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I've got a pretty good system for bottling and general liquid transfer at this point. There's a shower in the spare bathroom in my basement, part of what used to be an inlaw suite and is now just my game room. I have a two tier stainless rack in the shower that I rotate carboys on and off of...

Ah, I see. I'm kinda well past that at 14 months I think. =/ I was hoping to be able to siphon off a bottle and give to a friend who is moving away this Friday, but it doesn't sound like that's a very good idea. I mean, it's totally drinkable now, I just need to let them know it needs a...

I took a reading originally, but that was before a rather messy rebuild in my garage and I'm not likely to find the notebook it was recorded in. Should have written it on the carboy, but sadly that's a lesson I learned after this batch was set down. I'm kindof a mead newb, so I'm not sure...

Hi folks, So I just tasted my second batch of mead, which I cooked up in February of 2011. It's been sitting quietly in the cellar all this time, and it's absolutely crystal clear. I grabbed a quick taste with a wine thief, and it's got a little heat on the back end and a very definite honey...

Successful brew day on Saturday! Nailed the temps at both steps without a problem. Efficiency was a teensy bit lower than I anticipated, but still well within range of a good brew on my equipment. All in all, two step mashing wasn't nearly as hard as I expected.

Out of curiosity, what's so miserable about it? Now that I've wrapped my mind around the information Beer Smith is telling me, it seems fairly straightforward. Just one more infusion step. I've done big grain bills in this cooler before without any issues, just never anything with a multi-step...

.5 per pound seemed low to me too, but that was the default value in Beer Smith. I'm mashing in a 10 gallon rubbermaid cooler with a steel braid. It's telling me to sparge with another 3 gallons of water, so I assume that's where it expects me to make up the difference. I'm debating the need...

Jiggering the options, I managed to get the following for 18.13 lbs of grain: Protein rest - 9 qts. water at 140.3 degrees Target temp = 122 degrees for 30 minutes Saccrification - 8.04 qts. water at 190.3 degrees for 60 minutes Target temp = 149 degrees for 60 minutes Mash Out - 5.98...

While we're on the topic of water volumes, can anyone explain how to calculate water volumes for a two step infusion mash? I'm brewing tomorrow, and this will be the first time I've attempted a protein rest. Beer Smith has some default values, but when I input my grain bill I get errors for the...

Cambriel here, and Cambriel there. My five posts are made!

I definitely think step 1 is going to be sourcing the material to build a proper brew stand. Turns out a buddy of mine can weld (who knew?), so if I can find the materials cheap that will be the way to go. After that, I can worry about the rest.

Long term, I'm leaning towards a RIMS setup. However, I'll freely admit that's because I feel like I actually understand how that one works, unlike a HERMS which I haven't yet wrapped my head around.

Some of those are questions I can't really answer for myself. Yeah, I want to maintain a functional brewery as I go. Given that I'm on a propane burner and a cooler mash tun at the moment, that shouldn't be overly difficult. I *would* like to build up in steps of equipment that I could put into...

I don't see a sticky on this, so hopefully it's not a useless post. I've been homebrewing for a little while now (about a year) and really enjoying it. I jumped headlong into all-grains after just a few batches, and now i'm looking to improve my equipment a bit. I've still got a very...

Morning all, Over the weekend my co2 cylinder died, and it appears to be from a leak on the air line. I've got a modified D tap with 1/4" flared fitting, and a 1/4" female screw cap on the air line itself. It *appears* to be leaking around this screw cap. I've got a worm clamp about as tight...

Sadly, yes! His exact words were "this has a really strong flavor, but it's pretty damn good". Strong flavor, for a blonde ale. I just shook my head and laughed.

So my first all grain beer was ready for drinking this weekend. Oh. My. God. Biermuncher's blonde recipe really is the ****. We hopped it up just slightly, but it came out like liquid gold. I bottled up a six pack and took it over to my dad's, and even he loved it (and he's a dyed in the...

Tinfoil on top with some holes poked in it helps a lot to brunt the impact of the water. Or for the fancier method, sit/hold a strainer over the grain bed and pour the water through that.

Hm, yeah next time I'll have to do a better job. I suspect this batch is going to be a fairly opaque blonde ale :/ But hey, it was my first AG. Mistakes are how we learn, right?

So quick silly question, because I might have done this wrong last weekend. When someone says the runnings should be "clear", does that mean literally crystal clear like water? I did my first all grain batch last saturday and was only looking for "free of debris". The wort I used ended up being...