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I may try cooking some and splitting the batch. I usually sanitize fruits by putting them in some vodka and dumping it all in the secondary and then racking the beer on top of it. Bourbon seems to work well for oak chips, coffee and such.

Definately raw ones. Picked them up at Sam's this afternoon. If they won't be ready for this year, then I can also plan to add them to a secondary rather than in the boil or primary. Any ideas on amounts that should work?

I would watch the Chipotle. Its a roasted jalepeno that often has been soaked in oil. I have had ancho, poblano and anaheim in stout that are killer. Also the smoky notes can add a lot to a choc stout imho.

My daughter and I may be brewing this weekend and want to put down at least one cranberry beer - maybe 2 or 3. To make Christmas we'll need to add the cranberries in the primary, ferment 10 - 14 days and then force carb in a keg until Christmas. The possibilities include Marzen, Strong...

Thanks for the great replies. Living near Atlanta, winter isn't usually too brutal although last year with over 30 days with highs at or below freezing was an exception. Generally waiting a few days anytime except late Jan - February gets a day when outside is OK. Yesterday was in the mid-70s...

Thanks for the info. One last question. As an option to adding sugar and maybe a bit of yeast to the under-carbonated batches, can we pour them into a keg, purge the O2 and force carbonate them in a keg? Other than the carbonation, the flavors were right on what we wanted.

I'm trying to get a handle on why using electric heat is superior to gas/propane. As an electrical engineer (Indusrial control systems) and having a world class chef for a wife, I have experience with both. NO cook that I have ever seen would choose an electric range over a gas stove. Why...

Do I need to add sugar/tablets AND yeast? Or just the sugar? Don't want to end up with bombs, LOL.

I usually bottle to give to friends and I brew in my workshop which is about 400 yards from the house. The issue I had with the conditioning tablets was seriously low carbonation. Disappointing after waiting 2 weeks and then we were stuck with it. 2 marzens and 2 Porters - great taste but low...

After a slightly disappointing result carbonating with conditioning pills, I have decided to start racking to kegs, force carbonating and then bottling as needed. My main question is if I force carbonate, should the beer still sit in the keg for two weeks or is it ready to drink?

Thanks much for explaining that. Using much beyond US-05 or US-04 is still a couple of months out for me but this adds to the knowledge I am acquiring. Also, thanks for the link to the yeast washing post. Rick Near Atlanta :mug: Currently Bottled: Peach Marzen Spiced Marzen Sorghum...

I have read about using the yeast cake and have some questions. First, is this the layer of sludge that drops to the bottom of my fermenter? If so, what is the best way to harvest it and store it? Or is it a by product of making a yeast starter? Second, if it is harvested from a...

My wife and I started homebrewing earlier this year with me doing beer and her doing the wine. Since then, two of my daughters, my son and a son in law have joined the brew crew and some amazingly good batches have been enjoyed. Not surprisingly, we all enjoy a wide variety of craft beer as...

Thx - I appreciate the help.

At what point would the yeast be pitched then? When racking to the secondary or at a later point? I have a Stout that is supposed to do 2 weeks on the primary, a month on a secondary and then 2 weeks in the bottles.

I was looking for a good champagne yeast to use in some cider my wife is making and a notation on one caught my eye. It was 'great to use in secondary fermentations'. My understanding (possibly faulty) was that we pitched, fermented and racked onto a secondary in a few weeks to get the beer...

Thanks for the help. Having read more now I have gotten a last set of questions. My wife wants a still (non-carbed) cider. I've been told to ferment it bone dry with a champagne yeast and then back sweeten with Xylitol. Any suggestion or experiences with this? I've been told that I need...

My wife and I went to the Farmers Market today and got 10 gals of pastuerized cider with NO preservatives so we could try a couple of batches of hard cider. I have questions. First, i plan to add honey to each batch and want to how how much brown sugar to add as well. I can go with 1 or 2 qts...

What about some of the kits like the high gravity stouts that specify 2 weeks in the primary and then 4 weeks in a room temp (72 -74) secondary before bottling? Wouldn't just leaving it in the primary start to pick up flavors from the dead yeast and such? BTW - we're gonna leave it in a full...

Just the yeast that came with the kit - I assume ale