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Glad I know the process now just for the sake of knowing it. Even using the most simplified methods necessary, it still seems like a tedious process and probably not worth the effort, in most cases. Until I lose my mind and decide to make what is basically fortified wine (or instant death in a...

Yep, I looked at the description for WL Super High Gravity yeast and it said: "Do not start with the entire wort sugar at once. Begin fermentation with a wort that would produce a 6-8% beer, and add wort (it can be concentrated) each day during the first 5 days." Sounds like a royal pain...

Not that I have the desire to recreate a 20% abv+ brew, like DFH 120-minute IPA (yet), but just for the sake of adding to my general collection of knowledge, can this be done using "conventional" high gravity brewing methods (the same methods used to make a brew of, say, 11%)? It seems that...

Good thinking about the bathtub! Is it common practice to tape lids down as a precaution? And for the purpose of keeping this thread alive, to what extent should I aerate the wort and propagate the yeast? I have an aquarium pump with diffusion stone and I usually aerate for 20 minutes, but...

Go for it. No point in letting this thread die so early. captaineriv

Never had to mop ceilings and I hope to keep it that way. The lid on my brew bucket seems to have a tight fit so I don't see it shooting off. The tubing fits through the grommet pretty snug too, so hopefully things should all stay together. captaineriv

I believe I asked a similar question to this months ago, but there was a big difference in my batch size. Anyway, the question is: I use a 6.5 gallon plastic bucket w/drilled lid for my primary, and if I want to brew a 5-gallon batch of high grav Belgian ale (around 1.109), am I likely to have...

Thanks for the tip. Sounds easy enough. What to do with the extra quart that was drawn if not needed to raise the temp? just add it straight to the boil after lautering? captaineriv

I use a round 5-gal. igloo cooler for my mash/lauter tun and have always skipped the mash-out step, but next time I want to give it a shot. I was reading that a mash-out is pretty simple if you draw out some of the thin mash, boil it, and add it back. Sort of like a mini-decoction. If I...

At Northern Brewer, it says "Dingemans Pilsen is low in protein, and results in a remarkably clean and light finished product." I take it that means it's already well-modified? captaineriv

My apologies for the confusion. I'll be using Belgian Pilsener, not German. I'll probably use Dingemans. captaineriv

Uh oh. It may come down to a few coin tosses :) captaineriv

I am planning a high gravity Belgian ale that uses a base of German Pilsener malt. The recipe (from "Beer Captured" book) calls for a single infusion mash at 150. From what I've read, it seems that this type of malt generally benefits from a protein rest when brewing certain styles. Is this...

When I took the hydro reading yesterday, all activity in the airlock had been completely ceased for about a day and the floating piece was no longer rasied. Absolutely no activity in the airlock. Well, apparently the yeast warmed up and got hungry again. It's been over 24 hours since I took...

It tasted as good as hot, flat, unconditioned beer should. The mash thermometer could be off. I'll check the temp in an ice bath and then check it against my spare thermometer and see what's going on. Next year, until I'm sure warm weather is here to stay, I'll brew steam beer during the...

Amen to that. I don't let it get to me too much. Then it wouldn't be fun anymore. All else being equal, this batch should be just fine (maybe a little less estery because of the low temps). I just like to make improvements where I can. I'm pretty sure this was more a function of temp than...

Maybe the fermentation stalled at the very end because of the low temperature. Most of the vigorous bubbling had stopped by the time it got cold anyway. Plus, it was a pretty big drop in just about 12 hours time. Who knows, it could have gotten as low as 59 in that room. That area in my...

Well then. I guess I had less fermentables than I thought. Wouldn't think so though. My recipe was 10 lbs. Maris Otter and 1 lb. Crystal, mashed at 154 (dropping to around 150 at the end of 90 minutes). Who knows. I'm still new to AG. The reason for the high FG could have been anything...

I've wondered the same thing about SC beer. Seems to me like we're in a void for craft beer. I know of a few that are brewed in SC and even more brewed in NC, but I don't know how "historical" they are. captaineriv

If the optimal temp for my yeast strain was 64°-75°, would being at the very lower end of that temp range, or even slightly lower affect attenuation? My EPA is done fermenting, and I calculated my attenuation to be 67.3% when the attenuation range for the strain I used is 68-72. Generally...