Recent content by PolishLogic

I made this kit over the summer, and did so with a full boil. I steeped the Carapils for 30 minutes at 155. I also scaled back the Tradition to .8 oz, and left the Saaz at .5 oz. For what it's worth, the beer is damn good, you should really enjoy it. It's a great warm weather beer. I actually...

Sounds to me like you'll end up with beer. Relax, I'm willing to bet that it turns out to be quite tasty.

I picked up a 3 gallon Better Bottle to use for my experimental half-batches. Great piece of equipment.

+58 = 38,343 The weather these last two weeks really put a damper on a strong finish, and has me backlogged with 4 batches ready to brew.

There used to be a stout at 3rd Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa, CA that was great on tap, but AMAZING when they ran it out of the cask. Aside from that particular beer, I'd have to go with Sierra Nevada. Solely because it's the one I keep going back to time and time again. Granted, I'm sure if I...

SN Celebration Anchor Merry Xmas Happy New Year DFH Chicory Stout My dubbel Unfortunately dual stuck fermentations backed up two of my other brews....talk about terrible odds.

Why I brew: 1) Fun as hell 2) The rush from creating something that turns out amazing to my taste. 3) The rush from creating something that turns out amazing to my friends' tastes. 4) Experimentation and the challenge of trying to refine a recipe. 5) ....simply because I can :ban:

Oh man....just cracked open my first ones tonight and they're delicious! I actually picked up an undertone of sassafras. Giving it....in my opinion, a very slight root beer taste. At least to my taste buds.

If you keep it simple at first, and then continue to evolve your recipe by making some adjustments here and there, I'd imagine you'd be pretty hard pressed to make absolute crap. Besides, there's always the option of grabbing a 3 gallon carboy and doing 1/2 batches. That way, if for some strange...

Most beers I brew fall right in the mid 5's. I'm more into the taste versus the kick (not that big beers don't taste good). So I'd rather keep my beers low enough to have a couple without staggering around afterward, and then save the big boys for one-offs and seasonals.

Also an extract brewer here, and I've begun concocting my own beers. How I eased into it was to first start with brewing software (Beersmith for me), and then a bit of revisiting those recipes that I've already brewed. It helped me to recall hops & flavors. From there I just went incredibly...

Another vote siding for the option of setting it aside for 6 mo. to a year. Get brewing on a new batch and put this one out of your mind. When you come back to it, I'll bet it's delicious. You'll then thank yourself for waiting, rather than choking down the bitterness way back when.

After thinking of a number of names, I just keep coming back to one: Back Room Brewing. Basically because all my fermentation, bottling, etc., takes place in the back room of my house. So, it really was just the most fitting out of the lot.

For what it's worth, I opted for this one after dealing with some issues on a Polder wired probe thermometer that got a tiny bit wet. So far the new one has served me just fine. Having the longer stem has been a welcomed bonus as well.

Another for the Oxiclean + warm water + soak method. I use about 1/2 - 3/4 scoop then fill it to the brim with warm water & soak for 24-48 hours. After dumping I rinse with a one of those bottle jet sink attachments. Zero scrubbing, and a spotless carboy.