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I have a dozen liter flip tops and I always flip the gaskets when I fill them. If they look a little worn I just replace them. I have never had one that didn't carbonate. If the bails seem a little loose I will tweak them a bit with a pair of pliers.

I bought a Ziplock brand sealer at Menards this fall to package my homegrown hops. Compared to most of the other brands I looked at it is cheap and it worked great. Not sure how long it will last but so far so good. I haven't needed any smaller bags yet, it takes a pretty good sized bag to...

I have bought some 4 gallon bottles of water at Menards and used the bottles for cider. The bottles were PET and worked great as a fermenter.

The vast majority of us are lucky enough that we don't really "need" anything. So a few years back I decided to do away with buying things. So I have been giving something I have made. Everyone appreciates my home made jams and canned peaches, Or something I made in the forge. This year I had...

The whole point of dry yeast is you don't need to make a starter. Just rehydrate and pitch.

The vast majority of protein supplements fed to animals are from spent grain. Either from processing for oil(soybean and other grains like canola, sunflowers, cottonseed and flax), distilling(ethanol production for fuel or your favorite liquor) or brewing. With the vast percentage of the...

It is all about balance. Too tight a leash and they never have the opportunity to grow and find out who they are. Too loose a leash and it is easy for them to run amok. It is a partnership, you just have to make sure they know who is the managing partner... RDWHAHB. I know, easier said than...

I think you will want a simple controller for your boil. What I did is buy an SSVR (auberins has them for $26.50) and a heat sink and put them in a small box. I also added a contactor and a light switch so I could turn the whole thing on and off. To begin with you can use it to bring your strike...

I have done full boils for five gallon batches on a glass top stove with an eight gallon stock pot. But I also use a 2000 watt heatstick. No problem with the glass top on the stove but if you have a boilover it redefines mess. :D The only problem I have is the microwave rangehood. Not the most...

It really doesn't take any longer to brew ten gallons than five so if it is a beer you really like, why not?

As has been mentioned, your mash temperature is too high. You should check out the Recipe Database and see what mash temperatures people are using for the types of beer you want to brew. That will give you a good idea where your temps should be. Everyone's system is different, and what works...

If you like Belgian beers check out the Cafe Hollander in Wauwatosa. A great selection of beers and their mussels are really tasty.

As long as you aren't making the kraut in your bottling bucket I don't think there should be a problem. That being said if there are no other pressing projects on the horizon a hazmat room that would eventually end up as a walk-in cooler might not be a bad idea. :)

WLP810, which this recipe calls for is the California Common strain. It can ferment up to 65 degrees and give a beer lager characteristics or can be used at lager temperatures for a true lager. Rather unique among yeast strains. If you don't have temperature control for fermentation I wouldn't...

Molasses. I only added 4-6 oz to a five gallon batch of Porter but once the sugars are fermented out the residual flavor was not at all what I was hoping for. I also added some sucralose to a batch of graff to backsweeten it a bit. I overdid it and the result is way too sweet with a weird...

Just tell her you are planning on brewing in the kitchen. That will make the laundry room look like a better option. :D

I was planing on using a 3/8x25' coil for my system. It was an old copper immersion chiller I got in the deal when I purchased some kegging equipment from someone getting out of brewing. Being as I already have it and I am using an insulated cooler for a mash tun I figured it would work fine, as...

Hey, late nighters, I'll leave the football stuff alone for now, except to say my son was at the game today. Have to be crazy to sit out in this weather, but I guess it must have been worth it. I have been away for quite a while but try to keep up on the thread, I think of posting every now and...

Are you going to forge them or grind them? If I ever get my old powerhammer rebuilt I want to start making them out of pattern welded steel. Sorry about your walnut tree. They grow so slow it is a real shame what happened to it. Whatever happens to the offending party they deserve. Bobbi -...

It is a beautiful summer day here in Wisconsin too. I got some chores done around the house this morning, mowed the lawn and watered everything and will be headed north to the cottage in a bit. Not much time for rest and relaxation though. Have to mow and trim, work on the landscaping and try...