Recent content by SickTransitMundus

Probably not. It's never been an issue for me. You could put foil over the kettle while chilling to keep the nasties out.

Hm, yeah, you're right. The BJCP guidelines state that BdGs should "[lack] the spicing and tartness of a Saison". It appears I made a really malty Saison.

I brewed a biere de garde yesterday with WY3711, French Saison, and a pack of brett brux - both in the primary. I don't think you'd get the peppery notes without Saison yeast.

Over-pitching can cause more fusel oils in big beers = more hangovers. Case in point - Brooklyn Brewery's Monster Ale Barleywine. I actually will overpitch Weizens to cut down on the banana esters, but that's just my personal preference.

This is basic first-year chemistry and physics. Increasing pressure does not slow the reaction because it's not reversible. You can't push ethanol and CO2 into yeast and expect it to crap out maltose. Since you seem to want more than a theoretical explanation of why this is not an issue...

No, not the pressure. Yeast go dormant because they have exhausted their available food supply - sugars - and because the ethanol they have produced is toxic.

What bowiefan said. Not reversible. Le Chatlier's principle does not apply.

Depends on how big the compressor shelf is. I like Whirlpools because the compressor takes up about half as much space as most other chest freezers. I can fit 5 fermenters in my 15 cf freezer. At 5 cf you will probably not be able to put more than one in without modifying the lid.

Definitely not done fermenting. +1 for letting the ferment self-regulate its temperature. Artifically cooling Belgians - especially during high krausen - can drastically reduce yeast activity. You'll probably reach an appropriate final gravity eventually. I recommend raising the keg to room...

Also make sure your hole has been ground and sanded. Rough edges there can cause leaks. I grind weldless holes gently with a Dremel and then finish with medium and fine sandpaper. Sometimes the step bits can kick back and make the hole you're drilling uneven. Take a good look side-on on your...

Pitching directly onto yeast cakes is a bad habit. I used to do it all the time, but I stopped. As others note, you'll be overpitching your second batches - this can cause a variety of off-flavors. I had too many subtly "off" batches, and eventually pinpointed overpitching as the culprit. At...

Oh, for some reason I thought this was for a fermentation chamber. These should be fine for store display, since the bottles will be brown.

I wouldn't use them personally. Aquarium heaters or iguana pads work just as well and don't have the potential skunking issue.

Necrothread, but I did some digging regarding incandescent bulbs recently. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/temp-control-263434/index2.html#post3191573 Executive summary: incandescents can skunk your beer, in theory.

Completely normal for Belgian yeast. I try to give it as much headspace as possible - and I line the surface under my stir plate with foil just in case. My starters are 1.040 at 70 degrees. I had a four liter starter of Scottish yeast spray all over my beer room last weekend after I picked it...