Search results

I'm just putting this out into the world as a lesson learned that may benefit somebody down the line. I use an electric BIAB system with a pump. Normally I recirculate during mashout and again while cooling (it's a lot easier to recirculate the wort over my immersion chiller than it is to...

That's interesting. Not too long ago right after I pulled the first pint of a pale ale, I decided the balance was off and added two ounces of dry hops (Simcoe) directly to the keg in one of those stainless steel canisters. I had another pint an hour later and there was clearly improved hop aroma...

Thanks, that's interesting. Regarding the spray nozzle, I generally don't worry much about hot side aeration for my ales, but I do think a lot about how much temperature is being lost through the pump and the spray. Even if I was able to maintain a more consistent temp reading from the...

Anybody out there using the Clawhammer 240v system? I bought the 10g version a few months ago and while I'm generally really pleased with it I'm having trouble maintaining a consistent mash temperature. Emmet at Clawhammer has been really helpful but I still can't get it dialed in nearly as much...

Just a quick note that Primo, at least the way I buy it, isn't RO (I buy the 5 gallon jugs at the grocery store and just swap out the jugs each time). The jugs advertise that the water is distilled, with "minerals added back for flavor" or something like that. I found a water report for it on...

That's exactly the descriptor I was looking for. It has definitely gotten better with age, but still not something I'm likely to brew with again.

So, I do a few brews with WLP007, and I can really get behind that strain. That being said, I definitely don't have a ton of experience with British yeasts. So do you think of 051 as an American yeast with British characteristics? The sulphur is what throws me off. And yeah, thanks - I can't...

I'm asking because I'm pretty sure I don't, but I'm curious as to others' thoughts on it. For me, it has a really distinct character that I can't put into words - something I also feel about Anchor beers in general - that I don't really care for. But on a whim I used it in a pale ale recipe and...

Ok, agreed. Forgot to mention in the last post, but I was worried about suck back.

I haven't brewed with that yeast but I do agree there have been some times I've had an off smell during or after fermentation that turned out to be no big deal. Also, with a real infection, I'd expect your gravity to be lower than 1.012 (although maybe there are types of infections that don't...

Think I just decided what I'm doing tonight. Here's it's 50 today, but will go down to around 27 tonight. So - hit it with gelatin, put it outside, rack it to keg tomorrow? (I wouldn't leave it outside all day tomorrow since it will warm back up to 55.) Here's another question - since I won't...

If I hadn't already spent so much money first on an IC and then on a plate chiller, I'd go this route too. Oh well.

Remember too that fermented beer is going to continue to off-gas as CO2 comes out of solution. That being said, since I have no experience with that yeast, at this point you just need to take a hydrometer sample and once you've measured it, taste it. I haven't had many truly infected batches but...

I used an immersion chiller with my electric system for quite awhile and never had a problem, besides the cluster**** caused in the kettle between the heating element, the IC, and the hop spider. It really is the simplest solution and as others have mentioned you have the ability to pump ice...

What are you making? If you were making something pretty robust in flavor I'd say you could get away with dumping your whole starter. Otherwise I wouldn't, and wouldn't recommend it generally, but I also know it sucks to lose a brew day. You could also just pitch something dry this go-round and...

You didn't mention if you're brewing extract or AG but I'm assuming extract in which case pH is not something you have to worry about unless you have very weird water. That being said, if you're brewing all grain this early, my first recommendation would be to brew extract, and my second would...

Mmmm. Do you think that would be good with WLP007, since that's what I tend to have on hand? Ironically, although cream ale isn't my favorite style, my cream ale is one of my all-around best beers and a crowd-pleaser for sure. I believe the trademark cream ale flavor is from some combination...

I'm very far from an expert on water chemistry which is exactly why I started buying distilled water and building my profiles from there. My water report didn't look a ton different than yours (although your bicarbonate is much higher). You can mess around with cutting it in half with distilled...

Do you have good results with multiple packs, or do you think a single pack with a starter is ultimately better? I've pitched two packs on a few occasions and still not reached my projected FG.

As a frequent user of White Labs yeast bought from my LHBS, here's my experience going from pitching straight from the packet to using starters, FWIW. As mentioned by others, a single packet of WL yeast is going to be under pitched for most beers. Even if it's a very fresh packet and technically...