Recent content by Benedictus

I tasted it again when it went into the secondary and the flavor was a bit less intense. So, there's hope. It made the airlock vodka taste outstanding.

I brewed an extract pale ale a week ago. Everything is happening as planned except when I sampled a bit at my gravity reading the grapefruit flavor was too strong and bitter. Is there a good way of sweetening this going into the secondary or can I expect the flavor to mellow over the next 2...

Any good recipes out there? What's a great chocolate infusion method?

I think I'll try them all.

That's a good idea.

Dammit!

I think I've seen that label. I'll give it a whirl after work. Thanks.

The only one I've ever had was the Sam Adams Bonfire in a sampler last fall and was the only beer I can remember saying "wow" to myself after drinking. Does anyone have a good recipe? Is it relatively easy? I'm quite the novice so extract only.

I just wanted to know the cheapest. I'm not incredibly picky although I'd prefer a premium brew. I was just wondering what would be inexpensive to burn through because I want to bottle another batch but will have a substantial portion if the bottles I have (Sam Adams mostly) full of a previous ale.

I live in Michigan and we have a 10 cent deposit on all carbonated beverage containers so I think I'd have to pay at least that per bottle and not get to drink the beer that was once inside of it. This would sadden me.

That's true but someday I actually plan on adding some special ingredients to the secondary and making some cider for my wife in it so it was an inevitable purchase.

Screw that then. I'll stick with liquid. The prices I've seen for bottles alone seems ridiculous. Isn't drinking beer worth a little elbow grease? Thanks for the advice. I'll check out Costco and the other brands.

Thanks for the info and advice guys. I've heard many brewers skip the secondary and I considered it until I tasted my first gravity sample. Then I wanted it out without the worry of premature bottling so I could start brewing another batch because it was friggin' awesome.

I've read bottles will break down after heat sterilization in a few batches but I've never heard of them getting worn in other ways. Will they go bad over such a short period using liquid sanitizers? (Iodophor)

It was in the primary for a little over 6 days. My original reading was 1.052 and the final was 1.014 for 2 straight days. Fermentation got underway pretty quickly, 6 hours or so. What are good ways to reduce loss to the sludge? I strained with a sanitized kitchen strainer after the boil but...