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About a month and a half ago I cooked up an Irish Blonde. While the wort was boiling, I reached for my bottle of Clorox and it was bone dry. I decided, "What the hell! I'm always talking about how sanitizing is taken to extremes and here's a chance to show, once again, that I'm right." And...

I got my start with a Coopers homebrewery kit and cut my teeth on their ingredients packages. I really enjoyed them whenever I made them but I eventually moved up to buying the kits made by Williams and Northern Brewer. A couple of weeks ago, I suppose for reasons of nostalgia, I decided to...

I've got a batch of Kolsch coming to fruition in about two more weeks and while out in my garage the other night I had a brainstorm. I've got this huge Igloo 94 quart ice chest sitting out there and I was thinking of setting the bottles in there, packing them in ice and letting them lager in...

I got started in homebrewing because my wife bought me a cheap little beer making kit at a department store as a Christmas gift. I had told her that my dad used to make beer and so she thought it would be a great "nostalgic" gift. Since then I've gone absolutely nuts with my beer brewing...

I spent about $70.00 (with shipping) on the ingredients for a Belgian strong ale. Primaried for three weeks. Secondaried for three weeks. Was bottling up tonight and was happy as a lark. Was transferring to my bottling bucket and prepping my priming sugar at the same time. As I turned from...

My first brew using a yeast starter. This is a picture of the fermentation bucket after ten days. I've never had a brew this aggressive! I'm a born-again "yeast starter" advocate!!

Although I've done quite a few batches of beer, this last batch was the first time I ever used a yeast starter. It's a Belgian Strong Ale and had an SG of 1082. The first 24 hours this thing went like mad. The airlock was literally boiling and the krausen blew the airlock apart. Over the...

Well, I finally went and did it. I made a yeast starter for my latest batch of beer and I can honestly say that I've never seen a more vigorous fermentation. I pitched the yeast less than twelve hours ago and my airlock isn't just bubbling.....it's boiling! It's like three bubbles per second...

I love Belgian Ales and especially Chimay. I think it is one of the best Belgians I've ever tried. So naturally, when I got the chance to see a documentary on the Trappist monks that make it, I tuned in. I was very shocked to hear the brewmaster at the monastery say that they ferment in...

Just wanted to say "hello" to all on the forum. I live in the San Francisco bay area and I've been brewing beer off and on for the past twenty years and just recently got into mead making. Really having a great time with the mead. It requires less initial effort than beer but the end-game...