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I tried to use tea ball infusers for my hops trying to clean the brew pot up a bit. I used 3 small infusers for 1 oz. of pellet hops (each infuser was 1/2 full to start) and to my surprise, they swelled up some much I don't think I got any benefit from the bittering hops at all. I'm really...

I have an old 1/2 barrel keg that I would like to convert to a boil keg with a drain valve on the bottom. Is it worth the effort, time and cost to get a false bottom if all I do are extract kits? I know all the slug is on the bottom on my current 3-1/2 gallon pot, so is the bottom drain even a...

Does this look like an infection? It's a coffee porter in the secondary fermenter for 3 days. I know it's a bad picture, but can anyone tell?

I found an ale from a local brewery that I absolutely love. How do I go about creating this myself? It's a Brown Ale made by Pearl Street Brewing in Lacrosse Wi. Described as: An all-malt American Brown Ale with just enough hop presence to keep it from being too sweet. The aroma comes...

I finally used washed yeast for the first time and was excited about this. Now I'm worried that the batch could be ruined. After cooling the wort with my chiller, I poured the wort into the primary to get an OG reading and then pitch the yeast. I was looking for my turkey baster so I could...

I am looking into getting a propane burner to boil in my garage instead of inside on the stove. How many btu's should the burner be and any ideas of the best (least expensive) place to get them. I have the pots, so I am just in need of the burner, hose and regulator. I am doing 5-6 gallon...

I found all of the steps I need for cold crashing etc. Except: After bottling, I need to bring the bottles back to room temperature for conditioning, correct? I assume they won't carb if left cold and not warmed back up. :o

I can't believe that shipping this stuff really costs $8.00- $14.00. My LHBS doesn't carry it, they carry one-step. I want to try starsan but am too tight to pay that much for shipping. :D Anyone know where the good deals are? :o

I washed my yeast from an American Cream Ale that I used Yeast No. 1056 (American Ale). Can I use this yeast for an IPA? Is there a document somewhere that tells me which yeast can or can not be used for certain types of beers? Thanks

OK, I've read the first 15 pages on the washing yeast sticky. I haven't really fround my answer yet. Hopefully I can explain what I think is correct along with one more question. From what I understand, after mixing sterile (boiled and cooled) water to the bottom of the primary, mix it up and...

I've read some threads where people use priming sugar to carb when using a keg. For some reason I was under the impression that you only used CO2 for carbing the keg, which also pushes the beer out. If priming sugar can be and is used, what are the pros and cons of doing this? I'm sure...

Currently when I add hops from my kits, I add it directly into the wort. I have heard that some of you use nylon bags for this. I assume this will make the wort a bit cleaner. When using a bag, can I add the second addition of hops to the first in the same bag? (mixing them) The reason I'm...

I just brewed and extract kit yesterday and the OG range was supossed to be 1.049-1.054. I got 1.040. This is an American Cream Ale. What causes a low OG and how could it have been corrected? What will the results be with either a high or low OG? Thanks

I was going to brew an American Cream Ale yesterday. I took out my Wyeast activator pack and popped the bag inside. I came back a couple of hours later and started brewing. When I got to the point to use the wyeast, I sanitized the package and my sissors and cut the bag and poured in the...

I am in the process of making my first wort chiller. My question is: How hot is the out putted water? The vinyl tubing I looked at was rated for 175 degrees F. Is the water cooler than that? What type of hose do you recommend?

I don't remember what the guy told me, but it was something like this: For each month you are past your best used by date (?) on the package, you should activate it for one day. So If it is now January and the pack says Nov. (3 months old) I should mix (smack) them 3 days before I start brewing...

I searched for this and decided to start a thread to make it an easier search. I have compiled some beer and beer companies that use pop top bottles for those of us that like to buy beer and then use the bottles. I myself can not tell if the bottle is a twist off or screw off with the cap on...

Here's a thanks for everyone here. Too many other forums (not this one) have members that get so upset for repeat questions. They basically chew a person out for not searching for what they are looking for. I am a big fan of searching: ALWAYS SEARCH YOUR QUESTION FIRST!!!! But sometimes...

What kind of beer (kit) do I need to look for if I want to make a Guiness type beer. I would actually like one with a little less bitterness than Guiness. Any suggestions?

I just bought 50' of 3/8" copper coil off of e-bay. What would you guys do? Make two 25' chillers or one 50' chiller. I just started brewing and only make 5 gallon batches (~2.5 gallons of wort). If I decided to go with the 50' for larger (future) brews, will it be too cumbersome for the...