Recent content by MarzBock

yeah, I used to buy that beer a lot when I was collecting bottles. It's decent beer and, like the other's said, it's just a tad more than buying empty bottles, so it's a no-brainer if you need more bottles.

My son (11) helps me all the time and he hates beer. He just likes the process and feeling useful, and we all know an extra pair of hands comes in helpful quite often! "get in trouble" ?? Dude.. this is YOUR kid, right? You can legally serve him alcohol as you are his guardian, thus I...

I've used both citric acid (powder) and lime juice. both seemed to work fine. Citric acid is available at your LHBS for a couple of bucks. It's easy.. just follow those instructions and cook it while you are starting your boil, then add it in.. be careful when you pour super-heated sugar...

Bumping this because I DID perform the Black Garlic beer. I did just a 1gal test batch, using DME and cascade hops only. I added 1 whole black garlic head, chopped up fine. The black garlic is the consistency of cream cheese with flavor like balsamic vinegar/mollasses. I added it at about...

Now THAT sounds awesome. I always want to clear the head space in my secondary after racking, esp if the beer has zero air-lock activity and can't push the air out on it's own. At the grocery store, eh? I hope they've got 'em around here.. thanks!

yeah, you can surely crush a couple of pounds by hand. I did 6lb once.. ONCE. Then I bought a grain mill. Just a quick tip: If you use a food processor, "condition" the grain by spraying it with water in a pump sprayer and mix it around. You want to get the husks damp so they don't get...

I second the notion that you should try another water source if you don't like the way your beer tastes. I'd do that before I threw any equipment out, personally. No harm in cleaning everything to the extreme, however, right? If the brewery guy said it didn't taste funny, maybe you are just...

How about: "Lesson Learned Ale" or "No Swell, No Sell Ale" I'm not trying to be a dick, or anything.. I thought it'd be a funny reminder. I have a beer I named "Eroneous" because I thought it was going to turn out a certain color and it did NOT do what I inteded.. whoops.. I'll just go back...

Here's the real-life update: Brewed on 2/12 So, I made a standard Cream ale (2-row with vienna, flaked corn and some cara-pils, ~25IBU). Hops: Cluster (1oz 60M), liberty (1oz, 25M), liberty (1oz, 15M). It's a bit hoppy for a cream ale, but the theory is that the bitter will help balance the...

Sounds interesting... are you still going to use hops anyway? You might have problems keeping it sanitary if you don't use ANY hops (bacteria will get in there and make it a sour).

Steep some cara-pils (0.5 lb) or add some maltodextrin (6oz) so it has some body, otherwise it'll be pretty 1 dimensional. A little mouth-feel goes a long way, even with a light beer.

I want to make a cream ale with the addition of a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000GGHWY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 This is the exact brand I will use. It's a 7oz can, which is about 75% peppers and the rest is the Adobo sauce. The peppers are...

Liftedtrucks: Lagering means brewing at a lower, controlled temp. Most of us don't have proper equipment to do it right, as the usual procedure is to bring the beer down in temp a few degrees a day, over weeks, ending around 35F, and then holding it at this cold temp for up to months. I...

One thing I've noticed about MOREBEER.com: They don't crush the grain very well. Their "crushed grain" forced me to go buy a grain mill after getting like 50% efficiency. I was a little irritated about that, but now that I have a mill, it doesn't matter (needed it anyway). The free...

If you can find it in your area, get a variety case of Victory Brew from Pennsylvania. It will have some stronger beers, like a Pilsner, IPA (hop devil), Golden Monkey (yum!), and some kind of lager (can't remember). Really, if you look around at the beer store, you should be able to find...