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Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

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  1. L

    can I store my pH electrode in StarSan?

    On the face of it it's exactly as you outlined. Saturated is saturated, it doesn't matter if you put it in 1g at a time or just dump it in until it stops dissolving. Here's a website that has a quick recipe, basically 10g KCl in 100mL of pH 4 buffer. There's also a mold inhibitor, that in the...
  2. L

    What grows in Michigan?

    This old growing manual says hops grow best around 35 degrees north. The actual requirements are 120 frost free days and 15 hours of sunlight. You can use this daylight calculator made by the navy to get a better idea of what to expect, but it will depend greatly on your specific lot. As an...
  3. L

    How do I properly use a knife sharpener?

    For $10-12 you can get a combo stone (100/300 grit) mentioned on page 1 and a piece of fine grained natural slate tile (~$1, +800 grit) and get a very good edge on your blades. Even if you factor in 2 hours learning how to use it you'll come out ahead (assuming your free time isn't worth more...
  4. L

    Slightly moldy raspberries - please advise

    As others have pointed out, you've already answered your own question: They're cheap, raw or frozen. Why risk one mold spore making it through your pastuerization process? You've got 2-6 hours and $+20 in grain/extract/hops put into this. Even if you kill 100% of the spores, what about off...
  5. L

    Cherry cycer questions

    Fill a PET pop bottle so you can check carbonation regularly. 3-4 days might be too long. I've only pasteurized once so my setup probably isn't optimized. I used a cooler to keep everything hot and it worked well enough. None of them turned into bottle bombs. Pappers put together a nice thread...
  6. L

    Partial Mash/Pot Size

    Small batch brewing is possible with any sized vessel. As to the minimum size worth it, that's a question only you can answer. Some people enjoy making 1 gallon batches others won't get out of bed for anything under 10 gallons. For rinsing grains use another 1.5-2 qts/lb. Or just don't rinse...
  7. L

    Swing tops, plastic gaskit, no carbonation?

    Many have had that experience. Swing-tops a bit finicky. Some common suggestions are: - Don't store them clamped shut - Wipe the bottle mouth and gasket prior to sanitizing to remove anything tha would interfere w/ the sea. - Don't store the gasket on the stopper - Flip the gasket over every...
  8. L

    Oxidation Question

    I would treat it like you would a bottle of wine. It should be fine for a couple days but it will probably taste better when you first open it. Since it's onle 1/2 gallon it shouldn't be too hard for 2 people to finish it before it goes bad. You could try only filling one this time and see how...
  9. L

    Screwing up lyrics- the game

    My friend lived in Germany for a while an apparently some of his co-workers misheard these lyrics "Analisa brown, Lisa brown / and the sky is grey, sky is grey" and couldn't understand what the Momma's and the Pappa's were talking about. Or our favorite to yell at bars when Bon Jovi comes on...
  10. L

    Sourcing honey...

    My LHBS also stocks a few varieties of honey (though at IMO reasonable prices), as does our local farmers/health food market. If you are willing to post it, a state/Metro area might help get you some local specific responses.
  11. L

    First bottle bomb

    Assuming you just overprimed the beer is fine. You'll probably get gushers out of the bottles that haven't blown yet so open them in a place where the mess will be contained. Throw them in the fridge (or outside) to cool down since gasses dissolve better in cold liquids. If you sanitize...
  12. L

    Specific..bacteria?

    I haven't read your previous thread but it sounds like there's some gap in your sanitation protocol. Environmental contamination is possible, but even open fermentation has a record of success. Review what you did right for your successes, or what other people have done. I'd also recommend...
  13. L

    Wort Chiller Woes

    You can use your bottling bucket to hold ice/water and just get it higher than your BK. Run the IC inlet to your bottling bucket and the other end into a drain or other vessel. You could also use a siphon set up if you don't have a bottling bucket. My understanding of that method is you dip...
  14. L

    Cider separating during secondary fermentation?

    Sounds like the pectins separated out sort of like what happens in keeving. http://www.piltoncider.com/cider/keeving or http://cidersupply.com/Linked%20Images/Main-Keeve.jpg show keeved cider.
  15. L

    1st Yeast Starter

    Just to clarify you want your starter to be 1.030-1.040 regardless* of the OG of the brew it's going into. Since you're trying to get more viable cells you want them to be nice and comfy. I couldn't tell if you were trying to have a 1.080 starter or just had the conversion from cups to quarts...
  16. L

    3 gallon batch in 6.5 gal bucket

    Primary fermentation will produce more than enough CO2 to blanket your beer. Plenty of historic beer was fermented un- or very loosely covered. Just don't rack to secondary in a large vessel and you'll be fine.
  17. L

    What is the correct formula for calculating abv?

    IMO for hobbyist purposes it doesn't particularly matter. Choosing one, or specifying the one you use is of more use. Both of these are estimates and as such not intended for any use beyond helping you make sure you don't accidentally get trashed on the strong stuff accidentally, or to help you...
  18. L

    Washing "stressed yeast"

    To a point. The downside is at higher temperatures they produce more esters that negatively affect flavor and aroma. Once you get into the mid-upper 80's and 90's the temperature affects the yeast health.
  19. L

    A little help please

    If you've got the time, the various 'sticky' threads here and on other brewing forums contain all of the information you need to get started. Beyond that there are some great beer blogs, podcasts, and Vlogs out there so you can read or watch someone else go through the process. There are...
  20. L

    Washing "stressed yeast"

    Are you willing to wager a brew session's worth of ingredients and time on a yeast that may give you bad beer? Unless it was some hard to get strain or you just wanted to practice your methods I wouldn't make the effort to save the yeast cake, but that's my attitude towards most yeast cakes...
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