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I had the same problem, then I tried using food grade lube sparingly on the cylinder and giving the faucet a squirt of starsan after the last tap of the day. The results have been amazing. No sticking faucets even if several days go between uses.

I just dump the pellets into the secondary. Over a couple of weeks the green mass shifts from the top to the bottom. Then I use a piece of sanitized nylon over the downstream side of the transfer hose when kegging/bottling; I end up losing almost no beer and the result is as clear as any other.

The rubbery smell and taste normally come from incomplete yeast activity, assuming you're not using latex gloves or something similar during the brew. As with just about every problem here, patience is the key..let those bottles sit. I keg/force carb and notice the rubber smell in some of my...

Some off flavors from the trub, especially if the two brews are significantly different. But a lot of people (me included) do similar brews and just put the new wort right on top of the yeast cake from the previous batch. And if you do a good enough job of straining after the boil there will...

Check out MrMalty.com. It's a good source for info about yeast and starters.

AIUI, the CO2 produced during fermentation will carry off most if not all aroma from the hops in the fermenter. Since there is no boil there will be no acids from the hops so they will not affect the yeast. This is the reason for dry hopping in the secondary; it provides aroma but no...

A big part of the experience of enjoying a well-brewed beer is using your nose as well as your tongue. ALWAYS USE A GLASS. Sam Adams is even distributing their own glass to pubs - small base where you hold it to prevent heating from the hand, large bell shape and flute at the top to circulate...

Is this just CO2 or draft gas (75% Nitrogen and 25% CO2)? I use draft gas for my irish dry stout at 32psi/55F and it produces a beautiful waterfall that ends with a nice 3/4" head.

Well, I let the Oktoberfest come back to cellar temp and pitched a package of Safeale 04. It had steady airlock activity for a week. I chilled it to help settle the yeast for a few days. Just tried a sample...NO DIACETYL. Cool..

Am I the only one seeing the connection? Homer - "I want a six-pack of Skittlebrau..... Obviously what we have here is "Smartiebrau"!

Unscented dish soap for fermenters, carboys, and all the small stuff; PBW for the kegs; oxyclean for the bottles; and 12. BLC for the hoses/connectors/faucets.

Star-san for all equipment and bleach for all work surfaces

Sounds like a poor seal to me. If there is good fermentation (nice krausen) then the yeast is putting out the CO2 like it should. It shouldn't be a problem since you've got a bit of overpressure - CO2 being pushed out means air and nasties can't get in.

I made a two 25' ICs from 1/2" Cu. The first coil goes in an ice bath and the other into the wort. My water is from a well and runs a consistent 59deg F, and the water coming out of the ice bath is 39deg F. With both coolers hooked up I can cool 5.5gal from boiling to 68deg in 12 minutes...

Go to mrmalty.com for a nice discussion of yeast starters and why and when to use them.

I call my weizenbock "Haar des Hundes". It means hair of the dogs. What can I say, I've got two labs that stick to me like glue... HAAR DES HUNDES 7.5 lbs Wheat DME 0.5 lb Chocolate Malt 0.5 lb Victory Malt 0.5 lb 20L Crystal Malt 1.0 oz...

What about in a hefe? I make wheats about every third brew. Do you use IM in those as well or would it be a waste?

Cool. Thanks!

Beerrific, what do you use to check the Ph? I mix up 5 gal of Star San in a bottling bucket and just keep reusing for several batches. It would be nice to know when the stuff is losing it's effectiveness.

Thanks all for the help. I was thinking of reintroducing a some yeast to see what might happen - Couldn't be any worse than the flavor now. I'll post again in a week or so with an update. BierMuncher, thanks for the link. There is a lot of good stuff there - it will take a few HB's to work...