Recent content by MisterOJ

Maybe he's been eating a lot of mushrooms? :cross:

OK, so I brewed an ESB a few weeks ago and it has been in the bottle for about 2.5 weeks. I put one in the fridge yesterday and tried it after it was cold. It was pretty good. Not my favorite, but then that's not my favorite style - I mostly did it because my wife and best friend really like...

Could you use an ale yeast for it? Would that leave more of the apple flavor behind?

Could you explain this a little? This is the first I've heard of this and I have covered most of my boils so far. What kind of flavors are you talking about and when might they show up in the brew?

Thanks Revvy. One more noob question: Since I just pitched half a packet of dry yeast, how long is the other half good for? I folded over the packet two or three times then taped it closed and put it back in the fridge. Should I use this fairly soon, or will it keep a while?

I have an extra packet of 05 in the fridge. Would it probably be best to toss half of it in today? Should I give it a slight stir, or just pitch and walk away? Thanks!

So last Saturday I brewed an old ale. The OG was about 1.090 or so. I pitched a packet of US05 and aerated the hell out of it. I was expecting a lively fermentation and even contemplated using a blowoff tube instead of an airlock, but decided to just watch it closely and see what happened...

I peeked again this morning. Looks like the krausen is starting to fall. Although it wasn't nearly as big as I expected. One good thing is that I can't detect any off smells. The beer smells just as good as the other four batches I have done, so that's positive. I'll probably take a sample...

Yeah... that's what I got when I checked Mr. Malty too. So should I just go ahead and chuck half a packet in there? Or maybe the whole thing just to be safe? And if I did underpitch, is that going to mess anything up longterm or will it all work out okay as long as I add the extra yeast?

It was an 11.5 gram packet. I consulted the folks at the LHBS and they seemed to think one packet of 05 would be sufficient. As for the bucket, it's a brand new one, so there could be an issue there. I suppose it might be less than airtight. I can, after all, smell the beer fermenting. But, it...

That's one thing I have wondered as well... I have a second packet I could toss in if need be. But, I'm not sure if I should just give the yeast that's in there now time to do their thing.

So I have batch No. 5 in the bucket right now. I brewed it on Saturday and I haven't seen a single bubble in the airlock. The OG was fairly high at 1.090 and I was even contemplating a blowout tube. I know it's been doing something, because my fermenting closet smells like it's working. And I...

I've got an old ale (with an OG around 1.090) in primary right now. I pitched it with US05. I'm thinking about just taking the slurry from it and using it for my yeast with my planned barleywine. That should turn out okay, doncha think?

I'm bumping this because I am wanting to make a barleywine in the near future. Do y'all think I could take these leftover grains, add 12-13 pounds of DME (mostly light, but maybe 3-4 pounds of amber), a few basic hops and make a decent barleywine out of it?

I don't think it's necessary to completely drain the bottles. I usually just let them soak in Star San, shake them out, then cover and set them on the counter for a while before bottling (1-2 hours or something) and during that time, the rest of the water will settle in the bottom. One more...