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Please stop sanitizing scissors. Who is responsible for this madness? What are you all afraid of? Yeast is not a concern with already fermenting/fermented beer, lactic is sensitive to hops (that’s why we use them...), and everything else is controlled with proper oxygen management. Tales of...

If you are in the mood to throw a speed bump in your brew day, go for decoctions but rhys333 is 100% correct. I'd try adding vienna and victory before trying to get too creative on the brew process. I'm pretty sure I can taste victory at 5%.

I know this is an old thread but just to be clear- all the love of Elijah Craig on here is great... but it’s a heavens hill product. I love heavens hill, I would just like to reiterate that Evan Williams is almost the exact same product as Elijah Craig- same distillery, same grain, same barrels...

I am very suspect of the replies above. I agree that clarity is largely unnecessary, furthermore I think the perceived impact of turbidity is mistaken. In my experience, haziness detracts from perceived sweetness more than anything else- “crisp” styles do not require clarity. I view fining as an...

Not a stupid idea per se, I commend your desire to add complexity and achieve a unique flavor. I don't have experience with using different yeast in beer, but here's my thoughts from my experience. First of all, yeast are competitive little bastards. They produce kill factors (kf1, kf2, etc...)...

My first thought is that 18% is unattainable. 1118 is a solid wine fermenter, V116 is ballsyer, and VIN 13 is a stud- all of these are the big guns in the wine world and none are advertised to go north of 16.5%. There is turbo yeast which goes to 18% I think, but it's designed for distillers and...

Nothing to worry about, just remind yourself that screwing up is what created the style of beer you're aiming for. My advice: start a LAB culture last week. My first sour I made the mistake of not prepping a healthy bacteria starter in time, I went the "throw some barley in the fermentor after...

SO2 (campden) will suppress bacteria, lysozyme will kill LAB. Adding both should cover all your bases. The drink it fast method is tried and true, but I'm partial to embracing the funk. Bottling up without treating may lead to increasing funk so maybe the best approach is to let nature take its...

I agree that you shouldn't use Evan, for it should be savored instead of wasted. Heaven Hill has a distinctive sweetness which may not be everyone's bag, but EW black is damn good in a mixed drink, the white label beats wild turkey hands down, and the single barrel is one of if not the best...

No concern, very high likely hood that any bacteria won't survive above 4% alcohol. Campden won't hurt though. Not sure what the "adding bottle yeast" would accomplish- sediment is natural and will settle at the end of ferm. Your timelines may be the root of spoilage- beer selects for bacteria...

Unless you are brewing inside an autoclave, we can consider sterilization and pastuerization the same thing. Things are sterilized inside sealed containers; a kettle on your back porch will never be a sterile process. Furthermore, I wouldn't worry about bugs on the cold side equipment for any...

That's not how this works. Partial vapor pressures. Heating to 145 or 160 in an open system will result in booze lost; my gut feeling guess is a significant amount.

I really like the phosphoric peach idea. It's the same stuff they put in coke. I've never put a significant amount of starsan in a beer, but I did spill half a bag of Doritos in a boil once.

There is a lot of confidence here about never having dough balls- I believe that people don't find dry grain when emptying the MT, but I'm a nut for efficiency and good grain beds for HERMs so I use the paint stirrer to ensure uniform hydration. Lowes sells a big paddle mixer that fits in my...

Had the exact same thing happen to me recently. My initial gravity was higher- 1.050 and I pitched with a handful of grain right after sparge and left it outside for a few days. I wanted to boil as well but it didn't get sour enough before fermentation really kicked in (I didn't plan well so no...

How often do people post on this website things like "Is my beer ruined because I dropped a spoon on the ground???!!! HELP!" The ONLY thing most homebrewers have access to that is commercially consistent is yeast- and even then 90% of the "I clean everything" crowd is rehydrating improperly and...

Speaking from very limited experience: I left the fermenters out in 90F daytime highs/65F nights and alcoholic fermentation happened concurrently. When I tasted after 3 days, the sourness seemed right so I racked and added dry hops. I moved the fermenter inside and it completed ferm around 75F...

I used Pilsner malt for this brew. Originally I was planning on boiling after souring but things got away from me; so I wasn't worried about DMS. But I have to say that there is no significant canned corn flavor. I thought I got a hint on the first smell but two other homebrewers did not pick up...

Not sure anyone cares but an update on the finished beer: 5 gallons almost gone in 10 days. My wife (favorite beers: Abita purple haze, Vienna lager, bud light) has been drinking it preferentially. An old brewing buddy who "doesn't like sour beers" came in town for a weekend and drank at least a...

I regularly do "wild" ferments but I'm making the my first sour. I put Wild in quotes because I don't sanitize my fermenters properly, I count on the commercial strains I use from time to time to contaminate my beers and finish the ferms. Typically I leave the kettle outside post boil overnight...