but surely keepin it -OFF & all the while caressing beautiful

[Dr. Bubra]

UPDATE: Hit my FG last Monday & gravity readings (spread out a couple days) remained consistent. I tasted the samples & didn't detect any off flavors. It tasted pretty good & very much like a red ale, so that was great! To me it did taste a bit on the thin side but I suppose I'll have a better idea after bottle conditioning.

Bottled the batch up this past Friday! Wound up going with a majority bombers. So I did 2 cases of 22's, a sixer+ of 12 oz's & one straggler 16 oz flip-top I had lying around. Bottling really does suck! I'll crack a 12 oz on Saturday & see how the carb is shaping up after a week in.

[animaldoc]

Redwood Manor Limoncello? Tell me more! I have lemon peels soaking in Everclear as we speak .......

[Dr. Bubra]

Redwood Manor Limoncello? Tell me more! I have lemon peels soaking in Everclear as we speak .......

Yeah! My folks have some fruit trees on their property one of which is a nice Meyer Lemon tree that produces fantastic, aromatic, organic lemons pretty much year-round. Their house is out in the redwoods here in NorCal so we jokingly call it Redwood Manor. I also use Everclear for my limoncellos & mandarincellos...they turn out excellent! The key is sitting on it for about 6-8 months to allow for the Everclear to mellow out. It really makes a huge difference. But as with anything, try it along the way & bottle once you get what you're looking for. That said I definitely wouldn't go any less than 2 months. If you want something in a month or less just use a decent Vodka in place of Everclear as it'll be much easier going down.

I'm also infusing some vodka & bourbon with a mixture of fresh Mission Black Figs (also harvested off their property) & dried Mission Black figs. First time trying this. Hoping they'll also turn out delicious.

[Dr. Bubra]

Oh & another key thing when peeling the lemons it to avoid taking any of the pith (white part under the skin), as it adds bitterness to the infusion. I find its super easy & fast to get the peel with no pith by zesting with a Microplane Zester!

[spiderwrangler]

Carbonation has a big impact on mouthfeel and body.

As to infusing, I've got 4 things steeping in 100 proof vodka... Vanilla beans, cinnamon, dried cranberries, and a roobios tea blend.