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I always try to keep a few packets of 34/70 on hand for slow starts. If I don't have good activity by 36 hours, I just dry pitch a packet. It has never failed to kick fermentation off within a few hours. No starter, no fuss - just toss in the dry yeast and boom! Fermentation.

While it's still pushing kreusen out the airlock, don't bother cleaning or replacing it. just watch out in case it pushes the airlock/bung out entirely. It happens. Once it stops pushing crud into the airlock, have a sanitized replacement on standby and swap them out and clean the dirty one.

To minimize lag time, use the freshest yeast you can find, and make sure you pitch enough of it. Oxygenating the wort is a huge plus too. A vitality starter on the morning of brewday is a wonderful thing so your yeast are awake and have begun eating by the time you pitch them. And finally...

I have made some very enjoyable homebrews from extract-and-grains. I liked them, my friends liked them, and I have not ruled out doing that method again in the future for one-offs. THat said, I would not consider any extract beer I ever made (or have ever had from other brewers) to be commercial...

Totally normal. It is entirely achievable to have airlock activity within 4-6 hours post-pitch even at lager temps if you treat your yeast right. The less lag the better. In fact, if you don't have airlock activity by 24 hours, I'd say something is wrong. As far as how long, that depends on...

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. Where your goal is as simple and quick as possible, mine is to make the absolute best, highest quality beer I can possibly make within the constraints of my equipment and facilities. If that requires complexity of process and extra time, well, that's the...

I do lagers year 'round. Probably 70% of my 15-20 batches a year are lagers. They're not just for summer anymore! :D

Was your fermenter new? Or was there any new stainless hardware in the loop? I got several stainless flow control ball lock QDs a few months ago, and like an idiot, I just rinsed them and attached to my kegs. Tasted metallic right away. Lesson learned: thoroughly clean any new stainless...

Yeah, actually my favorite German Pils is Feldschlosschen, out of Saxony (Dresden area). Ironically I DIS-like the big Sächsisch Bier, Radeburger - tastes like it is made with salt water. My Franconian Father-in-law would disown me if he heard me prefer something from Saxony over Bavaria (or...

I'm in the "I love German lagers, but not Warsteiner" camp, but if we all liked the same stuff, the world would be a boring place. I just hate that it's the only beer they serve on Lufthansa (the only time I drink it).

Because we haven't all killed out taste buds by hops overdose, and some of us like subtle flavors. ;)

The problem with your question is that it assumes beer made "way back when" was actually any good by today's (our palates') standards. I can assure you you'd be lucky to have found something in the 1700's that you would actually say was "good" beer by today's standards. Beer in the 1700s and...

I'd be happy to win either, but I could probably use the kettle more.

My last bulk malt purchase:

I have not. I think I can get it though. However, by the sound of your description of the hopping schedule, it isn't really a classic German Pils style, rather more of a modern/American-style Pilsner.

So how do you like the 100% Barke Pils? I was planning on doing exactly that for my next Pils - thought Barke could hold its own in that style.

My 7 cu. ft. freezer also only holds 3 corny kegs, but I am building up a collar which, when able to put them on the bump, will allow it to fit 5.

60 min is still a good baseline for boiling, but the conventional "wisdom" of a hard rolling boil has been proven to be unnecessary, wasteful, and ultimately counterproductive. A solid simmer is sufficient, as long as there is visible circulation and mild disruption of the surface. I still...

Pumping gas (CO2 or nitrogen) into the mash tun, or even truly purging it is not uncommon in the LOB crowd. Of course, different equipment limitations drive each person's process, but it's super easy to hook up a CO2 bottle to the mash tun valve to give yourself a leg up in the battle against...

Not sure, but I do LOB and mill directly into my mash tun while pumping CO2 in through the bottom valve. It doesn't purge all oxygen by any means, but it does create an oxygen deficient environment in the mash tun, which will help. For any oxygen that does get/stay in the mash tun or is in the...