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I'm making a grapefruit pale ale for fun, it's a 8 gallon batch. I zested 4 grapefruits and added the zest at flame out, it gave it a subtle hint of flavor, but not enough. So I was contemplating peeling several grapefruits, around 6 or so, mashing up the flesh, and adding the mashed up flesh...

Neat idea, but usually soaking and a brush is enough. For plastic carboys I'll just shove a wet towel into the carboy and swirl it around. Works like a charm assuming the crud is softened enough from soaking.

I had one crack on me randomly during secondary. Luckily I was nearby and heard it crack. It leaked out slowly and I was able to transfer to another carboy and only lost 1/2 gallon. I had another who's bottom broke out a couple days into fermenting a IIPA. I was really pissed about that because...

My next attempt will be to whirlpool. I've tried it before with zero success but maybe the beer gods will be on my side this time.

Just an update... The paint strainer bag does filter some of the break material. However, it will clog quickly. Using the 5 gallon bag in a separate/intermediate bucket like tracyk suggested would probably work better, however I can see it taking a long time for the bag to completely drain of...

Hmm... That's a good idea! But this would only work if your fermenter is 100% airtight. Could you also use a CO2 tank with a regulator set to a very low pressure?

I wouldn't use anything bubbly like Starsan in the coffee maker. Vinegar works great, especially for off smells and tastes. I run a full pot of 50/50 water/vinegar through the coffee maker twice, then a pot of regular water. I try to do this every 6 months or so.

Thanks for not posting the recipe :(

The ammo loader is a fantastic idea. I think it would work better with cane sugar than corn sugar due to the larger grains, less "sticking" between the grains.

I cold crash the beer then add it once the beer is down to crashing temp, usually 0C. Then let it sit for 3-4 days.

I wouldn't worry about it for a second.

If the fermeneter is filled with CO2 from fermentation, what harm would there be in sucking in a relatively tiny amount of air during cold crashing? CO2 is heavier than "air" and thus should create a protective blanket against the incoming air. If you're worried about oxidation from cold...

I've used gelatin on my last 2 batches and honestly it didn't produce any clearer of a beer than cold crashing alone plus ample time in the fridge once bottled. I'll continue using it until I run out though.

You are correct, you would be diluting it, but don't forget you are extracting more sugar during the sparge (evident by the SG >1.000), thus improving efficiency. Efficiency is based solely on the amount of sugar you are able to remove from the grain. I BIAB too but have never sparged. I just...

The standard method is to boil sugar in water and add this mix to the bottling bucket with the beer. On my last 2 brews I used the Domino 2.5g sugar cubes with good success; 1 cube in a 12oz bottle, 2 in a 22oz bottle. Then bottle straight from the fermenter. This works well for standard...

Good info, thanks for the update. As a data point, I brewed a 5 gallon batch of an 8% IPA and added nearly 7lb of pineapple puree to the secondary. My results were similar, lots of lost beer (about 0.75 gallons) and virtually no pineapple flavor. If someone told you there was pineapple in it...

Two 2.5g sugar cubes in a 22oz bottle worked well. In fact, I was surprised it wasn't more carbonated. The drops are similar but you need 3-5 per 12oz bottle, which means one bag lasts 1-2 5 gallon batches. The Domino sugar cubes are far cheaper, albeit less convenient for "dialing in" the...

It works well for 12 oz bottles. I will try a 22 oz bottle tonight. I like the idea of stirring in priming sugar gently and letting it sit. If you cold crash you wouldn't have to worry too much about the yeast eating the sugar before bottling. You could even stir it in the night before and let...

I have been using a bag to hold the hops in the boil, I squeeze out the wort once done boiling so there is virtually no volume loss due to the boil hops.

I recently bought 4 lbs of hops of many varieties, but mostly the 4 C's (Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, and Chinook), Mosaic, and some 2 oz samples of other stuff. The majority of these aren't typically used for bittering. Most recipes I've seen use Magnum or Warrior for bittering, but I'm...