Recent content by WishYouWereBeer

I thought of just using a carboy but I like to cold crash it and decant the starter beer. I guess I'll have to concede something if I don't want gunk all over my kitchen. I suppose I'll look around at the grocery store for a larger glass container - something I can still fit in the fridge.

Yes. I'm using a stirplate. I think it's actually worsening the problem, but I'm not positive.

I have apparently made a successful harvest of Pacman from two bombers of Shakespeare Stout. So successful, in fact, that only at 800 ml I am already foaming out of a 2000 ml flask. This fact combined with the fact that I am supposed to make a 1600 ml starter for a particular brew concerns...

I think it would still be tasty without the Brett - refreshing, anyway. IIRC, the Brett flavor in this beer is very restrained. I think I'm going to try a small batch of something like this and just use the dregs from a couple of bottles. I like the sound of the kolsch/german yeast for...

Ok. Thanks for the input. I haven't had either but the Humidor version seems to be pretty highly regarded so I wanted to try it out for my next IPA.

You guys are both referencing the white oak version. Have you had the spanish cedar (humidor) version? If so, how do you think the difference in wood species affects the final character? Do you think the white oak adds more of a "tropical" finish than the spanish cedar would?

Last night, I visited a cigar shop to see if they had any Spanish Cedar or knew of a place to get any. At first they looked at me rather quizzically, but then a light came on with the woman behind the counter. I followed her into the humidor where she proceeded to go around to each cigar box...

A nice SS kettle from Santa. Refractometer. Depending on a Christmas bonus, I want a mill and some storage containers. Never hurts to have more carboys or kegs.

So I had an epiphany the other day and decided that I need a better grasp of what different base grains and different hops contribute to my brews. Most of what I bought I have never used before but I searched on here a bit to get the feeling that if I just ordered a variety, then the good...

Common sense would tell you that only beverages marketed as energy drinks containing alcohol would be affected. The article seems to indicate that regulators will not pursue drinks such as a coffee stout. But vaguely written laws and an utter lack of common sense among law writing and...

Found this interesting...and ridiculous. http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/lager-heads/article_430fbc81-7101-53ab-a2b3-6f5580772eb2.html Sorry if this is a repeat.

I'm currently drinking the extract recipe found here... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f5/st-arnolds-christmas-ale-3475/ It's excellent. It feels like a Holiday ale but has no spices added. I used an english ale yeast and fermented in the low 60's to get a really clean malty character. Not...

I got a pound of the 2010 cascade leaf hops from them a few weeks ago. I made an APA with that hop exclusively (about 4 oz). I racked it yesterday and it smelled like an all cascade PA should smell. Sample tasted great. I will soon start dry-hopping with the same product once I have a keg...

On the other hand, you could miss a volume, mash high or low, forget to add an adjunct or hop addition, underpitch, etc. and still come out with a fantastic product. Perfection is subjective.

I used the MrMalty calculator to figure out how much slurry to pitch. It indicated about 1 cup and I harvested the yeast on the same day as pitching. I pitched a little over a cup of a thin slurry. I didn't wash the yeast at all so I think estimating what % yeast I have in the slurry is...