Recent content by nick79brew

if you naturally carbonate to 10 psi, you only need a gentle "push" of co2 maybe around 3-4 psi, yes some will be absorbed in the beer, however there is a substantial difference in naturally carbonated beer....tighter head, smoother mouth feel. Also if you naturaly carbonate you are forceing...

I brewed an "Oregon Strawberry Ale" last summer and it turned out great. There are a few keys to a great strawberry beer... 1) only attempt if you have damn tasty fresh strawberries, I live in the Willemette Valley in Oregon...know for the best strawberries in the world. 2) use a light beer...

working at a pub...serving you lucky fu*ks beer

on another note: i remember my first beer, man it was stressful! after you get a few under your belt it becomes much easier and more enjoyable! At that point you switch to all grain, which has even more head aches! but like extract with practice it becomes abreeze! happy brewing nick

even with my wort chiller it takes about 30 min. you will be fine, just make sure to cool it all the way to 70.

yep, repitch it!

yes and no. Ideally you want your yeast to ferment on the lower end, up to 73 degrees. At a higher temp you the yeast will overwork itself and produce off flavors. Now historically brewer brewed all the time, regardless of temp. Im in the opinion of just brewing the damn beer and any off...

On my strong beers i like to give plenty of time in secondary, maybe 3-4 weeks. then i slowly bring down the temp, about 2 degrees a day untill i hit about 38 degrees. Then i will either carbonate or keg condition(by which i bring the beer up to room temp and reintroduce malts and yeast). In...

It could have been a bad batch from the brewery. However there are so many variables that can affect the brew once it has left the brewery. Im a strong believer in brewpubs(and fortunately i live in Oregon where there are brewpubs everywhere)....this is the way beer should be treated, brewed...

yeah the first time i use my conical i thought fermentation had not begun because my airlock wasnt moving. I then figured out that the pressure was pushing co2 out the top. a heavy book on top of the lid fixed it!

Just wanted to share my experience ive had with my minibrew conical! I love it! Today i will put brew # 7 in it. The plastic is about 1.5 inches thick and very strudy. It is easy to clean, easy to pull out trub before fermentaion.Hharvesting yeast is a breeze. No need to sanitize tubes...

damn that sucks!!!! one step is pretty caustic, i would pitch the wort and start over. nick

if you add water you will be diluting your beer. if you have compresed co2 you can purge you carboy first. if not just fill er up, the following fermentaion will push the oxygen out and replace it with co2. cheeers nick on tap: pacific pale oregon strawberry ale

I use both methods depending on time. If I know that I'm going to brew in 12-24 hours I dont use an air lock and pitch the whole starter. I cover the top with sterilized gauze. The advantage of this is that your yeast will be activily reproducing and eating the starter. When you pitch this...

Does anyone know where to find a waterproof themo probe? my understanding is that the point where the thermo probe connects is the "achilies heal" of these instruments ( ive gone through 3). There has to be a water proof one out there! thanks nick On Tap: Dunkelweizen Pale Ale #2...