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I brewed a single 10g batch of base beer, then split it in half after primary fermentation. 5g was racked onto previously-frozen Maine blueberries. The other half was racked onto a strawberry/rhubarb/brown sugar mix. It was 2:1 previously-frozen whole strawberries to fresh rhubarb, and the...

The price on landscape timbers has finally dropped, so I'm getting ready to build my new raised hop beds. I'll prep everything this summer, and transplant late winter before they come out of dormancy. How deep will rhizomes go before tunneling under an obstacle and popping up on the other...

What's wrong with this bine? I'm not worried about it dying on me or anything. I'm just curious if anyone can pinpoint the cause of this odd growth. There's no obvious sign of insects, physical injury or disease. I've never seen one come up like this before. In the first pic, you can see a...

I currently have 3 taps on my keezer. The handle on one of the Perlicks consistently sits farther back than the other two when "off". It's to the point where it's bumped by the lid every time I open it and I'm afraid I may end up accidentally turning it on and losing some beer. Is there any way...

I was cleaning up some junk in the basement and noticed a few plastic barrels in a corner. One originally had dog treats, the other cheese puffs or something. Anyway, I checked and they're both PETE-1 (not 7) and look to be about 2 or 2.5 gallons. They should be perfect for fermenting...

I got an old set of Greenlee punches a while back. They work, but not well because they're pretty beat up. I'm sure they used to work much better. Can they be sharpened (re-ground, refurbished, whatever)? Would the cost to do that be more than buying a new set? Where would I look to get...

I just made some quick and easy (and FREE) hop markers. All it took was a pair of scissors, a Sharpie, and the ratty old blinds from my office window. The strings that allowed the blinds to be raised and lowered had already snapped, making the blinds pretty useless. This also meant I could...

I just dug out the entire crown of a mystery hop that I've had for about 3 years. I didn't have room for it anymore, now that I have so many plants of known variety. If anyone is just looking for an ornamental hop, or is feeling adventurous in their brewing, let me know and I'll ship it to you...

Can anyone out there recommend a good cream ale recipe that uses 6-row? Or maybe a California Common, if that makes sense? The LHBS took it upon themselves to crush the half bag of 6-row I bought. I was going to brew two 10-gal batches of CAP - making the second when the first started to...

I'm brewing a second batch of APA that I really loved the first time around. It just needs one little tweak - there was a bit too much piney-ness/resin coming from the Simcoe hops. There are additions at 20 mins, 5 mins and dry hopping. Where should I concentrate a Simcoe...

This is the one DIY project every home brewer needs to tackle. It's not a stir plate, a copper IC or a paint can fermentation heater. It's MUCH more critical to brewing award-winning beer! :D Of course, I made mine out of stainless, with tri-clover fittings and an arduino controller.

I built a carboy/keg washer out of a large bucket, pump, and some PVC like so many others. The pump I used is a sump pump that I had sitting around. The label peeled off years ago so I can't give you any specs on it. Here's the problem: the pump will only run for about 1/2 second, then...

I stumbled across something like this on eBay when looking for a cheap inline exhaust fan. It's incredible how much we home brewers have in common with hydroponic and indoor gardeners :cross: when it comes to equipment. I'm pretty sure I know what this was designed to dry, but I'm also pretty...

This is my first attempt at creating a recipe, so I'd love some input before I go out and buy the ingredients. I'm going for a light, refreshing beer that brings to mind homemade strawberry rhubarb pie - fruity, sweet, tangy, with toasty/roasty hints of the crust. I don't want it to be "pie in...

Can anyone give me a reasonable estimate of what a mature hop plant would weigh or how much strength the support structure will need? I have 6 hills right now. The plan is for two sisal ropes per hill, all running up to an oak branch about 25-30 ft up. Getting the initial rope over the branch...

I just picked up a Sears compact upright freezer (model 564.9215011) for free. It was sight-unseen, so I didn't really know what I was getting until I actually had it. The problem is that they used the freezer coils themselves to create the two shelves. So I can't remove the shelves to make...

I just received my rhizome order in the mail. Four varieties. They're all cut to the same length, but range widely in diameter - from about 3/8" for the Cascade to +1.5" on the Willamette. It's like comparing a pencil to a section of fat broom handle. Does the size of the rhizome have...

I am putting together a single keggle eBIAB system as the first phase of going all grain with bigger batches. However, what I have is a cheap PID that doesn't do manual control, which means it won't work for the boil. (Obviously, buying a new, correct PID would be the smart solution, but I'm...

FedEx just delivered my new Camco ULWD 5500W Lime Life element. Woohoo! When I took at look at it, though, I became a little concerned. It's clearly in the original packaging, but if I didn't know better I would say it was used or a factory second. The element has several scratches in it...