Recent content by 1OldJarhead

I picked up a one-gallon mini keg (pictured) and asked the Google Universe about using it in the carbonation phase, and the very quick AI response said, “Yes, but allow the pressure to build to 25 psi for four days, then vent it down to 12 psi for the rest of the time. Okay… but it would be...

My pale ale is looking more like a stout in the carboy. Googling around I saw several potential reasons but the one one that kept popping up was pH. I did make the mistake of using fancy-pants ionized water to be sure it was pure and then read that its high pH is probably the culprit. But...

Nate, you have touched on something this ol' geezer has been wondering about. Smaller carboys! But wait -- the kit comes with instructions for FIVE gallons. Okay, let me paw the ground like an old horse and count -- by golly that's a 50/50 split of the contents! Yes, I'm going to give that...

Upon grabbing hold of my freshly filled carboy in the kitchen, ready to heft it downstairs to its fermentation place in the basement, I realized something: I'm not in my twenties anymore! So I sucked it up and did it, but damn -- there's gotta be another way! Suggestions, please! Amazon...

I used Wyeast smack pack with the nutrient inner pouch today, gave it a whack, and could hear a distinct gurgle inside. Great! But the pack only swelled up a little during a 5-hr incubation period. I continued with the starter process and when it came time to pitch it I sliced open the pack...

I was disappointed with my dry yeast performance so I'm prepped with three things: liquid yeast in the smack-pack; Wyeast nutrient to stoke the wort, and an oxygen diffusing stone. Is that going over the top?

I wondered about that, too. Historically I shook the hell out of the carboy several times to turn it into foam, not knowing that it’s not all the damn bubbles you create, but the oxygen in that small 1-gallon headspace that you’re trying to dissolve. Still, that was enough, barely. Online...

I've taken delivery of a 'Zoomin' Pale Ale' kit from Northern Brewer, and the "zoomin" part refers to the boil: just 20 minutes. -What? Every post I've read has LME boiling for a good hour. Just curios: how does the chemistry and biotics work so well in a 20-minute boil?

Anyone tried this one? I have several small canisters of 'Boost' oxygen supplement. Two ten-litre spray cans cost $30 on Amazon. 'Boost' oxygen is cheap because it's not 'medical' oxygen. Ha! They can say that because it's about 98% oxygen instead of 100% oxygen. Anyway, how about this: a...

A little metaphor there — I’ve got a kit IPA bottled almost two weeks ago that employed the package of priming sugar that came with it. Temperature control in our overly air-conditioned Virginia house has been somewhat erratic. Question: what is the too-low temperature that can put the yeast...

When bottling, is there a rule of thumb for the space to leave up top? I've now got an assortment and need to do it right for 12 oz, 20 oz, and 32 oz bottles. Thanks!

Thanks much, guys. Now to prep for a blowoff valve, if needed, due to all the trub.

In searching professor Google for an answer to, “Oh, crap. First time using flavoring grains for an IPA and now I’ve got a bunch of trub in my carboy. WTF do I do now?” I find out from this forum that the answer is, “Give yourself a round of applause!” Because it ain’t no big thing. In...