Brew Dudes Homebrewing Blog

New Nordic Yeast Blend WLP611

On March 23, 2016

Have you heard about the White Labs Yeast vault? I recently ordered the New Nordic Yeast Blend WLP611. This week we talk about what I think I may ferment with it and we put the call out to see if anyone in the BrewDudes circle has ordered and tried this yeast blend yet.

The New Nordic Yeast Blend WLP611 is a special blend of three yeasts two Saccharomyces strains and Torulaspore delbrueckii. I came by this interesting combination in the White Labs new yeast vault program. White Labs has decided to open up the bank of yeasts and yeast blend experiments that normally have only been available to limited runs, special customers or appeared as successful experimental strains in their tap/tasting room.

The way the vault works is that White Labs posts strains they think people may be interested in. You pre-order (and pay) to make a commitment to buying a vial of one the strains that you are interested in. Once 250 people commit to purchases that crosses the manufacturing threshold required to go into production. Then within a few weeks after the magical 250 mark, the yeast shows up at your door.

I was very impressed with the whole process. I got several emails regarding my initial purchase. I got great updates regarding the progress of the ‘campaign’. Once it went into production, I think I had my yeast with in a couple weeks. Very cool and very fast. But now….what to do with it.

I am intrigues mostly by two aspect of the blend. First and most obvious the strains were said to have been isolated off of spontaneously fermenting apples off the coast of Denmark! So a cider of some sort is definitely in order. The second thing that has me curious was that the blend is said to produce either Hefeweizen or Belgian Saison flavors depending on temperature of the ferment. No advice was given but I assume the Saison character would come from higher temps. So I am going to go with a Saison/golden Sour Ale like base and ferment high. Maybe 75 for the first few days and then ramp up to 80F for a but until it finishes.

I’ve got my ingredients for the Saison experiment. I haven’t fully sourced my ingredients for the cider yet. So I’ll start with the Saison and it may be just in time as the weather is slowing warming up here in New England.

Have you ordered any New Nordic Yeast Blend WLP611?
If so, what did you brew and how did it come out?
Let us know in the comments or over on our YouTube Channel.

CHEERS!

Capcatcher Bottle Opener Review

By John Krochune

On March 14, 2016

In General, Videos

Hi Brew Dudes fans – thanks for coming back to the blog and reading this post that showcases our Capcatcher Bottle Opener review.

We do receive from time to time items for us to try out and supply our always honest and semi-authoritative opinion about. Our new friends at Capcatchers wrote to us and explained what they wanted from us so we agreed to check it out.

First off, this bottle opener/cap catcher is really well made. The hardware is attached well to a solid piece of wood. It felt sturdy in one’s hand and I could see that it would last a long time. If you had a place where you opened bottles on a regular basis, this tool would be a very helpful addition to that space.

On the back of the piece of wood has a strong magnet, so you could attach it to your refrigerator door or other metal object. No additional effort needed if you just wanted to stick it on the fridge. If you wanted to attach it to the wall, it does come with mounting screws and a pre-drilled hole to make putting it on a wall somewhere very easy.

The bottle opener is steady and accessible. The process to open a bottle had no hang ups and was smooth. That notion may seem like a given, but I have encountered products being kinda funky with their main function.

The cap catcher below the opener is made of hard yet flexible, clear plastic. It’s a pouch with a snap on the bottom that allows for a quick purging of caps after you have opened 30 or so bottles (over time). I thought that was a pretty nifty innovation. It beats having to fish out the caps with your fingers.

So not only a great cap catcher but cap disposer too.

The last bit is the customization. You can have the peeps at Capcatchers customize the face of the bottle opener to say whatever you want it to say. We had our blog name put onto the front so that we can be reminded that somebody cared to give our long running site a shout.

Overall, the Capcatcher bottle opener is a great addition to our home brewery set up. For the die-hard DIYer reading this post, we can say that yes, you could make this on your own if you have the time and the right materials. We think we would rather support the craft makers who are making this bottle opener already with a lot good effort and care.

If you are thinking about what to buy as a present for that beer enthusiast in your life or that person who just like to open bottles, lots and lots of bottles, this Capcatcher can be a great personalized gift.

Take a closer look at this baby!

Check out their site here: http://www.capcatchers.com

Changing the O-rings on a Corny Keg

By Mike

On March 9, 2016

In Equipment, Videos

John’s got a ‘new’ used keg on his hands. Before he can brew with it though we need to get it ready for service as a beer vessel. This week we go through the process of changing the o-rings on a corny keg.

When you are looking at used corny kegs (or new ones for that matter), a good retailer will have purged the keg with CO2 and left the keg under some pressure. When you pull up on the pressure relief valve (PRV) it should hiss a little as that pressure escapes. That lets you know the keg can and does indeed hold pressure with leaking somewhere. Thankfully, John’s keg did indeed do just that. So we know it will hold pressure.

When you stink your nose in a used keg you’ll probably get a goos CO2 sting up your nostrils. After you peel yourself off the floor and carefully smell it again, you’ll usually get the faint whiff of soda. Bonus points to you if you can identify the soda smell itself. In this day and age, its hard to believe your keg held soda recently, unless it came from some small boutique soda place. Many places do a quick cleansing rinse of the kegs prior to them getting shipped out.

So why do you still get a strong soda smell… its because the O-rings likely are holding quite a bit of soda aroma. The only solution is changing the o-rings. This includes the primary lid o-ring, the post o-rings and the dip tube o-rings. Many good homebrew shops sell refurbish o-ring kits.

For John’s keg changing all 5 o-rings took less than ten minutes. Time well spent to avoid having a grape Fanta infused porter. However, grape Fanta infused Saison doesn’t sound half bad.

Let us know how your keg maintenance process goes. How often do you change o-rings?

BREW ON!

Swapping Homebrew Beer with These Brew Dudes

By Mike

On March 3, 2016

In Videos

Good idea or bad this week we change it up.
Rather than review another batch of John’s Vienna Lager we pitch a new offer. Taking the Brew-Dudes experience to a new level of interactivity.

If you have a beer you want reviewed or tasted on the camera by the Dudes contact us. If you have beer that’s a similar style to a recently reviewed beer we have, contact us for a potential swap.
We’ll see how it goes after we get a few replies. Initially we are thing the first 5 legit contacts will be considered, then we’ll add from their if we can.

So reach out by email by checking our contact info here on the blog or over on our Brew Dudes YouTube.

BREW ON!

Buying Corny Kegs for Homebrew

By Mike

On February 24, 2016

In Equipment, Videos

Staying true to his plans, John has purchased his first keg to get started with kegging his homebrew.

We shot a short video this week and we discuss the next steps in this process.

John plans to squeeze his initial keg setup into his current beer fridge. In future videos, we’ll cover all the little things that go into putting his system together, like connectors, tubing and a regulator.

We will explain all the steps very simply. John is a very simple person. He needs things to be explained to him like he is 5 years old. Believe me, if we go slow and detail all the information – even he will get it.

Getting started in kegging your homebrewed beer is pretty easy. Our plan is to follow along each step of John’s journey into kegging and hopefully you will follow along and learn more about how to do it yourself.

If you are curious about the process, which parts to get, and how to get that first batch of beer flowing on draft this and the next several keg videos we do will be just what you need to get started.

Are you a kegger? Are you interested in getting started? Let us know in the comment section.
BREW ON!

Can’t wait – we have done an introduction to kegging in the past. Check it out.