Recent content by AlexKay

Two suggestions: Peat smoke in a Scotch ale isn't really any more traditional than peat smoke in any other beer. So consider all the other styles, and figure out which one you'd most like to crap up with peat. Porter? Marzen? CA Common? Spike normal (i.e., non-peated) beer with Scottish...

I always let the main fermentation run at normal (atmospheric) pressure, but as it’s finishing up, the spunding valve goes on. You usually don’t know how much trace O2 there is in your CO2 cylinder—there may be a specced maximum value, but generally not an actual analysis. Because force...

Circling back to say that if you want to make an altbier, you really do need an alt or a (this opinion will cause no controversy) Kolsch yeast. If you're looking to make a good, bitter, malt-forward hybrid ale, using dry yeast, I would strongly recommend 34/70 at ale temperatures.

I’ve always fermented K97 at 60 F. Warmer … normally, I’d say to not worry and just go for it. You’ll have a malty, bitter beer, and even if it has too much fermentation character to win medals at competition, it will be very good. Here’s the “but”: K97 has been a bit of a puzzle for me...

Posting to chime in the green bottles come directly from the Devil. Keep them well away from any source of UV light!

Can do. The Koln will probably take at least a month to clear, so I’ll try to report back in early June. I don’t have the most sensitive palate. I’m hoping to bring them to a club meeting to get a few viewpoints. If I have time, I’ll do a duplicate batch and split that one between 2565 and...

Just put a split batch into fermenters with Koln and M54.

This yeast can be a monster. Start it at 68 ambient and it’ll be in the low-to-mid 70s once it’s gotten going.

Penny does not count as "explicitly labeled as food grade." I wouldn't do it, but that's just me.

My understanding of the conventional wisdom is that all-malt grain bills contain all the nutrients needed, except for zinc. Wort contains some zinc, but not enough. I'm looking at my notes, and I add 0.1 mg/L hot side for ales and 0.2 mg/L for lagers. It's been long enough that I don't...

Not much to do, no. The good thing is that since you had beer in there already, the acid and alcohol ruins the environment for most other things. This is the point of beer! And frankly, if you sprayed things well, I don’t think there’s a big chance you introduced unwanted beasties. If you’ll...

Sonnet: floral/herbal EKG, but folks (me too) report honeysuckle notes Pilgrim: spice/honey First Gold: floral/orange marmalade Lorien: floral/spice/citrus/hay Bergamot: orange (OAF = orange as ...) All of these (except maybe the Sonnet) will likely be a bit tricky to find, but they're...

Have you made very hoppy beers before? How did they come out? Are you kegging or bottling? If kegging, are you spunding and transferring into a purged keg? Can you dry hop without oxygen exposure? I’m not trying to gatekeep hazy here. But if you’re starting out or close to it, then to me it...

Caramel/crystal malts should go in the main mash. You can certainly put roast grains in for the full mash as well. Some homebrewers will put the roast grains in for a shorter time (10 minutes) with the idea of getting the color of the grains into the beer but reducing extraction of the...

Set yourself the challenge to make your perfect pale ale. For base malts you will want 10-50% wheat, 10-90% Vienna, and the balance 2-row. Then sprinkle in 0-10% caramel/crystal/honey. Except the Carapils; feed that to the squirrels. Commit to making it multiple times, adjusting the grain bill...