Recent content by rhad

I believe it! But this seemed to work so...meh. ;) Thanks for the advice...I'm going to aim for a Friday rack to the keg. Speaking of which - do I need to worry that sediment from the lagering period will clog the keg outlet?

Let's give an update... The beer referenced in my OP did not turn out very good. In fact, it was a diacetyl bomb aptly named the butterscotch beer. Yuck. So I'm trying again utilizing the advice in this thread. Same beer, but I pitched right at 50F, and I pitched a 1 L starter. I just...

One last thing Zamial....as someone with a lot of relatives in WI, your signature is AWESOME.

Zamial: Thanks a ton for the info and the opinions. You've convinced me to try it next time. Although, actually, the next brew will be a lager so I suspect I need to rack in that case... some other questions for you: 1) Do you scrape off the top layer of kreusen? 2) For a lager, can I rack...

Danke. We'll see.

Now that you guys mention it, my chiller has a tarnished look (and yes, i cleaned it with acetic acid at first). I am going to clean it again here and see if I can get back that "shiny" look. Is it ok to use copper cleaner like brasso? Now that I think about it....my chiller does not come out...

Ok. No iodine for the chiller - just sanitize via the boil. Got it. I can move to PBW I guess, I've just been using iodine out of habit. This is one of those things I often hear but that seems to have two distinct opinions. My understanding is that the trub can lead to off flavors and...

Ah. Well I'm covered there as well with two thermometers. Is the amount of water you use for the steep a big deal?

This is possible. I typically rack at 7-10 days though. However, in this case the fermentation was so ridiculous even with the blowoff tube it sounded like the lid was holding on for dear life. A consistent "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" pitch. Hilarious, actually. Because of that, it might be that...

I have another thermometer in the cooler as a check. The controller is about 3 degrees off but I compensate (e.g., I set it to 64 to get 67). Yeah - but does that cause astringency? I always understood that higher ferm. temps is pretty much a guarantee for estery fruit notes. But...

Soooo.... I'm getting an astringent flavor in my beers... it's bizarre and I don't know where it's coming from. Let's go down the list and try to figure out the likely culprit. Note that I am an "extract with grains" brewer. 1) Water pH. Highly unlikely the problem. I always use bottled...

Ah ok. I've already cold-crashed it. Worth adding gelatin anyway before I rack to the keg? How long do I wait after I add the gelatin? Sorry for the lagering noob questions. :o Anyone have brilliant advice for how to add yeast to a carboy without making a mess of everything?

Would you mind explaining "cold temps and gelatin before you rack"? I've never used gelatin -do I add it when I rack or a few days before in the primary?

Minor update and a few more questions. The update: Racked 2 weeks ago and it's lagering away at 38F. The questions: 1) If I'm using a 6.5 gallon carboy for primary (so I can monitor what's going on), what's the best way to add the yeast so that I don't make a giant mess? 2) Would it...

Thanks yooper. You are right on both accounts for sure. Ce la vie. I will wait a few more days and then rack and we'll see what happens. Then... try again!! :fro: