Recent content by jbambuti

For a beer that big, you should definitely pitch enough yeast. Based on the higher alcohol content, you will need plenty of healthy yeast to get the necessary attenuation. One packet might be enough to get the job done, but you're much more likely to get a quick start, healthy fermentation and...

+1 on Magnum for bittering. I love Amarillo and Centennial for IPA's.

Give them at least 3 weeks. Some condition more quickly, some more slowly. I follow this rule and have yet to have a batch that doesn't carb.

I generally ferment in that range with us-05. I've had great results, although my fermentation takes a little longer. Very clean results. 1.039 to 1.016 seems a bit high. I just bottled an IIPA that went from 1.082 to 1.014 in the low 60's. US-05 is usually good down to about 59 or 60. What...

As IPA's don't require any real aging, I personally wouldn't even secondary. I'd just dryhop in primary for 7-10 days and then bottle. If you dry hop and then secondary, you'll lose some of that great aroma as the hop flavors recede over time. I use a nylon mesh hops bag. Many just toss the...

I would dry hop with an ounce each of Cascade and Amarillo for about 7-10 days.

+1 to good beer in the summer. You'll start planning your brews around the season when they'll be ready. Nothing much is better is than sitting on the back patio with the barbecue going, drinking a delicious beer that you made yourself. Enjoy!

Since it's your first batch, you will probably be wanting to check on things every five minutes. One thing I've learned from my short brewing career is that things turn out better the less we mess with them. Don't forget to check your beer's gravity with a hydrometer (get one if you don't...

I'm doing the basic recipe, but have substituted all amarillo. Hydro sample tasted fabulous. Looking forward to dry hopping this in a few days. However, it is now its own DIPA, not a clone in any way. I don't care. I just want to make delicious beer.:D

I usually add my DME a little at a time, while whisking it in. This saves me the trouble of melting the 'hard candy' from dumping it all at once. The caramelized flavor you describe, unless you truly carmelized it, which is doubtful at flameout, is probably the Caramel 20L. Mine have had a...

My wife makes a killer beef stew and her go-to beer in the stew has always been Young's Double Chocolate Stout. You might consider using your beer for this if it turns out well (if you like beef stew, of course). Good luck with your brew.

OP means 'Original Poster' (In this case, you). I wouldn't worry about a secondary. In breweries, they call them 'bright tanks' and they're used to clarify the beer. IPA's, because of all the hops, rarely achieve the clarity of something like a lager, for instance. Clarity doesn't really affect...

Don't worry so much. Yes, adding that extra pound of extract would have upped your OG. Your beer will just be a bit more hoppy than you expected. To some of us, that might be a good thing. I've made this recipe several times and I keep changing it to suit my tastes. I've raised the OG and added...

Deviousalex, Oxygen prior to fermentation is good. It is used by the yeast during their reproductive phase. Once fermentation starts, introducing much oxygen is bad because it can lead to off flavors. You do not want oxygen in your secondary. Many of us do not even secondary at all, but prefer...

I love IPA's and brew exclusively in buckets. You're fine just tossing the hops (I use hops pellets), but I like using a nylon bag. Makes the racking process easier for me, others may have other opinions. Between the antibacterial properties of the hops and the alcohol in the beer, there should...