Recent content by stephenabney

Went on vacation, turned AC off. during 4th week in fermenter, temps got 85ish outside. Got this infection. Is this safe to bottle? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Went on vacation, turned AC off. during 4th week in fermenter, temps got 85ish outside. Got this infection. Is this safe to bottle? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I wonder if it was the fact I used up the bottom of the bag of my chocolate that did it. It was powdery and fine from all that had settled to the bottom of the bag. Maybe that's more potent? Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I brewed my usual nut brown recipe, but on brew day realized I that the flaked oats I bought were actually flaked barley. I just went with it, and what I ended up with looks like a brown and sorta tastes like a stout (at least at time of bottling). Is there a name for this type of beer...

I have a new refractometer. With tap water, I calibrated it to 1.000, and confirmed results with hydrometer. Then I measured some beer before bottling at 1.030, and found the hydrometer to read 1.012. 12 is most likely correct, as that is what I was expecting it to be. Is there something I...

Hey everyone, your thoughts and suggestions on this recipe idea would be greatly appreciated. I happen to have some fresh blackberries and also happened to watch a video on big beers/barley wine. The result is this recipe I created. Will it work...

First time I used orange peal, I bought bitter instead of sweet. Used way too much and didn't like the taste of the beer at all. I mean it was VERY tart at first. It mellowed after a month or two and turned into a decent beer. Yours will too I bet. Don't make the mistake I did and drink...

just checking in, thanks...

I'm putting together a Robert the Bruce clone recipe from some others I've found, and I wanted everyone opinion on the importance of the yeast selection here. I've got wyeast american ale ii available in the fridge to create a starter, but should I go with something more true to the style...

Great, sounds like a consensus! :) Guilty as charged. I had not been stirring after adding the sugar. I had been dissolving the sugar in a cup of hot water, adding it to the bucket, then assuming that the swirling of the beer from the fermenter into the bucket via the siphon would be mixing...

I started home brewing 4 months ago, and have bottled about 200 beers so far. All in all, I'd say it's been a success, as far as carbonation and bottling goes. However, there is variation and some unexpected results sometimes. Probably about 10 bottles have been unexpectedly flat and 10 have...

Thanks for the tips!

My wife and I rate this first attempt at our dark heff as a success. Very tasty. However, it could use some improvement. We both think it was heavy on the roasted flavor, so we're probably going to reduce the choc malt or go with a lighter Munich. She says it seemed watery. How can I...

Thanks!

I didn't expect it to be so cloudy. I guess the color is good, but it's the clarity, but idk. Funny how wrong expectations can really make it hard to enjoy a beer. Maybe I need to change my expectations on this one. You know, I also think that I made a mistake starting this out at 1.060...