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It seems to me that the whole "Real Ale" debate is culturally centered. As homebrewers when we hear "ale" we think of a top fermented beer brewed at relatively warm temperatures. Remember though (and any Brits out there can correct me if I'm wrong) that the word "ale" is, in itself, British and...

I open the December issue of BYO that came in the mail today and who should I see in the homebrewer profile section? The Brewpastor himself, with a huge color spread of some very familiar homebrew equipment. So Rev, when can we expect the celebratory round? ;) Congratulations! :mug:

Secondary fermenters are only truly neccesary for lagers and high gravity beers, but are highly recommended no matter the style. My beers became a whole lot better when I started using a secondary fermenter. Usually I rack to secondary when the krausen (foam) has fallen. For smaller batches you...

Ok, I found some for sale... in Britain. Barring that I also found directions on how to make something similar in my copy of The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible (pg 80). If you find a copy you could try making one (my LHBS carries copys).

The 150 Clonebrews issue from BYO has a Labatt's recipe, don't know how it'd compare though.

I broke mine and replaced it just a couple days ago with one that's spring loaded and comes apart into 3-4 pieces (kinda like a ballpoint pen). Cost me only $2.30 and can't wait to try it out.

He (BYO's editor Chris Colby) was doing an article on partial mashing and didn't want to waste the wort he was producing. I agree that it's more work, but it piqued my interest, might try it next time. (Usually go DME, tried Malta Goya once, never again.)

Hammer Capper? Do you mean something like this?

Give it a few more days, if it still doesn't change you could always repitch. If you have a secondary fermenter you could rack to that, from the numerous posts I've read it seems that it rouses the yeasties for a lot of people.

Wait, you don't have an airlock on your bucket? How is the CO2 escaping? If you just slammed a lid on the bucket a week ago with no way for CO2 to escape it should have flown off by now. When you did your check, did the beer show any signs of carbonation? It might be that your yeast was bad.

I don't think a temperature difference would account for that kind of a jump, did you aerate/shake the carboy/bucket after adding top off water but before taking your first sample? The less dense water will rise to the top and give you an off reading, fermentation will mix it up and "homogenize"...

I haven't had fruit beers so I can't really comment, but Belgians and wheats are some of my favorites. Honestly, I like most beers, as long as it has a flavor to it. Some beers that I didn't like drinking alone were pretty good if drunk with a meal.

It's 70F right now and bubbling @ 2-3 bps. I mentioned towels as I don't have a blowoff hose and the krausen in about 2 inches from the neck. At this rate I may need to put an umbella over the carboy to protect the ceiling. :) And I worried about lag time... I wish I knew what my starting OG...

A bottling bucket is a plastic bucket with a spigot (plastic usually) at the bottom. It's cheap and makes the process simpler. Since you want to go cheap I recommend at least getting a bottling wand if you have a homebrew store nearby. They're only a couple bucks and make controlling the flow of...

The way it sounded, the guy did a small mash, boiled he wort w/hops, cooled and pitched to make a starter. Just a mini mash as opposed to using previously stored wort or DME. It'd take longer but wouldn't it be healthier for the yeast? (And cheaper) I don't can wort myself as I don't have a...

Using your 40% calculation you should boil 2oz corn sugar in 6-7 oz of water (or just call it an 8oz cup). Let it boil in a small pot with the lid on loosely for 5 minutes then close the lid and cut off the heat. The sugar should be safe from bacteria with the lid on. You don't have to wait for...

Like previously stated, keep the lid on and you should be fine. No offense intended, but 4+ hours seems awful long to bottle, are you cleaning them too?

How do you rouse yeast? I've heard of repitching but I don't think that's what you mean. (Shake the carboy/bucket?)

Funny, the cylindrical is cheaper @ my LHBS. Course 10 to 20 cents isn't a big deal anyway.

The gist of the Jan 2006 BYO article on gruit beer is that pretty much any herb(s) can be used in the brewing so a Simon n Garfunkel would be in style. This beer was brewed with whatever you found growing in the woods and fields so anything goes. (Might want to keep it easy on the thyme though)...