Recent content by brewie

You probably won't get every last bit of conversion you could have, but no worries. When I first started (and didn't take gravities too often) I used the 1-2-3 method. You know - 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, 3 or more in the bottle. It seemed to work pretty well until I understood a...

Not a great idea to use caps over again - no matter how careful you are they won't seal properly. Hey - ever thought about flip cap bottles a'la Grolsch? Then all you'd have to do is use new seals now and then. Only problem with them is they're expensive and its hard to find actual Grolsch...

A mini-mash is in-between an extract and an AG brew. If the directions call for sparging liquor over the grain then it really is a mash. The difference between the two is in using a big grain bag for sparging since most newer extract brewers don't have a mashtun with false bottom, sparge arm...

Don't worry. I burned the wort on my second extract brew. It tends to mellow out after a few weeks in the bottle. Just remember to turn off the heat when adding the extract, either in a partial or full boil. It'll normally turn out OK. Cheers!

Thanks for the reply. You just saved me $30 bucks. I figured it was too good to be true. Just have to save up for the conical for awhile. :mug:

I'm thinking of buying a Fermentap (from Morebeer) to eliminate siphoning problems. Does anyone have any experience with these and are they worth the $30 bucks or so? I thought before I bought one that I'd ask the experts here. I can't afford a conical fermenter right now and I'm concerned...

I've tried a couple of methods of aeration, like rocking the carboy, splashing the wort on the way in, etc. I just got an oxygenation system using a small oxy bottle from Home Depot and it rocks! Just stick the stone and hose down into the wort (after sanitizing of course) and turn it on for a...

The dishwasher method is the ONLY way to go. Just try spilling a bottle or two of your new beer on the kitchen floor when Mama is helping cap and you'll know what I mean! Be careful not to touch the inside of the caps when pulling them out of the hot water pan. I knew a guy that used latex...

Where I would never use soap and water is for bottle or carboy cleaning. Too hard to rinse properly. Normally hot water and a brush works fine to get rid of trub residue, then be religious on sanitizing with Iodophor. StarSan solution is also good to get rid of labels. Good luck!

I'm fairly new to brewing, just did my first mini-mash for a double IPA. I keep my glass carboy down in the basement to ferment. We've just moved in and I've not brewed here before. The ambient temp down there is 66.5 degrees with the thermometer right next to the carboy. Is the temp too...

Hey Beer Fans - Just wanted to say hello from the great state of Washington. I'm fairly new to brewing, only a few extract batches and did my first mini-mash last Saturday. She's still 'bubblin away downstairs. Can't wait to rack to secondary this weekend. Should be a good IPA. Love those...