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Has anyone used the Mr. Beer keg to carb the beer in? Just save it in there for a party where it'll go in one night? Thoughts?

I can't answer all of your questions, but from my experience higher fermentation temperatures have resulted in FAR worse issues in the beer than lower temperatures have. Liquid takes much longer to change temperature than air so I doubt your temporary maximum air temp of 73 has any negative...

Will do, thanks for the help/encouragement! Its incredibly clear already. Looks similar to how anchor steam does in the bottles. As for the taste we'll see... :)

I may have been a little overzealous, and I brewed an Oktoberfest Lager without having the exact means of cooling the lager. I used Saflager W/34 –70, and it fermented around 62 degrees for 4 weeks. Then making room in the extra fridge I put the carboy inside and it dropped to 36 degrees in...

The "fruity" beer reminds me of my early/green beers. For me it was a combination of the temperature being too high during fermentation and bottling too early. More specifically I found the high fermentation temperature resulted in the fruity taste and the early bottling taste was more of a...

I made this Porter kit and added vanilla beans...it was the most 'popular' brew I've made to date. It'd be great for early-winter...I soaked 3 vanilla beans in brandy for 1 week and added to the secondary fermentor for 10-days. Next time I'd add them just 3-5 days before bottling. Good luck...

I am not nearly experienced as many of the other members, but in this case it looks like you bring the water up to 160 degrees and then begin your mash. Your mash is obviously significantly cooler than the heated water and has a substantial volume so it brings down the water temperature when...

Is anyone familiar with the regulations regarding selling a brew kit? Not necessarily grown by me, but just formulated, purchased wholesale and produced/marketed by me. Just looking for a place to start reading, my own web-searching is coming up empty. Thanks

I used 2 1/2 vanilla beans in a porter. Soaked in brandy for 7 days, put in the secondary for 10 days and then bottled. It was delicious, but next time I will only have them in the secondary 3-5 days. Good luck

I shaved some dark and milk chocolate into the grains in my grain bag, and then steep'd it all into the wort. It was a recipe for a porter and it was the best beer I've made so far! I wouldn't think it would be good in a lighter beer but anything spiced, porter, stout or just not too hoppy I...

I just made the kit I listed below from Northern Brewer as part of SWMBO's birthday gift because she loves Breckenridge Vanilla porter. In addition I soaked 3 split vanilla beans in brandy for 7 days and added then to the carboy for 10 days before bottling. It sat for about 6 weeks total...

Yea this is a good reasonable suggestion. Also, I agree with Goose Island and Revolution. Map Room isn't a brewery but they have the biggest beer list in the city...it's insane. Several of the places you listed are pretty far away and if you're staying near Navy-Pier traffic is going to crush...

Yea Beersmith is worth every penny. However on brewday I love my dry-erase board! I'm still relatively new to all of this so I love having everything written out in HUGE front of me and it's easy to add/remove/check-mark and organize things quickly and you definitively won't forget anything...

I'd keep your beer on the bottom-shelf if you can, or even the floor. A cheap silicone or rubber mat on the floor of the closet will help regulate temperature swings throughout the day if you're able to keep the beer low. The ambient temperature of my bathroom closet in the summer swings from...

This happened to me on two batches and the cider flavor greatly started to diminish around 3 weeks in the bottle and then a minimum of 2-3 days in the fridge. Also, my temperatures when this happened were 78-80 degree's and I've been a lot happier with the beer in the basement at around 65 in...

This sounds great for winter, I'm going to look into this!!!

Thanks for the quick response! I will probably sanitize them in whiskey or rum for sure. I have vanilla extract, but I bought some pods because I read several people say "they have better flavor". I've read a lot about adding them to the secondary too, so I will probably do that. Anyways...

What I have fermenting 2lbs Rahr 2-row 1lbs Flaked Wheat 1lbs Chocolate Wheat 0.5 lbs Caramel Wheat 6lbs Wheat Malt Syrup 1oz Summit 1oz Cascade 1oz Centennial US-05 I've made this Porter for my long-time girlfriends 30th birthday coming up in August. She loves Breckenridge's...

I'll be doing the Midnight Beatdown Wheaten Porter tomorrow, hoping it will be ready for SWMBO birthday in late August!

I've been ordering from Northern Brewer or sometimes I just let google shopping find the cheapest grain I'm looking for. It is on average an extra 15-20 cents per pound to have it crushed... that's like 10-15% of the grain cost just to crush it. Anyways, my girlfriend already has a Vitamix...