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When I open the bottle, half the contents foam out. What I can get into the glass has a bitter after taste and has more sediment than what went into the bottle. The longer the time in the bottle, the worse the result. This high intensity foam is almost always due to a bacterial infection. I...

Do not give up on this brew. Beer fermented at higher temps can produce fusel alcohols. Fusel alcohol can give the beer a harsh solvent like flavor. However, do not fear. Aging your beer can mellow these flavors. Aging may cause the alcohols to esterify and gibe the beer a banana like flavor...

What do you mean by fermentable sugar at the end of the boil? Are you asking about adding sugar to the boil? If that the case then none. Your fermentables are the sugars converted from the grains during the mash. You should not add any other fermentables to the boil other than that. ( specialty...

I think I'm planning on naming my brewery the splargery? Any thoughts?

ha. Yeah you are officially on blast. I thought about making a general post pleading for people to change the term completely to sparge. However, I didn't want to salt your wounds. Ha. All in good fun. I may be wrong but I believe Chimay is fermented in wooden barrels? Don't quote me on that...

I would like to formally announce to the HBT community that I will no longer be sparging when I brew. Instead I will be splarging. Based upon some very technical scientific research that is so top secret that I cannot explain it any further I have found that splarging instead is sparging I will...

Haha. Also I heard if you don't have any foam a mini sea monster like creatures swims around in the fermenting beer and feeds on the yeast? True story.

In many cases fusel alcohol will esterify during secondary fermentation. There is a much higher likelihood that the beer will have a banana flavor to it over the solvent like fusel flavor (at least after the beer has aged). Additionally I have had beers fermented in the summer at high temps...

I agree. However it sounds like you tube gold! Hope he records it!

The gravity should be a 4 digit # like 1.012 or something like that. Original gravities can be low like 1.035. Or higher than 1.100. Yours should be somewhere below 1.020. Check the hydrometer again and see what your gravity is. If you can't find it remember to look on the dipstick for that 4...

soap and detergents can have an effect on carbonation however this is typically only when barware is cleaned with them. Also the problem is usually not a lack of carbonation but a reduction in the foam head once the beer is poured into the glass. It is highly unlikely that a soapy residue in the...

Don't worry. It sounds like you racked the beer properly so there shouldn't bee to much oxygen exposure. Additionally while rinsing off the sanitizer was a mistake it seems you did not get a bacterial infection. In most cases tap water will not lead to infections. When I first started I was an...

I agree completely. Detailed note taking is incredibly important. It helps your to replicate what you did right and avoid mistakes in future batches. I have two notebooks full of notes from every brew I have done over the years. I still reference them all the time when I'm trying to replicate...

Haha. I can't disagree with you however be prepared to drink less than optimal beer.

Awesome! If your anything like most of us the first brew will bring a lot of questions. This forum is great for getting answers. Keep us updated! Welcome and good luck. Ryan

Ah. I was not considering DME when he said barley. You are correct. This is probably what his friend is using. I would still use the sugar. That's just me.

Definitely use bottling sugar. It will not add any sweetness to your final product as long as you allow sufficient time for it to be consumed by the yeast and you use the prescribed amount. I have never heard of using barley as a carbonation agent. The only way I could see it working is if you...

I have nothing Bad to say about recipes with multiple grains or hop varietals. In fact I encourage new brewers to seek out these kits to learn about how different ingredients interact to create great beers. I just encourage new brewers to stick to what's in the kit. Don't try to get super...

Don't worry about the process. Focus on the basics and you will make great beer. Once u started taking detailed notes on all my brews each batch improved. I was able to figure out what I did right and what I did wrong with each brew and track the results. If you focus in temperature, both...

That's great always like hearing from a local home brewer. I have been deployed for the last year so I have not been active in many clubs. However I will be home this month and will get right back into it. I will PM you some of the organizations that I like. Also are you a Brewmiester customer...