Recent content by Exportjo

Vintage beers...barleywines, imperial stout, etc. Ferment warm...throw in a keg for a year sitting on yeast.... Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

It totally depends on what you want to do. It is true that boiling deepens the color of your beer through the Maillards Reaction but this reaction creates melanoidins (biscuit flavor)...so keep that in mind when you formulate your recipe. The technique is often used, in fact BJCP states that...

I have never done a sour mash myself. However, based off what I have read and what I know about lactobacillus it can take hours, or even days depending on your method. It seems you've done everything right except the inoculating temperature. Lacto doesn't like 120+ temps, I would suggest next...

What you are describing almost sounds like an American Double Mash technique. This is where you have your regular mash that is perfectly capable of converting on its own, and an adjunct mash such as flaked/rolled corn that has no enzymes. Typically the cereal adjunct mash is started first and...

I highly doubt you are going to be able to duplicate their recipe to the dot. As stated earlier little guys get the left overs...and home brewers get the scraps...I challenge you to find quality fresh hops without knowing a hop grower. But if you do...grab some pellet hops and some fresh hops...

Slightly wet the glassware with warm water, add baking soda and go at it with a clean scouring pad. Rinse with cool water and test by rimming with salt. If the salt stick to the walls of the glass then you are good. Repeat until you reach desired results. Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

As for conditioning...I can promise you TS General Sherman is not conditioned for any length of time. Conditioning if anything decreases perceived bitterness because hop aroma dissipates over time...

There are various factors that change perceived bitterness AA%, cohumulon levels, dry hop techniques, malt bill and mash temps/pH...just a question to the original poster..are you from Fresno?

No need to worry, it is normal. You can make a blow off tube, or simply take off the air lock. The positive pressure from fermentation should keep any nasties out. As soon as you see the krausen begin to fall put the airlock back on.

+1 with Demon. Another suggestion it's to start your run off slowly and increase your rate throughout your sparge. The first running can be as high up as 25* Plato, and very viscous. By allowing your sparge water to heat the mash you drop your SG and the increased heat in sparging lowers...

+1 on keep it. Sounds like the oats gelatinized which is normal but can cause a stuck sparge and be a PITA. The easiest way to deal with it, I've noticed, is by adding rice hulls...they work like magic. I would also recommend using them with big beers, I feel they give a bit better efficiency...

You can blend it with Nottingham, but it may dry it out past your target...

I'm a bit confused... Did you mash and sparge, then save the wort to brew the following day? Or am I missing something?

I'm assuming you are going to add this via "dry hopping". If this is the case I really recommend that you do not boil it, I have never boiled fruit at home or at the brewery I work at and have never had issues with infections. I would, however, suggest you freeze it before you add it, freezing...

You may see a decrease in hop utilization. I've experimented with two types of boiling kettle systems, steam jacketed and direct flame. The steam jacketed seems to produce a less vigorous boil vs. the direct. And when I played with identical recipes on each system I noticed a difference...