Recent content by haussparker

To each there own, believe what, you will. Research and experience, look at the microbreweries and large breweries...they don't use aluminum for a plethora of reasons.

Restaurants don't use them for beer either, they use them to cook food. As far as the debates on the forums I don't base judgment on it via those. I took a number of semesters in chemistry and engineering of building materials I also have a number of family members that are chemist or biologist...

The bayou burner is a good idea it is what I started with but again you do not want to use aluminum. Boiling water in the aluminum pot is one thing but it is never a good idea to use aluminum for boiling wort. I do use a 15gal US Navy pot that is aluminum to occasionally boil water for my beer...

Agreed, Austin Homebrew hands down!

Why on earth not use a propane burner? Of course they put out plenty of heat it's a flame, but they do not get so hot you can't get close to add hops or stir. My jet burner has the capacity to put out 330,000btu and I can stand inches from my pot with a nice rolling boil stirring and adding...

Shiner Black Lager! Everything is better in Texas ;-)

Congratulations on the marriage and how awesome of a woman she sounds! Lol The mead and wheat brew sound very good, any chance of seeing your apple wine recipe? I have never made a homemade wine before but my fiancé loves apples and I'd like to make her a wine incorporating them. Also the box...

According to Charles Papazian and John Palmer you should never ever squeeze your crushed grains as that will pull tannins from the hull of the grain which imparts off flavors to your beer.

I would agree with your comments, no one else explained as thoroughly or as accurately. My only question is, why bother to measure out 1 gram of yeast? Packets of yeast are $.50-$1 per packet put the whole packet in or even just half. Switch to one water, why cause yourself much unneeded...

I would agree that 3/4" of space between coils is about right. Also the more surface area the better the exchange of heat/cold. I have Blichmann Boilmaker pots and I made my own soft copper chillers. 9" diameter to clear my thermometer and roughly 15" high and 3/8" copper. Remember there is no...

I have decided to switch to a sweet mead yeast or a German wine yeast. Both had lower attenuation and promoted fruit flavor off tastes.

Yeah the plan is a beer with higher carbonation with a sweetness like a mikes or wine cooler. The hibiscus will be the majority of the flavor profile and the ginger will act as the hops. If I have to use lactose I will and the following recipe I developed has lactose. What I have so far is as...

I am making a new beer for a friend from Jamaica and I am having trouble getting enough sweetness. I am making a hibiscus ginger beer and I want it to be more like a Mikes lemonade or something equivalent. I know I could use caramelized grains like crystal malts, use malt-dextrin or lactose. I...

Congratulations and welcome to the AG club! One of the items you might try if you want to get your gravties spot on, is a buffer. I use a 5.2ph buffer that primarily helps with ph but is proven to help due to its affects on minerals and whatnot in your water that will affect the mashing process...

I will agree with your comments. All these devices out there just takes the art, the creativity, hands on experience that I really love. Brewing beer is an art that you can connect to and appreciate much more when you get in there and use your hands and your own brain and a pencil rather than a...