Recent content by RitalinIV

I agree with Wild Ginger on this one. I am running this recipe as we speak and I use frozen strawberries to mitigate any chance of odd contaminants and have had nothing but awesome results with that method. I would use caution with high octane spirits like vodka because it may hinder any...

carloscede2- You have a great looking recipe here. Have you ever brewed with Cascade hops before? The only reason I ask is because Cascade has a distinct, almost IPA flavor. The closest off-the-shelf frame of reference would be Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. I love it! My wife hates it...

Ah yes! I recognize those zombie strawberries! Please tell me how you like the 45 min Cascade hops in your brew. They are my go-to hops variety for my IPAs and Sierra Nevada clone but it sounds like it could be really interesting. Good luck, -Ritalin

darren h- Did your tap adapter come with seals or gaskets? I had a similar problem just last week when my keg began leaking from the connector. As it turned out, the black rubber gasket fell off on the way from the sink to the keg. As a general rule, there should be some sort of gasket or...

SilvaRizla- I highly recommend checking out Bluelinebrewer’s thread on his killer Strawberry Blond. I have used that recipe more than 8 times with great success. Also, your friends will completely dig it! It requires a partial mash and frozen strawberries which inhibit the addition of...

Bryan- Yuck! That sucks, man. Without a doubt, you have something funky going on. My first question (bear with me) is did a cat in fact pee in your brew? Hey, it could happen. The only reason I ask is because it is the most obvious cause. Cat pee is not an off-flavor that I am aware of...

Skillafizer- The answer depends on a lot of other variables. First, and perhaps most important, variable is your sanitation method. If you run a clean, well sanitized brewing process, your beer will have a greater chance of lasting longer. Second, you are going to want to store your beer...

1BigBear- Nice! Here's my $0.02: I started on Mr. Beer so the one who taught me just halved the standard 5 gal recipe. Seriously, everything was halved with the exception of the yeast. See, back then I was still using dry yeast so it was easier to dump it all in. I would imaging the same...

MSamu- Don't fret too much. Some yeast strains do produce more sulfur smell than others. Each time I use California Ale Yeast (YLP-051 IIRC) I get a sulfur smell. You are correct; lager yeast is notorious but not the only culprit. Relax, and let your brew do it's thing. Let us know how it turns...

I know it has fallen out of style in the past 10 years but have you thought about siphoning your brew into a secondary for some additional clearing time? If not, the same process takes place in your bottles- it just takes a while and you will have to pour slowly to leave your sediment behind...

50 Miles! Holy crap! Good luck and here's hoping you don't pee Guinness! -Ritalin

I have been there too. I used apple-scented Dawn. Not only did my head retention suck, but I also had a nasty apple-scented off-flavor. Yuck!!! I switched to unscented dish soap and super hot water. I also started using Star San after. Again, I feel the key is super hot water. Before I had...

You want to add it to the bottom of the bottling bucket with the priming sugar. Then siphon your beer on top of the mixture. This mixes it evenly without agitating or adding air to your brew. There should be no need to heat it up and you do not want to ferment it either. Hope that helps! -Ritalin

Again, totally your decision. However, if you decide to add water, WAIT! Wait until after fermentation has stopped. When in doubt, wait another week. The best way to tell is by measuring the specific gravity over a 3-day span. Once it remains stable for 2-3 days, you should be good to go (given...

Oops, I meant Moose. My bad... Cheers!