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That is really interesting, although I wonder how hard it would have been to plumb steam from the corny and used it as a steam generator for heating a mash/wort? Get two of those suckers focused on it and see what happens!

One last post: I would like to show the world the fearsome science that Fionnbharr prostrates himself before. BEHOLD! The "unscientific" calculation: (1.06-1.05) * 131.25 = 6.565% =~ 6.6% The "scientific" calculation, where EtOHm= molar mass of ethanol, CO2m = molar mass of CO2, and EtOHd =...

I hear ya. I have had others pretty happy with my results but never been satisfied myself. I used the vodka soaking method probably 3 times and every time I have been able to taste some strange compounds(I don't know what to call them, tannins? phenols? burnt rubber?) in the finished product. I...

Hear hear! I mean really, does understanding the exact method for figuring out your ABV really make you a better brewer? No, not really. I know some awesome brewers that never even take measurements after fermentation. It's not about the science, it's about the process. Sure, science can help...

Psh... no way dude. That would settle the argument. It's way more fun to talk out your ass.

Thats one thing about using vodka that sucks too: if you use the cheap stuff, you get nasty flavors. But using top shelf seems like a waste. I don't even like vodka but for the price I'd rather drink it than use it in a beer.

That was another thing I forgot to mention, depending on the vessel you used to soak the beans, you could have gotten some plastic-ness off of it. I used glass cups before for a chocolate stout, but they had plastic tops and I got some flavors off the plastic from the alcohol vapor. I really...

There is very little positive pressure coming from a starter vessel if it is loosely capped. It wouldn't be enough to stop diffusion from happening if there is any sort of turbulence. A stir plate actually does help introduce oxygen, though two events: 1) it creates a turbulence of air above...

and the short explanation of THAT is that we are converting sugar to ethanol and CO2... sugar being the 'difference in gravities' we measured. We are of course assuming that nothing but pure ethanol and CO2 are being produced, and that we are only converting from sucrose, but it gets you really...

I'm guessing it comes from the mass of ethanol/ the mass of CO2 times the density of ethanol (46.069/44.01*.789). That gives you ~1.326 which, if you want an output that is 100 times the actual number (i.e., 9 '%' instead of .09) would be 132.6. It's not exactly correct still though, since the...

Please don't think that I'm treating you like an idiot (because the reality is I'm the idiot and I have no idea what's causing the phenols) but have you considered it might be the extraction method of the vanilla? On the next one you might try adding the beans to the primary after most of the...

cold liquids are more slightly more dense. Try to do all your gravity readings at the same temp.

Vanilla should not automatically lead to phenolic flavors. What kind of vanilla did you use the first time (extract/whole beans/other) and how did you add it to the beer (secondary/vodka extracted/other)? What kind of yeast did you use? Sometimes it can be caused by the yeast, or the temps at...

JB weld is pretty amazing stuff. I saw it used once to repair a high vacuum leak. It worked and held vacuum at under 1.0e-6 torr range.

Well, I'm personally more worried about all that anti-matter reacting with matter and creating a vacuum. And you know what happens when you create a vacuum, right? Yep, loss of gravity. (if that doesn't make sense to you, think about what happens in space!) And when we lose gravity, we get...

It doesn't look normal to me, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong. Just keep an eye on the mass at the top, if it grows its probably infected. But it could just be cold break. I've not seen it look like that before, but who knows? It will probably turn out fine.

Yeah, especially considering the 10L is darker than the 4-6 SRM you'd be shooting for in the style! Its pretty common not to use any specialty grains in this style, or if you're looking for a Duvel clone.

I don't think he was really trying to say that, besides didn't he start his post with this: Then again, he said this too: Personally, if we are excluding homebrewed beer, I really like PBR. It's a far cry from top shelf, but it tastes good cold. Actually I like that it's cheap. Makes...