Recent content by Gytaryst

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  1. Gytaryst

    High Gravity Question(s)

    Thank you. Sounds like solid advice. Healthy yeast, lots of it, yeast nutrients, and oxygen. I used to wash the yeast from the yeast cake and keep it going way back when, but I brewed a lot more back then. I would love to do that now, but I don't plan on brewing quite as often. The price of...
  2. Gytaryst

    High Gravity Question(s)

    I like big (11% to 14% abv) bourbon-barrel imperial stouts. I gave up home brewing for a number of years, but I'm getting back into it on a limited basis - to brew (big) imperial stouts. I've had these questions for years. I've done countless hours of searches and have come up with a wide...
  3. Gytaryst

    A Very Pleasing Update to My First Attempt in 5 Years Stout.

    My goal was to make a high gravity imperial stout and condition it on bourbon-soaked American oak cubes. On 1/6/2024 I made the Brewers Best RIS extract kit, and added 275g of Briess Golden DME to up the abv. Using [exactly] 5-gallons of water, it went in the fermenter at 1.081, (a little lower...
  4. Gytaryst

    Looking for Small Batch Fermentation Suggestions and Ideas

    I used 2 packets of Nottingham in this 5 gal stout I have in primary now. It took it a minute to wake up but it was ferocious for 2 days - blowing foam down my 6' - 1/2" blow-off hose into my sanitizer. I checked gravity after a week and it was 1.027. I was hoping for 1.020 or less. Today is 2...
  5. Gytaryst

    Looking for Small Batch Fermentation Suggestions and Ideas

    The jars I was looking at are made for making pickles. They have a wide opening with a screw-on lid. I thought about filling them up with little to no headspace and adding a pinch of priming sugar. They'll have an airlick.
  6. Gytaryst

    Looking for Small Batch Fermentation Suggestions and Ideas

    Sounds good. I'm in the process of trying to re-learn Beersmith and convert my profile over to extract. I bought a Brewers Best kit a couple weeks ago, (it's in the primary now). I'm going to steer away from the kits and just buy the ingredients as needed. I've heard of that chocolate milk...
  7. Gytaryst

    Looking for Small Batch Fermentation Suggestions and Ideas

    My plan. I want to brew high gravity imperial stouts, 10% to 14% abv, extract only, 3-gallon batch size. I plan to split the batches into 1 gallon glass jars for aging, mostly with bourbon-soaked oak cubes. That’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m hung up on the in-between primary stage. I want to be...
  8. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    My plan is to brew 3 gallon batches and split them into 1 gallon vessels for aging. I looked at 1 gallon kegs, but they cost as much as 5 gallon kegs. I'm hoping to be able to brew more often, so I will need quite a few 1 gallon vessels for aging. 1 gal glass jars are about $10 each. I don't...
  9. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    I hear ya. I used to do all closed transfers and keg everything. I started out brewing an extract kit on my kitchen stove, and then the hobby took on a life of it's own. I'm retired, fixed income. My wife doesn't drink and everyone I know either doesn't drink, drinks wine, or Bud Light. I got...
  10. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    Not really a "secondary fermentation" I don't think. If I understand it correctly, I thought you racked to a secondary when primary was [ALMOST] done, and allowed it to finish fermenting in a "secondary." My goal, based on limited knowledge and 5 years away from the hobby, was to allow primary...
  11. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    Good advice, thanks. I knew that little bit of DME wasn't going to create a monster, but since it's my first brew in a while I didn't want to jump into the deep end. I was hoping for somewhere in the neighborhood of 9% abv. Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout is my favorite style and I got back...
  12. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    Unfortunately, I can't check gravity without opening the fermenter. I sold off everything back in 2019 so I'm starting over (old school). That's the sample I took for the hydrometer this morning. It actually smells and tastes pretty good for only 6 days old. My plan was to move it to a secondary...
  13. Gytaryst

    First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions

    I made a Brewers Best 5 gallon extract kit back in 2014 and was hooked immediately. I did one more extract kit before switching over to all-grain. I brewed a lot in the beginning and kept buying bigger and better (and more) equipment. By 2018, my "brew day" started Friday night milling grain and...
  14. Gytaryst

    Barrel-Aged Question(s)

    THAT sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I love imperial stouts and I love big Belgians, but I don't want that Belgian funk in a stout.
  15. Gytaryst

    Barrel-Aged Question(s)

    I didn't know there were Federal laws regulating it, but I suppose it's good that someone regulates it. The way I understood barrel-aging; it's done merely to pick up the flavors and characteristics of the barrel and whatever residue from the previous contents, and not necessarily to increase...
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