Recent content by bigmanbt

On 11/1 I made a cider using 2 gallons cider 1 qt Just Cranberries 1 qt Just Pomegratate 1 Red Star Cote de Blanc wine yeast SG 1.070 Tastes great at basement temp (low to mid 60s). The gravity today (11/14) is at 1.010. I'm sure I could take it further but I want the wife to be able...

gotcha. Do you think I should add another packet of yeast? I've been very lazy with this batch, so I didn't check the gravity before moving it to secondary. I just figured i should get it off the yeast since it was nearing 3 weeks. Obviously there is a considerable amount of sugar left to be...

Hey all, So I made a cider using 3 gallons Hy's Apple Cider (from Whole Foods) 1 pound turbinado sugar 1 pound honey 1 packet Red Star Premier Cuvee (wine yeast) I had it in primary for about 2.5 weeks and moved it over to secondary about 2-3 days ago. I didn't take a primary reading...

rehydrate the yeast in boiled and cooled (85 degree F) water. Let it sit for 15 mins, but do not stir. Then swirl just before pitching to suspend the yeast in the water. I'm not going to answer the step mash question because I'm just starting out with that myself and don't want a noob giving...

If you are like me, and feel like home depot is a foreign country, you can always make an MLT out of 2 plastic fermentation buckets. I think charlie p. speaks of it in his book. You just drill a bunch of holes in the bottom of one and put it inside another. I borrowed one from a friend, it...

hey thanks for the suggestions! I figured that boiling the berries would pasturize them. Not a good enough idea? I don't really know all the science of fruit, so I don't know what it would do to the pectin, nor do I know what pectin does to beer boiled/pastuerized/whathaveyou. I just...

So I'm thinking of going to my local metropark where there are lots of Mulberries. I was thinking of making a stout or an American Ale (i know, huge spread of ideas) and racking it over the mulberries. Lets say I get 2# worth, should I also add some sugar and boil it up? If I rack it in...

Also to quickly aid in the gnat situation. The best way to get rid of the buggers is to set out something like a pie tin filled with vinegar. Put fruit the middle and let it rot. Whatever your set-up, just make sure the fruit is well exposed so it can rot. And make sure it is near a window or...

yeah, that is true...and that is what I did. I really don't know what I yielded after the 60 minute boil. I used 2 different sized pots and the 2 fermenters I have were not marked. I probably ended up with around 5.5 gallons. I filled 48 bottles and 3 bombers + a bit of waste in bottom of...

yeah I was going to just do 5 gal, but yooper said 6.75 (for better conversion?) I figured 11 lbs of grain was a good 5 gal batch...so not sure why i was told otherwise. I'll go with my gut next time...AG nerves haha. If it's good, I'll turn it into a 5 gal and adjust body.

are you stalking me and copying my life?

Heyyyyyy. A couple weeks ago, I was at the liquor store/LHBS for the hell of it to see if anything struck me. Well it did: I decided to just buy some grains/hops/yeast and go for it. I have a food bucket MLT and just wanted to get the process under my belt, not really caring about the outcome. I...

oh yeah...i mixed the 3/4 c (give or take) with a pint of water and boiled for 5-10 mins. Some have had an abundance of head even with correct pouring. But no exploding bottles!

Hi all. This really is an unnecessary question, but I'm sitting here drinking my brew and the computer was by me. My first brew turned out GREAT - for the most part. There are a few bottles where it is lacking carbonation and it is definitely fully carbed and ready to go beer. What's the...

Yoop. Thank you thank you thank you. There are things about AG that I just don't know, and thought that protein rests were necessary. The guy at the brew store (it's a liquor store that also sells homebrew things - and a guy who kinda knows what he's talking about), didn't know the difference...