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Hi all, I've been away from brewing for a couple years, and have just gotten back into it and have a couple questions. First, I missed checking the final gravity on a batch I just bottled (an DME kit oatmeal stout). Can I open one of the new bottles and check it still or am I out of luck...

Hi all, I'm ready to bottle my third batch ever, and my first lager. I have read on here how a lot of people use a third or a half of a packet of dry yeast in the bottling bucket to aid in carbonating the bottles. Can it be ANY yeast? I have an ale yeast from a different kit, and I was...

Hi all, I'm still pretty new to brewing, having only bottled my second batch (Oktoberfest) about a month ago, so I'm not sure if this is normal or not. I opened the first couple bottles last week to try the brew after it had been conditioning for a few weeks. I poured the beer into pre-chilled...

Hi All, is an Oktoberfest an ale or a lager; or can it be either?

Hi all, here's a theoretical question, but something that will likely happen to me at some point. When boiling on the turkey fryer, what happens if I misjudge the amount of propane and run out in the middle of the boil? Will it hurt the batch if I just run to get a new tank, and finish the boil...

I have my first lager batch lagering in my fridge, at a tempurature of about 40 degrees. I have another lager kit I'd like to start on, but my question is this... If I do my second lager batch, will it harm the batch already in the fridge if, when it comes time to ferment the second batch in...

Does anyone know how tall Negra Modelo bottles are? I have a cabinet that I want to use to condition my bottled beer in. This cabinet has a drawer that is too shallow for traditional 12 oz. bottles. I'm wondering if Negra Modelo bottles are shorter. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm brewing my first lager, and started the d-rest a few days ago at 1019 gravity, I just checked it and it's at 1012, which is what the recipe calls for (1012-1014). Do I need check it again in two days to see if it's gotten any lower, or should I put it in the lagering fridge now?

Hi All, I brewed my first lager last Saturday, and it's been in the lagering fridge since Sunday afternoon, happily bubbling away out of the airlock. If I understand correctly, I need to start my d-rest when it's fermented 75%. My SG was 1.040 (missed the target 1044-1048), and the FG...

Hi all, I brewed a Schwarzwald Black Lager kit early yesterday from a Midwest kit. I followed the kit directions carefully, as well as the directions from the vial of yeast, a White Labs liquid yeast WLP830, which is a German Lager Yeast. According to the instructions on the yeast vial, the...

Okay, this may seem odd, but I was told not to start a boil when cooking with hot water. The reasoning is because as you run hot water through the tap the heat allows the water to pick up impurities from the plumbing. Does anyone know if this is valid, at least in terms of brewing beer? I'm...

Hi all, It appears the agressive fermentation is over on my Oktoberfest, which I have in a five gallon carboy. The gas being emitted is very much reduced. Should I take the blow-off tube and put on a traditional air lock? Also, and this not really related, but for all those turkey fryer...

Hi all, This is the second batch I did, and the first batch where my kit had both a can of LME and two bags of DME. My first batch was just two cans of LME. Anyway, this time I wanted to try something different and ferment in my carboy with a blow-off tube. Everything went well, I was...

Hi all, This topic covers both "Beginners" and "Extract"... I'm starting my next batch tomorrow. It's a True Brew Oktoberfest, with some grain, LME, DME, Hops, and dry yeast. I read through the directions and they conflict with what I've read in other posts or seen on youtube. So I'm...

Hi all, I'm slowly drinking through my first batch of beer, and I'm hoping to save some. How long can you keep bottled beer before it starts to taste funny? Right now it's been in the bottles about 4 weeks, at around 66 degrees in a dark environment. It's an Imprial Stout from a Muntons...

Hi all, if I have a blow-off tube, can I ferment a five gallon batch in a six gallon carboy?

Hi All, There is some equipment I need to purchase before my second batch, and wanted to know if this is a well-recommended auto-siphon from Austin Homebrew. Does anyone use this and recommend it? It's the 3/8ths version. Also, I'm combining other items with my order to take...

Hi All, I'm about to start bottling my first batch of beer, and was hoping someone could confirm my steps. 1. Clean and sanitize bottles and other equipment 2. Boil 3/4 cup of corn sugar in about 1 pint of water 3. Add this corn sugar water to the racking bucket 4. Rack the beer from...

Hi all, I'm brand new home brewing; I just bought my equipment and materials from a LHBS last week, and am almost ready to transfer the concoction from the bucket fermenter to the carboy fermenter. The mix that came with the kit was a Imperial Stout syrup, so it was pretty basic. My goal...