Recent content by mpolybius

Give it time - I think it will get going in the next 24 and in my experience it was the slowest start I've ever had. But the results were worth the pain. It turned into a wonderful Steam beer.

I've brewed three batches using this and getting ready to brew a fourth. So far, I have loved it and find it easy to use/clean and it helps me brew great beer. The only issue I ever encountered was when I got the ER4 code several times during a brew and I had to use the reset button (not easy...

I wash them after drinking. On bottling day I put them in the dishwasher (with no other dishes) on Sanitize and heat dry with no detergent or rinse aid. Seems to work well for me and quite simple.

I used MJ M54 on a batch that I've been drinking now for a few weeks. Overall I would say that the flavor profile is excellent however this yeast had the slowest start of any that I've tried. I rehydrated, oxygenated using pure oxygen, all the right stuff but it still took almost 72 hours...

Yes, it's changed my beer drinking dramatically - I now greatly prefer drinking my home-brewed beer! But your question was more about styles. I've found over the years that my favorite styles are English Bitters or Scottish 60/ or 70/

No problem there with my batch that I recall. I used a secondary and cold crash but no gelatin. It's in the keg now and I had a couple over the weekend and it's quite clear. A nice flavor profile overall I would say. I kept it at 62F for the duration of the primary.

On their site under the Q&A section they recommend nothing smaller than 2.5 gallon batches.

Hey, how difficult was it to install the new thermostat? I had an issue with the E4 my last time, likely due to too fine a crush and Bill offered to send me one as well. I said I would just give it a try with a coarser setting since my first two batches went off without a hitch but this might...

So I've brewed 3 batches with the Brewers Edge so far and wanted to provide a 'lesson's learned', especially based on my experience yesterday. The first two batches went quite well. The third was a different story but I believe now I know why. In between my second and third batch, I...

All things being equal, I would prefer a clear beer just like I prefer a beer with good head retention. I had a similar experience at a new local brewpub - we got a sampler and all the beers were cloudy except for the Mexican lager.

I brewed a California Common with M54 this weekend and also noticed the slow start. No activity in the first 24 hours and just now getting going after 36. I re-hydrated 30 min or so prior to pitching, cooled the wort to 65, oxygenated using pure oxygen, so I was surprised at the slow start...

I agree that it has plenty of power to keep up a good boil, especially with some insulation. But a side note - it's okay to keep the lid on until the boil begins but you don't want to keep it on during the boil. There are a lot of compounds that you want to boil off so keeping the lid on...

That is pretty cold but I think if you put a few layers of insulation around it, it would maintain a good boil. I put two layers on mine on the outside and one on the lid but you could easily put three or four layers around the sides at least.

I'm brewing today (mashing right now) for the first time and everything seems to be going well so far. I added insulation which I do think helps quite a lot - it seemed to get up to temperature quite quickly although I can't be more precise than that because I forgot to time it. I agree that...

Great! Good luck to you! Be sure to post after you do to let us know how it went.