Recent content by dancness

I didn't rehydrate, I just pitched the yeast dry. The wort was about 75F when I pitched and then I put it directly in the swamp cooler at 65F. Last night I took the fermentor out of the swamp cooler to ambient temp (75F) and I opened it up and swirled it around with a sanitized spoon. Today...

dangit I dropped and broke my hydrometer. Well I guess when I go to the LHBS I will pick up a pack of Notty as well while I'm there in case I need it. I'll get back to you with the SG.

Ok, let me give a short background then I will ask my question. On Sunday, 48 hours ago, I pitched a packet of Windsor dry yeast into a pale ale I made. OG 1.055. I then put my fermentor into my swamp cooler where the water is kept at about 65F. Since then I have gotten no yeast activity at...

You definitely do not want to bottle condition at that low temp. The reason is because your beer will not carbonate if the yeast aren't active, which they won't be at that low temperature (50F). Since you just bottled yesterday, you need to give the yeast some more time at room temperature to...

I see. My house was 76F and I didn't have much problems keeping the cooler at 66F. I just had to drop in ice bottles twice a day and keep the fan on it around the clock. If you want a hands free system, obviously the swamp cooler won't allow that. But it sure is cheap.

Well you certainly have some good options for what to name it! Summer Sweat Ale Sweaty Forehead Ale Perspiration Ale And the list goes on!

If you are only making ales and not lagers, I found that the swamp cooler method was very inexpensive and effective.

That's what I do. Secondaries are not needed unless your are adding something to your beer post fermentation (dry hops/fruit/etc).

I agree holding a bag of wet grain up for 5-10 minutes is tiring. That's why you use a strainer or colander. Just set it in your kettle and rest the bag of grains in the strainer. If the diameter of the strainer is smaller than your kettle, support the handle using a sturdy metal spoon (I...

I bottled an IIPA a couple months ago. And out of the whole 5 gallon batch I had one gusher. I bulk primed (where you mix the priming sugar solution into the beer when racking before bottling, a pretty common method) so I knew it wasn't that I overcarbed that one beer. I think I may have...

I don't stockpile, I pipeline. All you need to do is estimate how much beer you are consuming. From there you will have an idea of how often or how much you need to brew on a regular basis. Finally, you need the capacity to store that amount of beer. I have 3 fermentation buckets and 2...

I try to keep fermentation in the mid 60's for the first week (using swamp cooler). Then after the first week I take it out of the swamp cooler and let it warm up to about 75F. It's my understanding that once the yeast are done their primary job (fermenting the sugar), it is beneficial to...

No, you do not want to boil them at all. In fact, boiling the hops would take out alot of the aroma you are trying to impart to your beer. Also, hops contain oils with antibacterial properties as they coat the surfaces of microorganisms, thereby inhibiting their growth. So the probability...

You said you don't have a stir plate. If you have the time, shake your starter intermittently. Maybe every hour or two if you can. This will provide oxygen which is helpful for healthy cell growth.

I agree, swamp cooler is so easy. 1. Get a heavy duty rubbermaid container, big enough to fit your fermentor in (mine fits 2 buckets). 2. Fill the container 2/3 with water. 3. Once you pitch your yeast put your fermentor in the water. 4. Add frozen water bottles to get the temp down to the...