Recent content by ntalkers

Ohh it's a tap handle. Nevermind! Thanks anyway.

I got it with my NHC second place swag. Thanks! Nick

The 838 doesn't attenuate quite as much as the 830 or 833, leaving a bit of residual sweetness. I basically created my recipe from the data in Designing Great Beer and experimented with a few different yeasts. Here is my recipe: OG: 1.055 FG: 1.013 50% Pilsen 24% Munich 17% Vienna 8%...

I've tried the 830, 838, and 833. 838 was my favorite and it got me 2nd place in 2nd round 2013 NHC.

I'd be cautious of the round false bottom lifting up on the square bottom. I used to have a 9" false bottom for a 5 gallon cooler, upgraded to a 10 gal cooler and because the false bottom didn't extend to the edges of the cooler, I got a lot of stuck sparges. I upgraded to a larger false...

Why not rinse your yeast and reuse it for the following batches? I can usually ferment 2-3 beers off one harvest.

When harvesting yeast, I often sterilize in a pressure cooker. Just put your glass items in a pressure cooker, with some water, of course and let it steam under pressure for a good 15 minutes. I cannot confirm that it kills all bacteria, but this is often referred to as sterilizing, not...

In short, yes. A light extract will be a fine replacement for 2-row. You can even find a Munich extract some places. You could steep the Cara-Munich (and Munich if you cannot find or do not wish to use extract). I'd go with the same ratios as the brewery for the first trial. If you think it...

I'm a bit confused as I've had the same issues lately. Was the 70 degrees for two weeks not a diacetyl rest? I brewed an Oktoberfest, fermented for a month at 50, raised to 60 for 4 days and I think I tasted diacetyl. Yesterday, I kegged a bitter, using wlp005, that had fermented for 10 days...

Currently, you can find it almost everywhere in the midwest. I believe they distribute to a few states on the east coast and a state or two out west. Nick

Ska Brewing's "Mexican Logger" was cloned on the Jamil Show recently. Ya may want to listen to that podcast.

If it's got a crack in it, I'd get rid of it. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

I agree with Coff - You won't get the best beer out of pouring on top of a yeast cake because it'll mix with all that old trub. I'd suggest washing it, but people do it all the time with no issues.

I don't see an issue with the oven. Why not?

I go up to about 7%, but I've found that the higher I go, the less viable my yeast is and the slower it ferments the next beer.