Recent content by smokjunkee

Thanks, good to know.

Ok, I haven't made wine in 25 years, mostly beer brewer. Anyway, i picked up a bucket of syrah juice last week, pitched a packet of montrachet yeast & it went from 1,090 to .994 in 4 days, all without any krausen or foaming on the surface of any kind. Just looked like it had C02 bubbles rising...

I'd like to do something in the style of a "Red Hawk". I am planning on adding 1 qt. Hvy. cream(40%) to 2 gal. whole milk? It will be a meso & B. Linens in the vat. Not sure what my wash liquid will be yet. Does this sound like I'm heading in the right direction? SJ

Ok, I'm very much a noob to this cheese-making thing. I come from a food-service backround so food temp. safety/danger zones are an everyday priority. So, after reading a couple books, making a couple batches of cheese(the latest aging in my homemade cave), I got to thinking about the temps. &...

Are Firestones beers available in the SJ/Philly area? I haven't seen any MB

Just cracked the one by Victory. I love the herbal tones. Rosemary being the dominent one with a citrusy/pepper in the backround. I deffinately want to brew this. The saison I brewed this summer was to dark & heavy in corriander/ paradise seed.

I brewed a pumpkin ale this past weekend and used a mix of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, star anise & allspice. All these were whole spices that I crushed & added to boil the last 10 min. along with a couple knobs of smashed fresh ginger. I will taste when I do a gravity check after 6-7 days. Then...

I buy most of my catering equip/supplies here. They have good prices & service. I also just saw their ad at the top of this page. This is where I got my Cajun cooker. MB http://www.webstaurantstore.com/

I have a pumpkin Ale in primary that I used a Belgian saison yeast for the spice/clove nuances. I am planning on washing and using it again if only to find out what kind of flavor carry-over, if any will take place. Part of the fun of learning...never know till you try. MB

Being a chef by trade you would think that I love the brewing process, not so much(recipe formulation maybe). but, other than cleaning & delabeling, I accually enjoy the bottleing & capping off of my hand-crafted brew. Then the hard part... the wait for bubbles! MB

Thanks guys, you rock! I feel much better. I love the learning process. MB

I brewed a Pumpkin Ale on saturday(yeah, a little late I know). I pitched with a yeast I've never used before(WL568-Belgian Saison). Went in at 76 degrees & fermentation has kept in the 74-76 range. It got off to a great start but, this morning(36 hrs.) it has slowed quite a bit. The onlt...

You might think about only changing one element at a time to better figure out the problem. MB

I just harvested/washed my first batch of yeast this past weekend from a pale ale. Will try some of it in a second batch of APA in a series of single-hop pale ales. Anyway, my question is... can you successfully havest any strain/type of yeast? Thanks, MB

I don't know if this is to far out but, Evolution Craft Brewery is in Delmar, DE. They just opened last year. Doing tours & I believe just became legal for them to serve pints. MB