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Thanks for all the info, I think I have the key points now. I'm in favor of waiting longer, it seems to smooth out errors in my process, so I'll go with sugar and no cold crash for now. Though getting the yeast out of suspension is appealing if it reduces the resulting gas... Maybe next time...

Hi, I'm preparing to use kegs for the 1st time, and while there is a huge amount of info here I can't seem to find clear answers or options for a couple of questions: 1) What is the benefit of force carbonating versus using the corn sugar mix, for kegs? Is it just a way to shorter the...

I'm the chief architect for a mid-sized company. Not the real kind of architect, I'm the technology/programmer kind. Hobbies.. camping, board games, smithing.

After 2 mediocre batches (and that is being pretty lenient, they fermented too warm - very fruity), my 3rd is ready and it is quite tasty! An IIPA. I'm hooked now! :rockin: Rob ps. and that is even after making all kinds of mistakes during bottling the IIPA.

Thanks all, and JonW thanks for the tip about BrewCommune - hadn't seen that before and I'll definitely check that out.

Hello all, I'm Rob. I've dabbled in homebrewing a little bit over the past 10 years, have just recently decided to really focus on it and try to get it right. I don't have anything close to the background apparently needed to understand the technical segments of the beginner books so the...

I just went through this last night, dry-hopped in secondary with loose pellets and had to transfer and rack it. It certainly didn't go well for me, I tried some other advice I had seen and used a stocking around the cane, it constantly bunched up and stopped the flow. Please let me/us know...

I have not had any loss (due to blowoff) while using liquid yeast and a 5 gallon batch / 6 gallon carboy, but I haven't done any wheat beers yet.

Hi, I did a search but didn't come up with anything that struck me as related to this, sorry in advance if this has been answered before. I just picked up a 5 gal BB from my LHBS to use as a secondary, and the guy at the counter said to be careful because the BB is air permeable. He...

I have had the same experience with my 1st batch - difference in taste between bottles (stored right next to each other, bottled with mixed priming solution in bucket etc.) I fermented a bit too warm I think and it is mostly just a sense that there are more off flavors in some bottles than in...

Yes, I took the sample from the pot, and probably near the bottom due to the wine thief I was using. Thank you for the feedback - I guess I won't worry about the beer, just a shame I don't have an accurate reading. The past two times I sampled from the pot it was right on the expected OG, but...

Hello, Last night I made a double IPA kit: 12 lbs ultralight extract 1 oz Glacier (bittering) 1 oz Centennial (flavoring) 1 oz Sterling (aroma) 1 oz Centennial (dry hop secondary) The expected OG from the kit was 1.082. I came up with 1.152. Quite a surprise. I did a partial boil, 2...

Hi, I made my 1st yeast starter, the pic is from about 36 hours after it was made. Just checking if it looks right - anyone? I worked through the Mr. Malty calculator to determine what I needed, came up with 2.5 liters and 2 tubes of the yeast (white labs pacific ale), and 250g of DME. A...

In my attempt to better understand homebrewing, I've been reading more and keep coming across info about how much a difference yeast can make to the taste. Then today I saw a new brew from Stone, "Cali-Belgique" (also know as Cali-Belgie). This proves the point perfectly - it is simply the...

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'll go with the easy way until I find the schematics for the freezer and drill

Hello, I've seen quite a few mentions of using a fridge or freezer with a separate temperature controller to keep fermentation temperature consistent and at the desired temperature. It sounds like most people drill a hole in the freezer to put the temp sensor itself through, but is there any...

To follow on to that last point, I had similar temperature variations during the fermentation of my 1st batch, and it did have an odd aftertaste 3 weeks after bottling. I'm at about 5 weeks now though and the aftertaste is almost entirely gone.

Ok, bummer. I wondered about that, and it was the temperature of the beer itself, not ambient. It ranged from 73 to 78. I'll see how my 2nd batch comes out, might have to set up a fridge for fermentation. Thanks!

Hi, I brewed a kit from More Beer, "American Ale", sort of a Sam Adams type beer in theory. Everything seemed to go fine, and I waited it out - has been in bottles for 3 weeks and I gave it a try last night. Well carbonated, and has the right initial taste but there is a strong lingering...

Thanks for the info! I used a wand if that is what you call it - press the tip on the bottom of the bottle and beer comes out. I think my mistake was to fill the bottles to within an inch, then remove the wand. This leaves the 2-2.5 inches of space. They're at 2 weeks now, I'll check on them...