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Unfortunately, my 3rd batch turned into another foul concoction . . . I’m convinced it’s the tap water at my apartment complex (used only to sanititze along with iodopher). It comes out brown at first (rust) and tastes awful, but there’s really no getting around using it to sanitize. So, I...

I'm on my third brew, and all three fermentations have stalled. I'm taking measures to help prevent that in the future (regulating temp, using starters, etc). This current one is a Belgium Dubbel Ale. It's OG was 1.064, and I re-pitched some champagne yeast at 1.030 (don't know where it's...

Do any of you have experience with this tool? What must the room temperature be for the brew belt to maintain a constant temperature? I put it on my primary last night. It jumpstarted my stalled fermentation, but the temp of my wort (measured with the "sticky thermometer" on the outside...

Any suggestions on an effective cleaning solution? It wasn't a bad boilover, only a few tablespoons. But I elected not to move my pot to clean it right away, so now it's fried onto my stovetop, and vigorous scrubbing doesn't seem to phase it. I need something harsh to get this up!

I have brewed two beers now, both of which tasted awesome on bottling day. Unfortunately, they have never tasted that good again. There’s something wrong with my bottling process that is ruining my beer! I think the culprit is chlorine. For my first batch, I sterilized my beers with bleach...

My dry irish stout has been in the bottles for about 10 days now. It's carbonated just fine. But the taste is not that great. I realize it's early in the process . . . isn't a stout supposed to taste weird for a few months? It doesn't taste medicinal, it really tastes . . . well, I guess...

I bottled my dry Irish Stout last night. I can see why beer makes you so fat . . . it was like murky oil as I siphoned it into the bottling bucket. Then I remembered the 6 lbs. of malt extract I put in the boil . . . pure sugar! I think I’ll be able to have more patience to condition and...

Brewing an Irish Dry Stout . . . fermentation is stalled out at 1.024 SG, target is 1.014 - 1.008. Any suggestions? It's been the same SG for at least 4 days.

Brewing an Irish Dry Stout. When I poured my wort into the primary, I never mixed it up to aerate it after I topped it off. My original SG was 1.033, but I think that is because the reading was taken from the top of the bucket, which I think had an unrepresentative sample since I never mixed...

I bought my brewkit for my dry Irish stout at a brew supply store that assembles your kit for you from bulk quantities of ingredients. I don't have information on what the specific is supposed to be before I bottle. My recipe says that it should start at 1.044. My measurement in the primary...

Brewed my irish dry stout last night, woke up this morning pleased to see that it was actively fermenting . . . the airlock was bubbling. But now at the end of the first day in the primary . . . no bubbles? The temperature hasn't really varied, it's about 72 degrees. Should I be concerned...

My yeast packet says "sprinkle on top of the wort and leave to ferment, no need to rehydrate." Do I simply sprinkle it on top, or do I mix it in vigorously? The brand is Muntons Premium Gold Active Brewing Yeast. Thank you!

I'm travelling for the holidays this year, and would like to bring some of my homebrews. Is there any legal issues with bringing a 12-pack of beer on a plane? I imagine you'd have to keep it in your carry-on luggage or the bottles would break.

I love the idea of making labels for my beer . . . but is it more trouble then it’s worth? I can see myself scrubbing the outside of a bottle trying to get all of the adhesive off to re-use the bottle. What are your thoughts/experiences?

I owned a kit a few years ago, but left it in the Midwest when I moved to CA. I brewed only twice, the first of which was awful and the second was decent (I can barely remember the styles of beers . . . both amber ales I think). I started looking into some local homebrew shops in the LA area...

Do any of you brew enough where you no longer buy a kit, but simply brew from raw ingredients that you buy in bulk? It seems to me that making beer from a kit is not cheaper than buying the beer already finished (although I know that the fun of it is making it). I'd be interested in hearing...