Recent content by MrBulldogg

Well, today it's one shade shy of coffee so I sure hope you're right ... But at least the white specks aren't growing like I would expect would be the case in an infection scenario. I'll keep a close watch on this one for sure.

I'm brewing some Munich Helles and transferred it to secondary the other day. It was a bit slugdy and smelled a little funky and rubbery, but I used a pilsner lager yeast so I was prepared for that. The color was light amber and I figured it'd clear up after a couple weeks in the secondary (I...

Holy heck Monster that's quite a setup you've got there. I get flak from SWMBO for hogging all the space in the closet under the stairs with my 6.5 gal buckets... But one day... :cross:

Heehee love that tiger. Where the heck didja find that image? Our cat (of the 10 lb variety) used to make that face every time when he was on medication a couple years ago. He's not with us anymore, but I'd love to send that pic to my wife as a fond reminder... It's really dead-on with the...

Why is that? Right before pitching I've poured a couple gallon of water into the fermentation bucket, so how would swirling the starter bottle with more water hurt?

I read the yeast starter FAQ (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2270) and it seems everyone has a slightly different take on the best approach. My question is, what's the best water/sugar ratio? 3/4 cup with a liter of water? 1/2 cup with 1/2 liter? I know high ABVs and Lagers...

Ok, I don't have a working electric blanket so I've put the fermentation bucket in a bigger bucket and filled it with hot water ... Changing the water every 30 mins or so for the next six hours or so to keep it warm & cozy. Hopefully that'll help the yeast do its thang...

I know, it's just I've used White Lab's liquid yeast before and it was kicking like a mule within 8-10 hours ... My primary concern is that I may have cooled it down too much, too soon, but I also keep reading about how vital it is to keep lagers cool throughout fermentation. I find myself...

The seal is tight ... Double checked. I probably squeezed the "surplus" air out when sealing the bucket last night.

I did a batch last night, thinking I'm starting to get the hang of this homebrewing thing ... This time I went with a Munich Helles Lager. Being a lager, I know temps must be kept low so I cooled it to about 73 before pitching the yeast (White Labs liquid #WLP800) and put it in room temp of...

Thanks for the extensive info Brewhead and others ... I went the pantyhose route -- 2 for a buck at Rite Aid and it worked like a charm. :-) I kept the temp pretty consistently between 165 and 170, so it should be fine, but I didn't taste it. Never do -- saving the surprise for when popping the...

Got a partial for Munich Helles but I need to get a mesh bag for boiling the grains ... So far my kits have been canned extracts or bagged powders, so I'm not quite sure what the best option here is. My impression is that I should create a giant teabag. It seems one of those oven bags you use to...

First time I've seen the 'Beer Machine' ... I'm not what you'd call a seasoned brewer, but that contraption doesn't seem to measure up very well. I would definitely go with Kornkob's advice on this one -- get a cheap home brewing starter kit instead.

You know, I may actually be able to top that. Back in school I was cold-calling people to pitch property insurance over the phone as a part-time source of extra $$$. Terrible job, but then xmas came around and we were all looking forward to some kind of holiday bonus. I got: a pair of Mickey...

Beware of the goon squad, er, IRS audit team. My accountant sez to avoid breaking the 4K return mark on Fed tax since that apparently sets off a whole bunch of red flags and increase your risk of getting audited significantly. :(