Recent content by paulgobble

Are FG readings taken with a refractometer, and then adjusted with a calculator, reliable? I hate using my hydrometer, and would love to retire it, but I have doubts about using a refractometer for FG readings.

For the brew mentioned in the example, it was White Labs WLP002 English Ale Yeast. The stated optimal temperature range is 65º to 68º. So I went over by three degrees on the second day fermenting when it was at its most active. And while I am concerned about this particular batch, my...

I keep my fermentors in a cool closet in my basement. Ambient temperatures in there range from low 60's in the winter to 67º in the summer. During fermentation I have my fermentor sitting on a heating pad attached to a temperature controller with the thermo-probe inserted into a thermowell...