Recent content by jamessh

One more question: Could anyone give me some information regarding false bottom installation w/r/t an insulated cooler. What has worked, materials, cost, etc.?

Wow I really appreciate all of the comments. I will post some additional information. My initial post was slightly erratic as I was frustrated. I did account for temperature and I know that there is an adjustment, albeit a minor one, that must be made for temperatures above 60F. This was...

I am currently on my third AG so I am still relatively new w/r/t this whole process. I brewed an IPA today. 13 lbs crushed grain from LHBS including: 10 2-row pale, 2 munich and 1 crystal. I heated the strike water to about 195-200F and let it sit in my mash tun (an insulated igloo cooler)...

I like this method. I brewed two batches of all-grain and my efficiencies have been relatively low (67% for the most recent one). I think I have had trouble with sparging. I did it as follows. Mashed at about 150-155 for 60 minutes (the temperature falls consistently such that it was at...

Thank you both for your help and comments. I have heard the term "vorlauf" several times. I was going to use a grain bag as I was planning on heating (mashing) in an approximately 2-3 gallon kettle. Then I was going to simply take the grain bag(s) out and then sparge in a large cooler with a...

I am new to ALL-GRAIN brewing and have picked up 6 lbs of 2-row pale malt and 1 lb. of 40L crystal malt to make an IPA. I have a series of hopefully simple questions. 1) Does 2-row malted barley require a protein rest? I have read that it does not (but that 6-row does). Would it be better...

Yes I was very pleased with the appearance. It was frothy and I swirled it around briefly before pitching it. I did only use 1/2 of a package. Maybe this is why it is hesitating to begin?

Lets see if I can recall: the temperature of the wort (~1 part) was 90F and I added that to a bucket of maybe 45F apple juice (~2 parts) and then pitched the yeast. I did rehydrate the yeast first with cider + brown sugar. I made a 2 1/2 gal. batch so there is considerable air space in the...

So when I was pouring the cider from the plastic into the glass jugs (and this cider had already started to ferment via the natural wild yeasts) there is a risk that I could end up with vinegar due to the fact that it was invigorated with oxygen during the transfer?

I tried a batch of this using frozen apple juice concentrate as the "cider" and without the torrified wheat. I rehydrated my yeast (Nottingham) the evening before in some actual fresh pressed cider (w/o preservatives) that had been heated to 140 for ~ 10 minutes (and a bit of brown sugar). I...

What keeps the fermented sugars (alcohol) from being converted into acetic acid (vinegar) when making a hard cider. Background: My friend brought four gallons of fresh pressed apple cider home from NY and so I figured I would do some experimentation. All of the jugs had begun to ferment...

!!!!!

And if I were to cut this with some boiled water I could lower the (potentially 7% ABV) high alcohol content. Also when you say "top off" do you suggest going to the base of the neck (the neck is about 2-3 inches X 1 1/2 inch diameter)? This latter fact is going to force me to make or pick up...

I don't understand? It is in a primary and the CO2 is presumably pushing out what oxygen would be filling the head space. I was going to rack back into the 1 gallon glass bottles that they came in and fit with an air lock. Is that a problem?

I am relatively new to brewing and have just bottled my first beer. I am now fermenting some store bought, pasteurized (Whole Foods "apple juice") cider. From what reading I have done it appears there is a pretty standard divide between people who either 1) advise that you do NOT leave the...