Recent content by zeapo

Did anyone actually do any of this research? I have a black IPA that's been near a window. There is a blanket that covers the window, it does not let light through, but there is sunlight coming through the bottom where the blanket does not touch the wall. I wonder if this enough to skunk my ale?

As far as the alcohol content goes, someone could cough up the money for one of those test kits from Northern Brewer...

Well crap. Being able to buy kegs and growlers would be awesome.

My dreams are coming true.

How do you get your hombrews into a competition?

Thanks for the info, I'm just going to buy a bigger pot lol

Does anyone think it would be possible to formulate a recipe that would put 5.25 gallons in my fermenter, but using top up water for the last gallon or so, and still get good hop utilization and all the flavors I want?

My target OG was 53 and I got a 60. Would mixing boiled and cooled water harm my batch in any way? I just want to get a full keg for once.

Is it possible to top off an all grain batch after its chilled, in the fermenter, before pitching the yeast? Just as if it were an extract batch. Is this something possible or should I just go with the lower volume? I'm always a gallon short because of my brew kettle size.

I use the nylon hop bags for my hop additions. I haven't noticed any change in my hop utilization, and it takes out a lot of the mess. I just tie them shut with the string on the bag.

From what I have read ( don't quote me on this) you need to disconnect the gas and bleed the pressure every once in awhile. You need some of that gas to come out of solution.

Okay, again you say that mixing in the bacteria will cause bad flavors. But I thought the bacteria/mold was inside the yeast and already mixed throughout the rice... I do agree that the batch I'm swirling will probably come out more cloudy though. I guess only time and tasting will tell.

Okay, you say not to mix it, because you don't want to mix the surface in with the rest. The original recipe says to pour the whole thing out and squeeze all the liquid from the rice essentially mixing everything together. So do you think mixing it while its fermenting will cause any issues? I...

Are any of you swirling the jars or mixing them without opening them, or are you just letting it sit?

Is it bad to use expired CO2 gas? Is there a certain "food grade" CO2 I'm supposed to be using?