Search results

Check out Gruit if you have a hard time finding hops. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruit

What temperature are you serving at?

Oxyclean will impart the metallic taste especially if it wasn't rinsed thoroughly. When cleaning your rinse water should always be hotter than the treated cleaning water.

Have you read any of the threads on brewing or picked up book? No offense but out of all the questions you've asked it seems to me that you don't want to actually understand the process you just want to do it. There are a ton of great threads and processes you can follow, I know they've been...

So let me get this right: You put the whole can of extract still in the can into boiling water? In a separate pot you boiled water. Added both to the bucket and put all of the fermentables in there. Topped off with Cold water, stirred a little bit and pitched the Yeast.

Can you give us an Detailed outline of the process you followed from Beginning to End of your brew day?

It's still fermenting. Let it go.

Beer is sitting at 14% ABV...it'll take awhile to mellow out to where I want it.

Dude, you are posting all over the boards the same questions. Have you read anything?

I stir throughout my mash and my beers end up clear. It seems to me that you aren't vorlaufing enough and thats why you're still getting grains in the BK. Also, make sure the False bottom is stuck to the bottom, sometimes it'll lift up and cause a big mess.

To pre-heat your Tun simply use your mash volume. Preheat to about 175/180, dump into MLT. Let rest for 10 mins to stabilize. If still too hot, stir to reach strike temp(around 165-160). Dough-in wait 10 more mins take temp and adjust if necessary.

I shrink wrap 1 rare earth magnet and use a hop sock. I then use the other rare earth on the outside to hold it in place. by rare earth, I mean HD magnets.

I agree...8oz is more than the little jars they come in.

I calibrated mine with the water I use to brew. 1) Drew a sample for my hydrometer and took a reading. 2) used same sample for refractometer. 3) entered into beersmith for calibration. If you're going to use it for the FG you need the OG to account for the alcohol. It will always be off...

False Bottoms are fickle when it comes to draining rates. Sounds to me you compacted your grain bed and gravity locked the FB. Stirring helps but can cause clarity issues. In the future slowly open the drain and never run it full-bore.

You have no bittering addition at all so right off the bat you don't have any bitterness in the beer. This accounts for depth in the beer. You also mashed at 152 which produces a pretty high fermentable wort. So now you have a beer with no bitterness, and low levels of residual maltiness...

For your first AG i'd keep it simple and just try to mash at one temp. All your infusions are going to make it difficult to get a good read on your system. Using methods like this right out of the gate are going to make it difficult to diagnose any sort of efficiency/process issues if/when...

Beer is sitting in Tertiary now for the last few months. It looks delicious. I think I'll wind up racking to keg in March and naturally carb it so I can store it long term in the keg and bottle off it when necessary. I'm missing some of the oakiness so I'll probably wind up adding more oak...

Congrats on taking the first steps. There is a great group of guys in Morris County and a local supply store as well. NJ Hopz East meets every 2nd Thursday of the Month at Cask and Kettle Home Brew in Boonton. Feel Free to PM me for any info or help. -Mike