Recent content by lodgeskins

I'm pretty new to brewing and have heard/read conflicting things about this. Some suggest getting into a glass secondary after about 10 days to avoid the settled yeast from imparting off-flavors (autolysis), and some plastic fermenters are more prone to bad seals and oxidation (wouldn't be so...

One more thought; were you in a plastic primary for all of that first 4 weeks?

A really sour flavor is going to be from a bacterial infection. They can be exacerbated by too warm or slow fermentations. If it seems like a mild off flavor, maybe you just don't really dig the beer you made even though it came out the way it's supposed to...

If you try it, before you open, and then after you do (before you pour), I'd suggest sterilizing the bottle mouth (butane lighter, etc.) I'm not a big lambic guy, but I thought that they were mostly pasteurized to kill the bacteria that sours it, in which case you'd be out of luck...

How was your sanitation throughout?

I'm pretty new at this too, but if it's still fermenting at all, then from what i've read you should be okay because of the Co2 that will take up that space and help limit the oxidation. I think I read that in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Also worth nothing is that I now have my 5 gallon...

I'm going to all grain for my next batch, getting my equipment together, and so I was wondering about this. But, my main concern was for the plastic being at such high temps; not because of durability, but because of chemical leeching. Has anyone come across any info on this? I'm sure the...

Papazian writes, (a blowoff tube) "will expel excess yeast, excessively bitter hop resins, and a small amount of fermenting beer; a small price to pay for a smooth, clean-tasting homebrew". He also states that the blowoff method allows "other things that may contribute to hangovers when...

Awesome! Maltose Express has a site that I just checked out and I'm definitely going to take a ride there soon. Thanks!

Just joined CRABS, thanks! And thanks for the link, too. Unfortunately all are pretty far, except Cochia's, which is in a really bad neighborhood (occasional shootings, etc.). I've been there twice and it's not pleasant. The first time, I came out to find my car covered in hot sauce, and just...

I'm only on my second batch; looking forward to many more. Being that the "find HBTers" thread isn't fully functional yet, anyone have any tips for finding other local homebrewers? I'm in Norwalk, CT. -Mike

Thanks for the responses! The target FG is 1012-1014, so once the 3-4 points are subtracted from where it is now, I guess I'm not sitting as bad as I thought. I'm going to follow your advice David, and just let it settle for a couple of weeks before bottling.

Last Sunday (one week ago today) I started a porter from a kit. The directions that came with it said to add the "malto-dextrin" but did not specify an amount. However, the bag of the malto-dextrin said use four ounces for 5 gallons and it was an 8ounce bag. All other ingredients included in...