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I'm planning to add vanilla beans and a little rosewater to my winter warmer during secondary. I just realized I forgot to add my cocoa nibs, which I had planned to add during boil. Anything wrong with just making the a sludge out of rosewater, vodka, vanilla beans and the cocoa nibs?

Thanks for the advice! I was kind of hoping to use this brew to cut my teeth on something a bit more next level, but it's nice to know I can still make a good beer if I think better of my foolish ambition. ;-)

There's a brewery in San Francisco that makes a _delicious_ vanilla cream ale. I've only got about six beers under my brewing belt, and my attempt at a vanilla cream ale is one of them. I used light oak spirals and vanilla beans, and soaked them in Velvet Falernum rather than vodka...

Ooh! Also, since I'd be trying to decoct a BIAB partial mash, ought I add a little bit of DME to the boiling decoction?

How about a single decoction when doing a BIAB partial mash? I was thinking about putting my grain in two different grain sacks (2/3 and 1/3), and then pulling the 1/3 bag out as well as a small amount of the mash liquid. But then what role would the bag play vis-a-vis stirring? It's hard to...

Terribly sorry if anyone already pointed this out (haven't yet finished reading whole thread), but Peet's Coffee sells nice vanilla beans in cool little glass vials for $2.25 a pop. That way if you think even one bean will benefit your brew, you're not breaking the bank and buying extras. :)...

What if in designing a recipe you're at the upper limit of your acceptable OG and FG, but still short a significant number of SRM? Doesn't it make sense to, say, decide to steep some of the higher-L malt so as _not_ to get fermentable sugar -- and maybe even to steep a few more ounces of...

I've been playing with two different partial mash Russian Imperial recipes. I'm totally inexperienced with the style, though, so I've come up with two different ones that have different extract bases, different amounts of fermentable sugars, and slightly different hop schedules. Anyone care...

Hi, HBT denizens! Soon I'm hoping to do a vanilla-banana weiss. (It's for the less initiated of my pals, of course.) I'm probably just using extract + steeping specialty grains, but I'm capable of BIAB mini-mashing if that sounds best. So, some questions: Aren't such beers usually...

So, I've still got this stuff, in a "locking" plastic container in my fridge. It hasn't been opened since I wrote the original post in May. Should I still use it? It's just simple syrup after all, right?

As I realized it, I am partial mashing. Sweet. I'm doing to try decocting a bit after all. My spices are maybe a little bombastic. What I haven't figured out is how much of each: Grains of Paradise Allspice Cloves Coriander Cardamom Mead spice Black tea Cocoa nibs Rose water Orange zest Ginger...

There's no harm in mini-mashing things that I'd normally only steep, is there?

Hi, folks! I'm going for a nice dark brown holiday spiced ale. I'm only using extract and steeping specialty grains, however. I've read about the benefits of decoction and ramping, and I'm wondering if: Any would apply to this kind of beer, and There's a point since I'm not actually...

This isn't useful or scientific, but I've got to say I love Apollo hops -- or at least the one or two brews I made using them. It'd be a shame to leave them out!

Hi, all! My idea was to start now and have three small (3-gallon) beers ready in time to give to some folks for Christmas. I'm doing extract + steeping, or maybe a partial mash. I'm not equipped or skilled yet for all grain, I don't think. I'm also trying to use up hops I have, so some of...

All good advice! ;-) Thanks, everyone. Crisis averted.

Hi folks! I whipped up a batch of syrup (is there a better term?) out of corn sugar for today's bottling. Turns out, though, my pal would prefer to use carbonation drops, but my syrup's already cookin' away on the stove. Once it cools, can I slap it in an airtight container and 'fridge it...

Oh, hey! I have some Centurion hops on hand. I understand them to be a proprietary dual-use blend? So, I think I'll sprinkle a little throughout.

GREAT advice, all! Thank you! I recently made a Comet SHIPA and LOVED it. I think Comet may actually be one of my go-to hops -- and so much the better if it's a bit of a black sheep, as perhaps by embracing it and lacing most brew with it I can develop a distinctive flavor profile for my beers...

Thanks! I posted the tentative recipe, already, though (and I'll make sure to use Canadian 2-row!). Any "OMG DO NOT DO THIS" moments in the recipe? :)