Recent content by brandoncox

Thanks guys, I definitely feel better about the brew now. Tomorrow I'll be bottling.

My brew has been in the primary for two weeks now but I noticed there is a spread of spots on the top, as if it's restarting fermentation or something... maybe even an infection? It didn't take long for my beer to ferment and after a few days or so the head of krausen faded away but I decided it...

Anyone??

I'm brewing a winter ale this Friday. The ingredients are three varieties of malt, chinook and sterling hops, with maple syrup pine needles and cardamom as adjuncts. My only concern is the pine needles... should I boil them in my kettle first to kill off anything and to strain them out then brew...

I'm brewing a winter ale here soon with cardamom, maple syrup, spruce extract, and pine needles from my front yard. I want a piney and earthy character to this brew obviously, but what hops should I use to compliment the beer? I was thinking simcoe and chinook since they both have a pine essence...

Thanks for the responses. I didn't mention this but I do know when I've had enough. The most I can handle is a six pack but that is a very rare instance. I've been around and even lived with a few alcoholics during my 23 years and I know what kind of life they live... I don't consider my...

My fiancee and I had a discussion about my beer drinking while at dinner Friday. She understands my passion for craft beers and homebrewing but she has noticed that I am having up to four beers a day. How many beers is considered too much in one day? On average I have at least three everyday but...

Everything is turning out fine! When I got home last night after a few hours of pouring into the carboy, everything was fermenting slightly and I had a nice head of krausen this morning. Last batch I just pitched the 05 yeast dry and everything turned out fine. I was just unfamiliar with the...

I dumped the entire packet of Nottingham ale yeast into a 4oz cup of water in the optimal temperature range. However, I wasn't thinking because I had so much going on and I pitched the yeast into the wort right after I whisked it in the cup... not letting it sit for 10-15 minutes like I think I...

Thank you all. I will definitely check out the bottling thread. I bought a wand last month to use with the Mr. Beer fermenter and this looks to be very easy. I also bought caps and the red baron capper from NB. So here's the plan... I'm going to rack to the spare sanitized Mr. Beer fermenter...

I did take a proper OG hydrometer reading at 1.076. The things you mentioned I already know but I'm asking to see what's best with the equipment I have. I DO want to use a bottling bucket and not add to the bottles but like I said, does my equipment work for this? It seems to so I'm going to go...

I actually would call it a hybrid of a brown ale, porter, and stout. I brewed my own recipe, not a Mr. Beer. The grains I used were smoked malt and chocolate malt. Maple syrup, coffee, and flaked oats were my adjuncts. The color is a deep brown color, almost black... maybe it willl condition to...

I might just give that a shot. My brew fermented in a Mr. Beer keg and I have another spare one with a spigot. Two questions: I should shoot for pouring the beer down the side of the bucket as to not add oxygen to the beer, correct? And so 8oz of corn sugar isn't too much for 2 gallons of...

Today is a big day for me. I'm bottling my breakfast stout that has turned out very well. The small samples I have tasted throughout fermentation have been amazing and I'm so excited to get this packaged up. I don't know the CO2 volume in my 2 gallon batch, nor do I know how to determine it...

Thanks, that helps a ton! The software is something I will surely look into as I get more advanced. I'm still sifting through the John Palmer book trying to learn the science behind brewing. This is actually my third batch and it will be a partial mash like my last. My breakfast stout had an...