Recent content by RootDownBrewing

I brewed an Amber Ale that was supposed to come out with a low FG to give it a dry feel and showoff some hops. I used Simcoe, Cascade and Equinox, all in the final 20 minutes, with the IBU's around 37. What I got though was less attenuation than expected with the beer finishing up at 1.014...

Had a tough go at it today with the high temps we're experiencing in the mid-Atlantic. My immersion chiller just couldn't get the job done so I ended up pitching my yeast (WLP-001 cali ale) at 80 degrees. Not wanting to lose the beer after the time and money invested in it I chose to run to...

This is going to be my next IPA. I plan on brewing this beer next weekend and documenting the process as I go with pictures. My goal here is to achieve a smooth bitterness with a ton of hop flavor. Piney, citrusy, grapefuit, and floral notes are what I'm after. Feedback/criticism is...

What I mean is do any of you use a chiller in an ice batch in between your spigot and your wort chiller to really cool down the ground water? As the summer heat starts to beat down, cooling the wort is getting harder and harder. I spent 20 mins on my last batch just getting the wort below...

The point I was originally trying to make is that I once (5-10 years ago) could consume as many as 12 light beers in an evening and then wake up and play football followed up with some basketball the next day. Now at 30 I can consume as little as 3 micro brews in an evening, drink a glass of...

My drinking consists of 1 pint of beer 2 or 3 nights during the week, either with dinner or just after, but it's on the weekends where I used to try to cut loose and unwind. This is where I would consume anywhere from 4 - 8 beers in a night only to become absolutely immobile the following day...

I have been home brewing for 2 years now and I have made just about everything under the sun. I used to really enjoy drinking the hell out of anything I made or anything thats sold in stores for that matter. Over the past 2 years however I have really started to experience my body rejecting...

For those who attempted this beer, how did it turn out?

I'm visiting a a friend in Midlothian va I'm trying a find a good place to pick up some microbrews. Any suggestions?

My starter is always right around 70. This one was a 2 liter starter that was made 18 hours before pitching and was for a 1.051 gravity beer. The yeast I used was just over a month old and was from a similar gravity beer. I pitched it into wort that was 64 degrees and thats where I kept it...

So I wrote yesterday about making a starter with washed yeast and then pitching only to find no signs of activity 24 hours later. This morning (36 hours later) was much of the same, no air lock movement, and I lifted the lid to find clear brown wort. I left for work, bought some Safale 05 to...

Washed yeast was prob a month to a month and a half old

My biggest concern is infection at this point and unfortunately I wont be able to get any yeast until tomorrow which will then be about 48 hours after flameout.

I made a 2 liter starter with some washed WLP 001 about 18 hours before I brewed an American Brown Ale yesterday. I have done this several times before and have always experience good results but this time, almost 24 hours after pitching I have absolutely no activity. I pulled the top back on...