Recent content by DoWBrewer

I use extra insulation on my mashtun and an electric blanket if it is cold. Having said that, you just need to adjust your process to overcome the greater temp differential. Try using the tools in beer smith to get the correct mash-in temp. Check your mashtun temp and grain temp, adjust...

Do the hops have a good aroma when you smell them? I wouldn't assume that you have no aroma because of the hops, it may be part of the brewing process. I recently used very fresh hops that had great aroma, but I none of it ended up in the beer.

You didn't mention the temp of the fermenter. Depending on the temp you are currently at, I would recommend ramping the temp a degree a day until you get into the high 70s.

Go buy a batch of brett and start your first sour.

Northern Brewer, Centennial, Galena and Citra (Couldn't stop at 3).

Bottle conditioning takes three weeks to do a secondary fermentation of the sugar added at bottling. The additional sugar provides enough food for the yeast to carbonate each bottle. Kegging just puts the beer under pressure and the Co2 goes into solution. It is a good idea to keg a beer and...

Why not just ferment in the kettle? I don't recall where I read about it, but there are people that just that. They start with a BIAB batch. Then cool their wort in the kettle and pitch their yeast into your kettle. They do the full ferment and then bottle or keg. I am not sure how you...

I almost exclusively brew in my basement. I didn't have a ton of money to spend, so I went BIAB. I use 120v induction burner and 120v heating element. I use the mash tun from my 3-tier system for my kettle/biab mashtun. It is a 15.5 gallon Bayou Classic. You can pickup the induction burners...

I can confirm that the Belle Saison is a beast. The last time I used it fermented a beer from 1.053 to 1.002. The Belle has some weird almost green apple flavors that go away after you carbonate.

I think that is a good recipe. I am known in my homebrew club for my saisons. Having said that, there are many ways to do things. I start fermentation out at around 65. I leave it there for two days. On the third day, I boil the sugar for 10-mins and it to the fermenter. From there I let...

Your hops may be more pronounced without the malt for balance. I always keep DME on hand for these occasions. If you get to the end of your boil and you are short just add DME and boil for 10-mins. You can search around for the number of gravity points/gallon. I don't recall the exact number.

I love IPAs, but I am sick of every brewing company making the same IPA. Too much amarillo and simco imho. They are mostly bad copies of Pliny the Elder. I love it when I find a brewery with new and unique hop combinations.

There is not a single % of alcohol that will kill the yeast. It is curve. The higher the alcohol the less viable yeast. I think it is safe to say that when you get past the 10% mark your viable yeast is getting low. They are beat up and tired.

I will hold the temp around 75 for two weeks. I took a peek at one of the bottles (they are covered with blankets to keep constant heat) and there is a significant coating of yeast that was not there a week ago. I take that as a good sign that it is doing it's work. My basement is too cold to...

I made a rye saison with Belle Saison in primary in Feb 2014. I added Brett Brux in secondary. While in secondary I added fresh wort to top off the fermenter twice, local sour cherries and kumquats. I bottled a few days ago with carbonation tablets in 22-ounce bottles. Both cases of bottles...