Recent content by jkbachman

Also make sure you are hitting your temperature for your spare water. 168-172 is a good range.

Higher temps result in more rapid fermentation and create fruity esters from the yeast. Cooler temps (62-68) are slower but ferment cleaner and more to the flavor profile of the yeast.

I have a pumpkin ale ready for transfer to the secondary. I was thinking about adding more pumpkin to really kick up the flavor, but would I need to add more yeast in? I plan on boiling another 2-3lbs of pumpkin to ensure no bacterial contamination. Would adding more yeast be really necessary or...

I live in Missouri, yet despite the drought conditions and 14+ days of over 100 degrees, my hops have done extremely well in their containers. My question is whether I should cut back some of the vine or just allow nature to take its course. I will most likely plant them in the ground next year...

Thanks for the help. Is this just typical of beers with higher starting gravity or is it more with beer style?

I brewed an all grain porter yesterday and pitched the yeast. Today, I'm having super active fermentation to where my lid is coming off and I've had to replace my airlock with a blow off hose. Should I be worried about this? Is this a sign of bacterial contamination?

It's not an absolute necessity, but if you're a stickler for detail and procedure then it should be done. It adds a couple of minutes and the grain bed helps filter stuff really well.

All things being equal, I would rather plant my hops in the ground. However, due to constraints with renting a duplex, having a typical garden isn't feasible. I have 4 planters right now and they are approximately 10-12" in diameter. The hops are growing fine, but clearly I need to work out a...

It sounds like the beer is going to be lighter in body but higher in alcohol content. Have you also made sure that the hygrometer you use is correctly calibrated for the temperature?

Everyone makes mistakes, rookie or pro. My local home brew store held an all grain brewing class and even the owner (brewing for 30 years) made mistakes. That's the pure fun of home brewing. In the words of Charlie Papazian, "relax, don't worry. Have a home brew!"

I'm about to brew my second all grain batch and want to know people's preferred method of sparing. I know some methods may differ given available equipment and brew recipe. I have a 10 gallon Igloo converted mash tun with a false bottom. I will be brewing an imperial porter next, if that adds to...

What program are you using? If its not the mash you could of had some bad yeast, but my experience has never involved bad yeast. Is it liquid or dry yeast? I've always hit final gravity marks with liquid yeast but dry yeast has been fickle at times. Also, it could have to do with temp at...

Just pick up a bottle of iodine from Walmart or any kind of grocery store/pharmacy. Iodine turns the starch in your mash a blackish color so if the iodine stays the same reddish rust color you know starch conversion is complete. Just make sure you do this test on a white colored surface away...

You may have had some issues while mashing. Did you do an iodine test to see if starch conversion was complete? The beer will still turn out fine, but will have a lower ABV and maybe a sweeter taste. Since your brewing a cream ale, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks guys! Would the higher temp disrupt or kill the yeast when racking to the secondary fermentor? Or did you bring it down to temp and then do it? Thanks again!