Recent content by corvus

username: rasears

I'm following this thread with some interest as it's very similar to my brewery. I'm curious how one solders crimps once they're crimped? I can see how it would make things more secure, but I don't know how I'd go about it since there is a plastic cover in the way (often mangled).

I have a minibrew MLT and I don't have the sagging problem you report. There's a plastic post in the middle to prevent that...does yours not have that? I too insulate mine with a plastic camp pad, but overall I'm happy with it. It was plug and play and worth it. I'm considering getting the HLT...

Actually, I used 100% natural cider for one of the batches, and 50% natural, 50% pasteurized canned for the other, just to experiment. This year, though, I am looking for 100% real for all batches and plan on even trying a wild yeast batch. You wouldn't happen to be a on the MontreAler list, do...

You are right...I used champagne yeast to make the cider, and the alcohol is probably too high for natural yeasts to take. I should make a new batch and krausen with some of the "wort" leftover from it. It will be awhile before I can get around to making a new batch, so I will try a couple more...

I brewed 2 batches of cider a year ago...I brewed one entirely in the primary and the other I transferred to a secondary. Both taste good (if a little strong)...more like apple wine than cider but they're ok. It's been a year, and I'm ready to bottle. I test-bottled a few bottles with a little...

Just checked the second one...SG is now at 1.012. It's not quite as tasty as the other batch...but I think it's just a yeasty flavor that is bugging me, and that's easy enough to get rid of. Will bottle the first batch and rack this second batch soon.

Quick question...a) how did you know it stalled...what was the rate of bubbles? and b) how did you get it restarted? Thanks...I made something similar. It's going great, but I want to know what you did because for my third batch I plan on using cider yeast instead to see how it differs...

The original cider/mead with the true cider is sitting in the secondary. It's got a beautiful dark hue and tasted delicious when I moved it into the secondary. I can't wait to try this one again when I bottle in a week or two! The second one made from concentrate only is still in the...

Neat recipe, would be very interested to hear the results with the tea.

Anyone use any of those new BetterBottles? Seems like it would be an easier to carry fermenter (with the tap) and still be able to see your brew?

I decided to try a different approach for my second batch, here's the recipe: 14 cans of "No Name" brand frozen concentrate apple juice (apple juice, water, ascorbic acid) 3 kg of dark brown sugar 2 packs of EC-1118 yeast I brought everything together essentially the same as I did for...

Not "real" spring water...spring water in a big carboy from the local store. :)

The stuff I've bought contains only juice, water, and ascorbic acid.

Alright, it's been racked to the secondary and topped off with spring water. The SG was 0.098, so hypothetically around 9% ABV, and it tasted AWESOME. Enough of the apple flavor is still there, most of the noticable honey flavor is gone, and it's "just right" as far as sweetness goes. I'm...