Search results

+1 -- all hop forms are not created equal. I used to only use whole leaf, but recently switched to pellets for a few reasons. First, for big, hoppy beers, a kettle full of whole leafs is a pain in the ass. Second, I've started buying hops in bulk online and basically can only get pellets...

Simcoe's are out of stock again?

+1 -- exactly what I do. Rinse right after you pour. I hate getting empty bottles back from friends who did not rinse... lots of nasties and hard to remove buildup makes me nervous about infections.

Yeah, that's been my normal experience as well. Here's the recipe (it's nothing extraordinary though). 8lb 2-row 1.5lb C40 0.5lb Melanoiden 0.5lb Special B 0.5lb Victory There are tons of hops though (80+ IBUs). 1.2 oz Magnum, 1oz Columbus, 1.7oz Williamette. Color is right around...

Pitched a packet of US-05 into 5 gallons of 1.050 (an amber). 4 weeks later, FG is down to 1.025. This gives me an attenuation rate of like 40%. What could cause this? The first couple days of fermentation were really heavy; blowoff tube required and the whole bit. The only thing I can...

Yup, I tip too. In fact, usually when I'm draining/sparging I'll prop up one side of the tun so it sits a little higher and drains out the other side.

Where do you guys buy your bulk hops? LHBS? Online? If so, where?

I dont think the sample size is big enough. You might want to try again today.

How do you guys take preboil gravity readings? Do you siphon off enough sweet wort to fill a hydrometer jar, wait for it to cool to 60F and then take the reading? Or do you just take it and try to adjust for temperature?

So I've asked this a couple times already, but I just stumbled across a much more in depth water analysis for Seattle and am hoping someone with a little more water chemistry experience can take a look and give me some generalized opinions about the quality, recommendations for salts/treatments...

I'd uncap them all and recap them. You may find that you need to do this after they've been chilled. For some reason, warm/room temp bottles foam up much more than chilled ones. You may need to repeat this a few times every few days. Then: by a kitchen scale! You can pick one up on amazon...

Just dropped them off at the post office. 2-day priority. Hopefully they'll be there on Saturday.

Okay, packages are ready to be shipped out. Here's what you'll find inside: Vanilla Stout (VS2) 2-Row, Munich, C120, Chocolate, Biscuit, Brown, C40 Warrior, Chinook, Goldings Wyeast 1056 4oz Vanilla extract OG 1.075, FG 1.020 Red Ale 2-Row, C40, Biscuit, Melanoiden, Special B...

Awesome, thanks guys. PMs sent to all. I'll put together some of the details for each and post them here later on.

I have a few homebrews that I'd like to have someone (or multiple people) sample and help me identify some flaws. I'm looking for someone who is both an experienced (home)brewer and has a good palate. My palate is just not developed enough to identify the flaws I'm hoping someone else can...

Trying to isolate some off flavors in my brews and thinking chlorine may be a factor, but at what level will chlorine presence become noticeable? Here is Seattle's water report: http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/public/@spu/@ssw/documents/webcontent/spu01_006652.pdf Will the amount of...

I had that thought as well, but, according to the Seattle water reports there isn't much in the way of chlorine in my water: http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/public/@spu/@ssw/documents/webcontent/spu01_006652.pdf I guess I can try Campden tablets next time and see what happens.

I've been washing and repitching yeast for a while now and I almost always notice a lot of activity in my starters. I generally use a 1000 ml erlenmeyer flask with an airlock (although I know for starters some oxygen exposure is a good thing) and within about 12 hours I'll see at least a good...

I also haven't been stirring my 10 gallon cooler after dough-in, however, especially in the recent cold weather, I've been noticing a drastic (~10 degree F) difference between top and bottom of the grain bed when I mash out... Definitely thinking about stirring to even it out a bit.

Actually, I've tried with DME as well and had similar results. I used to have a huge problem with overcarbbing everything... then I bought a scale and haven't had a problem since. Does priming sugar impart an obvious flavor?