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I was thinking of getting a cheap aquarium/fountain pump to recirculate ice water for my immersion chiller, since my tap water temps will be going up with the warmer weather (and to save water). How many ft of lift would I need to be able to drive water at a decent flow through 25ft of 3/8...

I've been cold crashing most of my beers and that's been helping with the clarity, but even my lager that's been near freezing for 6 weeks still isn't quite as brilliantly clear as I would like it. I was going to try some finings (polyclar, gelatin, super kleen) just for grins and see what...

My Bayou Classic SQ14 burner seems to struggle quite a bit in the wind. I was thinking of using a section of circular heating duct to build a quick and dirty heat wind shield. The problem is, the stuff is made out of galvanized steel. Are there any potential issues (toxic fumes?) from using this...

How long are hops pellets good after the oxygen free bags are opened? I'm storing in the freezer, with the original bag rolled as tightly as possible inside a ziplock that's rolled as tightly as possible. I probably use up the open bags within a month or two. Would opened hops be better for...

What have you guys' rhizomes look like? The ones I got (Midwest pre-order) were pretty puny and most of mine had just one or two "sprouts," they were about two inches long on some and barely coming off the rhizome on others. Will other shoots/bines develop off the rhizomes once they're in the...

I was interested in trying some de-husked carafa II as a substitute for roasted barley in my next stout. Does any know if the barley is malted before roasting for this grain? Midwest Supplies lists carafa II as similar to roasted barley but I don't know if they just mean Lovibond rating. By...

I'm planning on building a stir plate and while I am ordering a stir bar, I was wondering if I should get an erlenmeyer flask too, or if the one-gallon glass jug I've been using would work. The bottom of the jug is slightly concave, but otherwise smooth. Thanks

Anyone know if one of these types of mini-fridge with tower on top style kegerators will comfortably hold 2 cornies (with tank and plumbing etc)? It'll hold a 1/2 barrel, so I'd think it'd be no problem. I found a decent used one and want to make sure I can fit what I need in there. Thanks...

I tasted a Kolsch I made a little over a month ago and it was pretty good. It had the nice delicate fruity flavor and aroma, but one thing I didn't like was there was a bread flavor that was too dominant for the style. It's not an off flavor really, as it would probably be desirable in other...

So, I just listened to the Charlie Talley interview where he discusses how PBW solution is reusable. What materials will hold this stuff without getting corroded etc? Glass? Plastic?

I made an Oatmeal Stout that came out great except there was too much of that dry stout tartness. Granted this is still a very young beer so it might mellow as it ages but for the sake of discussion, what are some techniques to decrease the tartness? Replace some of the Roasted Barley with Black...

I'm sure this has been asked before but search is only coming up with aeration of the starter. The question is do I still need to aerate the wort (as much?) when pitching a starter? From what I understand the the oxygen is for the yeast to use to multiply, but if I'm using a starter, there...

I'm hoping some people with making Kolsch at lower fermentation temps can chime in here. I'm making a Kolsch right now from Wyeast Kolsch yeast. According to the wyeast lab website, this strain ferments well at cold to produce clean, lager like beers. I started up at room temp (70F) for...

I'm going to be using carb tabs to bottle a few of my latest batch (the rest is going to be kegged). Do I have to sanitize the tablets somehow before adding to the bottle? I'm only going to be using a fraction of the bag, what's the best way to store the carb tabs for later? Ziplock?

So I tried to get fancy on my first all grain attempt and tried to do a two step mash. The recipe was for a Kolsch, so my plan was to do 140F for 40min and 158 for 20 mins to get a drier final beer. I was making the temp transition by infusing boiling water. The initial infusion went well, I was...

Anyone use Absopure Natural Spring Water for AG? I'm planning on using this on my first batch this weekend. (They come in 3 gal plastic jugs that look like better bottles, which I'll be using as carboys for smaller batches since I can't boil more than 5 gals yet). I can't find a water report on...

I had my first try at kegging today and filled past the gas port and got beer flowing back into the regulator. Apparently, I don't have a check valve in my system. Am I screwed? I took the gas line off as quickly as possible and let a few bursts of CO2 out to clear the regulator right away...

Okay, I tried to figure this one out, what is the extra opening in the bottle that star san comes in for? Is it a relief valve? There's measurement units on the little bubble it drains from which implies it's for measuring the right amount to use, but I can't figure out how you're supposed to...

I started this batch on Wednesday night (my first one), the fermentation started very quickly and was vigorous through last night. It's an Irish Red Ale from a Brewer's Best kit. Last night, right before bed, I checked on the brew and the airlock was still bubbling away, a little slower than...

Hi, Just dove into this brewing thing for the first time last night. Got a batch of Irish Red Ale (kit from Midwest Supply w/ specialty grains) going in the fermentor right now. Already the temptation to drink some of it is great, I'll be lucky if I can restrain myself from cracking open the...