Recent content by mickeypower

Hmm. Not an option - barrel was a hand-me-down from an aged aunt!

Interesting. I'm not a subscriber, and am in the UK - not sure how available BYO is here... :(

Does anyone have any experience applying "brewer's pitch" to an oak barrel? I'm trying to fix a persistent leak, not cover the whole inner barrel (because I want to keep most of the flavour-imparting oak exposed). The leak is at the join between one of base plates and a couple of the vertical...

Does adding (previously boiled) COLD water to the wort (to bring it up to 5 gallons, say) have the same beneficial effect as the "cold break"? I'n guessing no... but thought I'd ask as this is anyway a necessary step.

OK I'll give pitch a try. I assume I heat it, pour through the bung hole, and swill around..? P.S. I'm based in the UK - just found an interesting site here that sells it and a load of very interesting "traditional materials". See http://traditionalmaterials.co.uk/

I'll try the hammering trick, but I'd imagine to works for leaks between slats: mine is due to a fractured slat I think. As I understand, brewer's pitch is used to line the whole inside of the barrel. I could do that... but am keen to keep the oak raw, for flavor etc. Unless I can apply it...

I've got a oak barrel that I've been soaking for months. It has a small persistent leak that just won't go. It seems to be a fissure within a slat, rather than between two slats. I'm thinking there might be some kind of food-grade oil or something that I might apply externally... but I...

That sounds a very plausible explanation! Actually I didn't even meausre it... I just kinda guessed "this seems cool enough". I'll buy a thermometer for my next batch :o

Thanks all for these tips. I was thinking of waiting until fermentation is really over, racking and fining with isinglass, then bottling with one of those little carbonation tablets (Sucrose/Glucose) per bottle. Does that sound sensible? Or in poor taste? I'm kinda making this up as I go...

Thanks, I just improvised one. Under control now. In general, is such an immediate and extremely vigorous fermentatin desirable? FYI, I'm attempting a generic English bitter using "Danstar Dried Ale Yeast" by Lallemand, with combined dry/syrup extract.

I'm a TOTAL noob to beer brewing. Made my first batch yesterday. As I didn't have a fermentation bin, I used a 5gal glass carboy that I use for makin gcider. Well, by this morning it has blocked and then blown off the airlock (very messy ceiling!) and is now cascading froth down the sides of...