Recent content by carrotmalt

Have you joined the Bexar Brewers group? I'm pretty sure you can sign up at any time. They're pretty active and I get emails from them all the time. They've got some pretty sharp brewers in the bunch.

My wife and I, along with 6 others that we do crossfit with did the Dallas Mudder over the weekend too. It was pretty fun overall and the weather was perfect. My only complaint was having to wait so long to get in to the place (4 miles of stop and go for more than an hour and a half just to...

While the "awesome" part was spot on, you sure you posted this to the right thread? "Lager"? "Touch of hops"? :confused:

For an IPA, you're right. I'm not only out of range on IBUs, but my OG is low as well. I was shooting for a hoppy APA. My gravity is fine (OG: 1.045-1.060 ), but I am at the low end of the IBU range (IBUs: 30-45+). I agree with you though... Next time = More Hops I'm still curious...

Over the weekend, I had a few friends sample it and they felt like it was somewhat hoppy after all. I'm wondering if maybe it's just the lower IBUs that makes it seem less hoppy than what I'm used to. Next time I think I'll increase the bittering additions a bit, and maybe dry hop a little...

I don't use a carb stone and I carbonate @ around 9-10 psi. I don't know exactly what temp the fridge is, but as it warms up it does get a little more flavorful, so I'm probably serving it a tad too cold. Below is what I was trying to achieve. I'm not sure exactly where I ended up on...

My biggest complaint about my homebrew is its inability to retain hop flavor/aroma. Almost all of my beers are APAs, IPAs, or ambers, and they all focus primarily on the hops. I know these are supposed to be enjoyed young, but the flavor in mine fades in a matter of days. I keg and force...

Nice job! Now get to brewin' that next batch. :mug:

Lots of folks routinely leave their beers in primary for a month+ before racking to a keg or bottling bucket. It'll be fine.

I just realized you said you would put an airlock on it. If you prime while it has an airlock, you wouldn't be carbonating the beer as the CO2 would escape. Prime it or force carb it in the keg. You can use the second carboy to let it age or clear if you'd like, but lots of folks skip this...

Carboy's aren't meant to hold pressure, so don't try it!!! The beer will age just fine sitting comfortably in the keg whether you prime it or force carb it.

The wiki has 20% listed as max per batch. Yooper's Broken Leg House Amber uses right at 20% and it's delicious. I usually keep it between 5-10%, but like GuldTuborg said, it's all about balance within the recipe.

So are you doing one pass through the chiller, and into your fermenter, or do you recirculate back into the kettle? Also, are you able to open the chiller for cleaning, or do you just flush it with boiling water afterward? I use an IMC, and it's my least favorite part of the day. Takes...

Caramel and apple's pretty good on a stick. I bet it'd be a good match in a cider as well. I've made the dark candy syrup for this amber ale, and I those flavors sound good in a cider. May just have to try it one of these days.

At that pressure it's not going to be very carbed yet. With that method, it seems like it takes around 2 weeks before it really seems like it's ready. Lately I've been doing a combination of the two methods. I'll set it at around 30 psi for the first 24-36 hours. Then I'll set it to around...