Search results

I hear you there. It's so bad that I actually finding myself taking interest in which free agents the Lions are going to sign...

So, there IS another person who likes/liked both the Wings and Blue Jackets! I thought I was the only one. Been following the Wings for 10+ years. So they'll always be my fav. But the CBJ's are (or were) growing on me. I've been to a couple of the Wings games at Nationwide and find it...

Can you tell me the approximate length and diameter of the bottles? Thanks, SP

Since I'm not ready to commit the ~$300 required to set up a full size keg system, I've been considering a mini-keg system as an intermediate step. Is anybody using or know of someone who uses the Tap-A-Draft system? If so, how do you /they like it? I'm also curious about the dimensions of...

So, if bottle aging has that much of an impact on flavor, then I guess the only real benefit to kegging is eliminating all of the time and hassle of bottling, right? Do those who keg still wait several weeks for proper aging?

I understand the importance of cleanliness but I've noticed that by default I find myself going to great lengths to keep sanitized items "clean" and was wondering how much of this is necessary. Here's some examples: 1) Last night I sanitized my carboy thief and then used it to take a...

I basically did it this way with tap water, but found it easier to use a plastic shut-off clip instead of my thumb over the end. A little bit easier to handle that way. Fill the cane/tubing, lock the clip, insert into carboy, release clip.

Well, I got home last night and the krausen was pretty much gone and the airlock was only popping every couple minutes or so. Little or no activity. By that time it had been in the primary for only 3.5 days. But I'm only doing a small, 2.5 gal. batch. Should that matter? Anyway, I wasn't...

I've seen a lot of different suggestions regarding the appropriate time to rack to secondary: 3-5 days, no more that a week, etc, etc. But what is the appropriate event to trigger it? i.e. Wait until no more bubbles are rising? Wait for the airlock to stop popping? I know these are the...

You're not crazy...I just read that the other day in "Complete Joy..." He said something about fusel oils adding to bitterness and "beer headaches" and that it's advantageous to get rid of the krausen if it can be done sanitarily. But it must be one of those things that's such a minor...

I'll be doing my first secondary fermentation in a couple days. I'm just curious how some of you sanitize your racking cane considering it's too long to be submerged in the sink. Bathtub?? Bottom half then top half? Lets hear it...looking for the easiest method. SP

A lot of people here will be quick to tell you that the Mr Beer system is crap and that you should upgrade. I have seen some posts here from other Mr Beer users who have seemed satisfied with its results. However, it does seem that most of them (myself included) have ultimately upgraded to a...

I'm kinda new to this too, but were there visible signs of fermentation i.e. rising bubbles and foam on top? If the yeast did its job and fermented completely, I don't see how there could not be at least some alcohol. And if it doesn't taste too watered down, it doesn't sound like its a...

I've seen places that sell a carboy heater that is supposed to wrap around your carboy and keep it at around 75dF. You might want to consider one of these if you want to continue using ale yeast. I think I saw it for about 20 USD. Has anyone used one of these? Do they work? SP

Yep, that's it. I've got one black and one orange, both with longer tips. Thanks! SP

Yeah, that sounds like that me be it. It's like a tiny funnel but closed on the pointed end. I can see how if placed on the end of the racking cane these would hold it up out of the sediment without blocking off the flow. The siphoning equipment was the only thing he didn't include in the...

This guy I work with just sold me an almost-complete set of equipment for $50. I've identified most of the items I haven't seen before but am not quite sure how to use some of them. 1) Bottle filler and/or carboy thief. I've got two long tubes that look very similar but have different tips...

I've found a great deal on a complete set of "standard" equipment and I'm considering upgrading from my MrBeer kit. But one of the things I really like about MrBeer is the smaller batch size. Are there any disadvantages to using the larger set of equipment to make only 2-3 gallons at a time...

As a good starting point to try this, would you recommend I just use the same amount DME as I would Booster? I think those Booster packs are 2-cups. SP

The standard recipe kit is a mix of the malt extract and what they call "Booster" which is just corn sugar. They direct you to dissolve the booster in cold water, bring it to a boil, remove it from the heat, add the malt extract and stir. Then add to the fermenter to which you've already added...