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I'm still fairly new to homebrewing- I've done maybe half a dozen batches. My latest batch is my first go at a porter. The OG was 1.054, so I expected (figuring 75% attenuation) the FG to be about 1.014. After 1 week in the primary, SG was 1.026, and after two it's 1.022. This is the first batch...

I'm still fairly new to homebrewing- I've done maybe half a dozen batches. My latest batch is my first go at a porter. The OG was 1.054, so I expected (figuring 75% attenuation) the FG to be about 1.014. After 1 week in the primary, SG was 1.026, and after two it's 1.022. This is the first batch...

Alright... I'll try that, perhaps with less clove... or maybe even without. Too much of a clove flavor might ruin it for me.

I just brewed my first pumpkin ale last week, using a recipe I pulled together from different recipes on this site and the advice of my local homebrew shopkeeper. Got some Crystal & Victory malt in there, some wheat flakes, Goldings hops and, of course, pumpkin (60 oz). It sure tasted like...

Well, I just popped a warm one open while wearing oven mits and my paintball mask. My girlfriend was laughing at me. It gushed a bit, but it tastes alright, so I'm thinking that it's not infected (an infection would pretty well ruin the taste, right?). Which leaves the suggestion that the...

I bottled my 3rd batch a few weeks ago, a dry-hopped pale ale. I just now checked on it and found the bottom of the box they're in a bit damp. After further inspection, I found that the bottom blew out of one of the bottles. OG was 1.044, FG 1.012 after 11 days in the primary. Left it in...

After 3 weeks in the primary and 3 in the bottles, I put a 22oz and a 12oz bottle of my second batch ever- an extract-recipe Wit- in the fridge. Cracked em open a couple days later, and was happy as could be with the results. Wonderful taste, rich head, clean finish, etc etc etc. Threw...

My solution was to build a box out of styrofoam insulation (available at home depot). A little caulk along the edges, and I have a box big enough to hold four cases of beer that fits in my closet. My apartment is hitting the 85 and even 90 degree mark this summer, but I can keep the inside of...

Well alright. It's been refrigerated ever since I got it home, and it's only kinda swollen, so I'm guessing it should be fine. I guess a good follow up question would be, can someone give me a quick how-to for making a starter? I haven't tried that yet.

Getting started on my third batch on Thursday. I bought all the ingredients for what I hope will be a decent pale ale on Friday after work, including a "smack pack" of Wyeast 1056. However, I'm afraid that I may have broken the little nutrient packet inside on the bike ride home. The pack...

My apartment averages over 80 degrees in this summer heat as well. I actually built a box out of styrofoam big enough to hold about 4 cases, stuck a frozen water bottle in there, and change it out once a day. That keeps the bottles at roughly 70 - 75 degrees. Cools em down just enough, I think...

Found this thread here that asks basically the same question I had, only I'm making a Wit instead of a Hefe. Does the same advice above still apply? I unfortunately didn't use a carboy with a blow off (bucket w/ airlock instead), and mine's got quite a bit of krausen going on, too. Am I going...

Thanks for clearing that up, s3n8. This is only my second batch, and I wasn't entirely sure why two stages were used, other than to get the beer off of the spent yeast (which I guess can affect the flavor?). I've received random advice from various people against one stage fermenting in general...

SG is 1.024, still a bit high right? Too high to move to the secondary? So wait, is the fermentation supposed to finish in the primary? What does it do while in the secondary?

Hey, this is a straight up newbie question, but... I've had my second batch (a Wit) in the primary for a week. I've kept it at about 75 degrees, as low as I could keep it in an ice bath. I was all set to rack it into my carboy today, but when I opened it, the krausen hasn't fallen yet. Do...

Alright, thanks for the tips folks. I've put my primary containing my fresh batch of Wit into a trash can half-full of cold water, with some frozen water bottles floating around in it to keep it cold. This will have to do until I have the time/money to build something more elaborate. Hopefully...

So OK, I'll go grab a keg bucket or something and rig up a water-bath for cooling. How about bottles? Any good way to keep them cool? I'm guessing having them float around in the keg bucket might not be the best plan.

Ah, that's good. I'm planning on trying a Saison for my next batch, so that works out well. I'm starting a Belgian-style Wit today, so hopefully the weather doesn't warm up too much while I've got that one going.

Here in Philly the temperature is of course picking up with summer rolling in- it's heading up into the 80's now. This of course raises the temp in my apartment- the temp in my bedroom (I'm keeping my fermenter and bottled beer in my bedroom closet, due to the lack of space that comes with...

OK thanks folks. I've still got some of my first batch sitting in the closet, so I'll let that sit a bit longer and pay attention to the difference between that and the stuff I popped open prematurely. I'll plan letting my next batch sit in the bottles at least three weeks, both 12s and 22s.