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I make cider, and prefer it heavily carbonated (~3 volumes). I've only bottled once with a bottle filler (in the past I've just gone directly from taps), and it was a disaster. I used the Last Straw exactly as the instructions said - 8-12 psi head pressure. Foam city! I ended up with bottles 90%...

Hey all - My current cider setup includes a crusher (this one) which I've motorized. I pass the crushed apple through a garbage disposal and into a homemade basket press (similar to this one, though I think mine's a bit larger as I get about 3-4 gallons from each batch.) I've experimented with...

This is my first time using pectic enzyme before pressing - I'm hoping it'll increase my yield. The process I expected to follow was to mill, add pectic enzyme, let sit at 65F for 24 hours, then press and add sulfites. Should I be concerned about wild fermentation during the 24 hour pectic...

I built an apple press, and now I need to waterseal it. What have you all used for sealing wood that's in contact with apples? Obviously it should be food safe. My first thought was Thompson's WaterSeal, but the warnings on the label make me hesitant to use it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Has anyone used California Crab apples for tannins? I've never used them and can't find any info on how tannic or acidic they are. I believe these are also called Pacific Crab or Oregon Crab apples. Any info would be welcome!

Hey all - My house is being fumigated for termites right now. I made the last-minute decision to leave my kegs in the kegerator rather than putting them in the shed to cook for 3 days. They're pressurized corny kegs and they don't have any lines hooked up. Anyone know if they'll be safe...

Hey all- I'm curious if anyone has a good reference for apple data, specifically malic acid and tannin content? Data for common American apples would be ideal, the type you'd get at a farmer's market or from a produce supplier. I've found some data for UK cider apples, which I can't get my...

Hey all! I'm collecting some data for a little research project about microbreweries. If you own or work for one and you have access to a few basic numbers, it would help me immensely! Here's what I'm looking for: Brewery name Annual production (bbl/year) Pub capacity...

Hey all! I just brewed a red ale twice, the only difference being that I used 12lb of British Pale in one batch, and 12lb of American 2-row in the other. My goal was to just compare the two base malts (my original recipe calls for British Pale, but American 2-row is cheaper). Anyway, I hit an...

Hey all! Short story: Does anyone have any suggestions for making a digital temperature probe that's not food grade or acid-resistant safe to use for brewing? Some background: I've built a mash temperature controller using an Arduino board, a digital temperature probe, and an...