Search results

I started a lambic in March 2014. As the primary fermentation winded down after about four days, I racked to a secondary and added Wyeast's Belgian lambic blend. It's been sitting in the same carboy since, forming a nice pellicle at a stable 65 degrees. On Saturday, I racked it onto some...

I just looked into an Ale Pail that's been sitting in the basement for a few weeks and saw some spots of black mold on the bottom. I guess it was still wet when I put it away, and I had it covered. I wiped it out and filled it with sanitizer, but now I'm wondering if using it is just asking for...

Anyone ever tried Brewer's Best Cider House Select cider? I was planning to start another batch of EdWort's apfelwein when I saw my LHBS just started carrying it. I grabbed a pack of the spiced apple cider hoping it might have more of a cider flavor than the apfelwein, but I haven't had a chance...

I brewed a Scottish Wee Heavy in November. OG was 1.109, a little below the target of 1.120, and FG in January was 1.040 (target was 1.030). I bottled anyway, thinking it had to be done. But now after five months in the bottle, there is zero carbonation. The bottles have been at a steady 65...

I'm planning to do a 5 gallon batch of saison this weekend. It's an all-grain recipe with 10 pounds of pilsner and 3/4 pound of briess caramel, and I'm planning to do brew-in-a-bag because I don't have the equipment for all-grain brewing. The problem is that I only have a 5 gallon brew kettle...

Is there any reason not to reuse sanitizer after it's been used on something with brett? Last week I brewed a lambic and pitched Wyeast 3278, which has brett, lactobacillus and pediococcus. I saved the sanitizer I used to clean up thinking there is no way those bugs should be able to live in...

I started up a lambic Saturday afternoon using 1 pound flaked wheat, 3 pounds wheat DME, 3 pounds light DME, 1 ounce saaz and WLP 550. I got the ingredients at the last minute and didn't have time to make a starter. Turns out, that isn't going to be a problem. Krausen was forming by Sunday...

I just filled up my first keg this weekend and it seems to hold pressure. I sealed it up at 30 psi and have since reduced to about 12 psi, and don't see any bubbles when I spray it down with Star San. But last night I opened the refrigerator and heard a slight crackling/gurgling sound. After...

I brewed a Scottish wee heavy on Nov. 16. Target OG was 1.120 and I measured SG as 1.109. It's an extract brew, so that might be due to mixing. I racked to secondary on Dec. 13 and went to bottle it today, seven weeks after brewing. I'm concerned because the target FG was 1.030, but I measured...

A while back, I bought a 32 ounce bottle of Star San to save some cash by buying in bulk. I'm guessing it's been about six months, and now I'm getting down to the last few ounces. But tonight while I was bottling, I noticed a dark spot on the shelf under where I store the bottle. The bottom of...

I've got about 20 brews under my belt so far, and this past weekend I decided to do something big — a Scottish wee heavy with an OG of 1.109. The biggest beer I did before this was an RIS with an OG of about 1.068. It was a PITA getting all the DME dissolved in three gallons of water (topped...

I made a Rye saison beer with brett (recipe at bottom) that sat in the primary for about a month with Begian saison yeast and has been in secondary with brett for a little more than two months. The problem is that somehow the batch came up pretty short -- I'd guess it's closer to four gallons...

I've got a batch of Edwort's Apfelwein that's been fermenting for about four weeks and still needs a little time. I'm hoping to serve it at a Halloween party, so there's not going to be time to bottle-carb it. To give it some sweetness and carbonation, I'm thinking about mixing it with some...

This was my first all-grain brew, and it came out differently than the extract/partial mash recipes I've done before. I brewed Aug. 31 and when I opened the fermentor this morning, I saw a layer of particles floating on top (not positive if it's grain debris or something else). The vessel had a...

I brewed a Brewer's Best Red Ale kit last night and did a four-gallon boil for an hour. At the end of the boil, it appeared I had lost almost a gallon from evaporation, so when I racked to the fermenter I topped off with two gallons to reach five gallons. Only, now it appears from the lines on...

I'm planning on making a raspberry wheat using a 49 ounce can of puree. It's my first time using fruit in the secondary, and I was planning on putting the puree in, racking the beer on top then letting it sit for about two weeks. It never occurred to me to mess with it during that time, but I...

I brewed a Brewer's Best RIS late last night and accidentally overfilled by about a half gallon. Instead of messing with it, I just pitched Safale 04 and set it in the basement at 66 degrees to ferment in a 6.5 gallon bucket. This afternoon I found the airlock filled with wort and I quickly...

I'm a relatively new brewer with a few batches under my belt and have found the forums to be a huge help. I had a question about transferring to a secondary. I know a lot of people advocate skipping the secondary altogether, and I've done that on a couple of my brews with good results. But...