Recent content by DrKnow

Star San also works great at killing spotted lantern flies (if you happen to live in a part of the US that is infested with them).

Champagne bottles will take Belgian corks and cages. Plus you can cap them if you don’t feel like spending the money on corks and cages (those damn corks are pricey). So they are a little more versatile than a Belgian type bottle. I hope that helps.

I brewed about ten test batches for work over the dead of this past winter. I brew outdoors. I targeted a mash temp of 158. But I mash in an insulated stainless mash tun so I don’t have the ability to heat it to maintain temps. With such a small amount of grain in a 15 gallon mash tun and...

@CascadesBrewer I am well aware how yeast works. I wouldn’t be shooting for 1.100 and expecting US05 to reach 1.010. I also would not target an OG of 1.100 for a non alcoholic beer. As I outlined in my process, we are targeting specific parameters to reach a specific goal: a non alcoholic...

@bracconiere If you read closely I explained that I was using yeasts that I am VERY familiar with that seem to stop like clockwork at specific FGs. I have brewed probably thousands of both commercial and homebrew batches over the years, and this has been my experience under most normal...

Not sure how to edit the post but it says 3.9% at one point and I meant .39%. Just wanted to clarify…

I have experience and can help here. First choose a yeast that stops at a consistent known gravity for you. For example US05 consistently stops at 1.010, 34/70 at 1.008 (with my process/system, your results may vary). Target your typical mash ph with salts/acid. Acidify ALL sparge water to...

@SanPancho If you keg, one 750 ml bottle of wine at kegging is a good starting point. Very present, but not overwhelming. When doing mixed culture/farmhouse beers, it gets really fun when adding unfermented must either in secondary or as a “co-fermentation” from day one. Lots of cool...

I keep my cultures in growlers with an airlock and stopper. Whenever I use some, I just top off the growler with fresh 1.040 starter wort. Every three months or so, I feed the cultures. I will boil up a bunch of 1.040 starter wort with a couple ounces of maltodextrin (to provide long term food...

You have it in a mason jar, so might as well let it ride for a few weeks and see what happens. But I wouldn’t have high hopes for it. I’m just looking at a pic on the internet, so I can’t make any sensory observations other than how it looks. This is a pic of some malt vinegar I started a few...

That appears to be a vinegar mother. I brew a ton of sour/wild beer. The only time I’ve ever seen something like that is when I am purposely making malt vinegar. What does it smell like?

Ditch the EC1118 and use US05 instead. Keep the nutrients. The US05 seems to produce almost no sulfur where the EC1118 is a sulfur bomb. Pretty cheap to make if you buy the ingredients separately instead of in kit form. The diluted vodka method works too but it kinda shortcuts the whole...

@Dgallo It’s not fair to post a pic like that and not include some tasting notes. That’s a nice looking beer. What does it taste like?

As far as the Yeast Bay strains go, I’d say Amalgamation II is my favorite. It’s a blend of strains and it works fast. Tons of tropical fruity funk. But I’ve used them all and been really happy with the results. I find their descriptions on their website to be pretty accurate. Except for...