Recent content by cysiam

I know it's a long shot, but I was planning attempt a clone of this next weekend, and I'd love to get a bottle to compare mine to. Anybody have any they'd be willing to share?

I am getting ready to convert this fridge (FRC455GB) and I put in the both kegs and the co2 tank just to test the fit. The co2 tank won't sit on the back hump with the regulator attached unless I lean it slightly. This isn't a huge problem, but it would make me more comfortable if it fit...

I'm certainly NOT assuming everything is correct. That's why I asked for thoughts on this board. I put the sugar in the bottling bucket first and then rack the beer with a long hose so that it swirls. I use less than 4oz of sugar in each batch. The last two batches have been 3.8oz and 3.2oz...

It's an even mix of overbarbonation in all bottles. I have tried multiple calculators and I make sure that my final volume is correct when I calculate the priming sugar amount.

Every batch of beer I bottle is turning out overcarbed. I typically ferment for 3-4 weeks and then take multiple gravity readings to make sure fermentation has stopped before I bottle. I then use a "priming calculator" to determine the amount of sugar I need, (I'm using plain table sugar) boil...

I'm planning to brew a porter soon and I recently read that DC's water is not so good for dark beers. I've never done any chemistry adjustments before. Is there anything simple I could add to my water to help out? Here is the water report: Ca: 40 Mg: 8.8 Na: 20 SO4: 54 Cl: 38 HCO3: 76

I was lucky enough to snag a pint of this poured from a firkin this weekend. I've been pretty underwhelmed with most of St. Arnold's output, but this was damn good. Wish I had another right now...

Yeah I know about MrMalty, but that article basically refutes it. Or at least seems to. It says that for a 5.25 gallon 1.050 beer, you would need a 3.2 liter starter made with 2 packs of yeast. That just seems excessive to me.

I was just reading through the article on beersmith posted in January about proper yeast starters and it basically states that unless you're making a huge starter (like 3 gallons) you need to use multiple packs/vials of yeast AND a starter. This seems like a very cost prohibitive method for home...

I am planning to do a partial mash of a rye pale ale, and I read that half of the grain bill should be base malt. Does my rye malt count as a base malt or should I consider it specialty? From what I've read, I think it does, I just want to be sure. Thanks in advance.

I'm not fermenting in the bottling bucket. It's the siphonless fermenter that comes in William'sHome Brew Kit.

I just brewed a batch of oatmeal stout and it's ready to be transferred to the priming bucket. I have it fermenting in a bucket with the bottom spigot siphon. When I opened the siphon it immediately clogged up. Any tips on how to unclog this without damaging the beer?