Recent content by OpsGuy68

Whatever's in the fridge is fair game after night shift.

Just finished conditioning a NB pumpkin ale. So far (3rd beer), it has a nice malty taste upfront followed with a slight spiciness. This time I just followed the directions. I think next time I will add more spice or try real pumpkin. Also, the yeast packs I get from NB are sometimes a...

I noticed the extract twang when I was making Mr. Beer kits. Since then, I have been satisfied with the 5 gallon extract kits that I have made so far. That being said, I may feel differently when I move to AG. Until then, I am content to while away my time drinking beer from extract kits.

Made a NB extract pumpkin ale this past weekend.

You can buy clear, plain cyclinders on line pretty cheaply.

The last of my NB cream ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

I read somewhere where a home brewer said (to paraphrase), "all-grain brewing improves your beer by 10% but requires 200% more work". That being said, I still want to eventually move to all-grain.

Just brewed one today. After reading these posts, I am looking forward to trying one. First time using a wort chiller and aeration pump. Also, after I finished aerating the wort, putting the fermenter in the cooler, and installing the blow off tube, I noticed the yeast starter was still...

American IPA, homebrew

Brewing a cream ale extract kit.

A Cream Ale was the plan for my summer beer.

I don't have good temperature control either. From what I've seen, temperatures will rise a few degrees for the first few days and once the activity drops off, the temperature steadies for the rest of the fermentation. On one batch, I lost power during fermantation for a few days and, despite...

You are lucky. You must have a lot of resources and selection in the Charlotte area. In my area, the choices are pretty slim. That is part of the reason I got into home brewing, so that I could try a lot of different beer styles. Otherwise, I have to travel 90 minutes to get a good selection...

No. I am not sure of the chemical. Doing a search on the internet, I came up with the following for cleaning carboys that held nitric acid. Soak with water, then bleach/water mix, and then folowed with several rinses.

I received a glass carboy from someone who got it from a worker at a paper mill. In other words, it probably held some sort of chemical. Can I clean it for use as a fermenter? If so, what do I need to do? Thanks for any advice.