Recent content by basepaul21

This is my first time racking to a secondary. I have a 6 gallon plastic carboy and it's been sitting in there for a month. I still hear it bubbling away once every 10 minutes or so, maybe a little longer between. Either way, I feel like it should be finished, but haven't had the time to check...

I just tasted the first bottle from my first brew last night, and I was worried about it as well, but I'm totally happy with it. Patience! It will turn out fine, and if you're using the plastic buckets, you shouldn't have any issues with UV penetration.

So last night was the 2 week mark for my bottle conditioning, and I decided to try my first home brew. It turned out pretty well (for a first attempt) but I definitely smelled an acidic sort of aroma. It's a very full bodied beer, pretty sweet, and has a nice clean finish to it, though it...

Welcome to the forum! I just started brewing in Philly and work in South Jersey. Good luck with your first brew!

I realize there is a bit of polarity between using a secondary fermentor and keeping the beer in the primary fermentor, and there are plenty of threads on the topic. I suppose this question is more "product" specific. I'm trying to decide on my second batch, and while searching for beers that...

I bought the kit from my LHBS, and they guy that sold it to me said it was supposed to make 5 gallons of beer, with the can of LME and the 3# of DME. The can said 6, (as I posted originally) but being my first brew, I did what the salesman told me, because he seemed to know what he was talking...

Bottled last night, and as predicted by chaydaw, the FG was higher than targeted (1.021 instead of 1.014). That being said, I calculated my ABV to be just about 5%, which is right where it said it would be. Sample tasted pretty good last night, so I can't wait to taste the finished product!

I bought the basic kit, and it's got most of the stuff you need. The thermometer that comes with the kit is one you stick on the outside of the fermenting bucket, so you'll need a separate one for pre-fermenting temperature readings (like making sure that your boiled water is cool enough to put...

Thanks for all the insights, guys! I'll be bottling either today or tomorrow, so I need to buy #2 very soon. I just don't know what to buy yet. I think I'm ready for something a little more involved, like some specialty grains or even dry hopping. We'll see. And welcome to all the other new...

Very cool! I live on Lyceum ("The Wall") by Bob's Diner. I used to work on the Rte. 309 reconstruction project that's been a burden for the last decade, so I know your area pretty well. I read your post and definitely want to get into the homebrewers clubs, like your G.L.U.B. club, and maybe...

My parents live in the Blue Bell/Skippack area, so whenever I go home, I usually stop by the Keystone Homebrew Store near the Montgomery Mall. I haven't found anything closer than that yet, but I just started brewing this month.

Thanks for the welcome guys! This forum is great. Mwmoose: I'm originally from Blue Bell/Worcester area, and went to the Keystone Homebrew Store to buy my kit. Their new location is pretty awesome.

Great thread, thanks! My first batch has been in the (primary) fermentor now for about 9 days. When I test the SG, should I see tiny bubbles, or does that mean the yeast is still at work? My guess is that it's still fermenting, even though the readings were constant for 2 days (though a little...

Thanks dcp, since I only have a 3 gallon pot for now, I'll definitely use this method from now on (if I'm patient enough). I was told by someone at my LHBS that I should stir the beer in the fermenter in order to get an accurate FG reading. Is that a good idea, and should I wait after that for...

When you say topped off, do you mean I should have let the wort cool in the brew pot and take the reading from there, then add it to the 3 gallons of water in the fermenter? Perhaps I should have stirred it a little before taking the reading, as it took a significant amount of time to cool...