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I brewed a Blonde Ale yesterday and since I had some Nottingham yeast available, I decided to use it instead of my usual liquid yeasts. According to their website, this yeast exhibits lager like qualities when fermented at low temperatures which would be ideal for a Blonde Ale. So, I decided to...

I just lost a full CO2 tank after swapping out my 15 lb steel tank with an Aluminum 5 lb tank. The regulator says to use no washer, since there is a built-in O-ring. Can I use the white CO2 washers for this or do I need to replace it with the proper O-ring? If so, should I remove the O-ring...

I have a set of 3 stainless steel brew kettles for sale. Two are 10 gallons and one is 8 gallons. The 8 gallon one has a false bottom and was used as a mash tun. The other two were used for HLT and boil kettle. I upgraded to a 10 gallon system so no longer have a need for these. All have SS...

I brewed an Oktoberfest this weekend using Beersmith 3. It assumes a certain alpha content. When I went to add the hops, I realized the alpha content was vastly different than what the software assumed. 3.8% vs 5.0% and 1.8% vs 4.5%!!! I usually check this before brewing, but I messed up and...

Hi all, I'm looking to try my hand at doing a Brut IPA and I'm looking for some guidelines. BeerSmith 3 doesn't include this style as an option. So, I'm using Specialty IPA as the style. Here's what I have as a recipe so far: Brut IPA (5.5 gallon batch) --------------------------- Est SG...

I recently discovered a new LHBS that carries Omega yeast. I see there is an Omega Saisonstein's Monster OYL-500 yeast which is supposed to be a hybrid of both the French and Belgian strains. Has anyone used this yeast? Id' like to give it a try, but I don't want to risk a 10 gallon batch on...

I just bought myself a (FoodSaver FM2435) Vacuum Sealer as an early Christmas present. I plan on using it for long term storage of hops and grains--as well as general kitchen use--since I have lots of small quantities of hops in ZipLoc bags in my freezer and lots of small quantities of specialty...

I've been brewing forever (decades) and never had this issue. I'm doing a Belgian Tripel tomorrow and made my starter this morning. I smacked my Wyeast 3787 yeast pack this morning and nothing seems to be happening. The pack is not swelling after 9+ hours. My LHBS is usually very good and keep...

I got my new SS Brewtech Brew Bucket on Friday and immediately put it to use on Saturday with a Saison. I thought I'd share my impressions so far. I ordered this directly from SS Brewtech on Sunday and it arrived in 5 days. First off, the quality of this fermenter is very high. The inside and...

Hi all, I used to have my CO2 tank inside my keezer, but now I moved it outside. So, I'm a little worried that someone will topple it over when accessing my Perlick beer faucets. I have 5, 10 and 15 lb tanks. Does anyone have plans for building a stand to keep the CO2 tanks upright? Or, can...

I know this isn't a pure Oktoberfest beer, but I need an ale version of this recipe that will be ready in about 5 weeks for a friend. Can anyone share a Oktoberfest Ale recipe?

I have 4 kegs in a keezer in my garage that use picnic taps to dispense beer. I've used picnic taps for various reasons, but mainly because I don't drink every night and I want to make sure the beer, lines, and taps all stay cold. Unfortunately, I've had two instances where a guest has poured...

I've had my kegerator for years (on my second one) using picnic taps to dispense my homebrew. I decided to use picnic taps since I don't drink beer everyday and I felt that this way everything is kept cold and clean including the taps and the lines. However, I've had two occasions now where...

Having vast experience (decades) with brewing all-grain ales, I've finally decided to do a lager for the first time. In fact, I want to brew 2 lagers on the same day since it saves me time. So, I decided upon a Munich Helles and German Pilsner. Here's the recipes. Munich Helles 10 lbs German...

I screwed up again! I brewed an American Wheat Ale and a Blonde Ale last weekend and was intending on keeping the temperature at 60F for the first week to get a very clean profile. Unfortunately, I set my temperature to 20C which I thought to myself, at the time, that is 60F. Of course, 20C is...

Hi all, I'm heading to both Burlington and Stowe VT and I'm looking for brewery recommendations. Thanks!

I decided to take the refractometer plunge so I can better monitor mash gravity, end of sparge gravity, pre-boil gravity, etc. I did some looking around the Internet and came up with these 3 possible contenders: Ade Advanced Optics (4.4 stars)...

Just when I thought I had my HERMS system down solid, I made a mistake. I was planning on mashing my Koslch at 150F for 90 minutes. I set my temperature to 158F knowing I get about an 8F drop. So, I add my grist and got to 150F on the button. BUT...I forgot to lower the temp immediately. The...

I've looked and reviewed a lot of threads here regarding storing malt and grain for long term storage. There seems to be no definitive solution. I've looked at Lowe's for a solution. Of course, the food safe buckets aren't available locally, but the lids are. I may still go this route since...

All, In another thread, I mentioned I was changing out my CO2 lines and manifolds for all new ones since it's been about 5 years since installation. I had two 2-way manifolds bolted together to feed my 4 kegs. I wanted to replace it with a proper 4-way manifold and use one of the 2-way...