Recent content by D-brewmeister

Don't most commercial alcoholic teas use high proof alcohol mixed with tea flavoring and sugar? I don't know that they actually ferment anything containing tea? So if you are trying to make a twisted tea, I would probably follow that methodology, ferment something as neutrally as possible...

Those glasses would look great with my next batch in them!! Count me in, and thanks!

What sort of mashing strategy are you going to use? I would be concerned about the liquid content of your mash, and the efficency, as you will probably be making a rather thick mash, to limit the runnoff to 3 (or 4?) gallons. I wonder if a stepped mash, or some form of decoction might be...

Hmmm. . . I wonder if that would work out. I'v heard that they are closely related plants, the reef and the hopps. Probably beats bannana peals :cross:

Hooray for Mate! I'm addicted to the stuff, have to have it most afternoons if I expect to be more than comatose. I was wondering about a mate beer sometime last winter, but never got around to brewing it. Your experience gives me courage. How long did your brew ferment? It seems like...

So what you be checking here? Wouldn't the beer be pretty foamy if it was at room temp? Does beer ever foam up out of a keg if you depressurize it too fast when it is warm (I know this happens all the time with bottled beer)? How can you tell that it has the requsite volumes of co2 in it...

Cooling the ferment will probably slow it down a bit, and might improve the results, depending on what style of beer you're brewing, and what sort of yeast. From what I have read, many yeasts develop estery or banana flavors at the higher end of their optimum temprature range. Buy some of...

I seem to remeber that some belgian wit beers use coriander for bittering? I know that some early beers used an herb called henbane for bittering, but they stopped using it since it has some strong effects.

From what I understand, lagers are often fermented in the 50s degree range, then "lagered" at temps in the high 30s low 40s. As far as time frames are considered, the cooler ferment temps translate into longer fermentations, even as long as a month or two for stronger brews. I have seen some...

I use star san acid sanitizer, and do leave things wet when transfering and bottling beer. Last time I added dry hops to a secondary fermenter, there was still a bit of foam from the sanitizer (the only downside to using star san, as far as I can tell) and I just threw the hops in on top of the...

Burger flippers at Mc. D's the world over can produce identical results, without anything resembling culinary skill or talent. I would say that the same applies to the majority of those working in industrialized breweries -- they follow the formulas, read the gagues, etc, and create their...

Few weeks back I drank a mc tarnahans IPA that was Oak aged, and I thought the flavor left something to be desired, a bit sour/tart and weird I guess. Might be an aquired taste or something. I think I would save the wood chip thing for brewing wine, which realy needs that cask aged flavor.

For many beers, I think fermenting at 78 might be a bit high, and would also explain the fast ferment. Higher temps seem to create more estery flavors, more banana smells etc, which are good for some styles and not for others. I usually try to keep my basic ales in the 64-70 degree range, for...

Do try to avoid using your mouth to start a syphon, as your mouth is a great breeding ground for bacteria. Just for the record, however, I have resorted to that method, and have never had a problem. If you are using a no-rinse sanitizer, which I highly sugest, this is an optimal liquid to fill...

How I have dealt with this question in the past: When I finished my last brew, a pale ale, I filled two 5 ltr. kegs, which were each primed with about a teaspoon worth of corn sugar, then I looked at the level of remaining beer, and used an online priming guide. It asked for quantity of beer...