Recent content by mk78

Yeah, I don't think the ratio is a hard and fast rule, and really, 2 gals for 6 lbs is pretty close to that anyway. So anywhere in there and I'm sure you'll be in good shape!

I don't have all your answers, but I'll chime in with a few. I believe the accepted standard for water:grain is 1.25 quarts to lbs. Handy calculator for all sorts of mash thingies: http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml As for calculating hops with partial boils, I think most brewing calculators...

A saison that dry sounds like...an awesome saison! That feels closer to style than FG 1.015 would have been.

I brewed a Blonde with some homegrown hops since my family is comprised mostly of light beer drinkers, and i still have some Pumpkin Ale left over too. Beyond that, all the SN Celebration Ale I can pour into my face. I also had Ninkasi's Sleigher Dark Double Alt recently, which I really...

oh nice. i had samples of that and sink the bismarck when brewdog did a pouring here in sf. if i recall, STB had the a bourbony liquor taste, while TNP was like a hoppy digestif sort of thing. i liked TNP better myself. to me it's all a bit out there, but by the same token it's pretty...

Depending on how well you mixed in the added water, you may have just gotten a sample that was a little low in sugars if you added the wort, added the water, and then sampled off the top. Either way it's probably not enough to worry about.

I'll third it. Before you start creating your own stuff, it's good to follow some tried and true recipes so you can know what variables do what. You'll more that much more equipped to create your own recipes in the future.

Me too. I have beer ADD, as well as very limited storage space (our one closet is already jammed with all my brewing stuff). If anything I was considering going down to 3-gal batches.

:)

This. Carve out some time to read this bad boy and you'll save yourself lots of time and get yourself on the way to quality brewing.

^^ Yeah, was coming here to say saisons are definitely a good bet. If you use that Dupont strain you may even have to get it hotter to fully attenuate!

I usually throw in a beer when I make chili and I often use IPAs. Also tossed a bottle of SN Celebration in a soup I made a couple days ago. It obviously just depends on your tastes, and the main thing is to not overdo it. I make fairly big batches of those things, so the beer isn't like half...

Awesome. Thanks to everyone that chimed in. I think my next batch is gonna get a bit of sour mash. Boom.

Agreed. I avoided drinking this one for a while until a friend brought it over, and I was very pleasantly surprised. And yes, to echo everyone else: Go buy the Celebration Ale! It's excellent. Just used one in a stew I made last night.

Totally. How the hell should we know? Love the site, james. Sometimes a little suggestion does the trick. I like the additional links too.