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In April, I brewed a Wee Heavy, which was intended for Christmas presents this year. It was a big one--OG 1.100, FG 1.032. After a month in primary, I aged it for a couple weeks on oak chips, and I bottled it at the very end of May. I primed as I always do, but I did not add any additional...

I've got a backlog of hops, and I'm trying to use some of them up. I was thinking that an American IPA or a hop-bursted PA would be in order. I've never brewed an IPA before, so I was looking for some advice. I tend to like an IPA with a little more backbone than average and with tons of hop...

As a gift to my brother-in-law I'm trying to create a beer to his specifications. He's chosen a Butterscotch Porter, and here is the description that he has given me to work from: "I think going with the Butterscotch Porter would be fantastic. A nice creamy, heavy porter with a heavy...

I am announcing my brewing project for 2011--a year of Belgians. I got this idea from another post (which I can no longer find--anyone know where it is?). Over the course of this year, I'm going to brew a full line of Trappist-inspired beers: single, dubbel, tripel, quad. I'll brew the quad...

So, I've decided to try my hand at parti-gyle. I like that it is an historical technique, and it works out well for me, since I like to have a wide variety of beer on hand. I'm not 100% sure on the math--I've done the best I can based on Mosher's Radical Brewing and the wiki article here on...

I was thinking of some creative ways to use extra hops, and the thought came to me: could a beer be super malty and drenched in hop aroma and flavor? So, basically, I'd like to combine a very malty (though not necessarily super sweet) grain bill with a hop-burst technique (using lots of...

15 days ago I brewed a batch of Belgian pale ale. Today I took a hydrometer sample to see if it was ready to bottle. Tasting the sample, I could tell that something was definitely wrong with this batch. However, I can't quite put my finger on it, so I was hoping that you guys could help...

Vespers Abbey Dubbel 5.25 gallon batch 8 lb. Belgian Pilsner 2 lb. Munich (20 L) 0.5 lb. Caramunich 0.5 lb. Special B 1.5 lb. homemade candy syrup (deep amber - 290 degrees F) 1.5 oz. Tettnanger (3.2% AA) - first wort hop Yeast cultured from a bottle of Chimay red label. WL500 is a...

This is an interesting article about the three main "alcohol belts" in Europe, i.e. which nations have primarily a wine culture, a beer culture, and a distilled spirits culture. http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/442-distilled-geography-europes-alcohol-belts/

On Saturday, I brewed my very first all-grain batch. It was an English mild ale. Everything went pretty smoothly throughout, though I have lots of room for improvement. In particular, I need to get a propane burner because my stove could just barely get the wort to a boil. On the other hand...

I'm looking to get into all-grain this Christmas, and I'm looking for a good deal. I'd like to get something big enough that I don't have to worry about replacing my equipment down the road. Does this look like a good deal...

So, I made a batch of amber multi-grain ale, and I ended up with more water than I anticipated. It has now been in the fermenter for 10 days, and I took a hydrometer sample today. It has a nice, complex flavor, but I'm worried that it tastes a little thin and bit watery in the finish. The...

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before, but I didn't find it with the search function. I'm looking to get a lager setup, and so I need a refrigerator. My fermentation vessels are standard (6.5 gal - for 5 gal batches) ale pails. The dimensions are approximately 12" diameter and 18"...

I’m a newbie brewer, and I’m planning to brew an American Imperial IPA soon. I’ve devised my own recipe based on a handful of examples. For the hops, I have an unopened 1 lb. bag of Amarillo Gold (7.5% AAU) that I’m dying to try out. I don’t know exactly how to set up the hop schedule, but I...

With Christmas coming up, I'm looking to make a major upgrade of my brewing rig. Right now I make 5-gallon extract and partial mash (brew-in-a-bag) brews. For temperature control, all I have is a jury-rigged swamp cooler-ish set-up. My brew pot is 5 gallons, so I can't quite do a full boil...

I am set to brew tomorrow, and I want to make a Scottish 80/ ale. I'm going for a very malty flavor profile with a traditional Scottish yeast to add a hint of smokiness. This will be my very first partial mash, using the brew-in-a-bag technique. Chemnitz' 1580 Ale (5 gallons) Mini-mash at...

So, it's high time for me to start my Christmas brewing. I have a lovely yeast cake of WLP300 that will be ready to use once I bottle my Dunkelweizen, so I thought that I would make another German wheat - only a more warming version this time. I've boosted the strength to the lower end of the...

I was wondering if there would be any ill effect (i.e. oxidation) by fermenting a 3 gallon batch of IIPA in a fermenter bucket designed for a 5 gallon batch. Would it turn out alright? Also, with all of that extra headspace, would I still need a blow-off tube? I'm sure this is a naive...

So, I've got an extra packet of Saflager W-34/70 yeast (it's a long story), and I don't know what I'm going to do with it. What beers would be appropriate? Also, I don't have a refrigeration setup for lagers yet, so is it possible to use this yeast for a California Common or other...

I'm still a newbie brewer. My third batch (a Dunkelweizen) is boiling right now, and the scent is terrific. At any rate, I'm trying to choose what hops to buy in bulk, since there's a great sale on right now. Here's a few factors: 1. I think that 2-3 lbs. of hops would fit into my budget...