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My last batch of steam beer made with 2112 is a little more intense flavored than the Anchor Steam Beer. It's like the flavor profile of the yeast is exaggerated, stronger flavored then the commercially produced beer, and the flavors and aromas are definitely fruity as opposed to spicy. I used...

I always stir my IC. It decreases the chill time from 20-25 min to 12 min. I have a cheap home-made IC, the copper tube is probably too thin, but it's long, and it's a real messy coil, but I use it to stir the cooling wort and it works great. It takes about 10 gallons of cold tap water to...

I have always transferred my chilled wort from the boiling pot to the carbouy with a siphon, leaving a pint or two of trub and hops sludge behind. Lately though I have been pouring the chilled wort through a funnel lined with a mesh bag. It seems to airate the wort very well, and when the bag...

My last two batches I fly-sparged with boiling water and had the best sparges I have ever had. I'm sure hotter sparges are better sparges. My efficiency was way up, close to 90%, according to beer calculus, and not even a hint of slowing down or getting stuck.

I do a single step infusion mash and I usually hit a temperature of 152-156 and my beers end up a little sweet for my taste. So, I'm trying a mash at 148 today. How low can I go and still get full starch conversion? I know I have to mash longer at lower temperatures, but how low is too low...

I've read many threads about yeast starters, and they all say pretty much the same thing, but what I am wondering is what would be the difference in flavor between a batch made with a yeast starter and a batch made with just an Activator pack? Without just saying "it's better", what are the...

I read somewhere that it's best to crush the day before, or in another room or outside, because of the barley dust that gets in the air. From what I understand there may be bacteria on the grains, and if the dust settles in your wort during or after chilling, it could infect your batch. I...

Frambozen, a scoop of raspberries in the secondary. Apricot ale, some dried apricots in the secondary. Why not some sun dried tomatoes in the secondary? (Not the ones soaked in olive oil, the dry ones.) They called the Wright brothers carzy once too.

Thanks to Yuri and Carnevoodoo for pointing out my misguided comment about throwing away dry yeast. If I hod proof-read my submission I might have made the distinction between Fermentis US-05 and the packet that comes in the lid of the extract kits. When I started using good yeast and improved...

In my opinion, the first key to making good beer from extract is to throw away the packet of dried yeast and use a liquid yeast from White Labs or Wyeast. The yeast has as much to do with the flavour as anything else. The taste difference between re-hydrated malt extract and homemade all grain...

I've use a wyeast 2112 that was 7 months old that I bought from Expert Brewers discount section, I smacked it about 12 hours before using it, I should have done it 3 days before though, it wasn't even close to activating. I didn't make a starter, and even though it hadn't puffed up at all, I...

I finally made a MLT out of a 5 gallon Igloo drink cooler and a 9" SS false bottom and attemped my first real fly sparge. It stuck badly after 4 quarts of recirculation and 4 quarts of run-off. The grain bed was completely compacted, like a 8" thick concrete disc. I use a Corona grain mill...

Congrats!, I also had a near perfect brew day on Saturday. But, it was my first time fly sparging with my stainless steel domed false bottom in my 5 gallon igloo, and after recirculating 4 quarts and running off about 4 more into my boil pot, the grain bed compacted and I had a stuck sparge. I...

A question for anyone who uses a 5 gallon round cooler with a 9" stainless steel domed false bottom as a mash-lauter tun: I know this is a common all-grain brewing equipment configuration, but what is the best way to mix the grains and hot water? Do you put the water in first and slowly add...

I just brewed a California Lager (wyeast 2112) that was 7 1/2 months old, I should have smacked it 3 days pefore pitching, but I didn't, and I should have made a starter, but I didn't. I just pitched it before it was ready. Three days later it finally took off, and it really took off...

What was the longest you have waited for your yeast to take off after pitching? I brewed on Saturday, and it was Tuesday night befor the yeast finally started to go. I had a 7 1/2 month old pouch of Wyeast activator, I only gave it 6 hours after smacking, I should have gave it three days and...

Hello, I'm an avid all-grain brewer in Victoria BC, I use very simple and minimal equipment, I use very basic recipies and procedures, and I try to make my beer as authentic as possible. Lately I have been brewing California Common and Pale Ale. I Like the California Common because it's a...