Search results

I brew with 100% RO water. I like it because it works with all styles of beer. It does mean that you have to have water software (i.e. Brun' Water) so that you can predict mash pH and flavor ions. Be sure that the RO system you buy has a charcoal filter. That will remove the chlorine...

I got these from a metal fabricator in town. Any welding shop would have scrap also.

Some guys don't even read the post. I have a feeler gauge. It wasn't working well - that was the point.

I missed my target OG on a recent brew and wondered if my grain mill gap had moved. As I trolled these precincts though I concluded that it was because I didn't change the gap in my mill to account for the smaller size of Wheat. Anyway, it got me to thinking about a better way to set the gap...

Improperly stored grains can cause a metallic taste, but the most common reason is using inferior/wrong vessels for brewing. Well that and high iron water.

I just can never get motivated to come up with something clever - it seems like a waste of time. So mine is: Yakima Sheriff's Office radio #191. It as always been available, so its my go-to screen name.

Check out Alpha Analytics. They are a division of Hop Union. They absolutely work with homebrewers. http://www.hopunion.com/28_BeerTesting.cfm?p5=open Steve

I recommend finding a local homebrewing club. Watch someone brew a batch, ask questions. Buy one of the 'How to Brew' books. Read it as you are accumulating brewing gear. Good luck and welcome to the obsession!

I've been a pastor of 3 Free Methodist churches for 23 years. FMs are far more legalistic about this than are UMs. A couple of thoughts: Times have changed considerably. I'll bet the percentage of people that would have a problem with it are a small minority. I don't broadcast it. It...

I like where you are going with this. It is how I approach IPA's whether imperial or not. The only thing I would question is whether you are accomplishing anything with all the late additions. Some more experienced brewers may argue with me on this point but my thinking is that hops do two...

To your first question, no. You can have everything else in line and you'll come out with a stout, but not a sweet stout. Ditto above on adding the lactose at 10-15 minutes left in the boil. Depending on how sweet you want it, 1 lb. is a good starting point. Steve

Both are in the aroma hop category. Hersbrucker is lower in Alpha Acids (1.5-4%) so, you may need to add less Hallertau (3-5.5%). Hallertau is a bit higher in oil (.7-1.3) versus (.5-1). Both are described as having a fine noble aroma. I'm sure you are fine. Steve

Do you keg or bottle? I recently did a Coffee & Cream Milk Stout. For it, I ground 8 oz. of beans and filled a french coffee press with the grounds and cold water. I let this sit overnight. Cold is important so you don't extract tannins and other bitterness. After fermentation was complete...

I recently brewed a Coffee & Cream Milk Stout. I used 8 oz. of cold pressed coffee. It is about right for my taste. I'm thinking about trying Starbucks Via. It is just pure coffee, but so finely ground that it acts like instant. I think it would be an easy way to add coffee to a brew...

Yeah, there are some trade-offs re: dry-hopping. The idea with tossing the pellets in as primary fermentation is subsiding is that the yeast will use up any oxygen that is introduced along with the pellets. Adding them after primary as mentioned is to avoid losing aroma. For me, the...

Well, in terms of the hopping profile, it looks like a fairly average IPA in terms of the taste of bitterness, but seems a little light on flavor and aroma additions. Remember that hops contribute two very different things Alpha Acids which really just contribute bitterness, and Oils, which...

So from one bad-at-math psych major to another, buy Beersmith software. It does all the calculating for you! Steve

You didn't mention what you target flavor description was so it is hard to very much of the recipe as I/we don't know where you are trying to go. But the only thing that seems not right to me is the dry hopping seems quite light. Usually a minimum is two oz., but most use 4.

One of the most common reasons for a band-aid taste is chlorine in the brewing water.

Thank you!