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Does anyone know of a source for calibration solutions (other than distilled water) for checking refractometer accuracy? Thanks!

I pitched WLP800 for my pilsner. Spun the yeast on my stir plate for 24 hours at about 62 degrees prior to pitching. OG is 1.034. Decanted 80% of the separated solution before pitching. Lifted the fermenter directly into my ferm chamber which maintains a steady 55 degrees. Never had this...

Does anyone know a good resource for how to easily re-install the spring clip that holds the valve in place of sanke keg? Thanks in advance!

Hello all< I recently acquired a stir plate WITH a heat plate combo. The heat plate can get VERY hot and I have a hard time controlling the heat setting so the solution is below 100 degrees F. I barely move the dial to the on position and the best I can hold a steady temp is at about 84 -...

I welcome members experiences and opinions on the benefits or pitfalls of using stir plates that also heat up? My basement brewery drops to 60 degrees during the winter months and that's where my future stir plate will do it's job. Has anyone used a hot/stir plate combo to keep ale yeast...

I went to the local LHBS to put together a recipe for 11 gallon batch of Imperial IPA. My intention was to use Dry Safale 05 exclusively but there were not enough packs in stock. Wyeast 1056 wet was suggested to supplement the yeast bill and I went along for the sake of learning something new...

Before pitching two dry packs of Danstar Nottingham I read the label for whatever information I never took notice of before. There is very little information on the tiny packet beyond premixing instructions with warm water, etc. On the Danstar website however there is a great deal of...

I'm experiencing a crazy fruit fly attack for the first time! Has anyone ever experienced this and what did you do about it? I have a home made trap as you can see, but I am hoping for answers on how to prevent it in the future! The brewery is in the basement and there are no other...

I know there are threads on this subject that go back to 2008 and I read a good many of them with all descriptions of processes and tips. I started out following the advice of others and loaded my whole cone Centennials on an old window screen, set another on top to make a hop/screen sandwich...

Hey all, Just wondering if anyone else is picking their hops grown in the SE PA now? My bines stopped growing in height and are LOADED with cones!

Hey all, I am not looking for the pros and cons of plastic vs. stainless equipment. The only factor making me decide to go with plastic is the extreme difference in cost. We are planning to ramp up to 30ish gallon fermenters and price-wise, plastic is the only option. That said, has anyone...

I have been using BeerSmith2 with good success. I built a recipe first identifying the style as German Pilsner. All the numbers looked good, and within acceptable range. However there was never instructions about proper fermentation! So frustrated!!!!!!!

I've researched Beer Smith, Brewers Friend and recently Beer Tools. I am seeking the simplest system for plugging in the basics of a recipe like batch size, all grain/extract/partial, intended ABV and general beer style. I want the recipe tool to suggest the basic ingredients/weights...

I know there are excellent charts and tables available that clearly spell out CO2 pressure according to the beer's temperature. I know there is the shake and roll method vs the set and forget. My question is how does the VOLUME of beer affect the PSI, temperature and length of time to...

We've been brewing and bottling for years. Started kegging about a year ago and will never go back! Don't get me wrong, we will still get out the capper for a few six packs with the Blichmann Beer Gun, but the bulk of the happy juice goes into the cornys. My question to the group is are you...

We brewed a 5 gallon batch on our single tier system with RIM. Started with about 7 gallons in the HLT to have sufficient sparge. Wound up with 5.75 gallons in the boil kettle at the start. Tossed in leaf hops (in a muslin hop sock) at 60 mins. Sent the hot wort through the chiller and...

Just looking for opinions and/or pros & cons. Should I buy an O2 tank or would an aquarium air pump deliver all the Oxygen yeast needs?

Where do you get your best price on Oxygen tanks in the Philly area?

Fellow Brewers: After quite a bit of research online we recently acquired a BM and completed our first full brew this past Saturday. I know our speed and efficiency will increase with every use. Overall, the engineering and design is impressive. The workmanship of every component is...

I am going all grain, all the time and have seen prices all over the spectrum for whole sacks both in stores and online. The shipping costs for online sales can almost equal the cost of the sack! Where do brewers in the Delaware Valley, Philly, New Jersey, Delaware area go for the best...