Recent content by CrossBones

Hi, everyone. I have an opportunity to purchase a DCR412BLS for around $60 and I'd like to do the same conversion everyone else has on this thread, BUT... I have a 10# CO2 tank, and I really want to put it inside with two ball lock kegs. Is there any way it could fit - like maybe getting...

I'm kinda new at this, so I'm probably not the right guy to answer, but... I'm pretty sure that the cold break after boiling helps to precipitate out bad stuff like proteins and such. Now that I think about it, I guess I don't know how this would make the beer taste yeasty, since at that point...

I converted an old upright freezer to a beer cooler, so I can ferment at whatever temp I choose. Right now I have a Magic Hat #9 clone in the fermenter - it spent the first four weeks at about 64 degrees, and I lowered the temp to 35 degrees a couple of days ago to finish it off. I'm planning...

My main refrigerator - the one in my kitchen - has storage for soda or beer cans or bottles in the door, and they're at a 45 degree angle or so. I've noticed that when I pour out of bottles that have been sitting flat in my garage fridge, the yeast at the bottom tends to mix with the liquid as...

Nope, no starters - I simply smack the yeast pack, let it sit for a few hours while I'm cooking the wort, and pour in the liquid after I've cooled it enough to pitch... What does "underpitching" mean?

Cromwell, please remember... Elementary school. What is a "counter-pressure filler" and a "blichman beer gun"? I could Google, but since you were kind enough to suggest them...

Okay, first a little story. My bride and I traveled to St Augustine, FL, for a little get-away and had lunch at the A1A Ale Works. I enjoyed a Bridge of Lions Brown Ale, and my wife had the Red Brick Ale - both were excellent. Their website listed a general description of the malts and hops...

Ghall, you mentioned straining my brew. I've read about this in the past, and honestly never got the sense that a majority of people thought it was a good idea. What would I strain it with, and when? How do you do it?

Aaaaaugh! I just checked on the fermentation of my latest batch, a clone of Iron Rat Stout, and when I opened the door to my cooler I was shocked to find that the lid to my fermenter (plastic bucket) had partially blown off. It looked as though the krausen had expanded into the vapor lock...

Awesome information, folks - thanks so much. I visited the Wyeast Labs website and found that my 1056 should be 60-72 (a pretty wide range, it seems), but it also says that "mild citrus notes develop with cooler 60-66°F (15-19ºC) fermentations." Since I think this will enhance the Apricot...

I'm about to brew a Magic Hat #9 clone, and the recipe I have says to add 3 oz of Apricot flavoring to the secondary. Since I don't use a secondary, what's the best way to add the flavoring - just toss it in the primary before fermentation, or add it after two weeks or so? I don't really want...

I just installed a temp controller on a freezer in the garage, so now I can finally ferment my brew at the proper temperature. The funny thing is, even though I know that my family room's 78 degrees is way too hot, I don't really know what the optimal temperature should be. I'm sure the answer...

3 weeks - gotcha. My previous batch, an Irish Red Ale, had a great head - and I really didn't do anything differently. Since I only refrigerated a few to sample, I'll wait another week before chilling the rest of the batch, and then another week before trying 'em again. Thanks!

In the secondary a week, then bottled; in bottles for two weeks, at about 76-78 degrees (I know - probably too warm); in fridge for only about a day or two before opening.

Hi, folks. This weekend I sampled the first bottle of my second-ever batch or beer, Midwest's Superior Strong Ale, and it tastes AWESOME. I'm very happy to have finally produced a great-tasting ale (the first attempt at beer-brewing turned out very yeasty), but I notice that it really doesn't...