Recent content by Chemstudent

Just completed my first full 5 gallon AG batch in my kitchen - it was the common room ESB recipe that is on the forum. Thought I could share my experience for anyone using a similar method. I'll start from the beginning onwards. 1. Having everything prepared, ready and in the same place...

Hey all, My last brew was a long time ago so I figured I would re-boil some water just to clean my aluminum pots. I looked at the bottom of one and saw this: The outside looks pretty good but the bottom is discolored and relatively shiny. What should I do?

It was more vinegary than sweet. I could taste the base flavor of the beer but there was a definite almost vinegary feel to it

Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast

Just tasted the first bottle of a white house honey porter brew and it tastes a tiny bit sour - Is this the taste of the beer or did I just mess up?

Thanks for the tip, do you think I still have to heat the water up to strike temp or just put the grains in the water right away (when I start adding heat) and take them out when the water temp reaches 170 F?

Just got this in the mail, I read the instructions and they said to steep the grains for 20 minutes or until the water reaches 170 F. I thought that grains were supposed to be steeped for an hour at around 145 - 150 F, but is that just for all grain recipes? (This one is a partial mash) Has...

If I'm planning on making both 3 gallon and 5 gallon batches, would a six gallon better bottle do the trick? I'm worried that with 3 gallons in a 6 gallon bottle, there would be too much headspace. Is this an issue?

My first batch was one gallon all grain - it turned out pretty well, and I wanted to scale up to 3 or 5 gallon batches. The problem I'm running into is what kind of equipment to buy. The simplest way I am imagining it would be to buy a 5 gallon carboy or bucket to ferment in and a large, 8 or 9...

Just had a taste of my first beer, made with the brooklyn brew IPA kit. It looked and tasted great and I'm glad everything turned out well. Now I'd like to move on to the next batch. This first batch I made by mashing in the grains that the kit came with and then boiling the wort, adding...

I've read that I'm supposed to let fermentation occur for 2 weeks, but I haven't received my bottle capper yet (and today is the end of the second week). Is it ok to leave it to ferment for about a week more? Or will this cause off-flavors?