Recent content by Powers

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You'll want to use potassium sorbate to stabilize. You can pick it up at your local wine or brew shop. Follow the amount-per-gallon instructions for the addition.

i'd push it another week or two. as hard as it is to wait, i always find bottled belgian beer comes around best after 5 weeks sitting at 70-74 degrees.

this beer can definitely benefit from a good secondary time. i was focusing on your "watered down" description, which isn't usually what i sense from "green" beers. but, certainly could use some maturation time. i let it go a month in the bright tank and it tasted superb. slightly sweet...

definitely shouldn't taste watered down. if it was your first all grain batch, you may have had a number of issues. but if you're og/fg was close, you can rule out a bad grain crush (or no crush) which was my first guess for watered down flavor. an off flavor usually doesn't come across as...

just to supplement my post above, i added elderberries which carry more tannins and are contributing to the slow maturation of my wine. i don't think it would take as long for a pure chokecherry wine to come around. wing nut, if you really don't want to wait, just buy some welch's grape...

i agree, it shouldn't change if that's what's happening with that particular yeast for you in other brews. personally, i would venture to guess you'll get some sulfur, but it will probably fade quickly.

i've cultured the yeast from the bottom of the halcyon wheat cans for a wheat beer. i just bought a sixer and poured them into glasses one evening, putting them bottom 1/2" of the can with the yeast into a sanitized jar. then i made a 1000ML starter and pitched it. that takes awhile to get...

I've found brewing with my tap water produces a second rate brew. This largely stems from municipal additives (chloride, etc). I quit with the tap water altogether and movd to spring water from a well at our cabin or reverse osmosis (RO) water. RO water is fine for a pilsner, but not an IPA...

what temp are you mashing at? i didn't see it in the recipe up front. thanks! that might solve some body issues as well.

exactly my thinking, and the Perles are borne out of a Northern Brewer strain :D

Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was...

ahhh, the wine hobby tests my patience. in february, i tasted this and it was almost undrinkable with a robitusin-like bitterness. that's really slipped away and the fruit is coming back, but it's clearly not there yet. i'll just forget about for another 6 months, then maybe oak it a bit and...

hey yooper, how long do you recommend for bulk aging? i made a blend late last summer with some elderberries and wild grapes added to the chokecherries. since the elders and grapes are more tannic, does this need to push into a 2 year range? i racked today and tasted and it's good, but a bit...

i'm stumped. the rigid tube could improve the situation, but still not completely fix it. i did a quick search for the steel cotters and pins, but didn't see anything that could be secured very well to the cooler. on my budget, a new cooler and false bottom are out of the running, so i...