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OK, so I brewed an ESB a few weeks ago and it has been in the bottle for about 2.5 weeks. I put one in the fridge yesterday and tried it after it was cold. It was pretty good. Not my favorite, but then that's not my favorite style - I mostly did it because my wife and best friend really like...

So last Saturday I brewed an old ale. The OG was about 1.090 or so. I pitched a packet of US05 and aerated the hell out of it. I was expecting a lively fermentation and even contemplated using a blowoff tube instead of an airlock, but decided to just watch it closely and see what happened...

So I have batch No. 5 in the bucket right now. I brewed it on Saturday and I haven't seen a single bubble in the airlock. The OG was fairly high at 1.090 and I was even contemplating a blowout tube. I know it's been doing something, because my fermenting closet smells like it's working. And I...

So yesterday I did my first brew that wasn't from a kit. I used a recipe I found on here. But, the LHBS sold some of the steeping grains by the pound only - not the ounce. So, now I have these leftover: 3/4 pound aromatic 1/2 pound wheat 1/2 pound caramel 60 Anyone have suggests as to...

So after I bottled my first brew - and extra hoppy IPA - I couldn't wait to taste it. It tasted good at bottling (just flat) but I knew after reading on here that it wouldn't be that good after a week. I was wrong. It was perfectly carbed and ready to drink after a week. So, I had a couple, but...

So, I've been reading other threads about full boil vs. partial boil and it's got me wondering... is hops utilization the only thing different between the two? I've been doing three-gallon boils and then using top-off water. I think the results have been good so far. I already have a...

I'm going to be brewing batch No. 4 this weekend. This is going to be my first "adventurous" brew - meaning not straight from a kit. I'm going to be doing a bourbon barrel old ale. I plan on letting this age a long time - like at least six months - but here's my dilemma: There's a...

So, I've drank half a 6er of Bell's Winter White Ale (pretty sure it's just a hefe, but it's a tasty one nonetheless) and I've noticed in the three I've had so far a nice little layer of yeast in the bottom. I haven't noticed this in most of the commercial brews I drink, but it's got me...

I have to admit, this kit is very intriguing to me. My wife loves the Lindeman's Kriek lambic and I think it's okay, so I want to brew this kit. BUT...I've been reading about it on the forum and it seems like every time someone asks about it, someone chimes in and basically contradicts what...

I'm getting ready to bottle my first solo batch this weekend. I soaked a bunch of saved commercial bottles in PBW last night to remove the labels. I have a bottle washer for my sink that I used to rinse out bottles after I pour them to keep them clean. A few of the bottles I had saved before...

I'm getting ready to brew batch No. 4 in a few days. So far, I've not done any "big" beers, but pretty soon I want to do one - probably a barleywine, but maybe a high abv IPA. I've been doing some research and trying to make a plan. I want to make sure whatever yeast I use can handle all the...

Woke up at 6 a.m. today feeling like a kid on Christmas morning because it was time to dry hop my ESB and I was gonna open the bucket for the first time since brewing. Loved the smell when I first opened the bucket and taking the sample to check gravity - it's down from 1.062 to 1.018, btw...

I've been reading up on barleywines and I think I'd like to try one at some point in the next month or two, but I have yeast questions. I get that since they are so high in alcohol, you need to pitch a lot of yeast at the beginning of fermentation. A couple of things I have read suggest using...

I brewed an ESB on Saturday afternoon and fermentation had started by Sunday morning. By Sunday night, it was really working, same for Monday morning. By Monday night it had slowed down a lot and now, it has nearly stopped all together. I just saw two bubbles in about 2-plus minutes of watching...

Once you mix up a batch of Star San, is it okay to keep it in a spray bottle for long periods of time? I'm thinking ahead to when I want to take a sample of my beer in a couple weeks. I won't want to make up a whole gallon or two of Star San just to sanitize my beer thief. Will a few liberal...

OK, I know I probably didn't hurt anything with my brew, but I want to hear that from some folks so I won't worry about it. Just finished my second brew. Pitched my yeast, put the lid on the bucket and popped in the airlock... and the rubber gasket popped out and went into the wort. (It was...

For the first time, I was just told in a very annoyed voice, "All this stuff in the kitchen is in my way!" by SWMBO. I feel like I have arrived.:rockin:

So I'm doing my first solo brew tomorrow. I know vodka works best in the airlock, and I have some... but, it's good expensive vodka. On the other hand, I have a big bottle of cheap gin that has just been sitting in my cabinet forever because no one ever wants to drink it. Is gin okay to...

I am going to be doing my second brew tomorrow. This will be my first solo brew though as my first batch was done with my brother. First batch was an extra-hoppy IPA. It was easy, but mistakes were made. I'm going to put that knowledge to good use when bottling brew No. 2 - an ESB. I haven't...

So, my brother and I have talked about brewing our own beer for well over a year (maybe 2) and we finally started about 2.5 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure we funked our first batch (you can read about it here), but I am far from discouraged. I've already placed my order for my second batch. So has...