Recent content by Lumberbrew

You could try amalyse enzyme in the fermenter. I used it with good effect on a bitter where I missed my mash temp. It dropped the FG from 1.014 to 1.008 within a week.

+1 to plasma cutter. These things are amazing. Check around for some shops that work with sheet metal... find an art studio that does sculptural metal work, or a custom car bodywork shop, etc. I got a friend's keg cut out for a 6-pack of brew, it took 5 mins including smoothing the edge with a...

I have a quantity of corn starch packing peanuts that for... "scientific reasons" needs to be incorporated into a beer. Well, there's a gentlemen's wager involved, but really it's more of a morbid curiosity on the part of myself and my fellow brewers. Backstory : I recently got in a shipment...

I've brewed with year+ old crushed grains before and it turned out fine (I have a hard time turning down free stuff!) As long as they are stored properly - dry, airtight, cool, dark - it should be fine.

I've left kegs up to a week with Oxyclean solution in them with no visible harm. I picked up some free corny corny kegs off Craigslist that had been stored with the lids off in an outdoor shed for some number of years. After pressure washing the inside to get out the bugs and dirt, 1/2 scoop of...

An old thread, but I thought I would wrap it up: We first de-gassed the mead with a vacuum pump. I'm not sure this was actually necessary though too much CO2 or other gasses in solution can inhibit fermentation, and I don't think it can cause harm (plus it was very awesome to watch). Then the...

Thanks for the advice! Looking back at the recipe I was suppose to add more yeast nutrient after an additional amount of time (1/2 tsp at ~70% and ~40% of OG) which I didn't do. Doh! This is definitely a culprit for the stuck fermentation, combined with a possibly low pH and a somewhat on the...

5 gal recipe, ~15# clover honey. Boiled water along with 1 tbsp acid blend and 1 tsp yeast nutrient, added honey. Chilled to 80F and oxygenated using sterilized bubbler stone and pure oxygen for ~3 minutes. I pitched 2 packets of Red Star Champagne yeast, rehydrated at 100F and let stand to cool...