Recent content by lalenny

I have used gelatin for fining on my last 3 batches. The way that I did it was to mix 1 packet of gelatin with a 1/2 cup of water and heat it until the gelatin is fully disolved. I then pour the gelatin mixture into my sanitized keg and rack the finnished beer on top. I then seal and shake...

Nice chiller Dennis! If you could update that link to the plans that would be great. Or you can post them here! Thanks

Congrats on the new crumb snatcher! I have 2 of my own, and they are the best thing around; next to homebrew of course ;) If you put wort into mason jars you will want to can them like you would a jam, jelly, pickles, fruit, or anything like that. I think that means bioling the jar with lid...

I think that I am going to can a few jars of my next batch of beer for use as starter fluid. I don't thing that the trub will make that much difference in future batches at all.

What you will want to do is let the beer settle so that the yeast is all on the bottom. Then, pour the beer out into a galss and drink it. Save a little beer in the bottom of the bottle so that you can swirl it around and pour out the yeast that has settled on the bottom. Next pour that into...

Thanks Guys! I'll keep you posted on the solution that I choose and how it is working out.

Hey Rhoo, If your yeast strain has a higher temp rang then you should probley stick to the lower end of that. I was using Wyeast 1056 American Ale, and that yeast is has a wide range of temps that it will ferment at. I have heard that fermentation temp is one of the biggest factors in...

just to keep the record straight that appliance guy is some random dude that I called out of the phonebook. I don't know the dude. Also, my local HBS here sucks. I am going to Denver this weekend, so I will visit a couple of HBSs there.

Sorry about the confusion. I understand that the thermostat that is in the freezer won't work for higher temps. I have a limited knowledge of refrigeration compressors, so I was not sure what damage could be done to them and how. If short cycling is the only potential problem then it seems...

The flaked corn should be steeped with the grains. I made a cream ale about 2 months ago, and I’m still drinking it. I fermented it at 58 for a crisper flavor. I also racked it onto a yeast cake. One thing that I regret is not cooling the wort down to the temp that I wanted it to ferment at...

Thanks Bryan. Do you have a freezer that operates on one of these of thermostats? I am also worried that the freezer is not used to being un-plugged then re-plugged in and that this may cause the freezer to fail entirely in a short period of time? I'm sure that the built in on and off system...

How old was your bottled yeast? Mine was only 1 week old. I believe that the older the dorment yeast is, the longer it will take to revive.

I brewed an amber ale a couple of weeks back, and after racking the beer to the second, I shook the remains and bottled it. Next, I threw the bottles in the fridge. I was extra sanitary while doing this. Yesterday I wanted to brew, so I pulled out one of the yeast bottles and set it...

FYI the corn sugar seemed to have worked. The batch of beer that I pitched that yeast on is doing great right now! I have read that some people can extra wort from their batch and use that for starters. May not be a bad idea? I think that it would be better then freezing, plus when you are...

The freezer is a 15 cubic ft white-westinghouse, and I got it for $60. It is only a couple of years old. The owners are military and had to move, so I got a good deal on it. It fits about 6-5 gallon kegs, a fermentor, and supplies (yeast, hops, etc) I called a couple of used appliance...