Recent content by smstromb

I'm brewing 5 gal of cream ale with an OG of 1.042 that I fermented in a 6.5 gal carboy for 7 days. After the 7 days I had a SG of 1.006 and I racked to a secondary 5 gal carboy to condition. I let it condition for 3 weeks before deciding to bottle. I carefully racked the beer without stirring...

I'm using Lalvin D47 and the recipe details are similar to JAOM but with slight variation: ~4 Gallons water 15lbs clover honey 2 cinnamon sticks 100% orange juice to taste (~3 pints I'm guessing) 10g Lalvin D47 I added 1.5 tsp of high alcohol yeast nutrient while pitching the yeast. My...

I'm on my third day of fermenting a 5 gallon batch of orange mead. OG (6/20) - 1.091 SG (6/23) - 1.080 The last couple of times I've done mead I didn't bother checking/adjusting my PH but I decided I'd have more control over it this time. My PH started at ~4.5 and I used 1/8 tsp of acid...

I wouldn't risk it to best honest but if you really have no other option I'd try brewing a small batch of something cheap to see if it get's contaminated or not.

You hit the nail on the head with the first part of that sentence. There are WAY to many variables to take into account to estimate the time. Things that effect the fermentation time are temperature, PH, yeast strain, any wild yeasts that may come from fruit, the amount you aerate, amount of...

After tasting mead at a local beer festival I decided to give brewing it a shot. I tried a recipe that was recommended by a friend which was 15lbs of honey, 5 gallons of water, oranges, cinnamon sticks, and some raisins for yeast nutrition. My OG was 1.102 I used Lalvin D47 yeast to ferment in a...

So you think I can legally buy a fermenter whilst under 21?

I'm interested in brewing my own beer but have one quick question before I do. Do you have to be 21 years old to buy equipment/beer kits/beer ingredients from my local brewstore?