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So my first all grain brew is underway. After mashing, i took a pre-boil sample and stuck it in the freezer until its temp dropped to 70 degrees. When i took my gravity reading, it came in at 1.056. The estimated preboil gravity was supposed to be 1.044. I'm at a 90% efficiency, which cannot...

Just made a video of me seasoning my new aluminum brew kettle. Not sure what value the video is, but if nothing else, a before and after look at a seasoned aluminum kettle could be educational right? http://youtu.be/WtbZBTyxe6M

I've read two things concerning what temperature to keep your bottles of carbonating beer at. One said to keep it at the same temperature as it fermented, and the other said on average, 70 degrees. I have been fermenting in a downstairs closet attached to our utility room that stays at an...

Is there a noticeable difference in how the beer develops after bottling between 12oz and 24oz bottles? For my first batch, I bottled to both, and I swear there was a subtle taste difference when between the two. I cracked open a 22oz after killing a few 12oz'ers, and needless to say I was a...

So I'm excited to report that my second brew is sitting in the carboy, fermenting away (hopefully). For this brew, I didn't use a kit, I used Brewsmith to put together a recipe for a pale ale, so here's hoping I come out with a decent beer. I was much more comfortable brewing the second time...

I'm going to brew my second batch of beer this afternoon, however, I do not have any whirlfloc tablets Am I going to need to make a trip to the store or will the beer be okay without it? It is going to be a pale ale.

I invested in a nice 8 gallon pot with spiggot and thermometer. I see a lot of recipes that have you create a wort from a smaller fraction of the batch size then use top-off water to get to your final volume. If I have the room for a full boil of 6-6.5 gallons without boiling over, should...

I live in Boise, ID. I've learned over the last year that, contrary to the potato myth, hops and mint are actually Idaho's top cash crops. So it seems like I'm in an environment where home grown hops could flourish. I've read a little bit on the process on the internet, and have browsed in...

For those of you who have multiple batches bottled and stored, do you label your bottles, or do you just know what is what?

I'm a very impatient person. If I had my way, my family would have all of their Christmas gifts opened a week before Christmas (my wife keeps me in check). Contrary to my character flaw, I do have willpower, I probably just have to exercise it more than the average person. It has been...

I'm about to brew my second batch of beer in a few days, and I used Brewsmith and Brewpal (iPhone) to put together a recipe. My first brew was done from a kit that had the step by step instructions. The first batch had me steep my specialty grains, while the second batch just says to strike...

I bottled my first batch of beer this last Sunday. I just had a few questions. Just to be sure, for an ale, the beer needs to sit for 3 weeks in the bottle to build up the carbonation from the sugar primer. Does the alcohol content raise a little during this process? Do I keep the bottles in...

I'm don't know if I'm ready for a "thrown together" recipe for my second batch as opposed to doing another kit, but I think I'm just foolish enough to try. It basically stemmed from wanting to do a classic pilsner, but not being able to find a kit for one. So I started to Google recipes and...

I have some questions/concerns about the gravity of my first batch of beer. After a week of fermentation, I racked to a secondary (learned later that this is often unnecessary, but was just following the brew kit instructions at the time). The gravity for this American Amber was initially...

Ok, so I patiently waited a week in my primary fermenter for my first brew to ferment (American Amber). I checked the airlock and the bubbles had all but stopped, so I took that as a sign that I did not need to wait any longer to rack to my 2nd fermenter (6.5 gallon glass carboy). Of course...

I just finished up my first batch of beer (American Amber) made from a recipe kit put together by one of the local brewing supply shops. I was lucky enough to catch the owners of that same local brewing supply shop brewing a batch (AG) of beer right there in the store's parking lot, along with...