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One of the best beers I ever had was as a last-minute standby on a delayed redeye flight. The wife observed I was getting grumpy at about 1 or 2AM after hours of waiting. When that non-descript non-Bud fizzy drink magically appeared on my tray life got better for a few minutes.

Yeast is one of the most expensive ingredients in beer, so if you're doing multiple batches of the same types of beer it makes sense to reduce your costs by saving and re-using that healthy yeast.

Underpitching is what usually stresses the yeast, producing more esters. I will underpitch certain yeasts to do that but if you have a young sample from a 3gal batch going into a 5gal wort, I'd see nothing wrong with using the whole container to get your fermentation going sooner. That's my...

What's good in that sample you have? I'd say all of it. It's light colored and still fairly fresh. If you're going to use it within a day or two just refrigerate and pitch the whole container.

Second the "blonde ale" suggestion. It's a pretty large and forgiving BJCP category style where malt and hop levels are concerned. If you're going to be doing the lighter colored beers under 10 SRM or so I suggest using upt to 100ppm calcium salts with "soft" water with no permanent hardness...

It doesn't. In my opinion, the reason the retail and distribution networks are closed is because they don't contribute significant sums of money back into the right pockets of whomever regulates the racket. A petty crook like Al Capone didn't get rich all by himself. My local stores all stayed...

It's not just the yeast but there are dextrins in your beer. A dextrin by any other name is simply a complex carbohydrate produced in your grains. Mashing, decoction and the boil process will influence your dextrin content, too. Less highly modified malts and the kilned dark crystal are fairly...

Better than a refractometer? Well, a triple scale hyrdrometer can be cheaper and give you a bit more flexibility. Best for use after fermentation when the alcohol content will change your refractometer reading. Refractometer is more efficient before fermentation, but I like both tools.

Furthermore, I rarely ever trusted my brewshop when it came to grinding my grain. It was usually too coarse and caused problems. I changed up a bit and ground the grains myself - especially the wheat malt. I literally turned the wheat malt to flour and increased the mash water levels to...

When making this sort of beer water can be an issue. It can affect your pH levels which in turn influences your conversion and sugar extraction levels. The water should be distilled, RO, or soft, low carbonate spring water. The brewing salts need to be weighted toward calcium and chlorides, or...

Especially if it's the lime flavored version. One of my boys gave me a Bud Light Lime and it tasted EXACTLY like a weak, day-old cider carbed using CO2. :confused: Sorry, but that ain't beer.

My female cat was the most focused hunter I've seen. She'd drag chipmunks, rabbits, and such into the house. She liked to put the chipmunks in my wife's shoes and leave her "toys" in the middle of the floor. My two boys once caught a fat mouse in the house and presented it to us. I had to...

When doing an all grain wheat beer I like to get a vigorous boil and a noticeable hot break going. If you have a hefeweizen the suspended yeast doesn't flocculate quicky and tends to stick to the protein in solution. One way to get a possible fix is to try a step mash and extend your mash times...

The container you're using would be fine for wine or cider. When dealing with hopped beer wort you're going to have a level of proteins mixed in with hop oils and sticky yeast, so always expect some amount of foaming when your headspace is limited.

Unfinished beer always looks darker in the carboy than it does in a glass. I did a fast ferment with WLP029 near 58-59F ambient in less than two weeks and the wort cleared up fast. What started out looking brown ended up golden in the glass.

Nothin' better than a few kittie hugs. When I got married I inherited two sibling males from the wife I called "The Fuzzy Boys". Extremely mild-mannered cats, even the vets adored them. When they're naughty I pick them up and give them hugs. Being cats they walk away thoroughly insulted.

I can't stand my house water even though it's filtered. It's OK for a quick drink but not for beer. Do I use store bought water? You bet. It's fine for brewing if the price is right and you can find a trusted brand. My choice is usually a soft spring water easily adjusted with salts for the...

I lost my palladium ring a few years back dumping brush and stumps into the woods. Like an idiot I wasn't wearing gloves ... :mad: Palladium has taken a jump in value since I lost it. The wife bought me a metal detector and the first thing I did was search the area where the ring was lost...

I don't really believe in luck, either. It's a combination of timing, initiative, and acting on a recognized opportunity when it appears.

I hear you, McKnuckle. I'm in Ocean County, NJ. Parks, gyms, schools ... all closed. It's been one of the most gloomy, cool spring seasons in a while. Haven't even been able to mow my grass for 3-4 days now due to chilly rain. Once in a while I'll get a ring on the phone to deliver food to...