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Im not sure what the mechanism is that causes this to work. If I had to take a stab in the dark, I would say that fusel alcohols have a high vapor pressure, and when you shake it up, or let it degas in the fridge, those trapped vapors are driven off. Same concept as shaking a can of soda, then...

I am wanting to rack the fewest # of times possible because I usually lose about 0.25-0.5 gallons per rack. This is purely an economic thing. it's somewhat expensive to make (about $10-15) per gallon with the spices and everything, so it makes losing a gallon sting a little. So here was...

Mine definitely fermented too warm, probably between 70-75*F. I didn't know that D47 was notorious for fusel alcohol production, it seems to be a favored yeast by many on this forum.

PS. This is a vanilla/ cardamom mead. I have acid blend and wine tannin on hand, could I smother the hot-tasting fusels with either of these? I could back sweeten it with a ton of honey, but I prefer medium/ dry wines.

I know there are a couple fusel alcohol threads in the search, but I haven't come across this particular topic: I made a mead a few months ago (still on it's second rack, not bottled yet) and the first time i tasted it, it tasted like paint thinner. horrible really. That was roughly a month...

The ones I have at my disposal are <7>, damn. What's the deal with polycarbonate that makes them undesirable? Other than them being more permiable to O2, I mean. Seems like that wouldn't really be a big deal for primary. I've heard of people open-fermenting beer, though I was planning on...

I have access to very inexpensive 5 gallon water jugs. The kind that you see in offices and such that are flipped over on top of a water dispenser. I assume these are "food grade" because we drink it's contents. I know that people say not to use plastic secondaries because you may oxidize...

Good point!

How might you infuse the fresh basil without the basil rotting in "secondary." Or Tertiary, or quartinary, or whatever? I'm sure the lemongrass is cellulose-y to withstand some serious saturation, but the basil? Even if the ABV was say 12-13%... it seems like it might wilt and get soggy and...

Quick follow up here: So it turns out, I got CRAZY attenuation out of this particular brew. OG 1.076 FG: 1.010 86% attenuation with London ale yeast So the fermentation did indeed start back up, and it certainly doesn't taste infected. I'm pretty sure that adding the apple juice while still...

not sure if you formulated a recipe yet, but I was inspired by this beer too. Kind of on a spice kick lately... So here's what I put together. I'm probably gonna brew this in the next month or so. I ditched the star anise 'cause I hate black licorice, and I added vanilla because I'm...

There is a must-read article on starters here: http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php The author recommends 12-18 hours. Here is an excerpt that you may find helpful: "Q: At what point do I pitch the starter into the wort? A great deal of discussion rages over this topic...

+1 on mash temp. If you mashed too hot, then youre gonna have a lot of unfermentable starch/ polysccharides. When you says you made a starter with Us-05, do you mean an actual starter with DME, a few liters of water, etc? Or just that you rehydrated the yeast in water for a little while...

I just read about your experience with it. It's here if anyone else is interested. Sounds like heat (in a mash) might just drives the reaction faster if it took collectively 6 days to drop your beer from 1.030 to 1.012 after adding the AE.

From what I understand, using alpha amylase in primary fermentation will convert dextrines into fermentable maltose and dextrose. Maybe not all of it, but some at least, right? How does that work? I've read multiple places that alpha amylase works at temps between roughly 152 and 160...

I agree, 5 minutes or flame out is probably the best time for the spices. The cardamom pretty much dominates the aroma in the Widmere Spiced IPA. It is pretty strong, and some people really don't like it. Try cracking a green cardamom open and tossing the innards in a pint of a dry moderately...

There is some movement in the air lock, but it is VERY dull, especially compared to the intensely vigorous start it had. WTF :confused:

no campden. Just dumped it in. I used Wyeast London Ale Yeast I, and it took off like crazy. I felt like I was giving the fermenter lid CPR to clear the blow off tube! Once I added the apple juice, it was like it stopped everything. I'll post tomorrow if anythinig changes. Edit: Triple...

So I rushed it and added the apple juice about an hour ago and the fermentation has stopped.... at least the bubbles in the blow off tube have stopped. I pitched the yeast to the beer LAST NIGHT, and the fermentation has been off the chain ever since...until now. Did I stun the yeast or...

I brewed a spiced brown ale that I am planning on adding 1 gallon of apple juice to in a few days. My question is: what's the best way to prepare it so it doesn't infect my beer? The two methods I can think of are 1. Boil it for a couple minutes, allow to cool, and add to the fermenter...