Recent content by VolDoc

Just plugged the info into brewer's friend along with caramunich I. Looks like an Irish red ale may be the way to go. Sound like it would be tasty with some US goldings?

Hi all, Over the past few months I made the switch to all-grain and have brewed three beers already. Problem is (well not really a problem), I have lots of random grains and hops laying around that I would like to put to good use. Could some of you more experienced brewers give me some...

Yup, it's delicious and my wife's favorite beer! Similar to a Maui coconut Porter but with vanilla

It sounds like you are already well on your way with figuring out how to adjust the water profile. Here is my take... The water filter depends on the type you have. Is it a Berkey filter? Or a basic Brita filter? The website from whatever filter you have will guide you on what it specifically...

I recently made a porter which I added flaked coconut in a hop bag and some vanilla bean tincture. My bottles also have that look at the top of the beer. It could possibly be some oils extracted from the cacao or the fruit. I'd definitely let it sit. I initially thought mine was infected as well...

I've bottled in Gordon Biersch growlers with the heavy duty swing-top grolsch style lids and the beer has always carbonated fine. Just don't use the cheap ones from wal-mart or craft stores.

Get yourself a nice notebook to take notes. Definitely helped me keep track of things and look back on my recipes.

NB Bavarian Hefe was my first "official" brew as well. Haven't looked back since and recently switched to all-grain. The hefe was a hit with my wife and friends and needless to say it didn't last very long! Don't sweat the higher OG. Mine was 1.054 and it turned out great. Enjoy the process and...

Bump.. Just reporting that the first all-grain turned out to be a success! Everything went fairly smoothly, although the only hiccup was not having hot enough water for the infusion. I didn't want to add the grains so I dumped the water back into the kettle and brought it up to temp. Other than...

I like the idea of making an exact list. It definitely will help making the brewing process more efficient. Sorry for my newb-ness, but what exactly is a SMASH?

Thanks for the solid info! I see the common theme of pre-heating the mash tun. I probably would not have thought about that before asking for advice. Good stuff!

I went to the local drug store two days ago and picked up a bottle of Iodine Tincture (2%) for testing starch conversion. I have noticed that we have pretty good water here in northern Virginia which is great! However, my tap water is a little low in calcium so I have adjusted for that. Thanks...

Yup, I will be batch sparging. Luckily, my science background has helped with brewing so I planned to adjust my pH already. My tap water has a pH of 7.8 and I threw in my water profile to EZ calc with my grain bill and have adjusted my pH down to ~5.5 using CaCl and CaSO4 (my tap water is...

I am using a 48 qt Igloo rectangular cooler with a bazooka tube and ball valve. I have estimated my cooler loses about 1-2 degrees over an hour. There is also about 1.5 quarts left behind in the cooler after draining. My kettle is just a shade over 10 gallons (AMCYL). My boil-off rate is right...

Hey all, I contemplated posting this in the All-grain forum, but thought I would post here since I am a relatively new brewer. I have brewed 5 extract batches so far, but this weekend I will be brewing my first all-grain. The recipe includes 6.5 lbs of pilsner malt and 5.0 lbs of munich with...