Recent content by scubastan

WOW that is crazy!

That Link is very useful. Just bookmarked it. Thank you Vigo!

Hi Everyone, I've been trying to force carb for 3 batches now. All with very minimal effect. Of the 3 beers I have force carb'd, they all have the same problem. Alot of foam and head, but very little carbonation in the actual beer. I have a 20# co2 tank setup to a corny keg. The last...

I vote for temperature control as well. It will help you make more consistent beer, and TASTIER beer. I found a used frig that holds 2 6gallon buckets on criagslist for $50. Then got a temperature controller for about $35.

Hmmm, its hard to narrow it down but we can try. 1. Can you give us the exact recipe? 2. Were there any odd smells, colors? 3. What yeast were you using, and at what temperature did you ferment at? 4. When you added the priming sugar, did you add it to the bottling bucket or did you put a...

Depends on how you filtered the beer. Beer yeast is about 5-10 micron in size. If you filtered out particles smaller then 10 microns then you will have filtered out a good number of your yeast. If you used a coffee filter or a fine mesh, then your beer SHOULD have enough yeast to carbonate...

Yes, especially if you are making beers with a higher starting gravity. My favorite part to using a starter is knowing that my beer will start fermenting usually in 4-10 hours depending on my starting gravity. The hef I just brewed start bubbling the airlock in 4.5 hours. (I went to lunch...

my opinion on #4. I recently had to figure something similar to this out, so I thought I would share. Different Breweries / Brewers use different "Growth Factors". In searching the internet i've come across numbers from 3x to 10x. I see alot of mention of a 5x Growth factor. White Lab vials...

Simple answer is yes. Many different routes you can go.. But generally every brew I do uses a starter. My first 2 batches never used starters. I simply followed the directions of the smack pack or the vial. Different options depending on time, space, and money: 1. Smack Pack or Vial to a...

Hi Everyone, I have a question about stepping up yeast. I have a un-opened vial of Whitelab 004 Irish Ale Yeast. I plan on brewing a 5.25G Brown Ale with a Starting Gravity of 1.056 According to Mr Malty I need 205 Billions cells. I use a stirplate so it says I only need a 1L starter...

Agree with Chickypad. Lots of great recipes posted here in HBT. Also easy to find other recipes online. IF you happen to find a commerical beer you really enjoy often times there are recipes that are clones of it.

If you insulate the probe with foam and put it next to the side of the fermentor you will get a more accurate gauge of the temperature. An alternative is to wrap the probe in a ballon or latex glove, seal it, and then place the probe into a pint or quart of water. This will keep your freezer...

Hey Everyone, I know there is a ton of information on yeast farming, washing, slanting and storing. I use a few of them already but wanted to try something new. I realized that a single vial of White Labs yeast is good enough to ferment 5gallons of a low gravity wort. I often pitch the fresh...

I vote for an old Fridge from Craigslist. I just picked one up last weekend for $50. It fits 3 6gallon fermentation buckets or carboys. I don't have to swap ice bottles everyday. Just load the buckets in, shut the door, program my thermastat and come back whenever.

I got one of those along with a few other thermometers. All of them were not accurate enough for me. If/when you are doing All Grain (AG) the difference of 2-5F can be alot when your trying mash at certain temps. If your on a tight budget, I would stick with a normal red liquid in glass...