Recent content by jonwest

So, I think I'm ready to bottle this beauty, but I have a few more questions first. My OG was 1.070 on 3/3/13, on 3/25/13 SG was 1.020, and I racked to secondary. Soaked 2.5 oz Whiskey Barrel Chips (from kit) and 2 vanilla beans (split) in 8oz Makers Mark for a few days. Added all of this...

Thanks for the advice. The instructions do call for a long secondary, 3-4 weeks. I like the idea of soaking the chips in bourbon and adding them and some of the bourbon to the secondary. I'm really looking forward to drinking this one. Cheers

I have a Brewers Best Whisky Barrel Stout kit that I will be brewing soon. It came with whisky barrel oak chips and the instructions say to add them to the secondary. I was thinking about soaking the chips in some Bourbon to give it more flavor. Is this a good idea or not. I have never...

Good point. I was planning on doing this, but didn't mention it in my post.

My Pumpkin Ale has been in primary for almost a week now, and I plan on moving it to a secondary for another week or two. I have never used a secondary before and I was just wondering if there was anything I needed to know. I'm assuming I want to limit the amount of exposure to air to...

When I got home from work today there was foam coming out of the airlock. I wasn't really concerned until I heard a pop. The airlock blew off and I had a huge mess. Luckily the carboy was in a plastic tub of water to catch most of the mess. I cleaned and sanitized the airlock and put it back...

The wort was hot when I pitched the yeast (79F). I suppose it may have been hotter than that and my thermometer wasn't accurate. I was using a meat thermometer, cleaned and sanitized of course. Is there a better thermometer I should buy?

We have fermentation! I pitched a second packet of Nottingham last night and this morning there was a nice laver of foam on top and the bubbler was doing its thing. Is it possible that the yeast from the kit went bad? At the store the kits are not refrigerated, but the individual yeast packs...

I checked the SG and no change since I pitched the yeast. Sitting at 1.060. Should I pitch more yeast?

I am confident that I did add the yeast. I sprinkles it on top and stirred the wort Is stirring an except able method of aerating?

Well, no I have not taken a gravity reading. I made the rookie mistake of using the bubbles as indication. But, if Nottingham is an ale yeast shouldn't it ferment on top? The top of the wort is as smooth as glass not even a ripple. I will take a gravity reading tonight and post the results.

Well that makes sense. I guess I'm just getting impatient. Everything I read says that the yeast I used (Nottingham) usually reacts quickly, but mine hasn't done anything. Thanks for the info.

Ok, it has been 3 days since I brewed this beer, and I have not seen any activity. I am wondering if I might have killed the yeast when I pitched at 79*F. The wort has been stable at 65* since I placed it in a swamp cooler. Should I just keep waiting, or should I pitch a second packet of yeast?

Thanks for all of the quick responses. I have submerged the carboy into a tub of water. The temp has come down to 70. I'll check the temp daily and add ice packs if necessary, but I'll wait until next week to check the SG. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the only reason to rack to a...

I just finished brewing one of the Brewer's Best PSA IPA kits. I think everything went well, but I have a few questions/concerns. 1) The instructions called for 2.5 gal of clean water in the brew pot to make the wort. I used tap water knowing that the boil would kill anything. The...