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This is my first year growing hops and i've planted my rhizomes about 3 weeks back and now the shoots are emerging. The cascade is kicking but in the So Cal weather and has grown 3-4 shoots. (Funny too because its out performing the Willamette despite the smaller rhizome. I thought it was going...

If you visit this forum then i'm sure you're aware that hops are a natural preservative in beer. But what specifically is in those hops that that make it a preservative? Does it have to do with the alpha acidity? Moreover, would hops that have a higher AA, such as simcoe, have a greater ability...

I read about making a hop tea and adding the tea right before bottling to give your beer an extra boost in hop aroma. Can't wait to try it but i was wondering if anyone has had any experience making the tea beforehand and refrigerating it for later use. Will it keep well ? or is it like fresh...

I want to get into kegging my home brew and was wondering how long does the beer last after you have pressurized and started drawing on it? (assuming it doesn't all get drank) haha :mug:

Quick question. I bought a tube of White Labs Sweet Mead Yeast and i'm only fermenting 1 gallon. The tube is for 5. is it possible just to shake it up, then only use half and save the other half? Or does it need to be used all at once after its been opened?

I haven't used hop oil before in my brews but was thinking to use it. I was wondering, if you used hop oil/extract. Would you need to add hops during the boil or would the extract take care of it?

I need some help picking out a yeast for an American brown (will be dry hopped too) i'm gonna be brewing. Problem is that i live in Southern California and the temps are rather warm right now. In the mid to upper 80's. I'm looking for a yeast that will do well in warmer temps but give too much...

I read some where that you shouldn't re-use beer from high gravity beers. I'm making a dark belgian and want to re-use the yeast. Can anyone comment?

I've made two wines so far and they've both tasted very tart. Almost to the point its a bit harsh. My first was a raspberry wine made of juice concentrate. I added Montrachet yeast and let it sit for two weeks. Great smell and flavor but its a little too tart for me. My second wine was a...

Looks like A-B has got a trick ups its sleeve. If they purchase the rest of Modelo then InBev may not be able to afford them anymore. Does anyone have 10 or 11 Billion i could borrow? I'd like to buy Modelo. http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN1233974920080612

It was an impulse buy at the grocery store. I hate to say it but its similar to an American macro. Has a citrusy hop to it. Refreshing but nothing that makes it stand out. A little bit dissapointed, I usually like Sierra's seasonals...

Its weird. I've got this film inside my last two brews. I bottled it and after a week there is a film at the top. After a two months of aging, it goes away. Beer still smells and tastes good. Any one have an idea of whats going on?

This may sound dumb but i need to ask it. Could you make a yeast starter with sugar, sterile water and yeast nutrient? Since sugar ferments completely and does little to affect the taste, I was thinking this was a quick and dirty way of making a starter.

I've got a chocolate porter fermenting away. Besides chocolate roasted grains i also wanted to add cocoa powder for an extra chocolate kick. I was trying to keep things easy by skipping the secondary but i was wondering if its okay to add the cocoa powder to the primary after fermentation OR...

My local hardware store is out of 20 ft copper tubing and only has 10 and 50 ft. 50 ft is too expensive and too much for my 5 gallon batches. Do you think 10 ft will make do? I figure i just use more water and a bit more time.

My neighbor threw out an old 48 qt cooler that has a spigot. I snatched it up and want to make a mash tun out of it. I usually only do 5 gallon batches because thats all that my stove can support. Should i worry about grain depth if i only use about 10lb of grain in a 48qt rectangular cooler...

From my understanding, some meads end up being very sweet because the yeast convert all the sugar they can and then they "poop out". I know yeast selection makes a big difference, so lets assume we used a montrachet or champagne yeast. Does that mean the yeast have eaten all the fermentable...

Back to the boiling question... =) I wanted to add some citrus rinds in my first mead. If i rinse the rinds throughly, is that sufficient to avoid bacteria infection? I've been told to boil the rinds, but then i think that it will alter the flavor. What is everyone's thoughts?

I've read different mead recipes and some instruct you to boil the honey. Is this necessary? Isn't most store bought honey bacteria free? Or is it a pre-caution taken just in case?