Canning Made Easy | 7 Day Beer Challenge Day 3

[@TroubleBrewing]

Hey here is a question for your AMA - You seem to have alot of cool homebrewing gear, what is your favorite upgrade/piece of hardware and what is one you regret buying?

[@cdstackhouse]

The Tilt is great for tracking fermentation activity, but I still use a regular hydrometer to confirm OG and FG. I always set a calibration point on the web UI that matches my hydrometer, because the calibrated gravity on my Tilt is off by a few points and I’ve never bothered to do a proper calibration. I’ll take another reading with my hydrometer once fermentation appears to have completed, and it’s always very close to the Tilt’s reading. One quirk is that the Tilt is supposedly not affected by temperature change, but once I start cold crashing, my gravity readings on the Tilt usually go up a few points. But that’s never an issue since by that time fermentation is done and FG has already been confirmed with a regular hydrometer.

[@ianlaker9161]

I also find my Tilt a bit wide of the mark, more at the end of fermentation than the beginning. It always gives to low a final gravity, compared to my traditional hydrometer (and my trusted control). A fellow brewer suggests this is because some of the krausen collects on it and increases its buoyancy. That certainly seems to be borne out when it comes to bottling. There is usually fluffy yeast all over it. I still regularly use it just because it's a handy general guide for fermentation progress from my phone, rather than taking unnecessary samples. Great video as always Martin.

[@Haggisrockshard]

AMA - The 99challenge was awesome. You need another epic challenge…so, I was thinking what you should do is the Phileas Fogg challenge. East to west; through each country on your chosen route; & perhaps in famous brewing countries (e.g, UK, Belgium, Germany….do each geographical region within that country as you traverse a route)…any trips over water/oceans to get to the next country must be an exported beer on a historical trade route…eventually landing back on the West Coast USA for a final road trip across states and each of their specialty brews. 🍺🍺🍺 Thinking about it, you could sell the idea to the BBC. See you on prime time Cheers. Tim.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

LOL I am totally sold. Where do I sign?

[@SteveBenson]

I've used a Tilt for the past year in over 15 fermentations so I have a fairly good idea of what to expect from the device. I have my Tilt integrated in Brewfather batches so I can track the fermentation curve and the overall temp. For gravity - I never had to calibrate mine, it was dead on accurate out of the box. When I drop it in at the beginning of fermentation it always matches my hydrometer reading, and any time I pull a gravity sample mid fermentation it's never been more than .001 pts off the hydrometer reading - I'd call that pretty damn accurate. Sure, the gravity tends to bump around a bit during vigorous fermentation, but that's to be expected. The point of the device is to show you trends and let you know where you're at in your fermentation. I'm at the point now where I feel like I trust the Tilt enough to make informed decisions - specifically about when to start my D-rest and if there's a specific gravity I want to dry hop at. I also dry hop with between 8-16oz in a 5 gallon batch and this doesn't seem to effect the Tilt at all. For temp - it's always 1.5-2 degrees higher than my thermowell which makes sense considering the natural temp gradient inside a fermenter. To get an accurate reading inside Brewfather I just calibrate my Tilt temp to match my Inkbird and I'm good to go. I think overall it's a great device - maybe there are a lot of duds out there skewing people's impressions?

[@MrJay191286]

Agreed, I use my tilt to track fermentation progress, but then use a hydrometer to determine Specific or Final Gravity. I've found there's too much that can throw the tilt off whether it's fermenting under pressure, adjuncts added to the beer, or even an aggressive fermentation leaving koussin or yeast build-up on the tilt itself. there's hasn't been a batch I've brewed where I haven't has to wash patches of yeast off the tilt once I've kegged a beer, and surly anything clinging to the device will effect how accurately it can balance in liquid. But i still have one and a raspberry pi Bluetooth receiver because I like my brewing gadgets and the fermentation data is still interesting. side note the temp tracking is also very helpful. this can be used to off-set devices such as an inkbird temp probe to ensure maintaining an accurate fermentation temp throughout.

[@goldpanman]

I know what you mean with the Tilt. I find that towards the end of fermentation it does display lower readings than it should due to krausen piling on top of it. That being said, I really do like the Tilt to keep track of temperature and when the fermentation is complete.

[@TheAlchemistsBrewery]

I'm glad that you kept making videos. I started homebrewing by watching your videos and was inspired by them. I have no questions.

[@MRW3455]

Hi Martin, I have an I-Spindle and a Floaty, I agree they are not that accurate however their lack of accuracy is predictable over time with experience. In Brewfather (at least) you can account for this by using both temperature and gravity offsets. Towards the end of the fermentation I tend to go into the text readout rather that the graph and check the actual angles of the device and see the slow down in the progression of tilt which lets me know when it is coming to the end of fermentation. A flat line on the graph is good enough to say finished no matter what the number. So although not in the same universe as the Anton Parr (which is way too much money for me) I have found them very useful and mean I only have to extract wort at my end of fermentation to check accurate FG to calculate my ABV. Out of the two the Floaty however is much more accurate than the I-Spindle and I will be getting another of these. Cheers

[@hopforward1759]

I’m really not a fan of the TapCooler. I bought a couple but found that unless you crimp the seal/cover that goes over the can really tight, you get a lot of breakout (even if the beer is at the right temp, CO2 levels, etc). In addition, I’d find when the counter pressure seal was broken and I lifted the cover off the can orifice ready to seam the lid, that would also cause breakout. The whole thing was a bit of a phaff so I moved to a DuoFiller, which is an atmospheric filler. It does an amazing job!

[@FermentationAdventures]

I have both the BenchMK and the Tapcooler Nanocanner. I think the BenchMK is great. The tapcooler nanocanner I have mixed thoughts on. However, mounting the can filller on the back of the seamer is a great idea, but does make for an awkward single person assembly line.

[@rynegade5461]

Are you planning on going back and rebrewing any of the 99 "Homebrew challenge" styles you didn't like before and trying to improve them? (like the Rauchbier).

[@jackhandy7237]

AMA - How do you prefer to carbonate your beer in the keg? When you crush your own grains, what gap do you have your mill set to?

[@Beerjunkieguy]

I love my Tilt but agree, it's not very accurate. Not only is the gravity off but so is the temperature and I calibrate each batch. However, I find it a useful tool to get a good idea of where my beer is at any given point and since I use a SS Brewtech fermenter and can't see anything, at least it tells assures me that fermentation is ongoing.

[@dudestewbrews]

I'm seeing it a lot in the comments already and completely agree. My Tilt tends to be more accurate at the beginning of fermentation and less so towards the end. That said, just like what others are saying, I use mine to guage when to add dry hop additions since it still gives me an idea of when fermentation is at it's peak (for biotransfer additions) and when it is nearly complete (for non-biotransfer additions). For the more accurate readings regarding SG, FG, and ABV I always stick to my trusty glass hydrometer. As much as I'd love to have a digital hydrometer like yours, I just haven't been able to justify the cost quite yet (I'm sure I'll get one eventually). Love the vids by the way. Keep'em coming! Cheers!

[@duncanbayne3078]

All of the electronic hydrometers are very accurate for temperature. Changes do occur with pressure, krausen and temperature change for gravity readings. But you can always see the trend and when a ferment is tailing off. Ideal if you want to spund for the last part of fermentation. You could have been pressure fermenting for 24 hours warm and trigger your cold crash at the optimum time. I use those magnets to hold the drip tray on my keg fridge and they stick like the proverbial. Keep going.

[@xander1052]

For the AMA - Have you ever considered attempting a hombrew cask real ale?

[@colinmorgan6733]

My Tilt 2 died after 3 years. Powers up when new or full battery is installed and can be seen by the app but after that can't be seen even if just calibrating. It got progressively less accurate over the last year. Back to using a hydrometer.

[@PatrickSandy78]

When are you going to do a video on cask ales at home?

[@hardyardsbrewers1225]

Not a question Martin just wanted to thank you for sharing all of your brewing journey with everyone. I know these vids take some work but I'm a serial watcher of your vids thank for sharing all of the gadgets and the beers styles... keep it up! Cheers Mike in NZ 🍻🍻👍

[@ajoyce]

The tilt I have has never recorded correctly. I have calibrated it many times over and its still off by quite a bit. I even got a replacement from the manufacturer and still off. I wouldn't mind if it was a point or two but its no where close. Still use it from time to time to just see when it stops.

[@Kaesekuchen002]

Hey Martin, what is your favorite malt? Your favorite yeast? Your favorite hop?

[@javierchirinos28]

Any interest in doing meads and ciders from the bjcp style guide?

[@richard_lindsay]

AMA: Inventing vs homebrewing. What gives you more satisfaction? 😊

[@Homebrew58]

I have two Tilts and they never match my traditional hydrometer. I just can't seem to get the dang things calibrated. So I don't rely on them for my actual gravity, just to let me know when fermentation is complete.

[@BrewLogSC]

The pro version of tilt hydrometer has been very accurate on my system. It is slight longer for higher accuracy and reads gravity to 10 of gravity 1.0000 place.

[@ScullyBrewing]

Im hoping the kegland rapt pill will be a better alternative to the tilt.

[@A2an]

AMA What size is the malt basket on the large brewing system, Can't seem to find it anywhere, I hope you brewing system is the large 20 gallon 😊 Nice to see you in action again 👍

[@sbultitude-paull303]

Agreed with the Tilt accuracy - as others have said when brewing ales the yeast tends to collect on the top and weigh it down a bit. For lagers, it's pretty close. The best thing for me is that it both gives an indication of when fermentation has started and ends; given I work away from home for days at a time it allows me to track this and control the temperature remotely. I'm using an old phone to connect with it and provide an interface to Brewfather; an annoyance is that the screen needs to be permanently on and the app often crashes and I lose the data logging. But, it's still a decent solution.

[@evananderson5812]

Thank you.

[@ferrisr]

Hah, didn't expect my comment to be featured! Thanks for answering! I agree on them being too accurate while there is active fermentation going on. I've found them to agree with hydrometer and refractometer readings when taking an OG, and after fermentation finishes and the krausen drops, and more often than not agree with my hydrometer or refractometer (after correcting for alcohol). With certain yeasts, I've found my Tilt gets coated in gunk, but it was still reasonably close. Seems to be hit or miss for others though.

[@RedHotBagel]

What's your favorite way of making sour beer? Kettle-Sour? Mixed Fermentation? Lacto producing yeasts like Philly Sour? What gave you the best results?

[@denverrobinson4445]

Can't comment about the tilt in particular, but I've been using the kegland pill for a few months now with very accurate results. The measure is usually spot on or at worst out by about 2 points.

[@hikai5285]

Hi Martin As always an awesome video! Really enjoy looking these videos. I also have three questions for the AMA: - How do you motivate yourself to keep on brewing? A personal example: sometimes I'm just too lazy on a Friday or Saturday evening to prepare everything for the next brew day. - How do you choose the styles of beers to brew next? Do you use a magic oracle or something like that? ;-) - If you are brewing so much: what are you doing with all your beer? I think no mortal human can drink that much beer :-D All the best, Kai

[@buddlergrimes4518]

#ama : Since you have a few taps; do you have a "standard" beer which always resides at (e.g.) tap no. 1, or do you change all through the taps frequently? For example, I always have my blonde ale on tap 1, a seasonal (i.e. changing with/through the seasons) beer on tap 2, club soda on tap 3 and tap 4 is reserved for small swap batches from homebrewing friends. What would be YOUR everlasting tap 1 beer, if you had to choose? (sry for poor English; I'm an Austrian fan of yours)

[@ukapas]

For AMA: 1. What's the most problematic brew you've had so far? 2. Which brew gave you the most satisfaction? 3. How did you get involved in homebrewing? 4. Homebrewing is a hobby for those who like cleaning :) Do you agree? What's your tricks to have less cleaning after the brewday/finished fermentation? 5. Have you tried any PolishHops in your brews? Are they available in the U.S.? 6. Any tips for brewing a great oatmeal stout? 7. Have you tried growing your own hops? 8. Have you tried doing a hop tea with hop pellets? If so how did you prepare it and how did you filter it out? Is hop tea worth the effort? 9. What is your most reliable yeast strain? What is the most disappointing one? 10. Any recommendation for a clean ale yeast strain with good flocculation? I keep getting "peppery" notes from US-05 - it's not just me I've tasted the same in a commercial brew (but only from one brewery). I've tried American Ale II but something must have been wrong with the package - they didn't start.

[@timoverton3657]

For AMA: Are you going to do a diacetyl rest before dry hop?

[@bryantea2039]

Thinking of switching to electric brewing from a propane system. What are some pros and cons of making the transition? also I've followed your channel for a while and have see the progression of systems that you have had. What do you look for when deciding on a system? does it have to do with batch size? voltage? or grain capacity?

[@andyhitchings3456]

Hi Martin, this is Andy from Bury St Edmunds in England (Ipswich Town fan). Love your videos. I think I’ve seen them all but i can’t remember hearing you explain why you don’t sparge? Do you adjust your efficiency calcs to allow for this and do you sparge for high abv beers to get the maximum fermentable sugars? Cheers 🍻

[@RobMilanowski]

Question: Other than the Smoked Beer were there any other styles that you dumped down the sink?

[@adrianquinlan3989]

I’ve stopped using the Tilt. Never the same as my thermometer or hydrometer

[@obliter8r]

#AMA well done on your channels success, it's easily the best HB channel on KZbin, I haven't missed an episode in over 2 years! - You have a lot of gadgets and brewery items, what are your tips for setting up, and storage for a home brewery? I'm running out of shed space fast and have just reorganised my man cave to suit. I am considering selling some less used items before I buy anymore!

[@worems1]

Martin, I love malty beers. Throughout your 99 beer challenge, which were your favourite ones? Would like to brew some of your recipes. Thanks. Richie.

[@jasoncascio4218]

I've used my TILT hydrometer for 3 years now on every single batch. My starting and final gravity on the TILT has always matched my hydrometer. I don't have a sample port, so I can't speak to the accuracy mid-fermentation.

[@3BsandAK]

You’re amazing

[@Invalido99]

For AMA: What mistake have you learned from the most? Which beer style do you think is the most 5/would you like to se more of from homebrewers and commercial breweries?

[@srlobaugh]

As an all grain brewer I add all my grain to my mash and found that some people add only base grain to mash and then steep the specialty grains (crystal, rye, black patent, etc.) Have you tried a sample of the same beer mashed together vs partial mash and steep?

[@iamjimib]

Might be hard to demonstrate but do you have any tips for a stuck fermentation? currently got a raspberry berliner weisse on the go with philly sour yeast. nearly at 2 weeks in the fermenter and the gravity has went from 1.028 to 1.015. seems to still be going but incredibly slow. Would applying pressure speed things up?

[@mrp1015]

Hey Martin I hope you’re well. This isn’t a brewing related question but a curios Brit to another Brit who is living abroad. What do you miss the most about living in the UK and what do you miss the least? Keep up the great work, I love watching your videos! #AsWetAsAnOttersPocket 😉

[@danamann255]

Hi Martin, long time viewer, first time commentor. Quick question, how do you manage when your OG is lower than expected? I struggle with this in my all in one vessel and getting my efficiencies right. I try not to focus on it too much but always fall short of.my expected abv. Keep up the great work Martin. I'm a big fan.

[@BaldsmanBrewing]

Question: Have you ever used maltodextrin? I know many commercial use cases, but what about beefing up a thin cider?

[@mustang12687]

I have a question about adding yeast nutrient. If you are making a cider should the yeast nutrient be sanitized in some way before adding to the cider? I think when brewing beer I see a lot of people throw the yeast nutrient in the boil to sanitize it, but since there is no boil with this cider, is there another way you sanitize the yeast nutrient or is it ok to just throw it in? Another question I have is if you add yeast nutrient during the boil for beer, does that damage the yeast nutrient in any way? Thank you

[@willjohns1312]

AMA - Would you like to come to my city and try the local brews with me?

[@JoeGraves24]

AMA - If you were helping a buddy to get started brewing beer, what would your top ten list of equipment be? Let’s say a budget of $1000

[@marksoler7338]

I've always been intrigued by canning, but every time I see the hardware and process, I just can't see the benefit over plain old botteling. Sure, there is a coolness factor, but is it worth it? Also, I'm sure you've addressed this in the past, but what do you do in "real life"? What is the condensed version of how you ended up where you are today? UK to USA?

[@IDillon0]

If you google his name you can find a really interesting article on what he does for a living but I won’t spoil.

[@marksoler7338]

@@IDillon0 thanks for that! Damn, he's quite the brainiac!

[@SteveBenson]

It's been proven that beer stays fresh significantly longer in cans than in bottles. Cans are 100% sealed and light never touches the beer. In bottles, no matter how well the cap is installed, oxygen can and does permeate into the beer through the lid, plus you always have the risk of sunlight degrading the beer through the glass if you're not storing it longer. There's a reason that NEIPA's for example are never ever bottled.

[@GregoryGiolaw0lv3r1nw0rm]

I've also heard mixed reviews on the Tilt and other digital hydrometers. What would be your recommendation for taking gravity readings? Specifically to limit waste (I brew small 1-2gal batches). Gear like the easydens seems like a no brainer but $350usd isn't cheap.

[@buddlergrimes4518]

Have you considered using a refractometer? It only takes a few drops of wort / beer to measure the gravity.

[@GregoryGiolaw0lv3r1nw0rm]

@@buddlergrimes4518 Yes, but I know that's less accurate post fermention.

[@djreboot]

Hi Martin: Question - When I dry hop I get so worried about oxygen contaminating the beer, how do you do it ? do you just lift the lid and drop the hops after fermentation ?

[@FelixSaint]

Check this video out he discusses it there kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqezc3itpLl3hq8

[@danielh.4256]

Is there a beer you never wanna brew and why ?

[@johng4503]

I’ve used my Tilt for a few years now and have found that I need to wipe it off (with sanitized 🙌🏻 of course) after high Kraeusen or I get an inaccurate reading. The Kraeusen causes it to tilt more. Never had a problem with oxidation because of opening the fermenter.

[@mild_flounder]

What's your favorite malt-forward homebrew recipe?

[@JusBrewing]

What's something about yourself that we wouldn't know about you from your channel? This could be other hobbies, fun facts, etc!

[@moralesmivan]

Looks a little bit complicated and the chances for make a mistake or get a mess for me are quite high

[@joannaclarecoates2202]

How about instead of the home brew challenge. You do a ummm say 50 week challenge where people decide what you brew

[@magnuswinge1748]

I want Herman to speak more German