Search results

My biggest complaint about my homebrew is its inability to retain hop flavor/aroma. Almost all of my beers are APAs, IPAs, or ambers, and they all focus primarily on the hops. I know these are supposed to be enjoyed young, but the flavor in mine fades in a matter of days. I keg and force...

I'm curious how folks have experimented with various candi sugar syrups in their pale/amber ales. Most of the recipes I see candi syrup in are Belgians, but I'm curious what others have experimented with. I've made KingBrianI's Caramel Amber Ale twice now and it's still my wife's favorite...

I'm thinking about brewing an American wheat since they're light and refreshing. The neighbors and I have gotten in to a habit of having an after workout refresher most afternoons and I figured a wheat would hit the spot. I was thinking about using... 60-70% pale malt ??? 30-40% wheat .5#...

I got my hands on about 40 pounds of pears and figured I'd try my hand at some graff with it. I juiced about 30 pounds last night and ended up with 2 gallons. I plan to mix this with another 2 gallons of store bought apple juice when I make the batch. I won't be able to make it for 3 more...

So I'm messing around in my garage the other day when my 4 yr old son strolls up on his scooter and says... Son: Dad, do the bear song? Me: What do you mean? Son: Sing the bear song! How do you do it? Me: I'm not sure what you mean. What song? Son: DAD!!! SING THE BEAR SONG...

I'd like to try top cropping with the WLP001 I'm using now. It has a nice creamy krausen that I could easily scoop off the top, but the White Labs website doesn't say anything about top cropping for it like it does other strains. I've been getting around 82% attenuation and am thinking about...

I got rave reviews when I brewed a batch of Centennial Blonde a few months ago, so I decided to brew another batch. I know it's not supposed to be particularly hoppy, but I figured I'd add in a bit more late addition hops (3 minute and flameout) and see what difference it made. I let it...

I'd like to buy a vial of WLP001 for my next batch, but I'd like to stretch it out for 4 or 5 batches. Rather than top cropping or washing yeast from the first batch, can I just: - Make a large starter with stir-plate and nutrient. - Then maybe crash cool it for a day and decant a bit. -...

I bought a pound of tettnanger a while back and have used a little here and there with recipes I've found here on HBT. I'd like to brew something that will really show off what it's adding to the game. I'd like to make something with only that hop so I don't confuse which hop is contributing...

First off, I don't know beans about electronics. As part one of my DIY stir plate attempt, I connected a DC power supply directly to an old computer fan as I've seen done here in several threads. Runs like a champ. I planned on getting a DC rheostat from Radio-shack to control the speed, but...

When is the best time to purchase bulk hops in relation to harvest? I'd like to buy a few pounds, but I want to make sure they're somewhat fresh when I buy them. If I buy now, am I likely to get 2009 hops or 2010? Thanks in advance!

I added a pound of lactose to a chocolate stout when I racked it to a keg a few days back. I pulled a sample yesterday just to taste, and it had a huge amount of lactose in the bottom. I'm wondering if I need to rack it again to try and exclude the bottom layer that didn't dissolve, but I...

I don't know how cocoa powder affects gravity, but my OG was 1.053, and I got the same 1.023 reading after 6 days and again at day 10. (I even rocked the fermenter at day 6 to maybe rouse the yeast a bit.) I added the cocoa at the end of the boil, so all hydrometer readings have included the...

I saved the dregs from 3 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottles, flamed the lip, and pitched them into a sanitized flask. Last time I brewed BMs Centennial Blonde, I made an extra gallon and pressure canned it in pint size canning jars. I added about 3 ounces from one of those and have been...

The wife and I tried a Koningshoeven Tripel the other night and really liked it. Anybody know what yeast strain this uses, or if it can be bottle harvested? I'd prefer buying the strain if possible, but I definitely want to get the yeast right since it plays such a huge roll. If anybody's...

With the rain we've had lately, it looks like we're going to have a plentiful crop of Agarita berries. I've never used them for jelly or wine, but got interested last year talking to a co-worker. I didn't even know what they were, but now I see 'em everywhere. I found a couple recipes here...

I've got 2 plastic 5 gallon water jugs like you refill at the grocery store. I just got some RO water from my neighbor for cutting my brewing water. I just finished a batch today and I'm wondering if I need to do anything special to the extra 10 gallons he gave me to store it for next time...

I bought a pound of cascade and a pound of Chinook (both whole hops) a while back and I'm trying to come up with ways to use them while they're still fresh. I'd like to make a pale ale similar to Edwort's Pale Ale recipe, but with more hoppy flavor and aroma. I read that Chinook can have a...

I've heard a couple Jamil podcasts where he mentions testing carbonation levels each day to dial in just the right amount of CO2 for a certain beer. I'd like to do that, but now I'm wondering how this works. Say you set the regulator to 12 psi and each day it's absorbing more and more. The...

Well, I've searched the site and can't seem to find specifics on parts numbers etc. for making a lexan lid like the one used in this thread. I've got the lid made with lexan and a seal that I'm currently using directly over the hole cut-out of a Sanke keg that I'm fermenting in. I'd like to...