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Hi all. I'm not exactly a newb at brewing(wines, ciders, Mead, and beer under my belt), but I haven't exactly done much lately. See, last spring, I suffered from a brain aneurysm(that caused a stroke). Kinda put me out of commission for a while. Now that I am fully recovered(going back to my...

Why would I have to measure the full amount of liquid rather than a sample. I don't grasp the logic there. Also, ml is a much more sensible unit than oz. My sample size couldn't possibly be off by an ounce if my sample size is less than an oz and measured in ml ( roughly 29.6 ml to a fluid oz)

Not being snotty about it, but how is getting an exact volume measurement in a graduated cylinder any more difficult than getting an exact reading on a hydrometer? To my knowledge, the same issues apply to both, with the added issue of the fact that a hydrometer can move up and down in the...

Just wondering if anyone measures their sg with a scale rather than a hydrometer. I remember doing this back in school, and a little digging got me the formula. I don't own a hydrometer, but I do own a few nice acurrate scales(digital reloading scales, but they do measure in grams as well as...

Been making some sodas this year, which turned out quite nice. I got to wondering if spicebush could be used to make a decent soda. Our swamp is pretty thick with the stuff, and I know it makes some pretty decent teas(leaves,berries, and twigs all giving slightly different flavors). I have seen...

I actually prefer my cider dry and sharp. My introduction to hard cider was an English dry that I unfortunately can't find around here. This stuff I made was just nasty.

I'm familiar with that concept. I probably over-sanitize my equipment(boiling water, bleach,etc) and the only dumper I ever had to date was my one attempt at hard cider. And I think that was because I used unpasteurized cider( granted, most of the advice I got from some people I know who make...

Day one of fermentation, and I have to say, wow. This has to be the most vigorous fermentation I've ever seen. The airlock is blubbing like crazy, and it nearly overflowed. The closest thing to this I've seen was the blueberry wine I made this summer, and that still wasnt quite this vigorous. I...

Well, I picked up some Munich. One of the Munich SMaSH recipes I found called for Cascade hops, so I went with that. Mashed and boiled it all tonight, now I'm just waiting for it to cool down. The wort smells and tastes good. I can't wait to taste it when it is finished. It came out a nice, deep...

I've been making wine(based on my grandpa's old recipes) and Mead in one gallon batches for years now, and my first beer(starting it this weekend) is going to be a one gallon batch. I even have an experimental hard ginger beer going in a 1/2 gallon batch(a local Mennonite store has flavored...

Has anyone used a crock pot to heat their mash? I have an older unit that holds a steady 150°F on the low setting( checked it again last night, just to be sure. 7 hours straight through, and temps didn't change more than a degree in either direction). Holds a touch over a gallon, which should be...

Thanks. I'll have to take a crack at those when I get a little more experience under my belt.

Thanks for the pointers. Sorry about the late reply, my tablet wasn't letting me reply to anything for some reason. My favorite beer is Guinness Extra Stout, though I don't expect to make anything close to that. I just am looking to get a passable dark(ish) ale with as simple a recipe as possible.

Hi all. I'm gearing up to take my first crack at a batch of beer( I have had a lot of success with wines and meads). I have settled on a modified BIAB method and am leaning towards SMaSH recipes due to their simplicity( I like simple. Less opportunity for Mr. Murphy to rear his ugly 'ed). Thing...