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What is the best way to safely thaw out bottles of homebrew? I had almost 2 cases of beer in my soda machine, and when I walked by it tonight, I smelled watermelon.. I opened the machine, and saw ice and slush inside the machine. Apparently, the thermostat stuck and kept getting colder and...

Did a search and didn't see anything about this model.. Masterbuilt Oil-Free Electric Turkey Fryer20100809 Butterball... Says oil free, using electric radiant heat. My wife and kids bought this for me for fathers day as a brew setup...

I found out today that you don't want to use your mouth as an extra hand to hold a hydrometer. It doesn't take much to crush it between your teeth. Luckily I only managed to get one cut on my tongue and one on my lip. Next time I'll ask for help I guess... I wasn't even drinking...

Need some advice on my first lager attempt. I brewed an Extract Hacker-Pschorr Octoberfest back on 9/6. Got a late start on an Octoberfest I know. I screwed up making my starter batch and didn't give it enough time to really get going. I used 2 vials of WLP820 in a 3l starter. My OG for the...

I am brewing an Octoberfest Lager Extract kit from AHS.. I made a 3l starter with 2 vials of WLP 820, but it didn't fully start when I dumped it in.. In other words, I rushed it. I made 3 liters of water and 2 cups of LME. Gravity was too high on the starter, around 1.080 somehow. When I brewed...

I'm getting ready to brew my first lager. I am doing an extract batch. I made a 3l starter and pitched 2 vials of WLP 820 yeast. Not sure if one of the vials was any good. Starter was 1.054 1. Pitching the starter - do I take a OG reading before I pitch the starter or after? I am planning on...

I recently purchased the 5lb bag of colored caps from AHS and the last 2 batches I capped have not carbed properly. Some have been fine, while others had no carbonation at all. I've bottled 20 batches or so with no trouble <knock on wood>. I just bottled another batch this morning and I am...

I brewed a Saison extract kit from AHS.. It was supposed to be a session brew kit, but it ended up taking 3 weeks to ferment out to 1.009.. I had to move into the garage to get the heat up to almost 80deg after 2 weeks being stuck at 1.015 @74deg.. After it finished, I cold crashed it for 3 days...

I'm finally getting around to making a temp controlled fridge for my primary fermenting.. I have a soda machine I just took all the shelves out and will be using. I tried using the thermostat on the machine, but the warmest I can get the machine is 52. I have a thermocouple in the jug, so I'm...

I'm not at home and I was trying to find the size of a beer bottle, and I came across this Wiki post I thought was interesting.. Does anyone follow or think about this? Lifespan of a beer bottle.. Longneck, Industry Standard Bottle (ISB) // North American longneck A North American...

I started using lab grade deionized, RO water for my last few extract kits. I've been reading that all the minerals and stuff gained through the water are already in the LME so why not. The beer has been very clear and smooth-- I'm pretty happy so far. I was concerned with the specialty...

I'm trying to find blank cardboard 4-pack holders. I can find the 6-pack holders, but I don't like most of the people enough to give them each 6 beers :) :mug:

I went to the grocery store to pick up some corn sugar, and couldn't find it.. I want to make the Apfelwein. Don't want to use corn syrup, right? I picked up confectioners sugar, but I don't think thats right either.. Where do you get corn sugar?

We just came back from vacation, and I noticed a few small ants roaming around my kitchen sink. I started smushing them, and then I grabbed my spray bottle of star san... A quick squirt of the sanitizer killed the ants immediately. It was amazing. From what I read with ants, they will keep...

I'm leaving tomorrow on a cruise ship to go chase a hurricane up the east coast of the US into Canada. One of our ports of call is Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is a brewery tour for Alexander Keiths Brewery around where the ship docks. Anyone been there? Its not a cheap tour, and I'll probably...

Don't pour your infected or destroyed beer out, burn it.. "It sounds too good to be true: A residential system that allows people to make fuel from old beer, leftover wine and other waste products and use it to run their vehicles." Backyard microrefinery turns liquid waste into ethanol...

I just mixed up a tablespoon of gelatin with a cup of water. Cooked it to 180F and cooled it down to add to my secondary. As I cooled it down to about 75F, it hardened to jello. I guess I should have added it much hotter to the secondary?

The first batch of beer I made, I did everything as perfect as a newbie could. While taking my first gravity reading, ended up breaking my hydrometer in the carboy... I couldn't take a chance, so I dumped the batch. I was so mad I had to go outside and cool off. There was an empty garbage can in...

I did my first mini mash last night and it went well I think with the exception of draining the tun. I used a 3 gal water jug and mashed with 3.5lbs of grain and 1.25 gal water. When I went to drain, the stainless braided hose kept clogging up to where nothing was coming out. I had to keep a...

I'm getting reading to do my first pm brew. They recommend using a grain bag for the mash. Can I use a paint strainer sock for it? I use them now when I pour my wort into the primary when I do my extract brews and they work well.