Recent content by tomman

I have a similar situation where after 5 weeks of fermenting I am still considerably higher than my predicted FG. Is there no worry about the beer not carbonating in such a situation? I had an OG of 1.082 and a predicted final of 1.02, but I am measuring 1.032. Im afraid that the yeast is just...

So I brewed a stout with an OG of 1.082, and an estimated FG of 1.021, but actually ended up with a FG of 1.032. It had been in primary for a month, so I assume anything that was going to happen had happened. I then bottled a gallons worth and racked the rest to secondary to age it on some oak...

So due to deciding to keep my beer in primary longer than I originally anticipated, and a variety of other time set backs, I had my oak/vanilla soaking in whiskey for about a month. When I racked to secondary I dumped the vast majority of the liquid and just added the wood/bean. I'm fairly...

So my carboy for secondary is a standard clear glass container, I was just wondering about the possibility of the beer getting skunky from the clear glass. Seems to me that if a beer gets skunky in clear bottles, the same would apply to clear secondary vessels.... I guess the obvious answer is...

I for one love the idea, and have been planning to do something similar for a while. One thing worth thinking about is whether you want to hold the quantity of hops added constant across the different varieties, or add the appropriate amount of each to reach a uniform IBU for each batch. Seems...

.. I'm hoping to pick some up today or tomorrow, are there any retail stores that would carry it? Is it only used for brewing purposes?

My closes HomeBrew shop is not particularly convenient for me, any one have any other thoughts as to where I might find StarSan?

Wouldnt going over 3 weeks in the primary start to introduce off flavors? I thought that it was widely agreed upon that you shouldn't go over 3.

Any thoughts on how long I should keep my stout in primary and secondary? I have an OG of 1.082 and I will be aging it with some oak chips and vanilla. I have read the 1-2-3 recommendation on here, but I have also read that conditioning happens quicker in the primary with all the goodiess still...

I dont have any StarSan, and I need to fill my airlock, can I just use water? Seems like a bad idea to use bleach, right? Rubbing alcohol maybe? I have my boil going now and just realized Im not sure what to add, thanks for any thoughts.

Can you use vanilla extract in brewing? I'm using vanilla bean now, but would love to save some money next time, has anyone used extract?

I bought a few pounds of malt a couple days ago, had them crush it at the store and they just put it in a plastic grocery bag. Now due to some other problems I wont be brewing for another 3-4 days, and Im wondering how long it will keep. Right now I just have it in the bag, is it still good...

I'm trying to improvise a container to make my starter in, and I see a lot of talk of using an airlock. But I also see a lot of talk about the importance of continued airation. So what should I be doing? I also have seen some talk of just covering a bottle with foil so as to not be airtight, but...