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Beautiful!

Months are longer than weeks. Excellent point.

I see your point - beer doesn't spend enought time in the carboy for oxidation to be much of an issue. I did, however, lose a batch of wine to oxidization after I'd let the airlock dry out. I know that CO2 is heavier than air, but I would argue that it doesn't take much to create enough of a...

There is a layer of CO2 protecting your beer, but its not going to stay there without an airlock. If you only use foil, you're allowing the headspace to reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere, meaning CO2 out, room air in. And oxidized beer. An airlock is like 2 bucks. Why not...

I haven't tried making potato beer but my local brewpub made a potato stout a few weeks back and it was really really tasty.

IMO it sounds like a pretty bad idea. 1.070 is a pretty high gravity brew to consider re-using yeast, and that's if it was just off the primary, when the yeast were fresh. Your yeast in secondary said goodbye to log phase weeks ago and living in beer is genetically selecting against the...

Ill be waiting for the DVD to come out, but I will be very interested to hear HBT's reviews of the film. The limited reviews I have seen have been mixed. Then again, movie reviewers aren't beer nerds and we are, dammit!!

I used to use an IC but recently made the switch to a Shirron plate chiller and I couldn't be happier with it. Gravity feeding a 5 gallon batch is no problem and in the time it takes to rack into the fetmentor the wort temp is below 60F. Visually, the improvement in cold break has been...

The BB vs glass debate has been raging for at least several eons, give or take. I think it's covered in the HBT pro/con sticky. Definitely check that out - I can't post a link cuz I'm on my cell. Personally, I'm a glass guy. They're heavier and more breakable but there's no downside from a...

The risk of infection isn't the only reason to chill your wort. By bringing the temp down as fast as possible, you're maximizing cold break, which crashes proteins out of solution in your wort, which enhances the clarity of the finished product. No chilling, no cold break. Having said that...

I would replace the airlocks with stoppers (just for the drive). You could even duct tape them in place to be sure they don't leak. Then find a good way to secure them in your car. I've buckled full carboys into seatbelts before and it's worked well - just pull the seatbelt all the way out first...

I've also heard that a protein rest can increase your efficiency because your team of converting enzymes are coming up to mash temp gradually rather than all at once. So are there any down sides to always doing a protein rest? It seems to me that given the potential benefits in clarity, head...

IMO your best bet is to try a partial mash, where a significant chunk of your fermentable sugars come from mashed grain, and the rest from your ME. If you have a style in mind, there are plenty of good minds here (myself not included) that can help you with a recipe. Then again, if this is your...

He made one last year called "Expelled: No intelligence allowed" - attacking the teaching of evolution in our science classes. As a scientist, that really hacks me off. Now, I'll admit that maybe I'm being slightly irrational, but IMO anything that guy touches turns to crap. But that's just me...

I don't really know or care how eloquently he writes about economics. Take a look into his documentary filmmaking history. I don't want to hijack this thread with Ben Stein's *****ebaggery but the producers of Beer Wars would have been wise to keep his ignorant arse as far away from this...

I agree regarding Ben Stein's tooldom. Note to future filmmakers- If you want to make a reputable documentary, don't let that stupid turd anywhere near it.

I agree that a SG check over time will give you a definitive answer. Was the primary fermentation good and robust? If not, this late fermentation could be a result of infection. If it was robust, you're probably fine.

For my first AG brew last weekend I used this little $0.99 app and was extremely happy with it. It calculates strike and sparge volumes and temps, IBU values, provides yeast strain data, and does brix/grav/ABV calculations. There are a few other features, too, but IMO the ones I mentioned...

The ball valve can handle the hot water better, plus, you don't want to have to mash your thumb down to hold open a valve that's draining 170 degree water. Too burny. And you can control the rate of flow, which is essential if you're fly sparging.

It was my fault. The holes I drilled in it were just too small. The grain husks must have covered it up and nothing couldflow through. Too bad I didn't figure that out until it was full of mash.