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The wife said that she wanted to do something with the package of chocolate chips in the freezer. I suggested cookies. My favorite has always been oatmeal cookies. However, we found out awhile back that we prefer steel cut oats to flaked oatmeal, so no flaked oatmeal in the house. I suggested...

I’m brewing my first lager, a Mexican cervesa using the Baja Mexican lager yeast, (two packs as recommended). I have never done a lager, mostly due to the fact that I don’t have a dedicated fermentation chamber and I live in the South. However, I had a freezer cleaned out to add a collar and...

I brew outside, just inside the roll up door on my shop. I tried a couple extract kits inside this winter and hated it. Thus, I’m outside with the pine pollen flying, dipping maple helicopters out of my kettle with a big smile on my face! Cheers! 🍻

The wife and I went to town for cabbage. It was being offered at 29¢/lb, so we talked them into selling us a whole 45# box! She was planning to make homemade pretzel buns to go with the recently cooked bbq, and we wanted some slaw with that. The bulk of it was headed for my 5 gallon crock for...

I’ve been slipping by with an old digital scale. It’s been ok for measuring out grains to nearest pound or ounce. Even getting the nearest ounce is sometimes a little iffy. Anyone have a recommendation for a good scale with a reasonable price? I’m wanting to be able to make accurate...

A recent news feed had a link to the favorite holiday drinks for each state. The drink for my state was listed as a “ Cranberry Mimosa”. I have lived here 35 years and never had one, nor even heard of it. Of course, I am just another redneck; not someone accustomed to the sophisticated...

Now that I am retired, if I find myself in the middle of the afternoon with nothing particularly pressing to do, and in need of something to wet my whistle, I might opt for pouring a pint. This is a new thing; nothing I would have done when I was employed, (nor even had the chance to consider)...

Think you can hold your liquor? Don’t invite this guy to the party! https://www.newscientist.com/article/2452557-hornets-can-hold-their-alcohol-like-no-other-animal-on-earth/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Since I learned here about the damage done by exposing my beer to oxygen, I have been working to limit oxygen exposure. First, I implemented gravity closed transfers of my beer from fermenter to keg. I was amazed at how much difference that made in preserving the roasted barley flavor in my...

I’ve been dispensing my stout with just CO2. But, after picking up a couple extra tanks, I decided to give beer gas a try. I got a 75/25 mix last week and hooked it up to my keg, and set the regulator to 8 psi. I was dispensing with a picnic tap on 5.5’ of eva barrier line put together with...

I’ve been kegging my wine for a couple years now. My only option has been dispensing it with CO2. My procedure has been to use the inline valve to just put a short burst of CO2; just enough to push the wine out a party tap into a bottle. Whether I fill one, or multiple bottles, I try to work it...

I have just transferred my Irish Dry Stout to my serving keg via closed transfer. My beer cooler is kinda full, but I could accommodate another keg in a pinch. My original intention was to naturally carbonate with an addition of corn sugar, and allow it to carbonate naturally. I have already...

I have been wondering about strikewater volume. I have brewed off/on for 30+ years, but more seriously and regularly in the past half dozen when I switched to all-grain. I have followed a guide I found somewhere that suggests using 1.5 quarts water/ lb grain for mashing. Typically, I need a...

I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile. Lifting full kegs up and over the side of my keezer has been a strain for a vertically challenged lightweight me. I strained my back (again) a couple weeks ago getting my fermenter into position for a gravity feed closed transfer. Gonna try to avoid doing...

I had completed my 3rd run with a Kegland Temp Twister kit I installed on my stainless fermenter. I had no other real way to control fermentation temperature, and that meant I needed to do most of my brewing in the fall and spring, but summer brewing in the South was out! (Just when you really...

I just started my third consecutive use of a SafAle S-04 in my fermenter. First use was a dry pitch. The second was a closed transfer followed by new wort. The third (yesterday), was new wort after keeping the the fermenter refrigerated after the transfer the day before. The first start up was...

I have been improving my methods by working on closed transfers. I had to take it in steps as I setup my equipment to accommodate the process. I have also started using fermentation gas to purge my receiving kegs. A couple questions: 1) Is the fermentation gas purge adequate to remove the O2 to...

I have a portless Chapman stainless steel fermenter that I purchased a number of years ago. At the time, I didn’t see the need for a valve that would require more effort to sanitize and would add additional costs to the purchase. Now that I am doing closed transfers, I am wanting to add a valve...

I’ve thought about posing this question for awhile First, I am curious as to what others would say. Second, it might open my eyes to something that I had not considered. Finally, I may find something here that I can do to improve my method. Here goes: If there’s one thing that you could...

I have been noticing astringency in my beer, primarily my Irish dry stout. After doing a little reading on this forum, I decided a water test would be good. Here are my results. What should I do?