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I am getting a new oak barrel later this week. I have seen a gazillion posts about aging in used liquor or wine barrels, but I haven't come across much in regards to new oak barrels. I am sure in various areas these questions have been asked and answered, but I haven't been able to find them...

I went to tap my keg and found out my beer froze. It's been outside in sub-freezing temps in the garage, but I thought it would be fine. I went to tap the keg today and was shocked to found out the entire keg of beer was frozen. It wasn't frozen lines, as I had no lines connected. I am...

I hate that it's impossible to find a decent Pilsner. I picked up a 6 pack last night for 9 bucks. I got home saw it was months past its exp date but figured whatever. How did it taste? You know that first bodiless ipa you ever made. About the only appeal was the aroma. Yep it tasted like a...

I've been home brewing for about 4 years now, and I have completely hit the wall. How do you guys keep it exciting and interesting? I just bottled an IPA tonight and the thought of the rigors of another batch of beer just does not excite me. What do you gentlemen do when you hit the wall?

My wife needs some funny saying, toasts or whatever to throw in a wedding card for some beer drinkers. What are some of your best ones. Try not to be too cheesy please.

After making a recent Belgian Wit...more like a Belgian Vinegar, I've been feeling a little down on my brewing. I went back to uber basics. I went above and beyond being anal about sanitation, pitching and fermentation temps and I have two absolute gems going now. I have a robust porter which...

I want to save some Hefeweizen yeast in a preform (the thing White Labs) sells their yeast in. Can I just take some wort during fermentation and put it in the preform and chill it? Will this save me enough yeast? Is there something wrong with this incredibly simple procedure?

I usually go from Dec until May barely even thinking about brewing. Right now, though, my obsession is in full kick. Even though summer brewing can be a chore, I find this is the time of year I just love hammering out batch after batch. What time of year are you most active. I'm sure...

I have on hand the following yeasts: Wyeast 1214 Abbey White Labs 575 Belgian Ale Blend White Labs 500 Trappist I am interested in doing a 10 gallon batch and splitting fermentations into (1) 5-gallon batch and (2) 2.5 gallon batches. Last year I made a killer Belgian blonde and am...

The wife told me she'll give me $7 a batch if I stop storing mason jars of yeast in the fridge. I love the idea of saving yeast and having whatever I want on hand, but LHBS has a decent selection and I had to take her up on the offer. It's actually been a relief even though each time I clean...

Do you guys do this? If you do, how do you approach is mathematically? I've on occasion added malto-dextrine to add body, but that math is pretty simple because it doesn't ferment. Say I have 2.5 gallons of extract based beer that finishes @ 1.018 and I wanted it more like 1.010 would it be...

I made this recipe in 2011 and mashed @ 151 and I think it came out a bit sweet. This year I plan to mash @ 148, and there only other difference is I am not cold crashing in secondary to avoid the necessity of a bottling yeast. I also no longer have a fridge for cold crashing. For a 2.5...

I've been into craft beers for three years now. I used to go to local beer store and be pretty comfortable selecting what I wanted to drink that weekend. Then I got into brewing and made the vast majority of the beer I drank. Recently I've been visiting beer stores because I haven't had time...

I cannot find it anywhere any longer. This is driving me insane. Do they not distribute it much?

I brew pretty infrequently right now, so much of my cheap tubing I plan to just replace each batch now. Except I don't want to spend $20 each batch on a new auto-syphon. How do you guys go about cleaning that thing?

I just got one of these on craiglist and it needs some TLC. What would be the least abrasive method of cleaning a wooden beer crate?

I live in Buffalo and I have a detached garage. In the spring when the air gets warmer than the ground there is always a layer of condensation on the ground. I store lawn equipment in it as well. I have a clean dry basement, but I brew near the garage. Am I best off to just keep lugging...

I don't know if it's technically an infection or not, but my latest witbier has a cidery taste to it. It's undrinkable. This was my first batch in months, so that means it's been almost 10 months since I brewed a successful beer. Guys, I need some pick-me-ups. My poor sanitation habits...

Here is my current schedule: 5 days @ 52F 2 days d-rest @ 64F Rack off yeast 3-4 weeks @ 35F Then I want to bottle. Now what I'm thinking is to use a itty-bitty amount of yeast saved from primary fermentation for a bottling yeast, and I am bottling with pilsner DME (about 7oz for ~50...

I will be bottling a witbier/saison blend in a couple weeks. It's currently lagering, so a bottling yeast is a must. I also used wyeast 3944 (belgian witbier) and wyeast 3711 (french saison) in fermentation. The available ones I have on hand are the witbier, and a blend of the two I got...