Recent content by the_beer_makes_me

Sir, I'm a complete n00b, so take everything I say with a giant grain of salt. I remember reading that enzymes deactivate at a certain temperature. I don't know what exactly that temperature is, nor how high ya'll initially cooked your grains, but that would explain the lower gravity...

You, Sir, are a lifesaver for an over-excited inexperienced "n00b". Thank you very much. My first batch was overheated during the fermentation and came out with quite an Estery/Banana-like smell. I'd hate to repeat it but I'm dying to get another brew going and to let it do it's thing...

Will a beer develop that strong banana flavor from too high of a fermentation temperature if it's left in secondary at higher temperature (mid 80's) for a couple of weeks? The reason I ask is that I am going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and unable to add ice/water to my garbage can...

Alright. I'll see what I can do with the electric stovetop. Thank ya for the responses, I'll post again once I get this thing underway tomorrow or the next day.

My stovetop is a flimsy electric and I don't think it could safely support the weight of a filled five gallon pot.

Hello everyone! Going to be popping the cherry tomorrow or the next day on a dry malt extract kit (Is that the right term?). Anyway, I have a conundrum. I have an enamel pot to do the boil, but I'm lacking a good way to bring it to a boil. I don't have a good solution to heat it up except...