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I don't make lagers due to temperature constraints, but isn't 3 weeks in the primary a bit long? Shouldn't this brew have been transferred, or am I just lager ignorant.

Before you start anything, put your honey in a pan, ~2 part water to 1 part honey. Heat to ~180 and cover. Put in a preheated oven at 180, and leave it there. Add to your wort when you're ready to cool. This will provide you with a sterilzed honey, with all the flavors you could possibly get...

I was an experimenter with cooking before I started brewing, and could never stick to a recipe. That carried over into my brewing. I've thrown a bunch of things in my brews, with only a few unhappy results. I make a smoked sweet bell pepper beer that I think is awesome. Try using the zest (just...

Being a Wisconsonite (Racine), you bring back memories of visiting a buddy of mine for Badger football games, and a girlfriend for, well, other things. Spotted Cow came up in conversation at Easter dinner, and for the life of me, I couldn't think of what exactly it is. I assume from the comments...

Here's what I did. Took 5 overripe bananas and froze them. After thawing, you can just cut the end off and squeeze it out. Throw in a sauce pan with enough water to make a slurry, heat to 180, hold for 15 minutes. After cooling, add to secondary and transfer on top. I got the process from a...

Thanks for all the input, gruits were kind of the direction I probably was thinking when I posed the question, but couldn't remember what they were called. I actually was mulling the idea of using green tea leaves to flavor a brew, but haven't gotten around to trying it.

Having just read the thread about being nice to new users, please keep that in mind. When I'm brewing, I'm here all of the time. When I'm not, not so much. I always try to research my question before asking, but the number of topics and associated threads can sometimes be overwelming. That being...

Keep in mind, fermentation produces heat, try wrapping a blanket or towel around to insulate.

After reading a previous thread, I have a few questions about starters. Some of you may call me a sinner after reading some of the things I say, but I've been happily brewing for 4 or 5 years, extract plus partial mash, and have been very satisfied with my results. That being said, here we go...

Let me first tell you I'm an extract, partial mash brewer. It never ceases to to amaze me how many full mash brewers, who avoid shortcuts, will look for shortcuts to add fruit or other flavors to add to their brews. Fruit is expensive. I've made a few raspberry beers, but only because I spent an...

Sorry I posted in the wrong forum, I didn't have alot of time to look, just wondering if others had seen it. Thanks for your help.

Has anyone seen what Maine has done? Between a cartoonish picture of Santa, and the playful use of butt, they've decided Santa Butt ale can't be sold in Maine, because they think kids would buy it. I know this is a homebrew forum, but I think we need to support the micros that push us to make...

Unless your tap water is undrinkable, you'll be fine. I only boil 3 gals and add directly to 2 gals tap water and my beer tastes great.

This topic is what I love about this forum. As my wife kissed me goodnight, she looked at the screen and said, "Don't stay up all night." She knows from experience I'll be reading every thread under every topic, picking up every piece of info I can. This sight rocks. (Sorry, no smily faces)...

My wife is a dedicated Miller Lite drinker. And my liquor store still sells it in returnable bottles. Needless to say, for 10 cents a bottle, I have more bottles than I can deal with, and some heavy duty boxes to keep my homebrew in. But I'll return them someday.

Previous posts ask good questions. Once you start brewing, you can get great info here. However, you need to start. Buy a book. Charlie Papazian's "Joy of Homebrewing" is the homebrewer's bible. There are other great books out there also. Alot of homebrewers are stuck on making "authentic"...

If you want the flavor of the honey, and not just the fermentables, don't even put it in the boil. Before you start your pot, try this. For 1.5# honey, in a seperate pot, heat about 1 pt. of water to near boil, add honey, and heat to ~185. Cover and put in 185 oven until your boil is done, then...

I don't know what brand puts 2 bags inside the outer bag, but I've always used Wyeast, and can count on 2 fingers how many times a bag wasn't fully swollen in less than 12 hours, and 1 of those was like 3 months old. I made a batch tonight, and my Wyeast Activator has 1 bag inside. Why would...

Natural? Implying coming from nature? Plastics are manufactured. If memory serves, originally from organic materials. Are they all still, I don't know. Does organic = natural. You make the call. I can think of alot of things that are natural that aren't good for you. I had a boss, who has...

I forgot to mention, I'm pretty sure my lhbs repackages bulk Munton & Fison in 1 qt containers, which is what I normally use.