Search results

It is- but I only drain it at the very end and it fills a small cup so I'm not really that annoyed by it!

One thing I've noticed with step mashing in the Brewzilla is it takes a LONG time to raise the temperature. I'm using the 240 gen 4, but even so....so I don't step mash anymore. The pump is anemic, even at full throttle, so recirculation is not all that great and the temperature at the bottom...

Mine is super loose. Doesn't leak. It's a Gen 4, purchased in May 2025.

Well, yes, but.....the krausen sticks to the device and weighs it down. That affects accuracy quite a bit. If the hops debris and krausen just disappeared when the krausen falls, it wouldn't matter. I have a Tilt, and I love it and once it a while some hops from dryhopping drop it down and...

No. Alcohol skews the refraction of light, so that can change the reading but the color doesn't matter at all.

One thing that was hard for me was to accept "close enough". I'm a weirdly geeky perfectionist, and 20 years ago the difference between 1.048 and 1.052 would have bothered me. But really, a difference of .004 is 'close enough' as our equipment is not lab quality or that precise. I do use...

I buy almost everything from them- but generally the liquid yeast they carry isn't the kind/brand I want. The cool thing for me is that they use Speed Dee delivery, which means they can ship to my daughter's house pretty cheaply vs USPS or FedEx. The prices are great, the service is fast...

I bottled off the keg (still do occasionally), especially for competitions or aging bigger beers. I use a Blichmann Beer Gun, or the good old fashioned "we don't need to stinking beer gun" for smaller amounts. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun.24678/

The JOAM is pretty quick- I'd probably try to keep it in the 60s for best flavor, but it's pretty quick compared to traditional meads.

I'm so excited for you! I want to see more sourdough pictures, more brewing photos, and just "more"!

Remember you have to do the alcoholic fermentation first, then add your acetic acid bacteria, so the acetobacter (and other bacteria) can convert it to vinegar instead of alcohol . You don't want drunk cows! (Or maybe you do, but that's not the point!). So you'll want to add yeast likely, to...

Too much headspace, too bright light, and too warm.

Well, if it's carbonated it's all good and you can store it however you'd like. Does the lingering priming sugar mean it's got a higher SG now than when you bottled it? If so, that's fine if it's not too sweet.

Yep, the yeast is probably over it's ABV tolerance. You can easily carb in the fridge if you want. Ideally, for long term aging, you'd have it around 50-55F, but you can always do that once it'd carbed up if you want. If you want to carb it at room temperature, you can do that also, but at a...

I just saw this for some reason- do you want your accounts merged? If you do, PM me with your old email address.

I use Brewer's Friend with my recipes, and it's always spot on with pH prediction for me. As was mentioned, there is NEVER a target for alkalinity- just enough alkalinity to keep the mash pH in the desired 5.2-5.5ish area. Depending on the grainbill, like a cream ale or light lager, I still...

Yes, that sounds about right. I like to pitch a bit cooler, and let it rise a bit. Remember fermentation creates heat (as it's exothermic) so it might rise too high if you pitch at 67 once it starts fermenting. I love the cottage cheese look of your starter with this yeast strain! And I've...

That's really not a lot of headroom- a blow off tube would give piece of mind. For primary, especially with fruit, I give a LOT of headroom, as there is no disadvantage. I got a bunch of frosting buckets from the bakery department at a grocery store (they can't reuse) and never regretted that...

The gear is in the UP of Michigan, where we have about 8,000 people in our entire county (maybe less now) and one red light in the county. So not a huge population!

I'd use a blow off tube right from the start with the little headspace there. But I've also had experience mopping my ceilings, and don't want to do that again! (And have an angry spouse on top of the mess. I'm like, "Hey, you weren't even using that computer or chair anyway!).