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Regarding starters, how can you tell where they're at and what they're doing? I've made numerous starters. Usually in a 1.5 liter wine jug with the 1/2 cup of DME to pint of boiled and cooled water. I usually use 2-3 pints of water. I don't have a stir plate. I swirl manually as frequently as I...

I'm fermenting my first real high gravity brew, a belgian strong dark ale. I brewed on 1-1-11. OG was 1.115. Today, on 1-20-11, I'm at 1.070. Both carboys were rocking less than 24 hours after pitching with WLP500. I'm just wondering what sort of behavior is typical for brews of this...

My almost pumpkin ale (no canned available for me either) fermented down a bit farther than expected. 1.054 down to 1.003. I was working on a yeast cake of WLP001 and was fermenting in my reasonably cool basement wtih the carboys in a tub iof water that had ice added twice daily. I was...

I started some apfelwein in early March. OG=1.054 ( Surprisingly low as I followed the recipe). When I checked a couple of weeks ago the SG was just under 1.000. However, I am still seeing bubbles rising to the top, albeit very slowly. This is my first experience with wine yeast (one...

It's my first winter with a kegerator out in the garage and I'm concerned about freezing. The garage is detached and not insulated. I live in cleveand, so it will see some single digit temps before spring. I've read about people adding a light bulb. I'm thining it makes sense to bypass the...

It seems that the Perlick's are the hands down favorites on this board. I'm compiling my Christmas list and hoping that Santa thinks I've been nice. I'm aware of the Perlick 425, 525, and 575 options. I've seen talk of Ventmatic or Shirron that also seem to have been seat forward designs, but...

I received my first pounds of hops from Puterbaugh. Now I'm trying to decide how to break them down for freezing. I don't need any of them right away and they're currently in the original packaging in my fridge. My dilemma stems from the fact that I haven't frozen hops before and I'm...

The regulator I have (free CL acquisition), came with a bent set screw. I've used it successfully for a few brews. The bend in the screw allows me to turn the pressure up to around 15 psi. At 15, the bend keeps me from turning it further. I'd like to be able to go to higher pressures to...

I'm doing my Winter Warmer/Christmas Ale Saturday afternoon. I'm making some slight modifications to a couple of recipes I've found. Minor changes to the grain bill, adding some ginger, and switching from lemon peels to orange zest, changes I'm not overly concerned with (although feedback on how...

I'm doing my Winter Warmer/Christmas Ale Saturday afternoon. I'm making some slight modifications to a couple of recipes I've found. Minor changes to the grain bill, adding some ginger, and switching from lemon peels to orange zest, changes I'm not overly concerned with (although feedback on how...

I'm doing my Winter Warmer/Christmas Ale tomorrow. I'm making some slight modifications to a couple of recipes I've found. Minor changes to the grain bill, adding some ginger, and switching from lemon peels to orange zest, changes I'm not overly concerned with (although feedback on how much...

I did 10 gallons of an AG pale ale on Sunday. Towards the end of my boil I realized that my two vials of yeast (White Labs 001) were still in the fridge. The label says to take them out 3-6 hours ahead of time. There was a pitcher of warm water sitting there, so I threw them in to speed the...

I've pulled together most of the bigger stuff throught gifts, CL, freecycling, and a few purchases. I'd like to wrap it up and purchase the rest of the stuff I'll need to brew and keg. I plan on a 3 tier gravity setup. I've got a place to put everything for that. Take a look below and see if...

Why does everyone seem to attach their keezer collar to the lid? I imagine there's a good reason, but I haven't figured it out. It would seem that it could be attached to the base. This would make lifting the lid much easier as you wouldn't have to raise the weight of the collar and if taps...

I'm putting together my first brew rig and I'm looking for some advice. I'd like to be able to comfortably brew 10 gallon batches in a 3 tier gravity system. I have a regular short and wide 48 quart cooler I'd like to use for my HLT as the drain plug is broken, so it already has limited use as...

I snagged a free kegerator (converted standard fridge) on Craigslist. The fridge didn't work, but I got a CO2 tank, regulator, ball tap, door mount faucet, and the associated hosing. Then I snagged a free working fridge on Craigslist. To start, it seems that getting things converted will...

As someone just coming into brewing, I'm trying to get a handle on costs (and justify things to SWMBO). What are some estimates of what it costs to generate a 5 gallon batch of beer? I'm only interested in consumables such as propane, grains or extract, hops, finings, and yeast. Let's...

I've been thinking about the false bottoms at the bottom of the mash tun and was wondering if anyone has ever tried using what would amount to a giant coffee filter between the mash tun and brew kettle. Do you see any reasons this would work to improve things or cause problems? I don't have...

I'm about to make my first brew and have a question before buying ingredients. When at the Homebrew Suppyly Store I see malt extract syrup and malt extract powder. When my recipe is calling for X pounds of malt extract is it refering to syrup or powder?