Recent content by pauswa

The dead lion is not surrounded by flies but bees. Here's the information from the Lyle's Golden Syrup Website: In 1904, the “lion and bees” tin was registered as Lyle’s trademark. The design comes from Abram Lyle’s religious beliefs: It’s a reference to a story in...

Powdered milk is very unhealthy because of oxidized cholesterol. Homogenization of milk is also bad because it probably promotes atherosclerosis (plaques in your arteries), which leads to heart disease. Non-homogenized whole milk is best for yogurt, or whole goat milk. However, goat milk will...

Another old thread, but oh well. It's fun to revive the dead threads. I plan to make a Berliner Weisse soon by souring the wort first for 24 hours and then boiling it for about 30 minutes with some hops. One time I mashed some beer and threw the grains in the kitchen trash. The next day the...

An old thread, but I'll write anyway. I personally switched to glass carboys. For those who are uncomfortable with the idea of one large glass carboy and its dangers, then buy two five-gallon carboys and put two and a half gallons in each carboy. That will also give you lots of headspace for...

I have this exact same problem with ants in my airlock. It's a three-piece airlock and I don't think they can make it through the liquid to get into the beer. But I'm switching to cheap vodka in the airlock now, too. It's summer here, so we seem to get a lot of ants in the house searching for...

I realize this is a pretty old thread, but I'll write anyway. I am putting vodka in my airlock now not because of suck back, but because I had an ant invasion. For some reason a ton of ants wanted the water in the airlock, or maybe were attracted to the smell. At any rate, it's a glass carboy...

I just found this information that is extremely helpful, and I will follow the directions outlined by White Labs: http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew_starters.html If the yeast arrives and the pack itself is not super hot, I'll make the smallest starter of one pint. If the package is...

I have noticed on Mr. Malty that it never suggests less than a liter for anything. What I like to do is put in the whole five gallons (20 liters) and see what I get, then multiply that by .4 (which gives me 8 liters) to see what I get. Assuming 75% viability, for 20 liters (I prefer metric) that...

I'm ordering a Wyeast Scottish ale yeast 1728 smack pack from Austin Homebrew. I'm in southern California. Both places are hot as hell (100s), and the trip for the yeast to get here will probably be about three days. I'll order an icepack, but I plan to make a starter to check yeast viability...

Hahaha, yes, the hydrometer sucks because I dropped it and it broke. How many of you have NEVER broken a hydrometer? They are just too fragile for clumsy homebrewers (like me). But yes, better a broken hydrometer than a carboy.

Hahaha, you said it!

This morning I spent four hours doing Brew in a Bag. I used my new Corona mill to crush my grains for my two-gallon batch of beer on my stovetop. I had modified the mill with a few washers on it so the crush looks perfect. I made an English mild that is probably around 1.035 OG. Everything went...

If you want the beer to be less dried out, you can mash a slightly bit higher for all-grain. If you do extract, you can add a little carapils or a little more crystal malt, or even an ounce or two of maltodextrin. I find Coopers yeast has a nice flavor and doesn't dry out beer. I always get my...

Yes, it is totally worth it, in my opinion. I think partial mash is great for stovetop brewing. You don't have to do a full boil because you'll add some DME. It takes less time and it's less prone to errors compared to all grain because you have the safety net of the DME. I like to do about half...

I think partial mash is great for stovetop brewing. You don't have to do a full boil because you'll add some DME. It takes less time and it's less prone to errors because you have the safety net of the DME. I like to do about half or more of all fermentables as grain. Some of my recipes are even...