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So I've made a few batches of Apfelwein before, but never anything I'd really call a cider. For my first attempt I'd like to try an English-style cider. What I have: Wyeast Cider Yeast Carboys Things I need: Apple juice/cider (sadly no access to orchards, but any grocery store varieties...

Planning my summer batch of hefe - for this beer I want to keep it more traditional with nice hop flavor and aroma (nothing too crazy, IBU <20... just thought some citrusy hops would add a nice flavor for summer days). 5 Gallon Batch All-grain OG: 1.051 IBU: 15 SRM 6.8 5.8# German...

Anyone know if this blend is designed to be pitched in primary and then left on the lees (like Roselare) or if one would get better results pitching a clean yeast first and then using 665 to sour? My other thought was to pitch a vial of 665 alone with one vial of clean yeast to ensure that I get...

I'm planning to start my first sour (woohoo!) next weekend, but wanted to check with everybody here to figure out the best plan/logistics for the aging process. I'm using the Flemish Ale Blend and plan to pitch that vial for the "primary" fermentation and leave it on the lees until the pellicle...

Since I'm still a poor/cheap student, I decided that making posters based on old beer labels would be cheaper/more fun for apartment decorations than other options. On the other hand, I know almost nothing about graphic design but decided to investigate the Adobe Illustrator free trial. This is...

I brewed up a wit today, and it seems that my efficiency was straight up terrible - projected OG was 1.050 and I ended up with 1.032, which worked out to a 45% efficiency. Normally I'm getting around 75-80% with my system, so I'm puzzled. Recipe/mash details below, any help would be great...

So I've been playing around with the idea of making a wit but replacing the orange peel and coriander with grapefruit zest (plus a bit of rind to add some of the bitterness you'd get from orange peel) and peppercorns (green, red, and black ones). The major goal is to produce a wit with more...

I bottled a Belgian Pale Ale last night, and the gravity sample was... interesting. I had taken a sample 2 weeks into fermentation and it was great - everything was in balance, no off flavors, and generally shaping up to be a great batch. However, yesterday (3 weeks post pitching) it was totally...

I'm planning on making a rye pale ale this weekend and have been reading that step mashes help decrease the gumminess and add to the body, particularly with rye/wheat. Will be using 80% 2-row and 20% rye and adding water by infusion to a rubbermaid MLT with a manifold. Here's the current plan...

My first all grain batch is mostly done fermenting (10 days in the bucket, waiting three more days for it to clean up before I bottle), but I'm a bit concerned that the FG has gotten too low. Relevant details: Grain bill: 5.5# pils, 5.5# white wheat Mash temp: Aimed for 152, may have...

After trying a great Rye Pale Ale at my LHBS, I got inspired to try my hand at designing a recipe for one. It's my first attempt at this, so be gentle... any feedback is much appreciated. I'm looking for something easy drinking with nice hop and rye character, but nothing over the top on...

Quick question about ideal duration in primary for a hefe - 2 weeks or 3 weeks (normally I let my brews sit in the primary for 3 weeks and then bottle)? Obviously will not bottle at 2 weeks if fermentation isn't done/FG not stable over 72 hours. If fermentation is done, is hefe a style that...

I'm planning on my first AG batch tomorrow (hefeweizen) and felt the need to make the prerequiste "Am I doing this right?" thread. Technical Stuff 11 pounds grain (half wheat, half pilsner) Desired mash temp: 152 deg F Mash H2O:grain ratio: 1.25 qt/lb MLT: 10 gallon rubbermaid My...

So I'm starting the process of making the jump to all grain and am starting to get my materials together. I decided to make an MLT out of a 10 gallon round rubbermaid (mostly do 5 gal batches but wanted to option to switch to high gravity 5 gal and 10 gal in the future) using a copper manifold...

I've been fermenting a wit for 3 weeks now and it's got a really stubborn kraeusen - there's still some foam/kraeusen left on the top even tho the SG has been stable at 1.008-1.010 for the past 2 days. Sample tastes great and I'd like to get it into bottles soon - is it OK to rack from under the...

Anyone have a recipe for this? It's also known as "Neuer Suesse" and I've only ever seen it in the wine-growing regions of Germany (mostly in Southern Wurttemberg and the Rhein/Main region). The best way I can describe it is a sparkling, half-fermented grape juice. I realize that that sounds...

I'm planning to use the AHS Anniversary Wit (http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12916) mini-mash for my next batch. I have a few questions about the process as I've never done a Witbier before. Would it be OK to add 0.5 lb of Honey Malt to this recipe or would that make...

I've had my beer in bottles for 8 days now and went down to go check on them. There appear to be small, round, white dots right where the beer line is on some of the bottles. They look for the life of me like tiny little bacterial cultures (about 1-2mm in diameter). They aren't present in all...

I made up an APA yesterday, and thinking back on the recipe the "steep" didn't make much sense. Specialty grains were as follows: 1.0 lb Pale malt 0.5 lb Honey malt 0.5 lb Aroma malt (used Cara-Aroma...) 0.5 lb Crystal 60L The recipe recommended steeping at 170 deg F for 30 minutes. Did...

So I made up my second batch yesterday and decided to try for an IPA this time around. I'd like to try a dry hop with 1.5 oz of Cascade and had a few questions on when to rack to secondary - should I have any problems if I follow the 1-2-3 rule or is it better to leave it in the primary for 2...