Recent content by mdowns63

Great, thanks for all the input. I'm planning to lower it down to lager temps pretty slowly so hopefully there shouldn't be any problem with shattering.

Hey...I hope this doesn't turn into another long glass vs. bucket vs. better bottle thread, but my specific question is can I lager at 33-35F in a glass carboy without fear of it breaking (b/c of temp)? It has been fermenting in a bucket at 50F and I am doing a diacetyl rest at 58F, and then...

Sweetwater donkey punch??? HAHA...I need to try some of that!!

Here's a follow-up question just out of curiosity...if you use a hop bag to filter it before you go to secondary would that keep out the yeast that you need to carbonate if you are going to bottle? I haven't tried this and I probably won't, but I just want to make sure I am understanding the...

Mmm...I gotta agree with Newcastle and throw in Hoegaarden and Sierra Nevada if you consider that mainstream.:mug:

I would tell my friends to stop whining or buy their own beer!!!:D I'm also a new brewer, but I think the only way to avoid this sediment is to move on to kegging your beer and filtering it beforehand, since the yeast is necessary to carbonate your beer in the bottle. Oh and you could...

That's good to know, but I may have to clear up some space in the fridge for the rhizome, because during an Alabama winter, it will be 30-40 for 4 days and then 60-70 for a couple, so it may not stay cold long enough.

Thanks guys, that helps. I'm still a rookie, but I haven't brewed since last fall. I'm making up for it this weekend brewing two batches and lovin' it!!!:mug:

Yeah, I've got one, my main question was about knowing that the final gravity you measure is what it's supposed to be.

I just brewed an Amarillo Amber Ale kit from my LHBS. The recipe gives an original gravity of 1.045, but does not list a Final Gravity. Is there a calculation to find optimum FG when it's not given? Here's the recipe: LME 6.6lb Belgian Aromatic 4oz. Weyermann Cara Amber 4oz. Weyermann...

What part of the south do you brew in?? I'm in B'ham, AL and I'm trying Cascade, Willamette, and Sterling for the first time and I'm curious how they will turn out in a hot southern summer.

I actually do have cascade, willamette, and sterling planted at my dad's house, but since it's about 20 min away I decided to try the indoor project to cater to my crazy/obsessive side that wants to watch the hops all the time.:ban:

I added photos to the beginning of the thread so you can see my crazy indoor hops experiment.

My crazy indoor hops experiment

My crazy indoor hops experiment.