Recent content by pdxben

I just made my first batch of honey-blackberry mead. It has been in my carboy for about 2.5 months ( I racked it about three times), and I was wondering when I should start bottling it. It has good flavor, boarding on bit too much tanin. Did I let it sit in my Carboys for too long? Should I...

Has anyone harvested yet? Mine are look like they are really close, pretty dry/paper feel, brown tips, more aroma. I don't want to pick too early, think maybe one more week?

I am in portland, and would love to use some of those hops. Are you available to meet up in Portland... soon?!

You're right! I am on day 11, and the fermenting seems to be just now easing to a stop. So 14 days should be right on target.... As far as letting it sit cold for another month before consumption, I can't stand it, and that will not be happening... I should've made a quicker beer first in...

This is the first year for my hop plants, and I am surprised how many hops my vines grew in their first year. I have Magnum, Willamette Valley, & Mt. Hood hop vines. They are looking like they are just a couple of weeks away from harvest. They are beginning to have more of an aroma, and...

Wow, that seems like a lot of Blackberries! How sweet was the mead? I was told that just 1 pound will be enough... and I don't like too sweet of a mead, more toward the dry side. Will One or two pounds be enough?

How many pounds of blackberries is recommended to use with about 8 pounds of honey? And how much water would you use?

Thanks for all the great feedback! My main reason for adding a bit of the crab apples was not for taste, but to increase the acidity and add a bit of tannin. But will a high malic acid change the taste or fermentation drastically? What are the results of having too much malic acid? So...

I just harvested about 3 pounds of crab apples, and I will be making a mead for the first time. I was wondering what the best process is for adding the crab apples to the mead. I have heard some advice about washing, chopping, then freezing, and then thawing, then processing/polverizing them...

I think I misunderstood what cold crashing is. So, what is Cold Crashing exactly? And what is a Brite Tank?

I will be cold crashing the keg, 3 weeks seems a bit too long, or maybe I am just too anxious to drink it?

I just did my first all-grain Steam beer, Fermentation has been slowing down on day three now. I plan on doing a secondary fermentation, probably in the next couple of days. I was wondering how many days I should wait before I keg the Steam beer. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the re-assurance! I guess I should follow the motto of 'Just relax, have a homebrew...' So how do you separate the coagulation from the yeast once everything is settled? Do you just skim it off?

I just used Whirlfloc for the first time, and it is still active since I started the fermentation. It has been about three days, fermentation is still active, but slowing down, and I still have the coagulated clumps 'whirling' all around in my cardboy, is this common, or is something off? I...