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I'm planning to brew a gose (OG 1.040) this weekend using S-05 and WLP677 (L. delbrueckii). I made a 1 gallon starter with 8oz malt extract (1.020) on Saturday night and have been keeping it warm in a double boiler-type setup in my brew kettle on the stove. There was no activity on Sunday...

Hey all, I'm returning to the hobby after a 2-year hiatus due to dietary changes and a new, less brew-friendly apartment. I'm re-introducing beer because, well, I want it, and I'm looking for a solution to the apartment situation. I do 5.5 gallon all-grain batches (batch sparge) using a...

North Carolina banned Everclear as of yesterday. I've never once used it but I'm pretty annoyed, as I'd been considering it for making limoncello, among other things. Kind of makes me want to start producing it at home... The main concern is with college students and binge drinking. They...

Hey folks, I'm midway through building a collar for my keezer, and I'm having trouble finding a good rubber seal. My collar is attached to the lid, and I used 2x10" pressure treated wood. I'd really like to find a two-inch wide strip of rubber seal to put on the bottom of the collar. What...

Hey folks. I'm doing a double decoction for an Altbier right now, and I started to wonder how efficiency can be reasonably good. My thoughts: I'm boiling a decent portion of the grain and thereby denaturing the enzymes. About a third of the mash isn't there for most of the saccharification...

So, my buddy wanted me to brew him a belgian wit for his birthday. I, being a bit stubborn and not wanting so much to conform to that style, decided I'd make one at a much higher gravity than is typical and leave out the coriander, orange, etc. (They can stick an orange slice in the glass if...

Hey guys. I just got my Arduino Duamilanove in the mail, and I've put together a few temperature probes using thermistors to monitor fermentation temperatures. I'm in the process of building a probe in which to put a more accurate LM34 sensor for monitoring mash temperatures. The design for...

Hey guys, I'm sure this has been answered before, but I'm wondering if there's a good way to roughly estimate the total volume of the mash (grain and water). I'm planning on brewing this RIS: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/chocolate-espresso-stout-40754/ and probably add 1 lb of 2-row to...

Hey guys. I just brewed a porter today and I tried several new things to improve my efficiency. I've been hovering around 65% for the past few batches. This time, I did a thinner mash (2qt/lb) for 75 min instead of 60 min. I also used Primo water (www.primowater.com) from the grocery store...

Fuller's uses brown malt, which to my knowledge isn't available to me, as 12% of the grist (according to a number of sources I found via searching). I used a combination of Victory and Roasted Barley to try to come close to what brown malt might be... For 5.5 gallons into the fermentor: 8...

Hey guys, I brewed an oatmeal stout from a kit from Midwest. I'm tasting it after a few days in the keg, and I'm getting a sort of burnt caramel taste and can't decide where it's coming from. To be clear, it's not an "off" flavor; I've tasted it in several commercial brews, namely Duck...

I just got 3lb of hops from HopsDirect. I'm making an IPA, and it's my first recipe. I have Magnum, Cascade, and Willamette. My spreadsheet is calculating estimated OG 1.064, at 70% efficiency, which seems high. 10 lb 2-row 2 lb Vienna .5 lb Crystal 60L Mash @ 152 1 oz Magnum @ 60...

Hey guys. I just got my first water bill in my first apartment. It seems extremely high, and I'm wondering if it's my brewing or if there might be some other sort of problem. The bill lists my usage as 4380 over 26 days. Sewer usage $24.80 Water usage $34.97 Total $59.77...

On Friday I brewed my first all-grain batch: a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. The Recipe: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Recipe ::: Brew365 - Homebrewing Recipes and Articles 10 lb 2-row pale malt 1.25 lb crystal 60L 1/3 oz. – Magnum – 60 min. 1/2 oz. – Perle – 30 min. 1 oz. – Cascade – 10 min...

Hey guys. I'm doing partial boils since my electric stove doesn't have enough power to boil a full five gallons. I've seen people who use something similar to a water heater's heating element to help boil water for beer. I'm wondering if something similar would give me the push I need to do a...

My dad and I just shared a Xingu Black Beer from a bottle. He'd had it before and liked it, and I hadn't tried it before. It had what can only be described as a green apple taste. I was surprised to find this in a commercial beer. To my knowledge, it's not a bottle-conditioned beer, which...

Hey everyone. I'm from Chapel Hill, NC and am planning to do my first batch within the next week. I have a few questions before I begin, though. I got all my equipment (except for a 30qt kettle) second hand, including some canned extract kits. I'm planning to use one of the kits for this...