Recent content by hoplobster

The Vienna and Munich may provide bit more sweetness than straight 2 row or Marris Otter, but I'd say it'd be a solid brown/brown porter/mild none the less weighing at 4/5% ABV. The chocolate malt will push the color of the beer to the edge of the style guideline, but the other specialty...

As far as color is concerned, using my 5 gallon batch settings in Beersmith, the first grain bill should give you a beer that's about 13 SRM, which is at the lower end of the BJCP style guidelines (11 to 17). This should produce a beer that's more on the orange/copper side of the red spectrum...

Thanks for the replies! Just a random thought that kept nagging me during lunch.

This may be a dumb question, but who uses a garden hose just for cleaning? My wife is getting pissy at the little messes that are made inside after brewing, and all I do is clean the kettle, mash tun etc in the kitchen. Are they any concerns when using a garden hose to make a star san solution...

For what it's worth, I use tap water and just treat with a small piece of a crushed campden tablet, and my beers have been fine. Most pro brewers that I've talked to in the area use the same water, untreated. Detroit municipal water is quite good, which is no surprise, given the source.

Did the lids come with pressure relief valves?

What about your aging practices when kegging? After primary, do you put it in the fridge and in the gas right away, or do you prefer to age it warm?

So, my last three beers have all been rather bland after 4-5 days in the keg, but after 3ish weeks and beyond, they opened up and tasted as they had, or better, from the fermentation vessel. I've been pitching dry yeast (1 packet) into beers with an OG less than 1.060, and at most, moderately...

For anyone that cares, I was able to "fix" my beer. It's been suggested that an infection (gusher to be exact) or oxidation was the culprit, and neither make sense. I don't see how a gusher infection could take hold after 48 hours in an unfriendly, alcoholic, 45 degree environment after...

I suppose that makes the most sense. I've just never had a beer go from great to flavorless in a matter of two days. I must have a weird spring sinus thing or something... Thanks for the reply.

I kegged my Maibock style ale after an 11 day primary, and tomorrow will be one week since kegging. Recipe was 5lb pilsner, 5lb Vienna, 2lb Munich. Single hopped with hallertau, 1oz for 60min 2oz for 30. Fermented with BRY97 @64. Mash was 152 degrees for 60min and I batch sparged. It was...

Blonde Stout... Black IPA... The brewing world is going crazy I tell you! I've not heard of a Blonde Stout in ever... but I imagine that if it has any coffee flavor, it would be derived from coffee extract, since there isn't a hint of roasted grain or actual coffee coloring from the looks of...

-do I need to worry about not having a second fermentation? No. The fermentation of your beer (ales anyway) is usually complete in approx 2-3; the only time a second fermentation is required is when you're carbing a beer (in bottles or kegs w/ priming sugar). -Or should I just go with it...

I just got my second keg not too long ago and I struggled with this initially, but I settled on just having two distinct beers on once. Right now I have a home brewed blonde ale and a local brew pub's stout on tap. I expect to kill the stout before the blonde, and then I'm gonna fill the empty...

I tried a splatter screen once and I don't recommend it. When I dumped the cooled wort into the carboy (splatter screen over a funnel) the screen clogged as soon as I got to the hops, and since I wasnt expecting this, a whole bunch of wort just splattered against the hop sludge and went every...