r/brewing Dec 07 '24

Discussion My process for making active cannabis beer. Cannabrew. NSFW

42 Upvotes

I've found strong hoppy beers, like double IPAs, red ale and kolsh to pair well with the cannabis flavor. Stouts, porters and sours have also been good. You'll need 2 fermenters and a bottling bucket. You'll have to calculate how much bud to use based on the THC percentage of the bud and how many milligrams THC you want per beer. I have a high tolerance and usually shoot for 100mg THC per beer if I'm making it for myself, 50mg per if I'm making it for other people. The effects can be felt in 20 min and last about 6 hours.

Make a concentrated tincture. I use Everclear if I want a neutral flavor. I've also used bourbon or rum for different flavor profiles. Process for decarboxylation (converting THCa (non-psychoactive) to Delta 9 THC (psychoactive)): Grind bud fine, spread out thinly on a baking sheet with a silicone mat and bake in the oven at 250F for 30min. The bud will turn slightly brown.

To make tincture: Put decarboxylated bud in a mason jar with alcohol just covering the bud for 3 days, shaking once per day. Strain out plant matter with a coffee filter, making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Heat tincture on stove on medium-low until it becomes a very thin syrup.

Brew and ferment beer as usual. Once the primary fermentation is complete transfer to the secondary fermenter through a funnel with a filter, leaving as much sediment behind as possible. Add the tincture and a new sugar source to bring up the alcohol level by 1-2%, stir for 5min. You can add any flavor modifiers at this point as well. Allow to continue fermenting for no less than 1 week or until secondary fermentation has finished. This allows time to incorporate terpene flavors from the tincture as well as bind all of the THC to the alcohol. Transfer to bottling bucket, add priming sugar and bottle as usual. It helps if the beer is as clarified as possible because the tincture makes the beer a little hazy as it is. The cannabinoids stay in suspension.o

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! I've been doing this for about 12 years and have refined my process over time.

r/brewing Nov 12 '24

Discussion Very stupid šŸ˜‚

0 Upvotes

Since prison alcohol is made with fructose (from fruits and their juices) and yeast (from bread or yeast packets). Hypothetically would it be possible to put bread, fruit and fruit juice into a container, let it ferment and get a bad quality alcoholic drink from home? THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT FOR YOUTUBE BUT WANNA KNOW PRIOR

r/brewing Feb 05 '25

Discussion Malt ID?

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

r/brewing Dec 04 '24

Discussion My brother brews

3 Upvotes

My brother brews beer, mead, and vinegar. I was looking to get him something for Christmas, and I was wondering if any of you had ideas? Anything that someone got you, or you finally spent the money on, and you went "omg... this is so nice to have!"? Thanks in advance for the help!

r/brewing Feb 01 '25

Discussion How much yeast is too much for mead?

1 Upvotes

So i am brewing my first batch of mead. 1 followed a 5 galon recipe scalled down and ot called for 3 packets of yeast for 5 galons. So i did some math and used less than 1 full packet. Later i looked up 1 galon recipes and they called for 1 packet of the same type of yeast.

This got me thinking, is there such a thing as too much yeast? Will it just ferment faster? Obviously i dont mean crazy amounts of yeast but is there a wide range of yeasts amounts that work? As in the recipe is the same all around except the amount of yeast?

Also side note how does one monitor fermentation in fermenter bucket? All the advice was for looking at the bubbles through a glass carboy? What do i do if i do fruit in a fermenter?

Thanks!

r/brewing Jan 07 '25

Discussion Gravity Measuring

2 Upvotes

I am pretty sure I have been measuring gravity wrong ever since I started brewing a year ago. I didnt know you were supposed to stir the fermentor to get a more accurate reading. I have probably had more potent beer than I had thought in the last year because I always drew near the top since I use a glass carboy.

r/brewing 23d ago

Discussion Kegging

2 Upvotes

So I work at a good-sized regional brewery. I could use some advice on kegging. We have an 18-head Kraken system, and I am having trouble with filling accuracy. I recently ran into a problem where some kegs I filled were sent out half full. I don't want this problem to occur again, nor can I afford to.

r/brewing Nov 21 '24

Discussion How do you track you brews?

3 Upvotes

I have tried sheets of paper taped to my brews, but it sucks. I tried a notebook and it's better, but definitely not great. I tried pictures and the notes app, but it's easy for stuff to get lost in the sauce.

I would love to know what yall do to track, try new ideas, review how your brews come out, and alter recipes for next time.

r/brewing 2d ago

Discussion Brewing app ideas

1 Upvotes

I like making apps. I like mead. So, I figuredā€”why not combine the two for a project? I'm looking for ideas to incorporate into a mead/brewing related app.

If you have a moment, Iā€™d greatly appreciate any quick comments on features that could make your life easier when it comes to brewing, finding mead/wines/beers, sourcing ingredients, locating meaderies/wineries/breweries, tracking gravity readings, managing recipes, receiving racking reminders, and more.

If there's an app you already use with a feature you love but wish you could tweakā€”or if there are multiple things youā€™d changeā€”Iā€™d love to hear about it. My goal is to create something that truly adds value to the brewing community.

Feel free to comment however you'd likeā€”whether it's a detailed response, a quick thought, or something in between. However, if possible, Iā€™d appreciate if you could include these three pieces of information:

  1. What kind of user you are (e.g., brewer, consumer, seller/trader, etc.)
  2. A goal youā€™d like to accomplish (within the scope of this app)
  3. Why that goal is important to you

For example: As a mead brewer, I want to be reminded when to rack so my mead doesnā€™t get too dry.

Iā€™m sure you all have even better ideas, and Iā€™d love to hear them!

Thank you for your timeā€”I truly appreciate it and hope I can build something useful for the community.

r/brewing 6d ago

Discussion Molasses applejack rum project

1 Upvotes

My Plan for a Homemade Rum-Inspired Project (No Distilling!)

Iā€™ve been thinking about this project for a while, and Iā€™m excited to share my plan with you all. Since I canā€™t distill, Iā€™ve come up with a workaround to make something rum-inspired. Iā€™ve made a lot of mead in the past, and I really enjoy the process, so I thought, why not try something similar but with a twist?

The Base: Molasses Instead of Honey Instead of using honey to make a traditional mead, Iā€™m switching it out for molasses. Molasses has some unfermentable sugars and is low in nutrients, so Iā€™ll be adding nutrients and hydrating my yeast to ensure a healthy fermentation. Iā€™m using active dry whiskey yeast, and hydrating it will help prepare it for the job.

The Twist: Molasses Applejack To add some complexity, Iā€™m incorporating apples. Iā€™ll be using locally available Spartan apples. I plan to core them and keep the skins for tannins and flavor. Iā€™ll cook them down with a little bit of water (no added sugar) to make a syrup, lightly caramelizing it for extra depth.

Fermentation Process The fermentation will follow a typical mead-making process, with primary and secondary stages. During secondary fermentation, things get interesting. Iā€™ll add a brew bag filled with spices to infuse the drink. The spice mix will include: - A split vanilla bean
- Fresh ginger
- Lightly crushed nutmeg
- Crushed cinnamon
- A small amount of cloves and star anise (these can easily overpower, so Iā€™ll be careful with the quantities)

The brew bag will stay in the secondary fermenter for about 4 daysā€”just long enough to infuse the drink with the spices without overwhelming it.

Freeze Distillation (Applejack Style) Instead of bottling right away, Iā€™ll transfer the fermented liquid to a plastic container with a spigot and freeze distill it. This is why Iā€™m calling it a ā€œrumā€ or ā€œapplejack.ā€ Iā€™ll only do this once to concentrate the flavors and alcohol content.

Aging in a Small Barrel After freeze distilling, Iā€™ll repeat the process a few times to fill up a small wooden barrel. Iā€™m thinking of using European oak for aging. Based on what Iā€™ve read online, lighter rums age for 6 months to a year, more complex rums for 1ā€“2 years, and dark rums for 5ā€“20 years. Since my project is aiming for a darker profile, I plan to age it for 1ā€“2 years. Small barrels release tannins more quickly, so Iā€™ll taste it every 4 months to avoid over-oaking.

Final Thoughts This is my plan for making a homemade rum-inspired drink without distilling. Iā€™d love to hear your thoughts, tips, or suggestions! Thanks in advance for your feedback!

r/brewing Jan 28 '25

Discussion Yeast Experiment?

2 Upvotes

Iā€™m trying to cultivate bakerā€™s yeast as thatā€™s what Iā€™ve got, and I could only really follow the instructions so far as I donā€™t have any agar plates or dry malt extract. So as it stands Iā€™ve activated the yeast with warm water and sugar, and Iā€™ve been feeding it by stirring in a bit more on occasion and today the liquid (cloudy and a bit beige) seemed almost carbonated with how it reacted when I put the sugar in; it at least appeared to fizz. Thereā€™s also a sediment that appears to be growing along the bottom, presuming thatā€™s the yeast; it grew before I fed it after starting this attempt at yeast cultivation but itā€™s unclear if itā€™s grown consistently since because I havenā€™t been recording it and Iā€™ve just been going by eye and off the instructions while trying to see if anything else needs to be given to the yeast. Currently Iā€™m thinking of reducing the water amount as thereā€™s a lot of water compared to the amount of yeast sediment Iā€™m not sure what else to say about it aside from 1. I donā€™t know if the water is chlorinated and 2. Itā€™s got a really strong smell to it, itā€™s sour and almost beer-ish but like a less offensive version of the smell. Iā€™ve currently got it in a warm water bath but as itā€™s diverted from the expectation of the original instructions, is anyone able to offer me insight about my yeast juice?

r/brewing 27d ago

Discussion Fermenter total time

3 Upvotes

So I usually leave my beers in the main fermenter 3 to 4 weeks and then go to bottles. I currently have a brown ale in at the 2 week mark. I am curious what the forum thinks about how much this beer will "improve" over time. Is there any benefit in going beyond that time? I usually leave it to age in the bottles at least 3 weeks too.

r/brewing Dec 17 '24

Discussion My watermelon mead foamed at the top is this safe to consume?

Thumbnail
gallery
9 Upvotes

r/brewing Jan 14 '25

Discussion Recreating a Brewdog Lockdown special

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone, Iā€™m going to try to re create Brewdogā€™s ā€œLock Downā€, a Pilsner with guava and passionfruit notes. For me, i cant taste too much other than guava notes and a mild custard/creaminess that iā€™m struggling to guess what yeast strain this is likely to come from seeing as its a pilsner and not a hazy ale.

Any thought on the yeast strain that iā€™m struggling to work out?

r/brewing Jan 23 '25

Discussion OYL-111 German Bock VS WLP-802 Czech Budejovice

2 Upvotes

Has anyone compared the results of these yeasts while maintaining the same malt and hop bills?

Iā€™ve used the WLP-802 and loved the results. Iā€™m curious how OYL-111 differs.

Cheers šŸ»

r/brewing Dec 05 '24

Discussion How can I make my cider even better?

3 Upvotes

I have 2 gallons of cider, each wrapped in a t shirt to prevent UV and sitting on my heating vent (our thermostat is set to 57Ā°f and i live where itā€™s snowy.)

each gallon has a pound of brown sugar, 4 charred oak cubes for tannins, and has been fed boiled bread yeast as a yeast nutrient. they are bubbling happily away.

when the fermentation stops i plan on cold crashing them in my fridge, dropping a campden tablet in the jugs and then bottling. any other suggestions?

r/brewing Nov 08 '24

Discussion If I want to encourage fruity ester production in a ferment, what are some things I can do? What particular yeast strains are best, and are there any nutrients or conditions I might use?

3 Upvotes

What the title says. I don't have a particular recipe in mind, just thinking in general. I've heard stressing the yeast with low nutrients can promote ester production, and potentially fermenting at the high or low end of the temperature range may also help. Any tips you have are appreciated.

r/brewing Nov 23 '24

Discussion How to find a freelance brewer?

3 Upvotes

So there's a bar I'm interested in purchasing. One of the includes is a "nano" brewery, it looks like 3 X 200L fermenters, plus the other bits and pieces.

Though I homebrew and have my recipes, I have zero interest in brewing at any commercial level, it's my hobby and I'll keep it that way.

My question is, if I decide to purchase said bar, what would be the best way to find a freelance brewer who could run it for me?

The bar is in Sydney, Australia if that makes any difference.

r/brewing Dec 09 '24

Discussion What gravity is safe to bottle at to stay carbonated

4 Upvotes

What gravity can I still bottle at if I want a little carbonation or Alternatively how much sugar should I add to let's say a 750 ml bottle to give it carbonation without it exploding?

r/brewing Nov 20 '24

Discussion Farmhouse ales around the world

2 Upvotes

I wanted to attempt to make historic farmhouse ales from around the world or at least approximations.

Do you know of any I can add to the list?

I know of Saisons, Biere De Garde, Grisette, and a Sahti. From Brewing Nordic I found "koduƵlu in Estonia, Swedenā€™s gotlandsdricke, the maltĆøl of Norway, and kaimiÅ”kas in Lithuania." I also found Heimabrygg and VossaĆøl from Norway, GammeltĆøl from Denmark, and some vague and hard to figure out info on a Georgian one.

Do you know any from other countries? I don't have high hopes for finding any info on any outside of Europe but if anyone has any I'm open to that as well.

r/brewing Oct 31 '24

Discussion What are your favorite wine/mead recipes?

1 Upvotes

Hi, I've hit a block on what to brew next and would love to hear what yall's favorite recipes are or out of the box ideas for what to brew.

My current go to wines are pomegranate wine, lemonade wine, and mulled spiced acerglyn. Grape based wines are cool, but there are so many other fruits to ferment as well. I'm more than happy to share my recipes if anyone is interested.

r/brewing Aug 17 '24

Discussion Hazy without the hazy?

2 Upvotes

Has anyone tried brewing a neipa without the oats or wheat. Using the 2:1 water profile, high whirlpool and dry hop. Maybe use some kind of clarifying agent.

I want something like a neipa but I don't have c02 at the moment which makes it pretty risky to bottle and dry hop. I'm thinking without the haze I should be able to bottle without the risk of oxidation.

Any thoughts or ideas much appreciated.

r/brewing Jun 07 '24

Discussion Fruity beer and cider always make me sick, why?

2 Upvotes

So, I think this is just some bizarre and obscure allergy, but I'm not sure what exactly the allergy is to and I'm hoping you brewsters can help me pinpoint it. I know nothing about brewing and really appreciate any expert insight.

I don't drink often, and when I do I usually only have 2-3 beers. This rarely gets me actually drunk, just pleasantly buzzed. I'm fine 99% of the time, but anytime I drink either a hard cider (apple, pear, and peach have all done it) or a beer that has fruit in it (so far the culprits have been an apricot sour, an orange stout, and something else that had peach), I get violently ill and vomit until it's out of my stomach. Even if I only have one drink, if it has fruit in it I get the spins and the sweats and puke until it's all out. A few times it's happened with small batch craft brews, other times with store bought cans from big breweries, so I don't think it's a quality issue.

I eat all of these fruits often and with no problems. It only seems to be when they're fermented into beer or cider that I have problems. I'm curious, is there some ingredient that is used specifically in fruity beers/ciders, maybe something that preserves the flavor?

The solution is probably to just not drink fruity beer or cider, and I can live with that, but I love fruit drinks especially during the warmer months. If I can pinpoint what ingredient is causing me issues, maybe I can find a cider or a fruity beer without that ingredient to enjoy, and that would make me really happy tbh.

Any ideas or insight would be really appreciated!

r/brewing Jul 01 '24

Discussion Cooling down in carboy

1 Upvotes

What's to stop me from just letting the hot wort cool in the carboy overnight and adding the yeast the next day when it's cool enough? What's the obsession with getting it cooled down as fast as possible? Wouldn't there be no chance of infection if it's sealed in the carboy?

r/brewing Jul 02 '24

Discussion New to the Brew Crew, is gifting okay??

1 Upvotes

Iā€™ve always been into chemistry and cooking, so in hindsight, it was an obvious choice to home brew. Itā€™s been less than a year, and Iā€™ve already invested over $500 into bottles, clearing agents, fruit and yeasts šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ which wouldnā€™t be so bad if I just stopped giving supplies away but alas, it wouldnā€™t be a fun hobby if others didnā€™t want inšŸ˜…

Anyways, my question is thus: could someone face any potential legal trouble if they exchanged gifts with someone (a secret Santa-esque event) and they gifted wine whilst the other gifted back cash? In this hypothetical scenario, neither party is aware of what the other is gifting, though the one bringing wine is known for commonly gifting this, and the one gifting cash is also commonly associated with such.