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I'm pretty sure you have to do a decoction to properly caramelize the malt.

Ah, OK. There are a few things you need to know. First, you need to incubate them, or else it won't grow properly. Bacteria do not propagate very readily at room temperature, and Lactobacillus especially so. They're part of the normal flora of the vagina and the intestinal tract, so they need...

I take it you mean Lactobacillus, the genus of lactose-fermenting bacteria? What kind of slant are you using? EDIT: Also, are you incubating the slant or leaving it at room temperature? Bacteria work differently than yeast.

@jdc2: If your water contains an excess of a particular ion, it will certainly lead to off-flavors and other ill effects. Too high of a sulfate content? That will lead to excessive bitterness and astringency. Too much chloride? It'll taste like bleach. The real issue with water chemistry...

This is a completely off-topic rant, but: Why on earth would EDUCATORS distribute ANTIBACTERIAL soap in response to a VIRAL outbreak? Argh! The widespread use of low-level antimicrobials is very likely contributing to the continued development of MRSA and, of particular concern to a...

Using a sanitizer on your hands is probably overkill, and it'll actually be worse for your skin than just washing your hands. Use regular soap; anti-bacterial soap is pointless in the home environment. As other people have said, don't touch the cooled wort with anything that is not sanitized...

Well, not really, but it'll get it clean enough. The only way to ensure total destruction is to sterilize, either by autoclaving or gassing with ethylene oxide. As long as there aren't any really deep gouges in your bucket, you should be able to sanitize it. Surface scratches shouldn't be...

I haven't actually started AG yet, but I thought you needed to do a protein rest with that much wheat malt. Am I wrong about that? That might have something to do with it.

A quiet airlock doesn't mean anything. Give it time, crack it open, and take hydrometer readings.

I'm betting it was externally contaminated with a culture of active yeast. They probably didn't divide at all in the syrup, especially given the anaerobic nature of the product. There was enough sugar for them to survive and ferment, but not to divide. And yes, this is some strange yeast...

There is no C.bot in the yeast strain, believe me. C.bot contamination is fairly rare, actually, and is usually associated with canned products that have a high water activity. The canned syrup had next to no appreciable water activity. Also, as I mentioned, I examined my isolated colonies...

Yup. Brewed a Russian Imperial with it. 1.094 OG, 1.034 FG, clocks in at 8% ABV. The attenuation isn't what I expected there, but the recipe was mostly extract, so that probably had something to do with it. The flavor is great. Granted, because of the style, it took about 3 or 4 months in the...

For those wondering about the "special" yeast I have, I'll say that I isolated it from a chocolate syrup sample. These were bulk 5 lb cans of syrup purchased by an ice cream manufacturer. When I received the cans for analysis, they were at least 2 years expired. They were all heavily...

Hm, so that would pretty much necessitate making a starter every time. That's sort of annoying, but not too bad.

Well, #2 is sort of moot because I'm TRYING to mutate the yeast. The idea is to dedicate one strain to one beer type. I've been wondering about cryo-storage. I should throw this out there for a little reference: I'm a professional microbiologist, specializing in bacteriology. I know a good...

Hey fellow brewers! I'm Peter, and I'm pretty new to the game. I've successfully brewed and bottled a Russian Imperial Stout (Peter's Bitter Black Existence) and am currently fermenting an old ale-style American strong ale named Dire Beer. I love brewing and I love talking about brewing, so I...

Yes, yeast labs engineer strains of yeast to be adapted to certain beer styles. I'm basically trying to turn myself into a yeast lab. :P I'm basically looking at keeping 3 separate strains going, each one adapted to one of my 3 (planned) "flagship" brews. I'm not necessarily opposed to making...

Hey all, this is my first post in these forums. I'm pretty new to brewing (have my second batch ever in the primary right now), but I've learned a lot pretty quickly. To get right to the point, I have a unique (well, presumably so) strain of yeast that I have acquired. This is the strain that...