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So, I had three empty fermenter buckets sitting in my brew room for several weeks. I went up to grab my bottling bucket and noticed that all three has a nice selection of dead insects in the bottom. My concern is that even with a good wash and some sanitizer something will be left behind and...

I have a two year old lambic-style that seems to get less sour/unimpressive with every sample. I sampled it one year ago and it was fantastic! It had some funk and a medium sharpness that was very pleasing. Six months ago I noticed that the sour flavors were much less pronounced and after...

Ok, so I finally sent my well water away to be analyzed and I'm kind of lost. Just wondering if anything on this report really stands out to anyone. I'll be reading about it in the meantime, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Can (or should) a sour ale be entered in the "Specialty Beer" category? I really want to enter a sour ale brewed with multiple strains of yeast and bacteria in a local homebrew competition but, as it doesn't really fit in any of the current sour categories, I'm wondering where to put it. It's a...

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this. I'm brewing a new Berliner using homofermentative lactobacillus followed by a large pitch of brettanomyces bruxellensis trois. My understanding is that since the lactobacillus is homofermentative it shouldn't create co2, yet my fermenter is...

RVA Yeast Labs has updated its website with several new native yeasts! I'm not sure if you've ever dealt with them, but they are fantastic! Here's a link to the native yeast section of the site. http://www.rvayeastlabs.com/native-yeasts.html

I just took a gravity sample from a Saison fermented with yeast and bacteria cultured from a bottle of Hill Farmstead Arthur. The gravity is currently 1.009, with great funk and sour flavors. I plan on letting it age for another 3-6 months and wonder if I should rack it off of the yeast cake or...

I'm looking for brewers in Orange County, Va. (or nearby) who may be interested in forming a home brew club. I joined one in Fredericksburg but the drive is killing the experience and I'd like to find, or form, something closer to home.

I finally picked up a Chugger ss pump with the center inlet and now I'm completely baffled. The port on the center inlet is 3/4 inches, but the ball valve on my 15 gallon kettle is 1/2. What is the easiest way to make this work without putting a 1/2 inch adapter on the pump? My local...

Here's my dilemma... I've never entered a homebrew competition, but am planning on entering a few beers into a local competition in October. One beer i would like to enter is a (motueka hop heavy) Session ale (Est. ABV 4.1, SRM 5.1, IBU 45 FG 1.008). I already have an IPA that i would like...

I'm thinking about picking up Farmhouse Ales, but would like to hear from someone who has read it first. I'll start by saying that I've read both Brew Like a Monk and Wild Ales, and was deeply disappointed in both of them. I was expecting in-depth insight into the brewing process, what each...

I brewed a Belgian-Style pale ale a couple of months ago, racked and added brett. Today I noticed that the airlock is sitting flat... like there's nothing in the carboy. I can see some brett floating at the top of the beer but the lack of pressure in the airlock has me worried. My two other...

My Mother-in-law just gave me a 15 gallon stainless steel kettle from her old mustard business but it doesn't have a lid. I seem to be having a very hard time finding one. Have any of you purchased replacement kettle lids? Where is the best place to look? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

So, i just cracked my first bottle of homemade Pumpkin win; consisting of large amounts of pumpkin, some ginger root, and several pounds of honey and sugar. When i take a reading on my vinometer it says that the wine is over 25% alcohol. A vinometer is pretty simple to use and my other two fruit...

I have question that i could use some help with. I started a Lambic style about three weeks ago. Primary fermentation is taking place in a plastic bucket, with an eventual move to glass. I just opened the lid to add some dregs and noticed a light film already forming on the top. The airlock...