Recent content by VampireSix

Thanks Sweetcell. I'll try raising temperatures earlier next time. The yeast was probably a month old, and I made a starter according to yeastcalc.com. I'd heard about intentionally under-pitching for a Belgian. For my first Belgian, though, I wanted to play with fermentation temps and limit...

I brewed Midwest Supplies Noble Trappist all-grain kit a week and a half ago, pitching a starter of Wyeast 3787 into oxygenated wort at 1.058 OG. Sample from yesterday showed SG at 1.012, within finishing range, but there is still yeast in suspension and a bit floating on top (so I know it's...

I'm not familiar with beersmith, but what is your boil volume to top-off water volume?

Thanks Homebrewhaha! I don't know how I missed that post. I'm guessing with Centennial hops, I'm focusing on Myrcene? So a hop stand at what, 140-145F?

Regarding time/temperature, I've done two Stone Ruination clones so far, both utilizing a hop stand. On the first batch, I dropped the temp to 190F, then tossed in the 2oz of Centennial pellets, and stirred occasionally while maintaining temp for 30 mins. The citrus aroma/flavor from this...

I was thinking the same thing. Any idea as to why they would use cascade for their kit?

I just bottled my 8th batch, the all-grain Honey Porter kit from MWS. I followed the direction precisely for mash temps and hop additions, which included 1oz of Kent Goldings at 60min and 1oz of Cascade at 2min. OG was within range, oxygenated with pure O2, pitched a starter of Wyeast 1968...

I've broken a few bottles while capping, using the 'black beauty' wing capper. The trick is to just be gentle, and don't force it. I usually have to rotate bottles once or twice to get the capper to work smoothly. LBussy, I've been seriously considering getting that capper/corker. How do...

You mention fermenting at room temp.... what is that? My first two batches were fermented at room temps (68-72) because I didn't know any better, and both were sub-par. My next two batches, after learning as much about yeast as I could, were fermented at cooler temps (basement at 64-65), and...

A full boil will help yield higher IBUs, but not because of wort gravity. We talked about that earlier in this thread.

I did my 5th brew last night, first time attempting a partial mash (previous batches were all extract/specialty grain). These instructions made it super easy, so a big thank you to DeathBrewer! I ended up mashing at 154F (per kit instructions, Midwest Supplies Traditional Stout) in 2 gallons...

I'm currently enjoying a Stone Ruination clone (extract recipe from BYO) with an OG 1.072 that I brewed just under four weeks ago, and it's fantastic! I used Wyeast 1968 (London ESB), which is a very fast fermentor and cleans up quickly. After aerating with pure O2 and pitching an...

Besides this? http://www.dogfish.com/company/tangents/randall-the-enamel-animal.htm Once it's brewed, there isn't much you can do. Dry hopping also suffers from diminishing returns. For a five gallon batch, the difference between 1oz to 2oz of hops for a dry hop should be noticeable. 2oz...

Good idea. If they are above 1.000 (closer to 1.010), then Revvy's post covers it. If it was in fact around 1.000, you've got potential problems.

Yeast (quality - no Munton's!) Yeast (fermentation temperature control) Yeast (pitching rate) Yeast (proper wort aeration/oxygenation) Yeast. Seriously. After my first batch using crap Munton's yeast and not knowing anything about yeast, all of my research on making a better batch of beer has...