Recent content by slushy1975

I brewed an extract "Golden Ale" and boiled a big handful of fresh mint in with my wort as if it were hops. I used no hops in the boil in hopes the mint would "come through" in the flavors. Using mint ended up being huge disappointment; it was as if I didn't use anything in the boil but the...

Order a copy of "How to Brew" by John Palmer and buy a copy of Promash or Beersmith (my preferred choice) for the computer. Both are wonderful additions to my beermaking process in terms of remembering the little steps and documenting my all-grain recipes.

Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite.....they're over-marketed, over-rated in the volumes in which they sell and priced too high for the quality of drink you chug. Save your money and drink PBR, Beast Lite or Busch Lite if you're gonna drink domestic mass-market beer. SERIOUSLY, The Magic Hat #9...

I visited a brewery/restaurant at Kill Devil Hills a year or so back. It wasn't too far from the Wright Bros. Memorial Park. It's located on the main stretch of highway that runs North and South on the Outer Banks. Decent beer but not a wide selection and the lunch was good. I've dined at...

I actually used mint in lieu of hops once in a generic Golden Ale extract brew from AHS (they mailed the wrong recipe). It did nothing for the flavor of the ale, period. In fact, I wound up hating the beer for no reason other than the mint - for which I had high hopes - let me down...

I'm brewing the Poor Richard's on Monday (7/17/06) and hope it turns out as well as the recommendation in this posting. So far, I'm batting 1.000 because the Caramel Cream Ale that everyone raves about from this site is truly awesome! The only difference in my recipe and Dave's will be that...

It's still a good deal if you don't have a decent homebrew shop within 20 miles or so. I used to rely on Austin Homebrew extensively because they, via Internet, were the supplier around IMO. I think their Internet customers won't buy as many 60$ purchases so I hope they're profiting from the...

The vanilla "influence" definitely diminishes over the weeks and really balances nicely.

I used one of the Wyeast smack packs that says "create a starter" a few days before brewing. Of course, I grabbed it off the shelf for brewing the same day. It's bottling time and I'm wondering if I should be concerned about pitching new yeast to ensure my bottles carbonate. I'm not even...

One lesson I learned is how much wort gets absorbed by whole leaf hops. They're easier to strain out after the boil, but BOY you're losing some worty-goodness. However, I only regret is not starting my boil with amounts which adjust for the loss created by using whole hops.

A few of you North Carolina guys might can help this one.... I love Red Oak and that style that it represents (or closely represents)....does anyone have a recipe that will put me in the ballpark in terms of flavor and style? Would it be completely mashed with Munich & Vienna Malts or...

I tried the Rogue Chipotle Ale this past weekend and while good, it reminded me that I didn't want 5 gallons of that stuff lying around. For those familiar, is there a tremendous difference between brewing chipotle vs. fresh jalapeno (or insert your favorite pepper)?

If a recipe assumes a 3 gal boil size, but you sparge a 5 gallon boil size, by what percentage should you cut your hop amounts to match bitterness? Because 5 gallons is 40% more than 3 gallons, do you practically cut your hops, in full boils, by 1/2 to acheive the bittering of the more-dense...

My Caramel Cream Ale version's been in the primary for four days. It over-ran my airlock so I switched to my first blow off tube set. There's still active fermentation going on. Thanks to Kaiser for the batch sparging information and encourage. It made this all-grain batch apparently more...

My worst brew dates to my Mr. Beer days....I wanted to make their "Cherry Bomb Ale." The recipe called for honey, so I doubled so I spike the alcohol levels and brag. I spiked it alright and never could drink the stuff. Same story with a Clove Ale I concocted from my Mr. Beer days. I bet I...