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You really can't have too much headspace in your primary fermenter. The CO2 being released by the yeast is heavier than air and protecting your beer from oxidation. If you are set on using a secondary (not needed in most situations) you will want as little headspace as possible. This is why...

Fermentation Temp makes a big difference as well. I had a sweet stout that was stable at .007 gravity points higher than it's FG. I moved the fermenter towards the end of fermentation to an area that was 2F higher and it finished on target. Not saying this is an issue for you, just another...

Harm is such a strong word. Leaving the beer on the yeast for 2 weeks or more ( I prefer 3 - 4 weeks) allows the yeast to clean up their byproducts and allow for a better finished product. There is still yeast in suspension when you move to a secondary vessel, however not NEARLY as much as...

Buy yourself some oxyclean and let them soak. This will clean them up and remove the labels without any scrubbing. You'll still need to sanitize them. I use my dishwasher without any detergent for sanitizing. However there are a million ways to sanitize them. As long as you do it, your...

leaving it on the yeast for 3 weeks min. is a good idea, however if I had to guess, its just a green beer right now. Let it sit 2 more weeks, then crack open another bottle. If your happy with the result, cool some more, if not...wait another week. rinse and repeat.;)

+1 To this!!! Autolysis is not something you need to be concerned with. It takes a very very long time for it to take place. Read about it on these forums. Many brewers leave there beers on the yeast cake for a month of more and some for A LOT longer without ANY negative effect from it.

It depends on many many factors, not least of which is fermentation temperature. You will want to check to see that your SG is stable. I usually do this by checking twice over a three day span. If my reading is the same, I'm pretty confident it's finished. None-the-less, Im trying to...

Most off flavors and smells disipate with time. Many experienced brewers will tell you to not even think of diagnosing off flavors, etc. until 6 weeks after bottling, and with big beers even longer. What was the OG for your Holiday Ale?

It's the perfect size for a conditioning/bright vessel. The reason you use a 5 gallon carboy for your secondary is to limit headspace. The less headspace, the less surface area touching oxygen. I wouldn't use this vessel as a primary unless you plan on cleaning up blow offs or use...

+1 for Bar keeper's Friend. I used it for the first time on my electric glass stovetop and it looks better than it did when it was new. Took about 5 minutes to clean it. This was after a boilover in my ehrlenmeyer flask making my starter. Can't go wrong with that stuff and it's...C.H.E.A.P.

Tripels take a LONG time before they are ready to drink. If it was me, I'd leave it in the primary for 4 weeks then bottle it for a LONG time (counted in months).

1. Mini-Mash or Partial Mash - Its not that different than steeping with a couple of MAJOR additions: Time and Temperature. Your not just extracting flavor and color when you do a partial mash. Your extracting fermentable sugars as well. To do this you need to soak the grains for 45-60...

I don't think there is a "too long" in a secondary. Leaving brew to condition in a secondary vessel is called "bulk aging". The only time they talk about too long is with the primary fermenter and that has to do with the yeast dying (which takes a long time, like many months). If you...

Thanks Bob! This is exactly what I did!

Bob, this is GREAT information. I'm using 1 gallon for my mash and 1.5 gallons for my sparge. I used the 1.25 quarts/Lb of grain forumal which is 3.75 quarts for mash and rounded up to 1 full gallon. Sparge = 2 qt / Lb so that is 5 quarts. Just gonna round up. Hops = 1 oz Goldings at...

Good Day! I'm brewing a PM later today and have 2 quick related questions about my Malt Extract addition. I ordered a Moose Drool clone kit from AHS and I usually select DME, however I must have forgot to change my selection and I received LME instead. To help here are my...

I'm going to take your advice to the tee. Thanks for all the information!!! I Love This Site!!!

Very good points!!! I would be very careful with those bottles, if they are still fermenting in the bottle it is possible to have explosive bottles. keep them under cover.

I disagree with this. I have found that LME dissolves better in hot water and DME dissolves better in cold water. YMMV

you racked a bock (lager) off of the yeast after 3 days??? If this is the case there are many things that you will need to do differently next time. I would recommend reading John Palmer's How to Brew. You can read the first edition for free online. Just google how to brew. In regards...