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+1 for storing dry yeast in the refrigerator. I also use a resealable vacuum seal bag, but that is probably overkill. Let it warm up to room temp before pitching. Never had one fail to start, even if it was expired by several months. Keep an eye on LabelPeelers. They often have great...

It also sounds like the yeast need to be stressed. Lower pitch rate, increase OG, increase fermentation temp, shorten clean up time after fermentation before kegging, etc.. You may want to think about playing with 1 gallon batches to tune recipes exactly for these reasons. ~HopSing.

I kept it really simple and used 5# of 2 row (Viking xtra-Pale), 7# white wheat, 0.5# Carapils (just because I had it), 1 oz of Perle hops for 60 minutes, 1 package of Munich Classic rehydrated and on stir plate for 20 minutes. Pitched at 68F. High temp was 72F. 75.28% efficiency (a little...

I just tapped my hefe and I'm happy with the banana tones. I used a full packet of rehydrated Lallemand Munich Classic for a 6 gallon batch (I see you tried that too). Mashed at 154F for 60 minutes. I kept my boil fairly gentle (0.9 gallon boil off over 60 minutes) and fermentation around...

I agree with @Robert65. It would not take much for a creative teenager to get a ball lock adapter with a cobra tap and by-pass the faucet locks. The high-tech method is to use load cell scales to monitor keg weight and have a controller that sends alerts on any significant weight change...

LabelPeelers is running a 40% sale. I stocked up on dry yeast $0 shipping (USPS Priority). I've ordered from them before and all packets are at least a year out from expiration for the stuff I ordered (US-05, Nottingham, 34/70, Munich Classic, S04, etc.) ~HopSing.

So the moral of the story is IF you wash your beer glasses in the dishwasher the first 3 don't count. I think I can get on-board with that approach. ~HopSing.

Way off OP, but doesn't dishwasher detergent mess up head retention? Even if you don't add any detergent, there is plenty of residual detergent. Just run a cycle without any additional detergent and open the door mid-cycle and you'll see the suds. At least I do. Hence the reason I've never...

Absolutely! Those are tested without any kegs connected in the same way. Pressurize, turn off Co2 tank and monitor gauges. It needs to hold for at least 24 hours. If the gauges drop after 24 hours it's a micro-leak, but I'm not too concerned about it. Also during the empty keg test, I...

Glad you rooted out a few of the leaks in your system. As a side note, I have two CO2 tanks, a 10# that fits in my fridge and a 20# I use to refill the 10# tank. I came across a second regulator so as a best practice, I hook up my recently kicked kegs to the 20# tank, pressurize the lines...

I would also assume it depends on the efficiency of the chiller. This could be measured by the difference in temperature from in-flow and out-flow of the chiller. The closer those become, the less efficient the chiller is at removing heat from the wort. Variables include heat conductivity...

Poked around and found a recent tips and tricks brochure by Fermentis. Lots of good info if you're interested in the entire dry yeast process: https://fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Brochure_Tips_and_Tricks_BAT_BD.pdf It clearly states my process #3 (using unhopped wort) is not...

My very unscientific opinion based purely on how quickly I see airlock activity, from slowest to fastest: 1) direct sprinkling on wort. Takes the longest, usually 12-20 hours. Rarely use this method but not closed off to it. 2) Rehydrate for 30 minutes with boiled and cooled water. Slight...

Yup. Just a boil kettle. I have a tramontina proline 38-quart stainless steel stock pot that is built like a tank. Tri-Ply bottom, thick walls, solid lid, induction ready, and it is NSF Certified (whatever that's worth). I think I paid $80. It's a bit hard to find, but Tramontina will sell...

The biggest time saver I've implemented is "univessel" brewing. I mash (BIAB), boil, and ferment in the same kettle. I wash the mash/boil/fermenter kettle once after I keg the batch. Since my fermenter gets boiled for an hour, I'm confident it's sanitized. I was worried not separating the...

I had the same problem about a year ago. It turned out to be a leaking valve on the distribution block. If the valve was not set in a specific position it would slowly leak. The trick is how to isolate the leak without wasting a lot of CO2. I did it by isolating each segment of the system...

I'm a bit surprised (disappointed really) that MoreBeer did not tell you to ship that one back ASAP and get you a replacement already. It's clearly defective. Please keep us in the loop. ~HopSing.

Any word back from MoreBeer? I'm wondering if they're checking their stock to see if this is a one off issue or a production run issue. I have this mill in my MoreBeer cart, but it's on hold until I hear how they respond and how the replacement mill looks from a tolerance perspective. Just...

The eva barrier and Bev-Seal ultra are far more rigid vs. vinyl tubing. It does not stretch very well either. Some have found success by warming up the tip of tubing in hot water to make it more pliable to fit over a barb connector, but it's far more work vs. using the push-in adapters that...

I had the same problem with store-bought tubing. I switched my CO2 lines to 1/4" BevLex 200 and that fixed it. http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843542.htm I use Bev-Seal Ultra for the liquid lines with John Guest adapters, but I'm about to change out the Bev-Seal Ultra for the 4mm EVA...