Recent content by grittanomyces

If you don't like the bubbles, then rinse a little bit just like you would with rinse sanitizer (or really much less than you'd have to rinse to still feel safe about it being sanitized) I have a sanitized water jug with water I use to add small amounts and pour out of the carboy, taking most...

Yes, it is purely just to up alcohol without adding sweetness or malt flavor (though I think I remember that you add it in near the beginning of the boil if you want to add body, near the end if you dont). You also see this done with some imperial/double IPAs to keep it more hop forward and not...

Yes, I've scorched a small amount on an electric stovetop. It's a risk no matter what heat source you use when it's at boiling temps. You may know about stirring, but there is no other secret way to prevent scorching, (assuming you're cutting the heat off when adding and stirring, that's the...

Oh sorry, 5 gallon batch, but I guess that's implied if not specified.

Never brewed an imperial stout before, but I love them. Got this recipe that called for dark LME, but I'm not going to get from extract what I can get from specialty malts, so I upped the dark malts and made it golden light LME. I like huge stouts, so I'm not worried if it turns out...

Yep, when I still do extract batches to save time, I use DME so I don't even have to turn off the heat to add, I just add it right as it's getting up to a boil, and a few minutes later I'm ready for my hop boil. Just make sure those clumps get dissolved and you're good to go. Well, I take...

Brew with them as soon as possible, like 1-2 days before they start going brown. If you can't, then dry them out so you can store them longer, but your beer will no longer be "fresh" or "wet-hopped" then.

You do not want to add the lme right after re moving the grain bag. I'd assume this contributed to your scorching if you did this before, as it probably won't mix with liquid until it is around boiling temps. Bring it to a boil, then cut the heat to add and stir the extract in. Then turn it...

No worry at all. As long as the dome that covers the tube in the airlock is below the water level, then no O2 should get in. Plus when you're fermenting, there is so much CO2 coming out that it will be very difficult for oxygen to get in an The bigger issue is that at 78 with Safale S-05...

Sure, it worked out fine for Al Capone

Did you get your volume right? Meaning did you end up (or add water) with the amount the recipe called for? If so, then I see little reason to even take an OG reading with extract. As the above poster said, if you hit your target volume, then it is not really possible to be more than a couple...

So you didn't answer the previous question, are you covering your carboy with a teeshirt or something? I don't know much about light exposure prior to bottling, so maybe someone else can say better if it could produce these kind of off-flavors, since I've always understood light to be more...

Yep, most yeast strains will do much better in 65 than 72 (which is on the upper limit if not above the temp ranges for most ale strains, especially when you consider that temps in the fermenter can be 5 degrees or more than ambient temp). I would recommend just doing it there all the time if...

Nothing needs to soak in sanitizer (I only leave most of my brew day stuff soaking so its ready when I need it), it is a contact sanitizier, so if you just put them in a container of it when you're ready to bottle (or if you're worried about it, just dip each cap in as you get ready to cap a...

No, with extract you should use a calculator before brewing to determine what gravity you want, and add that much extract. Simple as that. If it was all-grain, then measurements are helpful because efficiency can vary, but with extract, if you stir it in, then you hit your gravity. The sugars...