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I just got an oxygen want that uses the small red O2 tanks from the hardware store. With a propane tank, I can tell if it is getting low because I can shake the tank and feel that the propane is getting low. I don't feel anything inside when I shake the O2 tank. How do you tell when it is...

I want to make a chocolate-cherry porter. The standard advice (I believe) is to ferment in primary first (~2 weeks), rack to secondary, and add the cherries to the secondary. What would the problem be with adding the cherries to the primary after a couple of weeks instead of first racking to a...

I brewed a Sweet Stout on February 3rd, bottling it 3 weeks later on February 25th. When I opened the fermentor, the beer had a wonderful caramel-chocolate aroma. I primed (table sugar) and bottled the beer, keeping it at room temperature until March 14th (2.5 weeks), them moved it to the...

This is my first time making a lager. After 4 weeks in primary, can I bottle the beer and let the colder lager stage take place in the bottles, or do I need to have the beer in a bucket/carboy for the lager stage? Thanks?

Starting with one packet of Wyeast yeast, what is the difference (is there a difference) between making a 2-liter starter and making a 1-liter starter, then stepping it up to 2 liters? For the latter, I assume I can make a 1-liter starter, then a day later add a 2nd liter of wort. Thanks!

I'm looking for recipe comments/suggestions. As for the quantities, note that this is a half batch. Thanks! BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com Recipe: Stout v002 Brewer: smyrnaquince Style: Sweet Stout TYPE: All Grain Recipe Specifications...

I do stovetop 3-4 gallons batches using a trick I read (from DeathBrewer?) in HomeBrewTalk. I have the pot wrapped in insulation to heat up better in my electric stovetop. (I can't find the reference, but IIRC it was a sticky.) My question: Is it possible to get the boil too "hot"? In other...

Is it worth getting a copy of Mosher's Mastering Homebrew? I borrowed a copy from the library and am finding outright errors and contradictions, like this: Page 272, Yeast and Fermentation Choices 2nd paragraph: Highly flocculent strains are usually the most attenuative. 3rd paragraph...

I've been using tap water to mix up my StarSan and it just occurred to me that this might be a bad idea. Could the alkalinity of the tap water negate some of the acid, making the pH too high for the StarSan to be effective? Thanks!

What is the impact of putting most/all the hot break material and kettle trub into the fermenter? Does it change the taste of the final beer? For the better or worse? What is the taste difference? Does it affect the yeast/fermentation? For the better or worse? What is the fermentation...

My beers have always had an off taste that I can't solve. I tried using my town's (detailed) water report to adjust the water with Bru'nwater, but I still get bad beer. 1) I am going to order a water report. 2) In the meantime, I am also going to repeat brew my latest batch, but use...

Do I need to list rice hulls on the Mash Acidification sheet of Bru'n Water? If so, how do I categorize them? My best guess is as a Crystal Malt with a color of zero (0). Thanks!

Short Summary: My water has low Calcium, even after adding CaSO4 and CaCl2 to adjust Sulfates and Chlorides. Do I stay with the low Calcium levels, add CaCO3 and lactic acid, or do something else? Details I have been trying to up my game lately by adjusting my water profile. My town uses...

I can think of a few ways to create a recipe. Are any of these the most common or preferred method? Brew an existing recipe, then gradually tweak it to change it into something of your liking Brew a SMASH, then add/adjust from that simple starting point Read the style guides, then create...

I've gotten to the point where I am happy enough with my process that it is now time to try creating a recipe. My goal is a fruity/malty IPA. I'm looking for balance between the two. Mashing at 152F for 60 minutes. I do stovetop boils for 3 gallons into the fermenter. (I can convert this...

What is the minimum headspace in a fermenter? I do stovetop brews of half batches, typically 2.5-3 gallons into the fermenter. On Saturday I decided to push my system to the limit for the boil. I boiled 5 gallons of wort in a 6-gallon brewpot. I had 2-3" of headspace in the pot and kept...

I had an infection, but bottled anyway because I thought it wasn't too bad. Well, I tasted a bottle and am going to open and dump the bottles. Given that the batch was infected, is the normal Starsan routine with a Vinator sufficient? I use a mix of 12-ounce crown-cap bottles and swing tops...

If I took a lager recipe (I like the flavors of Munich Dunkel, Bock, and Double Bock), but fermented the brew with an ale yeast instead of a lager yeast, what differences in flavor would the be? What if I used a clean ale yeast, say Nottingham or S-05? I understand the difference in...

I am trying to understand yeast starters. If I understand correctly, for a starter you pitch a vial of yeast into a "mini-wort" made with DME, keep it at the right temperature, stir it (stir plate or frequent swirling), and 24 hours later the yeast count has doubled. At that point, you pitch...

I recorded my first runnings gravity and volume from a beer I brewed this weekend. Is there a way to predict what the first runnings gravity should have been? The reason that I ask is that I think this will tell me how well my mash converted the starches. I do take the before-boil gravity...