Recent content by obsoletist

So, my first attempt (True Brew Amber) was a success, even though it was gone by the time it neared its full potential in the bottle. I didn't bother pulling out the hydrometer for that first batch, before or after fermentation; I was too busy with all the other excitement that goes along with...

I didn't sample the wort. Tried the last couple ounces left over from bottling; the beer I just had tastes the same except now it's slightly carbonated. Tasty though! Would love to keg someday once I've got some more experience under my belt. off-topic: sorry about your Pack. I'm not a fan...

So, even though it's a bit early to do so, I just broke down and cracked open a bottle of my first home brew, an all-malt amber. It's only been bottled for 5 days, but curiosity was eating me alive, so I decided to test one out and see how the carbonation is coming along. I got a pretty...

I drink at least one or two beers every day, sometimes much more; it all varies according to my work/errand schedule. Usually the first thing I do after getting home from work during the day is crack open a beer to go with lunch. If I expect to be home the rest of the day (doing chores or just...

Brewing is my newest hobby, just started a few days after Christmas (can you guess what my biggest gift was? :P ) So far I absolutely love it and can't wait to get started on my second batch. Music has been my greatest passion ever since my adolescence, when I introduced myself to rock and...

I don't think it's recommended to cool your wort by adding ice. You probably did water your beer down a bit by doing that, but more importantly it's a sanitation issue. Ice can carry lots of contaminants. If anything you should set the wort in an ice bath if possible, or just let it cool...

The airlock doesn't just protect your beer from outside contaminants, it also acts as an indicator of fermentation. When your beer begins to ferment, you'll get a bubble coming up through the water in the airlock every few seconds, or minutes, depending on how far along your fermentation is (the...

I would definitely invest in a thermometer if you haven't already, preferably a digital one, to check your temp before pitching the yeast. Obviously you have a fairly successful first beer, but it's always best to follow directions when it comes to fermentation; don't pitch until your wort is...

I have a pet turtle in a 55 gallon tank that needs monthly water changes, so I'm pretty sure I siphoned correctly! :D There was only a little bit of air in the hose when I first dropped it in the bottling bucket, but after that I had a nice clean flow to the end.

What a relief!! I had a feeling I was worrying too much, that pouring a liquid into another liquid shouldn't result in any major 'suspension' issues. I guess it would have been wiser of me to refer to my priming sugar as a 'solution' in the original post. I can totally understand how dumping dry...

As a newbie myself, who hasn't even finished/tasted his first homebrew yet, I can't really give you any technical advice just yet...and I know what you mean about mistakes (see my first thread regarding priming sugar)! All I can say, regarding the latter half of your post, is: 1)You have good...

Everything went into the bottling bucket, save for the last 1/2 inch of sediment (and possibly undissolved sugar) at the bottom of the fermenter. Unfortunately we did not think to stir the beer at all once it was in the bottling bucket. If anything, the siphoning process hopefully did some of...

When I poured the sugar mixture in, I did it slowly and with a circular motion, as to try and distribute it evenly throughout the batch...but I know I didn't stir it. Maybe she did, I don't remember, probably not. But at the very least I didn't just dump it in without any sort of care or...

Hello, all. Nice forum you've got here. My fiancee and I have successfully (we hope) bottled our first batch of homebrew, an all-malt amber, just a couple of days ago. I did some lurking on these forums for some advice on fermentation, which led to us waiting an extra week before bottling...it...