Recent content by Davedrinksbeer

Main reason why I still make extract beer, 3 hours from start to finish. Wake up on Saturday around 8am, brew and done by 11am. Still have the rest of the day for family. As far as age, I’m 57 and have to use both hands now to carry a fermenting bucket of beer up and down the basement steps.

I’ve been brewing now for 9 years, I’ve been thinking about hanging up the brewing pot, my reason though is my wife Now works for a beer distributor and I can basically get beer free or at cost and now with all the microbreweries around there far better beer out there to drink than in the years...

I make a lot of mead. I typically go 15 pounds of honey to make a 5 gallon batch. Mead is pretty simple to make, just takes patience because after fermentation it needs time to sit and mellow. I start off 15 pounds of honey, then add spring water to get it to 5 gallons. Stir hard. Add tablespoon...

5 gallon batch of imperial stout or a BarleyWine. 750ml bottle of bourbon. I’m patient though, I can let it sit for 6 -9 months to mellow but it’s good.

The bourbon also helps sanitize the wood and draws out tannins. I normally go 1 bottle of Makers Mark with 3-4 ounces of oak cubes. Soak for a week, then dump it all in with the beer and let sit another 7-10 days.

I’ve made the NB dragons Milk a few times and it’s an awesome kit, have to let it age out 6 months or so but I used a bottle of Makers Mark and the provided Oak Cubes. Not sure how your Wine Barrel Bourbon will do but it sounds like it would be a interesting/good addition

My buddy threw in 12 glazed doughnuts from the bakery in his mash, beer came out pretty good, did have a slight doughnut taste to it.

I bought a 5 gallon barrel was more like 5.5 gallons, my problem was the opposite of your. I will say good it made 3 great beers for me though, no leaks

Extract brewing has improved over the years. I’ve won plenty of ribbons at the state fair doing extract brewing. I put my LME in a tub of Hot Water to get it to pour easier. I also add the LME when the wort is at 180-190 to prevent scorching the bottom of the pan.

Last time I made a apple mead I went to Meijer and bought a couple cans of orchards frozen concentrate apples and threw that in for more apple flavor then I added my Sugar/water syrup for sweetness. I try to raise the gravity up too 1.020 to get a semi sweet flavor.

Business must be slowing down for these Homebrew stores, seems everyday I’m getting emails for 15%-20% off.

Pure vanilla extract will work fine, I use 2 ounces in my 5 gallon imperial stouts I make. Vanilla Beans are 1st choice. Pure Vanilla Extract 2nd choice. Both will work and make a tasty beer.

I like to make Belgiums and Big Stouts and they seems to age and condition fine in my refrigerator. I let them sit in my fermentation bucket 3-4 weeks, keg them for a month and then bottle. After bottling they go in my beer fridge. I have a few Belgiums and Stouts that are hitting the 3 year...

You know that’s a dam good idea, make a sweet pastry stout and add some liquid THC.

If your making a beer just to get high from then I’d just buy liquid THC that’s around 70% THC and add it in secondary or when you keg. How much liquid THC you would need is a bigger question 🤷‍♂️.