Recent content by SiegIPA

Looking to bottle in 3-4 days but trying to eliminate some of the cleanup then by consolidating. So if I understand you...gently siphon one into the other. Is it safe to move the trub now and let it resettle or would you recommend avoiding that?

So I started a batch of Imperial IPA. I thought it was a bust because there was no sign of life till 5 days in. That day I drove an hour to get more yeast but when I got home BINGO! Signs of life....so much so that the head of foam pushed up through the blowoff. Do I separated half the beer into...

In mid fermentation of my second batch of Dead Ringer IPA. This time I am getting less change in Specific Gravity/less ABV. I wound up with a good 6.5 - 7% ABV in my first batch in the spring. At this point, I am sitting a 4% barely. (Another week to go in the fermenter with a round of dry...

Thanks for your post flars.... informative and encouraging! Had a couple of days when temps went up a bit, near 80 outdoors. . Beer got up to 68-ish so I think I am ok at this point. Local weather says we won't be above 75 and then not till 10 days from now...so, my timing should be just...

SG is still going down. Now at 1.014...ABV is at about 6.8 so right in my wheelhouse. Flavor is bitter, a bit flat which I guess is to be expected...will dry hop tonight, give 'er a week, filter, add the last bit of sugar (which should take care of that flat issue) and bottle it up next weekend.

OK...no wheres near 80. Gonna dry hop tonight...Sunday is 3 weeks in the primary. I am thinking dry hop as is, and not worry about the old yeast gunk that is still in there...that is about the only differenct I see in my directions...they recommend siphoning off to a secondary fermentation...

ehh...and then the other problem...it is getting warm. A little worried I will get above optimal temps....sitting at 64 degrees today...tomorrow I will likely need to find a way to keep it cool...as temps here hit 80 and really push the envelope

Looks like the brew is going along about on schedule. Off gassing stopped a few days ago. Original SG was 1.066 and looking at 1.026 today... Alcohol is above 5%...kinda wimpy by my taste..I was hoping to get it up a bit higher...high 6's hopefully by bottling day or at least once bottle...

Also..I added a few tablesoons of table sugar to the wort during the boil to give the yeasts a bit more "food". it didn't seem too much considering it was a 5 gallon batch. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Well, I just cut open the package of yeast and dumped it in the wort and stirred a bit. Had signs of life in under 24 hrs. Had a bit of a cool spell since then, so offgassing has slowed when temp dropped from 64 down to 56 which seems to make sense. It is still off gassing slowly now...

Brewing Northern Brewer's Dead Ringer. They recommended a special yeast that was more expensive so I opted for the dry yeast. Anything one might do differently to "pre-activate" the yeast for optimal ferementation?

So the beer hasn't inproved much...low carbonation, very bitter. However it is almost gone drinking 1 every few days. Some feedback from a family member who has more experience indicates that I shoulda used the entire 2 cans of malts to ensure the fermentation is complete. (I was afraid it...

eko...I used the calculator you suggested/posted....it was very easy to use. THANKS!!!!!

As suggested by Pete WNY ....it doesn't suck!!!!!!!!!!!! Bottled today and sampled a taste mostly because curiosity was getting the best of me. Now I am anxious to see how it finishes in the bottle. As far as flavor is concerned....I was not super hoppy but definitely quite...

Thanks I may try it