Recent content by Seawolfe

paralichthyes

I think sure-jell contains pectin and is used for making jams and jellies. Not the same thing as gelatin.

+1 Tubing from the bung submersed into a jug of water IS an airlock. GO BREW!!

+1 to Steinfillers, they are my LHBS now. I learned to brew from The Home Wine, Beer and Cheesemaking Shopin the valley, and they were always great too.

We used to have an ale yeast that adapted to our conditions. We renamed it the "Beserker yeast" and reused as the house yeast it for many a batch. On our return to brewing after a 5-year hiatus we found one lone jar of it in the fridge. Stepped it up and have used it for two brews since then...

Ive done this, it works very well. You can also use saran wrap or something to make it tight. Just take the liner out (if it has one). Why buy something that you already have?

I love that too. And funny enough - that idea helps me not to get too nutso with equipment, and relax about technique. People have been making very good beer in open vats, and clay jars and wooden barrels for centuries. Heck, until 1857 and Louis Pasteur people didn't really know what yeast was...

Oh I got the hops - except for fuggles and a decent amount of Goldings :(. Its the fermentation temp that is the bottleneck right now. I like a lot of things: we have IPA, Bitter, Heffeweizen, Steam and Stout in the pipeline. I Love love a good bitter (thanks for that recipe link...

I have to come up with an AG recipe by tonight. We have enough IPA's in the pipeline. I need a recipe that 1) is ok with a warm ferment (up to 75ish deg), and 2) uses the hops I have on hand: Tettnang Willamette Cascade Northern Brewer Chinook Saaz Hallertauer Spalt Select East...

5 Gal California Steam on tap 5 Gal Stout conditioning in keg in fridge in kegs, conditioning: 5 Gal SSoS IPA 5 Gal SSoS IPA 5 Gal Hefe in primary: 5 Gal Flanders Red Ale 5 Gal Orfy's Boddington Clone 5 Gal Apple Cider with wheat yeast 1 Gal Apple Cider with ale yeast

I would recommend finding a brew pub and asking if they have anything "cask conditioned". There are very few commercial brews Im crazy about, but I almost always like the cask conditioned brews.

+1 Plus theres always a new beer that needs the blowoff tube :D

I siphon from the pot after cooling. 5 gallons is too much for me to pour easily, and the whole hops make such a good filter bed to keep out crud as I siphon. With the pot up high I can have the racking tube up high in the fermenter to splash, along with shaking the fermenter.

I've never tried it in a thief. You might have better luck with a cylinder.

What problems are you having? I will say - buying a clear cylinder to float the hydrometer in has helped a lot (rather than using the tube that the hydrometer came in). Heck - Ive been using an el cheapo $0.99 hydrometer that only measures brix and potential alcohol with a big red "bottle here"...