Recent content by WickedLB

No, I have never had any yeast off flavors when I don't secondary.

I only secondary if I am racking onto fruit or making something that ages (like a barleywine). I primary for 2 or 4 weeks and then I bottle or keg.

Congrats! It is always a great to medal. I hope your score sheets give you constructive feedback too. FWIW, I got a gold medal 2 summers ago for a blonde ale that I thought was just OK, but my friends raved about. I submitted it based on their feedback (I was on the fence). My other 2 beers...

Depends on your tastes, but in my experience blondes, wits, and saisons are crowd favorites at summer BBQs. I love a nice hoppy APA or an IPA on a hot day. At my house. I will probably try to keep one hoppy beer and one lighter ale on tap all summer.

I expect a full population vs time graph from you on your next post (including labels for the lag, log and stationary phases) :mug:

Oy, that is a tough call! What is better, lazy yeast who don't make enough maltose chewing enzymes or a starter that never gets out of the lag phase into and into the growth phase. If I couldn;t wait until tomorrow night to pitch, I'd go to the LHBS and just buy a 1 more vial. and make the 4...

+1 Use Mr. Malty and pitch after 12 hours. I use a stir plate, I don't cold crash, and tend to pitch 12 -24 hours after I pitch into the starter (depending how much I f-up my brew day).

How big is the beer you are making? There has been a lot of discussion that a starter with simple sugar makes "lazy" yeast that do a poor job of processing maltose. a 4 hour starter is better than no starter IMHO.

I definitely saved up to make this purchase. You could probably get an old fridge for cheap on craigslist and then the keg system from Midwest and be good to go for under $250. I wanted something that I could put in a finished room so I went with the new kegarator rather than an old fridge.

I just did this myself. I bought my kegs, lines and CO2 from Midwest ($195): http://www.midwestsupplies.com/kegging/kegging-systems/5-gallon-systems/brew-logic-dual-tap-draft-system-w-pin-lock-kegs.html 2 Tap tower ($135)...

Like slayte said, I think DME would give you a better flavor profile. I have only added simple sugars to belgians/saisons. I suspect that with your low mash + lots of simple sugars, you are going to end up with a lip puckering, dry beer. Might work for an IPA, but sound too dry for my pallet.

Dextrose has a 42 points per pound per gallon. DME should be roughly the same (40 - 44 depending the source) and will have more maltose in it. You need to add 1.75 - 2 pounds dissolved in 1/2 a gallon of water to get to 1.064 (assuming you are at 5 gallons now). This sounds like a mess to me...

Last night I brewed my Cal Common. I may be kegging the Edwort's Haus Pale Ale this weekend, but I might need to give it a few more days in the primary (gravity was only at 1.017 as of this morning).

It depends on the sanitzer: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/star-san-vs-iodophor-fight-3710/ Star-San lasts months, but iodophor breaks down fairly quickly.

+1 on this advice! When you go to re-brew something that comes out great or you are trying to refine your process, notes are sooo helpful! My first 5 or 6 brews I just wrote down recipe and wished I had mash temps, OG, FG, time in primary, and temp of fermentation. Welcome to the hobby &...