Recent content by MSUbrew

I usually don't take my first reading until after a week in the primary. Then when its getting close to bottling time I take two or three readings on consecutive days to make sure fermentation is complete (ie gravity isn't changing) before I bottle.

Alright thanks I'll give that a try.

Well, I took another sample today (after about 2 weeks in primary) and the gravity is still at 1.024, the same as a week ago. I'm not terribly worried about it because it still tastes and smells great, but I'm just not sure why fermentation has come to a halt before it reached FG. Did you...

I agree that oxygen is needed pre-fermentation but I always aerate after the wort is cool. There is a lot of info out there (on this site particularly) about hot wort aeration and how it can cause off flavors. Some believe it isn't an issue for homebrewers but I'd rather not take the risk....

+1 on keeping the lid off. I use an ice bath to cool my wort and I leave the lid off and GENTLY stir it to speed up the cooling process.

Congrats! I'm on my 5th batch now and I'm just getting the hang of letting them condition for longer than a couple of weeks. Its extra tough when your homebrew reserves are running low...

Sounds good. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Heres a link to the CL ad: Wooden Beer Cases It says he has 6 cases, I bought two so there should be 4 left for you. Good luck!

Found these on Craigslist today...I got 40 16oz Grolsch swing-top bottles for $40. Plus they came in these really nice custom built cases. SCORE. CL Score I think the guy has two or three more cases like this if anyone in the Lansing area is interested....

Took my first sample today after one week in the primary. SG is down to 1.024 from 1.068 and it tastes AWESOME.

I used two cans of Meijer brand pumpkin and the pumpkin ale I brewed a few weeks ago (Yuri's Thunderstruck) tastes great so far.

I'm bottling my pumpkin ale today. I added 60oz of canned pumpkin to the boil (after baking for 45 mins) and ended up with 4-5" of trub in the primary. I don't always secondary my brews but this one I did and still had 1-2 inches of trub in the secondary. I lost about a half gallon to the...

Yikes, good luck cleaning that up

Welcome from Lansing!

I made this as my first cider, hoping for something that finished on the sweeter side. I had an OG of 1.068 and after two weeks in the primary its down to 1.012 (used a dry hefe yeast). Tastes very good but a little drier than I was hoping. In the secondary now, will bottle in a couple of weeks