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Finally decided to up my fermentation game and go from a swamp cooler to a dual stage temperature controller. Built the one here: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pimp-my-system/build-temperature-controller/ But with the itc-1000 instead of the stc-1000. And my Danby mini fridge came...

I'm tired of bottling and want to move to kegging. And I know that you can fill some bottles from the keg and cap them, for easy sharing. BUT, I also have this thing where I'm brewing the same beer every year and storing some, for 18 years. And I'm concerned that beer that has been kegged...

I made the decision before she was born to brew the same Belgian dark strong (1.100 OG) each year for her birthday, and store enough bottles to try 18 years worth on her 18th birthday. Last week was her 1st birthday, and a great reminder that I needed to get back to brewing! I had moved in...

So, I made my annual batch of cider, but unlike last year I forwent the campden tablets. Initially my cider tasted fine, but the longer it sits (batch aging), the more vinegary it is getting. Now, I know that can be welcome (a la Duchesse de Bourgogne), but I doubt anyone wants to drink apple...

So I generally brew 5 gallon batches, so losing 0.4% of my batch to take a sample doesn't bother me overmuch. But it got me thinking, for people that brew smaller batches, couldn't you take a smaller sample, dilute it with a liquid of known SG (say.... water), measure the SG, and then divide by...

I thought I'd share my Rubaeus clone, with credit to this thread for ideas: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=481039 "Ruby Slipper Raspberry Wheat" OG: 1.062 FG: 1.009 ABV: 7.0% 3# Belgian Pils 3# Torrified Wheat 4oz Munich 4# Wheat DME (55% wheat, 45% barley) 1oz...

I made a big oatmeal stout. When I transferred it to secondary, I bottled the little bit that wouldn't fit in the secondary container. Then after secondary, I bottled the rest, along with some bourbon infusions with cacao nibs, vanilla, and coffee. I tried the "no additions" one the other...

I've never had these in a starter before, so I don't want to pitch this yeast if it's infected. What say you HBT, infection or yeast?

I haven't made a lot of IPAs, though I do understand some of the nuances of hop contributions at different times. I tend toward simple, but I'm trying to (vaguely) replicate a delicious IPA from Witch's Hat Brewery (Train Hopper, for those playing along at home). Toward that end, is this a...

I'm getting ready to brew a beer to commemorate the birth of my daughter. I want it to be something that will age well, so I can drink one each year on her birthday, and hopefully share it with her when she's older. I'm a little concerned it will finish too sweet, but welcome all input: "Nora...

For those of you that do small(er than normal) batches, what do you ferment in? I like bucket fermenters because they're easy to clean and block light, but all I'm seeing are 1 gallon, and 5+ gallon buckets.

So for the first time, I filled a 1 liter ex-tonic water bottle with beer so that I could tell how conditioning is coming. I did this because it's a big RIS that was in primary and secondary for an extended period of time (added some fresh yeast at bottling though). My question is, now that...

If oxygen is the enemy of beer, what would happen if you boiled your finished beer? Obviously you'd have to force carb or pitch more yeast, but beyond that, what would happen? It should drive off oxygen, right? I want to do an experiment with a split batch. Batch one is normal, batch two is...

I like Vienna Lagers, and I kind of think a similar malt bill would work well with a pumpkin ale. I was thinking something like 66% Vienna, 20% Munich, 14% 2-row, 1 ounce of Mt. Hood FWH, 4 pounds of roasted pumpkin in the mash, pumpkin pie spice*, and a clean ale yeast like WLP001 or US-05...

I'm aging a Russian imperial stout for a couple of months in secondary. Does it really matter what temperature I keep it at this point? It's currently sitting in a closet at about 75F.

We all have our challenges, and one of mine is getting my wort down to pitching temp. I can get it down to about 75F in a reasonable amount of time (20 minutes or so), but from there it seems to take exponentially longer. So I tend to call it good enough and siphon my wort through a double...

So I soaked 4 oz. of cocoa nibs in 6 ounces of bourbon for five days (along with 1.5 vanilla beans, cut and scraped). I strained it through a coffee filter today, and it smells awesome, but it is SUPER bitter (and I'm a hop head), almost astringent. I'm hesitant to add it to the RIS I have in...

I brewed an imperial stout last night and forgot the 30 minute hop additions (0.5 oz each of Amarillo and Centennial). I remembered the 1 oz of Centennial FWH and the 0.5 oz each of Amarillo and Centennial at flameout. According to BeerSmith, it's the difference between 33 and 54 IBUs. What do...

I ended up with more wort than anticipated. I put ~6 gallons @ 1.078 in a 6.5 gallon bucket, with a blowoff tube. That corresponds to maybe 2 inches of head room. How worried should I be?

I brewed a Kölsch and went out of my way to get it as clear as possible (given certain time requirements). I used a teaspoon of Irish moss. It sat in primary for 10 days, then secondary for a week. It then went into a temp. control chamber at 40F for three weeks. About four days before bottling...