Recent content by Badger454

Yes, the hops are listed as 5.5% alpha acid. Midwest has them at 5.4% so there's not much of a difference there.

I just downloaded the trial of BeerSmith and plugged in some of the kit recipes that I've done. I'm finding some big differences in projected IBU's. The "Liberty Cream Ale" kit from Midwest, according to the website is 33.4 IBU's, yet BeerSmith is telling me it's 12.1 (with a 2 gallon...

It was the Irish Red Ale kit from Midwest Supplies. Irish Red Ale w/ Munton's 6 gm dry yeast :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies My next kit is actually in secondary right now, Peace coffee java stout, also from Midwest. And my 3rd kit is in primary, English Ale from...

I wish that were possible but the house is too small. For now I am confined to the laundry room. Just big enough for a couple fermenters and some bottles. Also makes it hard to control the temp which is why I wasn't expecting much from the first batch. I love being proven wrong..... ok maybe...

I just tried a bottle of my first batch - an Irish red ale kit, and man was it good!:rockin: I was expecting it to be flat, watery, caramelized, astringent, full of off-flavors but it proved me wrong. After I took that first sip i was so happy I almost cried. But I didn't want the tears to...

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear enough. What I meant was, when rousing the yeast by turning the bottles end-over-end, do you want to disturb all of the sediment at the bottom to get the most amount of yeast back into suspension, or should it be done more subtly and leave most of the sediment in...

Is the point here to try to get all the sediment at the bottom of the bottle to re-dissolve into the beer? Or just some of it?

I know what you mean. So far I've read a couple books, scoured the internet, watched some instructional movies and I feel as though I've only scratched the surface.

I've brewed 2 kits so far, both were unhopped LME, purchased from Midwest Supplies. The gravity reading on my first kit was stuck at 1.020 after 2 and a half weeks in primary. I read in other posts that the carmelization from boiling the LME for 60 minutes could have reduced the amount of...

Here's the recipe: 6 lbs. Dark liquid malt extract 8 oz. Chocolate Malt 4 oz. Flaked Barley 4 oz. Caramel 60°L 4 oz. Roasted Barley specialty grains 1/2 oz. Target bittering hops 1 oz. German tradition aroma hops Thank you for the quick assessment. That definitely makes sense about incomplete...

I've been lurking in these forums for a while now soaking up all the wisdom here, this is definitely my #1 resource for brewing outside of the "intro" books I've read. So, thank you all. :mug: I just brewed my second batch yesterday: Peace coffee Java Stout, LME kit from midwest. The expected...