Recent content by play_it_leo

Stirring the wort was part of my cooling process for sure. I kept a small bowl of sanitizer close by where I kept my whisk that I used to stir. Thanks.

Good tip! I used the method of adding ice until it melts for both batches so far, and it is a PITA to tilt the kettle to drain the water in order to free up space to add more ice. Both times I didn't get the stopper back in and the water kept draining out before I realized what was happening...

Thanks. I use a strainer in an attempt to keep the hops out of the fermenter. It removes some of the pellet residue, and does a great job with keeping whole hop cones out of the fermenter. Secondly, I feel it helps with aeration. I still give the bucket a good shake before adding the yeast...

Thanks for the reply. I mentioned this because when I took my hydrometer reading, the wort was not as dark as I would have liked. It was a very dark brown, but not black, as I had expected.

After DME addition. Hops. After hops addition. So now the 60 min countdown begins, and I cracked open a brew and started stripping the labels. Half way through the boil. Cooling down the wort in the sink with several water and ice changes. The cool down to 80° took about one...

Thanks for looking. I am posting this more as a diary as opposed to a "how to" or "guide" because lets face it, there are better resources to describe the process. That being said, I hope some one can gain insight into the process I use, and maybe some others can offer suggestions on my...

Great link, although I just skimmed it, the info will no doubt be a valuable resource as my brewing progresses. Thanks for the response.

Greetings. I’m new to the hobby although I’ve been a craft brew enthusiast for years. I worked as a server at larger brew pub for about 5 years during college. I thought I would post my experience on my first recipe and get some feedback on a recipe I plan on brewing this Saturday. I...