Search results

I decided to try an extract kit again for fun and picked up Midwest's Bigfoot's Barleywine kit. It specifies a secondary fermentation with a champaign yeast pitch. I haven't done a secondary in years but wonder about the advisability with the second yeast addition. Will western civilization...

I've never had a starter look this "clumpy". I know this is supposed to be a high flocculation yeast but is this excessive?

I've made a few batches with Simcoe as a dry hop. I find that it imparts a very noticeable sweetness. Almost a melon flavor. It's ok but I havent figured out quite what blends with this. Anybody else have a similar sense? Am I ascribing the sweetness erroneously to the Simcoe? What grains...

Just ordered a Stainless Brewing dry hopper. I've never dry hopped in the keg. Do you take it out of the keg after a few days? I typically don't open my keg again after things are carbed up but I don't think the hops will do good think over the life of the contents.

I'm using Kal's instructions. The holes are cut and the box is assembled but I'm having a hard time getting the threads to extend far enough for the nut to grab inside the pot. It's like the threads on the element are too short. I'm wondering if the fact that I'm using a smaller pot (7.5...

So frustrated. Just got my Blingmann mashtun. First brew - stuck sparge. Thermometer off by 5 degrees. I've never dumped an entire batch because of a stuck sparge! Really unsatisfied .. I'm going back to my cheapo mashtun and false bottom. Definitely not impressed with the high...

So, I'm hosting a beer tasting party at my house in a month and a half. The guests are friends: a few beer snobs, a few BMC lovers, and most in between. I'm looking for the last batch to round out my offerings. So far I have: White House honey ale (ok, it's a gimmick), Biermunchers 3...

I'm going to go buy my first bulk bag of grain tonight and I'm torn between Maris Otter and regular old American 2 row. I've liked all the beers I've made with Maris but I'm not sure it's worth the extra money. Whattya think?

OK, not my smoothest brewing weekend. I made a pumpkin ale. Everything went well up to the end of the boil. My refractometer suggested a gravity of 1.060. Then I got called in to work just as I started my immersion cooler. The cooler ran for about 45 minutes while I took care of stuff...

I planned on brewing tonight but life got in the way. I've got a starter that is 48 hours old and at high kreusen right now. I probably won't get to brew for another 3 days now. What should i do with the starter? Keep on the stir plate? Stick in the fridge? Refrigerate and refeed the day...

Nothing earth shattering here but I am thinking about the evolution of my homebrew taste. The more I brew, the more i appreciate the "middle of the road". Early on, i went for very dramatic beers. The sorts that generated "wows" from friends. Lately, I am brewing less dramatic beers that...

Lately I've been collecting yeast from my 3 day starter into a little glycerine to freeze down for storage. Its so simple to just pour a little off the flask into my mason jars. Is there any disadvantage to collecting from the starter rather than from an active fermentation in real wort? This...

So I'm planning on a kolsch tomorrow. Not sure about my temperature control. I will be brewing in my 65 degree basement and using a cool brew with ice bottles for tem control. I can probably get the temp down just below 60 in the cool brew is there a good plan for the temps? Should I just keep...

Good day of brewing. New things today included using a yeast starter, mash stabilizer, and whirlfloc. Efficiency came out at 85% so I'm pretty happy. The whirlfloc brought down a ton of sludge. I'm amazed at how much better it worked than plain moss. Can anyone comment on my grind here...