Recent content by mrkstel

Huh...I've always attributed the citrusy/spicy flavor of T7 to the yeast (perhaps "funk" was the wrong word). But after reading Schumed's reply I tried it again and he's right. The yeast flavor is just standard Belgian. It must be the Amarillo that gives T7 those flavors. Thanks for setting...

I'm brewing a version of this recipe this weekend and using WY3787, since it was recommended by BLVD. In order to get the Tank 7 farmhouse funk from this yeast, I'm thinking about pitching at a lower rate and fermenting warm, around 80 deg F. Is this a good approach? Am I on the right track...

The proper pressure is directly related to the temp of beer. The colder the beer, the lower the pressure required to hit your desired volumes of CO2. I shoot for 2.4 volumes in most ales and serve at 40 degs. So, based on this chart, I set my pressure between 11 and 12 psi.

Assuming my shipment from BMW shows up, I'll be doing a Speckled Heifer Creme and a buddy is popping his cherry on Yooper's Oatmeal Stout. I thought that would be a easy first brew for him. . . plus, it is mighty tasty.

Vodka with bleu cheese stuffed olives and just a little olive juice. Mmmmmmm. . . . .

Hey Ed! I also love the BrewBuilder tool. Though, I have one suggestion. I apologize if it has already been discussed. To me, it would be really handy to be able to import existing recipes from BeerXML. That would keep me from having to enter a recipe twice, once into BrewBuilder and again...

Looks like it is back, for one episode at least. From the DFH Facebook Page:

I would recommend a range of styles. Perhaps a pale, brown or amber, stout, belgian wit or german hefe and a lager, perhaps a pils. It might also be nice to add a rotating seasonal kit as well. Perhaps maibock for the spring, summer wheat ale for summer, pumpkin ale for the fall and a nice...

That scares the hell out of me. How did you manage to never tip that thing over?

I've added it months after fermentation has ended. Just dump it in the carboy and give it a stir (gently) to dissolve. If you don't want to stir it in dry, pull a little cider out with a thief, mix the PE and add it back to the carboy. It will clear up in a couple weeks.

A long handled brush will be able to do the scrubbing. Something like this would be ideal.

PBW and OxyClean are cleansers. Iodophor is an iodine based sanitizer. These are not the same thing. You first have to clean the equipment before you can properly sanitize. Try using a mild dish detergent, preferably one that is free of any perfumes to remove any old dirt and stains. Just...

I added the lactose last night, 8 oz dissolved by boiling in 8 oz beer. It seemed to help balance the bitterness and made it drinkable. It also improved the body a little, but it still had little head. While the "beer" was improved, my initial reaction was that it wasn't beer. It tastes more...

This beer has been a fickle *****. It was great for about two weeks. Thin, but overall pretty good. After I posted my last update, it continued to change and get more and more bitter. It is nearly undrinkable at this point. I'm going to try to add some lactose to sweeten it up and hopefully...

I thought I should probably give an update on this. Fermentation was completed at the 3 week mark but it was still pretty cloudy. So, I racked it to secondary with a little extra pectic enzyme. While racking, I gave it a taste. It was horrible!! Nasty bitterness. I've had this happen with...