Search results

Well, that would be ~84% AA - high, but not impossible. I have had 85% AA with all-malt mashes (my last imperial amber was 1.081 -> 1.016, which is about 80% AA). Obviously, you know the right things to do to get high attenuation (low mash temp, attention to yeast strain and health...

Interesting questions... I'm more interested in what the name conveys to the consumer - if they feel misled, that's a fail. So if your wild brew has some reasonable resemblance to a Lambic, pLambic and Lambic-style are fine (and "Oud Bruin met perzik" for your brew is a great name, since you've...

Going from 1.122 -> 1.072, and still active at 1 week is a good sign that the yeast is up to the task. I'll bet it's going to be a good wine, but perhaps for Christmas, 2010.

The PET soda bottle is a great, practical suggestion, but I also think that an O2 tank + SS aeration stone is a reasonable, not too pricey, brewery addition. The one Revvy shows is great, but the standard stone without the long SS tube extension is fine (although now that I've seen the one from...

All this discussion about Belgian snobbery and appellations is really interesting, but what I really meant about not brewing Lambics outside the Senne valley is more practical. With the cultures available to homebrewers today, we can make very good approximations to what ferments naturally...

That's a monstrous OG - enough to make a > 17% wine if it ferments dry. Most likely, it won't be something you like for a long time. I think outdoorsmadness is right - better to hit the lower end of the OG range for a quicker, more accessible wine. You started out right - mixed the must to...

Both of those yeast strains are good - I've used them for many years, and still haven't decided which I like better. To me, the 71b-1122 is softer, sweeter, and maybe retains fruit flavors better. However, these differences are much more subtle in a fruit wine than they would be in a grape wine...

If you have the time, re-pitching wouldn't hurt. If that doesn't fit in, the yeast you have should be fine. You can hedge your bets by oxygenating the Bohemian well. The 1.057 shouldn't be too much of an issue.

No matter what you do, you will not brew a Lambic, unless you move to the Senne valley of Belgium. After wort preparation, the fermenter is left open so that the native wild yeasts and bacteria float in and start the ferment. Many of these strains have been isolated and cultured, and some are...

I don't know what's in the kit, but 1.084 -> 1.022 is reasonable attenuation. Alcohol + pumpkin pie? Ugh - aging should help. Seriously, though, brewing a year ahead of time is OK for a BW. I was never tempted to brew with pumpkin - how does that fare over time?

I've never even thought about using brown sugar in a wine. In small amounts in an ale, I think the molasses flavors can be interesting. I'm not so sure they would work well in a fruit wine. But what the heck, this is a hobby. If it sounds good to you, go for it (maybe you could substitute part...

That shouldn't be surprising - a 5% change in volume and a 5% change in gravity - you don't need Beersmith to predict that. But you point is important: unless you've measured your volume to the necessary precision, it doesn't make much sense to obsess about those last few points.

As dogma, this is surely wrong, although it is good as rule-of-thumb advice. British session ales are often tapped & kicked within this timeframe. I've had beers take anywhere between 5 days and 3 weeks to carbonate (discounting that barlewine that never carbonated...).

But that's good advice from dantodd - do a taste test before serving...

Only time will tell... I would guess yes for a low gravity beer with healthy yeast.

As long as you didn't have an infection, you'll probably harvest more viable yeast from your brew than from starting over w/ two-hearted. I've done this a few times without any problem (with different strains) - it's just a good idea to step it up a couple times. Always taste-test the yeast...

But the point is that a huge cell count is harvested. I'd tend to agree with Khiddy that sanitizing is enough (that's how I've done it), but there's certainly no harm in boiling...

OK, you had some more input, and with your previous results with too-thin Stout, I'd have to say, go ahead and try the Munich and the lactose. My impression of Munich based on my maerzens is not really "thick", but a nice dry maltiness. The lactose will make the brew incrementally...

This is a great recipe - just keep in mind that you will not need 3.5 gal of water to make the 3.5 gal of wine. I juss made 6 gal. of raspberry wine, and the added water was only ~ 2 gal. A good approach is to add all ingredients except water, and add water until you hit your desired SG. I would...

This would work, but I'd worry about capping a bottle of actively fermenting beer, even though it's going in the fridge. I think a better approach would be: after racking off the yeast/dregs from the primary, just pour some slurry into a sanitized jar. I like honey jars for this, because they...