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Hi gang. I made a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout clone from AHS back in January. About three weeks in primary. Since then, it's been sitting in secondary for about two months now. What do you think about bottling now? Or would you age a beer like this for a bit longer before bottling (where...

Hi gang. I've been reading threads on Wit brewing and was just wondering about whether a couple layers of cheesecloth would sufficiently contain the coriander and orange zest so that they can be removed after steeping @ flameout? The nylon mesh bag I have isn't fine enough mesh, and I don't...

Hey gang. I'm going to be making a wit with wlp400. This is the first time that I'll be making a belgian and the first time that I try to coax significant flavor from the yeast. Usually, I use more neutral strains and ferment low and clean. So I'm not certain about the best temperature for...

Hi gang--I'm working on my first big-ish beer, AHS Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (mini-mash). I have a couple questions that I'd appreciate your thoughts on. OG was 1.09, right on target. I stepped up to and pitched a 4L starter (WLP001), and fermentation went nicely at about 66-68*F...

The other day I saw a little fruit fly buzzing around the lid of my bucket. Not too worried, everything is pretty well sealed up I think, but it did get me wondering...what shot does acetobacter have at taking hold during a vigorous primary fermentation? I can see how it would find the brew...

I'm getting ready to brew the BK Black Chocolate Stout clone kit from AHS. I've built up a nice starter the past couple days and would like to brew/pitch tomorrow. The problem is, with this cold snap, my usually ideal basement conditions where I ferment are now a touch cold--about 55 *F. I...

Quick question--is it safe to cap a 750ML beer bottle with a bottle cap or am I asking for trouble if I don't use cork during conditioning for these guys? My capper will do it, but there's a small voice inside me that says, "Stop. Step away from the big bottle." Cap or no cap? thanks, AK

I know there have been a few posts about metallic aftertastes and what Palmer says about them, but it seems like there hasn't been a consistent answer (besides Palmer's) about what might cause them. I brewed my first batch around the end of May--a True Brew American Wheat kit. Now, It had...

So I had to leave town suddenly and left my fermenting bucket in my swamp cooler. This was after about a week of pitching the yeast and it looked like the main event was over anyhow, so I mostly left it in the water to protect it from wild temperature swings, not so much because I was worried...

Would you say that after 3-4 days in a swamp cooler, it's okay to remove my primary fermenter from it? My basement is usually around 68*F. I used a swamp cooler this time because I was using notty for the first time and wanted to keep it under control in case the yeast went crazy (kept it...

So I'm going to be doing my second batch tonight--I'll be doing Brandon O's Graff. I've never used Nottingham yeast before, but in reading the various threads about it, it seems like some people get some pretty volatile fermentations with them. I'm going to be fermenting 5 gallons in a...

I've got cloudy tubes. I racked and bottled a while back for the first time. Then left everything in the bottling bucket with some PBW solution to clean everything up. I didn't get around to rinsing everything for a couple days. I noticed that now my tubing is a bit cloudy. Is this bad...

Hi all, I was just curious whether a high abv beer like an Imperial Stout would stand up better to possible oxidation than a lower abv beer, when being aged in bottles? I'm still new, and I think my final summer batch will be an RIS, which I'd like to age for a few months to have in the...

Hi all, I know there are tons of threads on bottle cleaning, and I read through many of them. I just wanted to ask a specific question and verify a no-bottle-brush technique to see if you all think it's fine. I'm using new bottles, but by now they're a bit dusty, cobwebs, etc. I figure...

Hi all, I'm still new to this, and have been meaning to get a baster/wine thief. Until I do though, I've been taking samples from my primary prior to taking hydrometer readings. I've been doing this with a sanitized measuring cup so far. I was just wondering if there was a quick way to...

had my first batch in the fermenter for a week as of yesterday. decided to take a gravity reading just now. i was sure that i must have done something wrong, that this wouldn't possibly turn into beer. but, sure enough--the gravity is nearing the FG mentioned in the kit (true brew...

Hi all, I'm very new to homebrewing (first batch still in primary), but really enjoy reading the forums and books to relax and de-stress, etc. I did a quick search through the forums and couldn't readily find a thread related to people's favorite homebrew blogs, but sorry if this has already...

Hi all, I just started my first brew on Sunday (an American wheat from one of those 'True Brew' kits). Everything went pretty well during the boil, though it didn't cool as fast as I was hoping in the water bath. I guess if it comes out, it might be a bit hazy, which I'm fine with for a...