Recent content by Eye8oneu812

Just an update-my mead is now bubbling away. I wouldn't say it is vigorous, but it is definitely fermenting, so here's hoping that everything works out.

Yeah, after doing more reading, I have seen that it is apparently unnecessary to boil honey, given that it is essentially sterile, and by boiling it I boil off the aromatic compounds that will flavor my finished product. I'm keeping notes of what I have done here so I can work out the kinks...

Hi all, I have just ventured into the world of making mead. I previously have stuck to just brewing beer, with good results across the board (if I do say so myself.) I made my mead this last Saturday (it is now Monday), so it has been in the primary for 2 days and there has not been a single...

It sounds like what you've made is a champ. That beer is going to be strong, and you'll know it by the taste. I can't think of any kind of commercial example, but that's just the sort of beer that I enjoy making. Get a whole lot of fermentables (pretty much only malt in my case), toss in a bunch...

I grew some hops in the backyard this summer. I planted three vines, Cascade, Chinook, and Willamette. Chinook and Willamette absolutely thrived, but Cascade never took off like the other two. It was wilty all summer, perhaps verticillium? Anyway, I'm going to cut down the thing and burn it...

Using extract with a partial mash is, to me, a very efficient way to take a basic beer and add your own special touch. I would agree that all-grain is probably the best way and allows the most customization, but for a guy without much space, a compromise is the only way to go. Mixing and...

Wow. Can you repair it? Seems like it would be a shame to lose your equipment. I was looking at picking up one of those, but now I think I'll stick to my trusty glass carboys w/ airlocks.

I have brewed an IPA from Midwest Supplies, and my brew definitely stopped bubbling after about one week in the primary fermenter. There was a very slight greenish tint to the krausen, but nothing much. I put it in the secondary with the hops that Midwest gave me for dry-hopping, and I did not...

Well, I'd like to post an update on this. This beer has been my favorite so far, really nice hop flavor, awesome head retention, and it has gotten really good compliments from my friends. It has a bit of a citrus taste, a great aroma, and is a really smooth, nice drink. Thank you for your...

Sounds like a nice recipe for a Hefeweizen. In my understanding, and I'm a relatively new brewer, with a Hefe the yeast is what will really make the beer. Give the Wyeast Weihenstaphener yeast a shot. And yeah, the 8oz of Crystal is nice for the coloring and head retention.

Wyeast is the way to go. I've had beers made with the dry yeast that comes with kits, and let me tell you, using Wyeast really makes a big difference. It's worth that extra few bucks to make a beer that, in my opinion, is head and shoulders above what a dry yeast can produce. I've used these so...

Hi all, I'm a big fan of pellet hops, since that's pretty much all I've used, and I find it very convenient for storage. That said, I'll list some varieties I've used, and my impression of them. Fuggles-First one I ever used. Nice flavor, pretty mild, a great addition to a Porter...

Congrats on a successful brew. I've got 3 complete so far, and I'm very happy with the results, and very glad I got into homebrewing. Cheers, and keep up the good work!

I don't have a fermometer, but I do have a liquid crystal strip thermometer on the outside of the carboy that is reading about 61 degrees. Since my yeast strain should work at 58 and up, it seems to be just fine. I'll be racking it into a secondary soon, so I may take a hydrometer reading to get...

The beer that is fermenting with the Wyeast American Wheat strain seems to be fermenting nicely, tho certainly not incredibly vigorously, and honestly, I like that, since I wouldn't want to see lots of krausen blowing the airlock off of my carboy. It did build up a krausen of about 2 1/2 inches...