Recent content by younger96

+1. Go to your local hardware store and buy 2 feet of any type of #12 AWG wire. Strip off all the insulation and wrap that wire around a wooden dowl about 1/4" in diameter to make the "spring". Take your braid fitting apart, slide in the copper, form to shape and reconnect. My first MLT used...

Thanks Yooper, It kind of makes sense right that the warmer the temp the faster you would expect the hop oil to release. I've got an IPA going now at ~60 F w/out pressure. Think I'll give it 3 days like that then CO2 for 2 days and enjoy it!

Great article - would love to read the study. I fully agree that pellet over whole is the way to go. Was recently at a small brewery in Golden, CO - GCB - they use pellet hops for dry hopping. I also agree with the issue of timing. I was recently disappointed with the hop aroma of an IPA I...

I've been using pellet hops. Last keg I tried this stainless steel hop ball which to your point - sinks. I was thinking the same thing that the hops are not getting distributed evenly so I'm hoping that with more time before tapping the keg they will have a chance to distribute better. I...

I've been dry hopping in the keg my last few IPA's. I have been pressuring the keg right after transferring and hopping. It seems I get a great hop aroma with the first dozen pints or so, but then it fades quickly. I'm wondering if I should be letting the dry hops sit for 5 days or so before...

I have recently started using a bottling bucket as my HLT for fly sparging. I heat all the sparge water in my BK, transfer to the bottling bucket and start the sparge. It holds heat really well actually. I put a plastic fermenter cover on mine (with hole). I did a 45 min fly sparge the other day...

50 minutes for chilling? I drop 5.5 gals from boil to 70 F in about 12-14 minutes with my coil. I tried covering once, then all that condensation that collects on the cover falls into the brew... that is far more risky IMO than those asteroid size beer spoiling fungi floating through the air.

Completed my first AG yesterday, an IPA with ~14 lbs grain. A lot of changes to my setup since the last partial batch, but I think I can correct by next brew day. Biggest issue was missing my strike temp. Recipe called for about ~152-154 mash, even after preheating my cooler MLT my final mash...

Anyone tried to use a counter-flow chiller with just gravity feeding out of the brew kettle valve? I have a typical coiled wort chiller that I would like to convert to a CF but I don't have a pump (nor do I intend to invest in one anytime soon).

Why move it at all? I've racked to secondaries for years due to the belief that long contact with the yeast cake will add off flavor to your beer. I've also left beers in the primary for a few weeks and have never had a problem. There is a great thread on here suggesting that yeast manufacturers...

Revvy I wish I had read this before going to my LHBS today. I had an IPA in the primary for 7 days and it was going to stay there another week or so but we got into this discussion at the HBS and they highly recommend racking... Guess they missed this thread. Doing a stout tomorrow and I'm going...

I've always heard that leaving the beer in the primary for more than a few weeks could affect the flavor due to the long contact with the trub. I've never been convinced. I've tried using secondary fermenters even used my keg as a secondary. I think I'm convinced that a long primary is the way...

Simple 5 gal extract brew with speciatly grains, English Light Ale. Starting gravity 1.042. Pitched around 74 F and had normal activity for 24 hours, but temp in fermenter was not coming down despite being in ~70 F ambient. I let the room temp fall back to ~64 F over night and the next...

AHS has a partial mash for SS Nut Brown.. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_43_262&products_id=1837 I haven't tried it, but I just did a SS Oatmeal Stout today. Sam Smiths is some excellent brew.

Well, brew day is over... and here is how it went down. The recipe called for baking the oats for 75 mins at 325 prior to the steep. The recipe had a total of 1.75 lbs of specialty grains including the oats. Brew went off without a hitch, but I decided to use a blow-off tube on the primary...