Search results

rt- I don't see a pellicle in the photo. I think the big bubbles are from yeast, probably the Brett. What yeast strain did you use? This should be okay to rack. This will give you a chance to test the SG and give the hydrometer tube a taste. It can take several months for the lacto to...

In my limited experience, the yeast reallly take off in a fermentable wort. After their activity dies down, the lactobacilli get a foothold and start working. They can be very slow, so maybe give it a month and taste again if you're looking for sour flavors. Meanwhile you can search on Berliner...

Here is a commonly linked list of off flavors, from John Palmer's "How to Brew" first edition, and free, online: http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html Do any of these seem to describe your beer? If so, it may be easier to diagnose your problem.

This forum is great, and that is largely because everyone is genuinely trying to help one another. I have personally never observed someone deliberately trying to give bad information, and in this day and age, and yes, on the internet that is so full of malicious and juvenile behavior, that is a...

I'm psyched! I was afraid I missed out on the pre-orders, but LHBS sent an e-mail newsletter that they had some rhizomes. That was Friday. Today I drove over on the lunch hour and bought them. They were nearly sold out, and the owner said they will probably all be gone tomorrow. Now, if I...

Did you taste the hydrometer sample? I have only tried Castelain Blond and Trois Monts, and both are somewhat malty. I hope the malt character has been preserved, and the dryness should be right in style! Let me know how this turns out and I'll definitely look for 3725.

Oh- I believe these were supposed to be candi sugar. Sounds like a belgian recipe, no? I really don't think you need any sugar in your IIPA recipe. Your OG should be around 1.092, and sugar will only make it higher.

Are you talking about carbonating drops? Or are you talking about making a starter? If you're making a starter, you shouldn't use sugar. Sugar is completely and easily fermentable and makes the yeast lazy. If you use sugar drops for carbonating, you can substitute with table sugar, but remember...

I'm with Tipsy Dragon. I carbonated a batch a while ago to 3.25 volumes of CO2 by Tasty brew calculator. When I finished bottling, I found out I only had 4.5 gallons of beer, so needless to say, I was pretty nervous. More like 3.5 volumes of CO2! Turns out, 22 Bombers fit well in one of those...

If you mashed low, around 148-149, you produced a highly fermentable wort. As already stated, not necessarily a bad thing. What temperature did you ferment at? I don't see a Biere de Garde strain on Wyeast's website. Do you remember the number you used? I've used 3711 (French Saison) and gotten...

I'm guessing temperature control is an issue in Saipan. Your ale should bottle carb pretty quickly at 80F. I try to carb/condition at 70F for three weeks, and in the winter here in Ohio, it is sometimes tough finding any area of the house that stays at 70 for a consistent period of time. But...

I have a 5 gallon batch of cider made from pasteurized juice. It was done fermenting 3/7, and has been clearing gradually, from top to bottom, in the carboy. It is now cryastal clear about 3/4 of the way down. I haven't added anything to it to help it clear. This attenuated down to 0.996 with...

Use the higher temperature. This is for correcting for how much residual CO2 is idissolved in the beer before priming. Since it is sitting at 70F, that is the temp that will determine how much CO2 will have been off gased. Cheers.

I agree that this is seasonally dependent. In the summer months, think lawnmower ales. In the winter, something a bit more robust. In our household, SWMBO and i consume the following: Year round- IPA (75-90% of consumption) Autumn through Christmas- spiced, malt forward beers...

I'm not clear as to why they would say this. You should ferment this until SG remains constant for 2-3 days straight (ie, after fermentation is complete) and preferably a week longer for the yeast to clean up byproducts of fermentation. At this point, all fermentable sugar will have been...

Hi JJ. Pickle juice will probably consist of salt and vinegar. Are you thinking of a gose flavor? I would go easy and experiment with additions, as the acetic acid is highly detectable at just few ppm and could become pretty strong in the beer. I really like sour beers, but most of the sour...

Hi Em, It looks like your beer will have about 62 IBU, which is pretty high for a bitter. Who knows, you may like that, but it may be out of balance, and will be out of style for a bitter. If your gravity is really 1.038, you have 190 points in 5 gallons. To reach 1.050, you would need to add...

I hate to open this can of worms, but what kind of water are you using? Water quality can dramatically impact flavor, and high pH water can lead to hop harshness. Have you tried bottled or RO water?

There are some interesting threads on the topic of caramelization and maillard reactions that occur during the boil. A good non-scientific discussion is presented by Bill pierce in BYO, September 2007: http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/117-Departments/251-boiling-advanced-brewing...

Hi Rippin- Is it possible you didn't thoroughly mix the wort with the top up water? The gravity of 2.5 gallons of wort should have been somewhere around 1.10. The top up water needs to be stirred/shaken very well to blend completely. I can't believe temperature correction for your hydrometer...