Recent content by MrDarcy

Just for clarification (I think I'm confused myself about which "wort" we're talking about here): the stir plate should be sufficient for aerating your starter wort; in addition, however, the wort in your fermenter (into which you'll pitch your starter) should also be aerated. The aerating...

Yes, even though a yeast starter is one of the best things you can do to ensure a healthy fermentation, you should still aerate your wort. Perhaps even more so?! Anyhow, aerating w oxygen is great, but you can still make great beer w more traditional homebrewing methods--shaking, aquarium pump...

Please tell me where I went “wrong:” So, I brewed an American Stout (based on a Zainasheff style profile in BYO). For me, it’s a “big” beer, but I think it’s also relatively big for the style: Targeted OG = 1.072 (which I hit). I pitched with WLP007 (instead of WLP001), mashed (accidentally)...

Thanks for the responses. I feel like I'm lucky to get any! Anyhow, I measure my fermentation temperatures with a temp controller. The problem is taped to the side of my carboy/bucket in a water bath. Cooling isn't an issue where I live, so an aquarium heater is attached to the controller...

Sorry this thread got posted twice! I don't know how to delete it! And WTF?! I just looked at the details for Table Sugar in Beersmith and it says, "White table sugar, or sucrose primarily is used to increase alcohol. Using too much will add a cider flavor to beer."

First, let me state up front that I am NOT proposing that using refined sugars (e.g., table sugar or corn sugar) as adjuncts in a recipe will necessarily lead to appley or cidery flavors. When I started encountering these off-flavors in my own beers, my research at first produced such...

First, let me state up front that I am NOT proposing that using refined sugars (e.g., table sugar or corn sugar) as adjuncts in a recipe will necessarily lead to appley or cidery flavors. When I started encountering these off-flavors in my own beers, my research at first produced such...

Hey all, Just recently, with temps at a stable mid-upper 50s in my garage, I thought I'd try my first lager using Fermentis S-23 (seems to tolerate slightly elevated lager fermentation temps). Anyhow, I followed the Brewing Classic Styles recipe for Bohemian Pilsner and hit my targeted OG...

Thanks, Braufessor!!!! Now, I can sleep soundly with the promise of a well-fermented stout in my future... Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Hey y'all, I realize there are several posts about this sort of question, and I apologize in advance for the redundancy. I guess I'm just hoping for up-to-date advice about my particular situation. A week ago, I brewed about 5.25 gallons of American Stout at 1.070. I made a 2 liter starter...

I suspect the answers to this will be, "Go for it, no problem," or "Why Bother? Just use one packet," but I'm curious...: I'm brewing a 1.066 OG IPA tomorrow and kinda threw the recipe together while at the LHBS. Anyhow, they had a 10g (not 11.5g, like Safale) packet of dry yeast called...

Thanks so much for the great responses! Yeah, this was my first attempt at "hop bursting," and I figured I could just do a 30-minute boil (I mean, why not? I wasn't adding hops until 15 minutes left in the boil, after all. Why couldn't I have done a 15 minute boil...?). It was kinda two...

Thanks for the response, y'all. But any particular advice on my particular dry hop questions? How long should I dry hop (I'll rack to keg on the last day...)? Any combination of hops (other than Citra) that I could/should consider if this brew already tastes like a tropical bomb? Am I crazy to...

My first ever opportunity to share my beer with anyone other than my close friends and family is approaching on April 26, and for whatever reason, I brewed something a bit outside my usual repertoire for the occasion—an extract Citra pale ale with a 30-minute boil. I brewed on March 12, and my...

Hi All, Eight days ago, I brewed two beers (extract w specialty grains) on March 12—a Citra pale and an ESB. Now, I know it’s only been 8 days (and I won’t consider racking the beer for at least 2 weeks, total), but I pitched S-04 into each beer and was really surprised by how quickly it took...