Recent content by ochocki

I know their not much more expensive, but do they really make a difference? If they don't I would soon just rather save my few bucks.

So I would just use my regular yeast for the fermentation process and champagne yeast for the priming bucket? How much yeast would I need to use and is there any risk of kicking off another fermentation and having a blowout/bottle bomb? Does it affect the taste at all? Sorry for all the...

I love stout, especially draught style, now I know that brands like Guinness have a nitrogen distributor in the bottle to ensure that creamy style head. Is there any way I can brew a stout to have this same consistency?

Has anyone made the dark cherry stout kit from northern brewers? It looks very good, and says that it just leaves a cherry aroma instead of an overpowering fruit flavor like other fruit beers. http://www.northernbrewer.com/specialtybeers.html It's about 2/3 down the page.

So if I buy an auto-siphon, I can just skip the racking cane unless for some reason I find myself needing it?

I am doing some research into home brewing before I actually jump into it. I'm still not completely sure what a racking cane is, I know it's a siphon tool but that's about it. Can someone explain to me exactly what it is and if it's essential or not?

I think that's the main reason i want a glass primary, I really want to see the fermentation process, i think it's so cool looking.

So I have read all over the internet that glass is pretty much universally better than plastic. I am looking to get a system set up where I have one primary fermentor and 2 secondary fermentors basically for faster brewing. I know for sure that i want a couple of carboys for my secondary's but...

/\/\/\ A friend of mine had to use a baloon as he had a similar problem, going out of town and no airlock. When he got home he said the balloon was half full, seems like a good makeshift solution. Wont burst off (unless tons of pressure) and makes a great seal.

I will be doing extract kit/partial boils for a while, at least a few years until I feel I have a good enough understanding to do full boils and all grain. I will skip the wort chiller at this time. I would like to buy a 10gal pot but I have read that a regular kitchen oven doesn't have the...

So could I buy 1, 6.5 gal carboy for primary fermentation and 2, 5 gal carboys for secondary? Basically my thoughts are that I can make a batch and put it in primary for a week, then transefer to secondary, then immediately make another batch in the primary and transfer it to the other...

/\/\ That's a good point, i didn't realize that about the carboys.

So far from my research i have found that this equipment to meet my brewing needs 2 6.5 gal glass carboys 1 Plastic primary fermentor 1 bottling bucket with spigot carboy brushe stoppers and airlocks floating thermometer wort chiller brewpot bottles caps hydrometer 6' siphon hose auto siphon...

I am still shopping online for my beginning equipment kit. I know i love making beer as i have done it with my dad for years, I want to start doing it on my own. the thing is this, when I brewed with my dad I was younger (he quit drinking years ago) and i don't really remember any of the...

So for a novice, a typical 5 gallon pot will be ok for most or all of extract kits? I'm definently not ready to buy a BTU burner for huge boils. I know I will likely have to upgrade in the future, I guess I will tackle that when i get to it.