Search results

I got interested in witbiers and the like last night and did some searching around. In the Fermentis line, they have a few Belgian type strains. Something sessionable might be had with K97 yeast, which is a clean German ale yeast with some milder aromatics. Used in a few recipes i saw online...

I would sample 10-14 days from now ot of sheer curiosity and to check that I've primed relatively successfully. Keep sampling every week until you think it's ready to drink proper. Set some aside to age in the bottle longer if you feel inclined to experiment. A couple newbie issues to monitor...

Whoops, I'm glad I showed my work then. Good catch. Edited my original comment.

Very careful stirring is an option, as is putting the first dose in before you add beer to the bucket. Not ideal but not the end of the world if you are careful. One idea is to make a small sample of beer+spice tea then scale that up. Add tea to a quantity of beer that fits well into a gallon...

A water bath can do a good job of keeping things at a desired temperature. But a wet towel and optionally a fan will also get things a few degrees below ambient. It works good actually. You mainly just need things under control for the first few 3-4 days during the most active part of the...

I never pursued that direction too vigorously, so I am probably the wrong person to ask. I think I did one other hefe and one saison. What comes to mind for me is temperature control to keep things on the cool side to mute those wild aromas.

Things really do change over time. Somewhere on the internet there are breakdowns of what flaws can and can't be fixed with time. Many issues related to the fermentation can be improved, while I think I recall issues like skunked or oxidized beer can't be.

A more simple yeast would be a good idea for your next brew (though not at all a necessity, since I think you are finding that your brew will be OK). If the final gravity was stable for a few days within the target range, it's fair to move to bottling but never a bad idea to wait a few extra...

Thanks for those tips!

I am interested in creating a sweet wine or hooch by pushing yeast past its alcohol tolerance so that some sugars are left unfermented. I do not want to make something that is 15-20% alcohol if I can help it. Are there any yeast strains that crap out around 5-10%? Ideally something fairly...

Thanks!

Are you the type that shares your recipe? :) I would love to compare against my own (just Walmart AJ and Safale 04, fermented in the low 60s if possible. Main variation is 1/4-1/2 cup hibiscus flower tea and or 5-6 sachets of green tea added to primary).

Thanks for the replies guys! The long post about calibration is gold. Looks like test strips might be the way for me based on what I'm reading. It can be really hard to tell 3 from 4 on my strips so some different ones are in order.

Regarding the low efficiency, that was something that came up for me and I continue to monitor. I often do partial boils, so I only boil a smaller amount and top up with water. - first it's possible you had very low efficiency during your first all grain recipe. Your OG came in around 50%...

Dang i missed it this year

Thanks for posting this OP!

Hey OP, I just did some cider with Target brand, seems identical to other store brands I've used (Walmart and Aldi and my local grocer). The one difference that might be worth noting is the country of origin stamped on the bottle. If you have feelings about what you prefer or which country...

Hi, I got some pH strips to test that my Star San solution stays under 3. I find the strips a little difficult to read (is that orangish color 3 or 4?) I won't be buying a very expensive meter but I might buy a cheaper one. I am curious if anyone has experience with these $10 Amazon "pen"...

Bottled another batch today to 2.7 vol co2. Also bottled a Saison beer to 2.6 vol. When it is ready, maybe I can take pics of me squeezing the plastic bottles to show the difference. I should have had that ready before I made this post :) I'm not concerned about carbonation after the pour...

You can cool faster by saving the coldest thing (cold water or ice) for a bit. The wide difference in temperature gives you faster cooling, so if you use your ice first, you will have a bath of water at 70 degrees when when the wort is at 90 or 100 degrees. Better to have a water bath at 32-40...