Recent content by Powchekny

Like I said, I'd have to confirm the economy part - though you should remember that you're expending a considerable amount of energy heating the water for the dishwasher, if you use the hot setting. And of course I know sterile isn't required. I think you missed the real point, though. The...

I'm one of those "oven guys". Using the oven has several advantages for sanitizing already clean bottles. For the record, I sanitize my bottles days before by cooking in an oven for one hour at 400 degrees F. They get cooked with tight fitting aluminum foil caps, so that the bottles stay...

Hi Kyle, One thing about these plastic fermenter lids. They sometimes have little notches cut around the perimeter of the lid. They're actually molded in, with a little extra bit the consumer is expected to cut with a utility knife or snips. If your lid has these "cuts", just snip a few of...

For what it's worth, shipping from Austin Homebrew has been fast to my home in New Hampshire, and the two beers I've ordered (mini-mash doppelbock and all-grain hefe weiss) have been excellent.

I have experienced the often mentioned extract "twang" when buying extract kits from my local homebrew store. It could be characterized as sourness, I suppose. Are you using extract kits (especially with LME)?

I never thought the stories in Penthouse Forum were real, until I had my own Penthouse Forum experience! My wife's best friend from work, Delilah, had recently broken up with her boyfriend. My wife kindly offered to have her stay the weekend with us at our hunting cabin in upstate New York...

That's a great deal. Personally, I'd keep the bottling sugar, assuming it tastes OK. If it tastes normal, I don't see what could be wrong with it. It's not like it's a leavening agent or anything like that. Its ability to carbonate your beer comes from the yeast you use, not the sugar...

I've gotten whole cases of Sam Adams empties from a local liquor store. Most of the staff at these places seem to be interested in my homebrewing, so I usually have a fun conversation in the bargain.

I think you'll be fine if you use new caps and keep your sanitization up to snuff. I think there's a product called carb tabs (little dextrose drops) you can add individually to each bottle. This would make your measurement problem simpler. edit: scratch that - poor reading comprehension...

Here's my favored method of sanitizing bottles. Whenever I post it, it seems to be ignored for some reason, but it works very well. I simply cook 55 or so clean and dry bottles in an oven at 400 degrees for one hour, with the opening of each bottle covered with a tight fitting aluminum foil...

I've been thinking about putting together a Rubbermaid cooler MLT for some time now. The only thing that's held me back , and I freely admit this may just be paranoia, is a fear that I may be leaching some dangerous chemicals from the plastic of the cooler into my beer. The very hot water used...

Here's my bottle cleaning regimen. When I get empties from my friends or family, I wash them in the sink with cold water and a bottle brush (no soap). These bottles have been in circulation for a while, so the labels are long gone. Then I let them air dry, and stow them clean in a cabinet...

Ah, ok... good info there. I guess my plans of dumping a bottle of Hefe Weiss in the wort as my starter no longer make any sense :) thanks much for the advice.

I recently had my first bottle of Franziskaner Hefe Weisse at a local German deli. I was amazed at how tasty it was with a ham and swiss sandwich. Never thought I'd like a wheat beer, but here we are :) Anyway, I'd like to try and brew a batch of hefe weisse myself. Does anyone know if it's...

Well... Wood gathering bacteria sounds like nonsense to me, if you let the rack dry out between sessions. And anyway, you're going to sanitize the bottles before bottling, right? I wouldn't worry about it. Good luck with your project.