Recent content by smokiethebear88

Thank you for the good info! I'll have to make a test batch this week since I'm bottling this weekend. Also good call on bottling a couple coffee free bottles to see how the beer turned out. All good suggestions. Still thinking about going for the cocoa flavor in the gallon jug, might...

Well I think your point about the rise in OG from the lactose is true, the calculator certainly took into account an increase in OG from the Lactose, however I still don't think it accounts for the increase in efficiency. Playing around with the calculator: With 73% efficiency it gave me...

Well I'm comparing post boil to post boil readings, usually I don't take a reading pre boil. Also maybe it was the lactose? but I guess with the brewing calculator I use I took the lactose into account on the calculator when formulating the recipe and I used the same calculator for the...

I poured the wort into the ferm. bucket and topped it off with water to get to the 5 gallons, then drew some wort out for a reading, didn't add much water a liter or so. I actually think hitting my temps exactly helped some, by stirring the mash in the kettle while measuring temps to ensure I...

I'll have to do that, I'm bottling next weekend. How much ground coffee/water do you use for your cold brew? may 8oz coffee to 2 1/2 cups of water? I'd imagine he coffee would absorb some water, planning on brewing 24 hours in advance. Also I was thinking about siphoning a gallon into a...

well then 2 cups or 16oz of cold brewed sounds good for a 5 gallon batch sounds like a good portion. well I ended up forgetting the crystal at the homebrew store and so the recipe ended up as so: OG 1.072 higher than expected efficiency, I think it was due to my first dark malt brew higher...

I live in VA and we have access to a new line of Yeast from RVA Yeast labs in Richmond. I don't have any temp control plans for the summer yet, however looking at their saison yeast it looks like brewing saisons all summer might be a good work around. (We don't keep the house too cool in...

Interesting....I did squeeze about the same amount, also both times I put the bag in a bucket and pour in whatever drains off while I bring the wort to a boil

I am new to brewing and I did one extract batch and then jumped into BIAB. On my most recent batch I compiled a recipe for Coffee stout expecting 65% efficiency which is what I got in my previous batch of Blonde Ale, however when I took my gravity reading I ended up with about 70% efficiency...

I am working up a new coffee stout recipe it will be an American stout with coffee and lactose. let me know what you all think. OG 1.068 FG 1.022 ABV 6.20% 10.5 lbs Pale Malt 1.5 lbs Chocolate Malt 0.5 lbs Crystal 60 0.5 lbs Wheat Malt 1.0 lb Brown Malt 0.5 lbs Lactose...