Recent content by Oakbarrel

I've also signed up for the General Chemistry and Chemistry of Beer courses. Very exciting stuff!

Well, It's been a week since my first attempt at brewing. I checked the gravity today and it came out at 1.011 after adjusting for temp. The recipe called for a FG of around 1.014. It tastes okay, but it has a very thin mouthfeel. I'm guessing the low gravity and such is because I screwed up and...

Well, flars was right. I checked my brew this morning and the fermentation lock is bubbling away like a madman. I put it in a swamp cooler as suggested and wrapped it in a wet t-shirt so hopefully it'll all work out and I won't get any off flavors from me being a newb.

Thank you, Flars! I'll definitely put your advice to good use. I'm sure there are a hundred mistakes I'll make along the way. I guess I should have dug into the specifics of the yeast a little more which is good to know for the future. Thanks again!

Hello all, I have just completed my first five gallon extract beer brew and I've come to seek thoughts and congratulations/condolences! :tank: I used a recipe out of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing 3rd edition called Dithyrambic Roasted Brown Ale. I sanitized everything copiously here's...

Hah! Good to know that the problem was with me and not with the mead! Priorities and all. ;) Thanks all!

Bluespark & Inner10: It doesn't smell bad at all, actually. It has a honey-lemon smell. I'm trying to think how to describe it...have you ever had soda come out of your nose? That bubbly burning sensation? It was like that except with an inhale. I've just not experienced such a thing in the few...

So here's a strange thing: I'm fermenting a one gallon test-mead using the following recipe... • 1 Gallon Water • 3 lbs. Orange Honey • 1 Lemon's worth of juice • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg • WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast OG: 1.070 Temp: Kept around 70 degrees. Staggered yeast nutrients...

This is the label I came up with for the various meads I might brew. This one says "ancient orange" as it was the first batch I used these labels on. I print them out on transparent decal paper and attach them to the clear bottles. Thoughts?

Well, I got the temp back up to around 70F and the fermentation has kicked back up again!

I tried to keep the temp in the mid-70's+ but it did get rather cold in the house a few nights. The pH i'm not sure about. My noob is showing there.

Hello all! I started a cyser about two months ago (my second attempt at making mead) and the FG seems to have stopped at 1.040. It's sweet but not cloyingly so (to me) but I'm worried that the taste will sweeten more with age. I used: Lalvin ICV D-47 6lb. Orange Blossom Honey 2 gallons of...

My first mead - a minor variation of Joe's Ancient Orange Mead (no cinnamon or cloves). It's a little over two months old at this point and has just be racked into its secondard home. Not too terribly clear but it's been fun for a first shot!