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Joe, don't feel bad. I've got my first 20 gallons in various stages of fermentation/conditioning and just figured out last week that I was reading the hydrometer wrong (nor was I adjusting my readings for temp). Reading the numbers can be a little confusing until you get used to the decimal...

This is what I do, too. 1. Buy the beer 2. Drink the beer 3. Rinse directly after drinking 4. Store them in a cabinet 5. When I've got a couple of dozen, I'll boil them 4 or 5 at a time. Fill them with warm water before dropping into the boil. Peel the labels as best I can. 6. Store them...

Jorts, I've made the same mistake on fermenting at too high a temp. I've got FOUR batches that have probably been affected before I figured out what I did (well, before the guys here told me). That sherry/alcohol-y taste is still there in my earliest batch but it's either fading or my taste buds...

5 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon bucket leaves no head room, though. Couldn't that be an issue?

I don't recall what the yeasts were in each kit. They are all BB kits.

Thanks, josh. Any tips for keeping a plastic fermenting bucket at lower than ambient temps? I don't have a "cold closet" (my house is pretty new and consistent on temps - one thermostat heats/cools the entire house so I can't isolate), a closet I could dedicate to fermenting, or any cooling...

I was a little off on my basement temperature. It's more like 66 degrees. There are two heating vents in the duct line down there. I closed one of them to see if that makes a difference. I probably should just close the other, too. The air-handler for the furnace is smack in the middle of the...

What is the advantage of doing a multi-temp ferment as opposed to leaving it in my basement until bottling time? At this point, I'm only using a primary and am not adding anything after my initial pitch.

What are the odds, do you guys think, that the beer is going to be undrinkable? As I said, I tried the porter last week and didn't notice any harsh taste. So maybe that one will be ok, if not optimal.

Partials. I don't know why I didn't think of carrying the partial down by itself and filling/pitching in the basement. Probably because it makes too much sense!

Wow - thanks for all of the tips and info! Ok, so for the two that are fermenting I'll just leave where they are and save my back for the batch I'm gonna brew Saturday and it's basement trip. I'll bring the bottles up tonight and put them in the bathtub until I can set up an adequate storage...

Thanks, flars. If I taste that fusel alcohol bite in my beer, is there a way to offset it at this late date? Or just accept it, drink it anyway, and count it as "lesson learned"?

Thank you, josh. I have two batches fermenting right now - one that will be two weeks in this Saturday and one that'll be one week on the same day. Will it help if I move them into the basement now or is whatever damage that's been done (if any) already finished taking place? Thanks...

I've just started home brewing. I'm using the BB extract kits and doing 5 gallon batches. My house is a rancher with an unfinished basement, and I cook in the kitchen on the main floor. Room temp on the main floor - around 72 degrees. Room temp in the basement - about 60. What I've been...

Hi all. I did a bit of homebrewing several years ago - with help - but have forgotten just about everything I knew so this site will help me immensely. One thing I haven't been able to find yet is a list of what equipment you need to get started. Can anyone point me in the right direction...