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I had planned on brewing a few days back and purchased my RO water for the brew. Unfortunately things did not go as planned, and I will be brewing this weekend instead. I assume there's no ill effects to letting the water sit in covered 5-gallon plastic buckets given that it's only been a few...

I purchased a smack pack of Wyeast Czech Pils 2278 and made my 3L starter per usual. I noticed that the pack did not fully expand like it usually does, but my LHBS said it was a slow starter and would eventually come around. After 24 hours there was no activity. After 36 hours there was some...

I have 10 foot lines which have worked very well for me in the past (with most kegs). I have a collar with the shanks running through it. I keep my keezer at 34F because I lager my pilsners in the keezer as well and like to keep it closer to 32F. I think I will replace the o-rings on this...

I was wondering if anybody can offer suggestions as to why some of my kegs turn out really foamy and others do not. I have a Czech Pilsner on right now that started out foamy, and the tap continues to deposit 1/3-1/2 a pint full of head into the glass. My method of carbonation is the slow...

We are in the early stages of figuring out our start-up costs, but the number one goal is to keep costs very low during this first stage of business. This endeavor will unfold in multiple steps, with the first step being the nanobrewery stage where we brew on a 1.5-3 barrel system, save on rent...

My brother and I are starting up a Kansas City nanobrewery specializing in German beers. We have developed a logo and some recipes but were in the planning stages of designing the physical brewery itself. We have looked at several turnkey systems online and have decided to save money by...

Well, 60 hours later and there's finally some krausen and activity. I agree that getting the rinsed yeast going in a yeast starter would prevent such a sluggish fermentation start. I'm just pleased that it's going and I don't have to pitch more yeast.

I rinsed some yeast that had fermented a munich helles and repitched it into a new batch of dunkel. The yeast had been in the helles carboy for three weeks when I crash cooled the batch to 40 F from 50 F. I rinsed the yeast and put immediately into the refrigerator and pitched the next day. I...

I'm very interested about the yeast starter and how you say activity is more important than number of cells. I brew lagers and have been trained to make 3-4L starters for a 5-gallon batch, cool, decant and then pitch. When you did the 1 L starter for 10 gallons, did you pitch a room temperature...

Since 3 lbs. of DME costs $17 at my LHBS, I've been looking for a cheaper way to do my yeast starters. Last weekend I did a second sparge after I had gathered all my helles wort in the brew kettle to get a low gravity "small beer" wort at 1.020 gravity in order to use it for this week's starter...

I was going to brew Jamil's Munich Dunkel recipe, which calls for 99% Munich Dark and 1% Carafa II Special, which has been dehusked and does not impart much roasted flavors, mostly color, to the wort. The problem is that my LHBS does not carry Carafa II, just Carafa I. My question is that if I...

I did account for the grams per gallon and the total mineral addition was 4 grams of chalk. I suppose the pickling lime would be easier, and I'm seriously considering using it instead. Since I am new to using salts to increase alkalinity, I was wondering which methods work the best for...

I've been using Kaiser's Water Calculator spreadsheet as well as Martin Brungard's Bru'n Water in preparation for brewing an alt beer. These spreadsheets are great applications and have simplified the water treatment process for me. My tap water averages from the water company's website are as...

I am currently undertaking a keezer build and deciding what system to install on my kegerator to fit my needs. I want to have three kegs on tap (12 psi) but I also want to have the option to pressurize a plastic bottle with a carbonator cap & also shoot CO2 into a plastic bottle to dissolve...

I was going for a thinner mash per the German style, but I was forced to add a little more water than I anticipated due to a stubbornly low mash temperature in my MLT. Thanks for the assistance on this experiment. I feel a much more confident about the acidulated malt additions in my mashes but...

I am confused as well as to what temperature the pH readings were taken at when people refer to their optimal mash pH range -- they just don't specify. I will stay within the range that AJ DeLange recommends of 5.4-5.7 because I know for certain he was referring to a room temperature reading. I...

I measured my mash pH last night in anticipation of an upcoming brewday of a German pilsner. I tested the mash pH of Weyermann pilsner malt in a solution of 50% filtered tap water and 50% RO water. My tap water averages from the yearly water report are as follows: Alkalinity: 60ppm Calcium...

I am also in the market for a pH meter as ajdelange has steered me from the 5.2 Stabilizer as well. Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable pH meter? I'm looking to spend somewhere between $50-80, although I would not hesitate to buy a cheaper one if it is accurate and well made. Right...

I do have acidulated malt in my grain bill, and it makes up about 2%, so I could expect around a .2 drop in my pH. I purchased the phosphoric acid just in case I check my pH and the mash still needs more adjustment. Better safe than sorry. My HBS owner was discouraging me from using acidulated...

I'm brewing a Munich Helles and will probably need an addition of an acid to bring the pH down to the acceptable range for mashing. My question is which acid to use. I have some phosphoric acid that I picked up from my HBS, but the worry with its use is that it will reduce calcium. I have heard...