Search results

I know its pretty off topic but I know a lot of people rave about this beer so I jumped at the opportunity when a local bar had a tapping. All I can say is wow...definitely lives up to the hype. I tried it side by side with the Elder and it was just a great experience. Would have never heard...

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful tips and links to helpful resources. I'm excited to get it underway later on and feel pretty confident it's gonna go real smooth.

So tomorrow is the big day. Bottling up my first ever batch. I've sort of blueprinted the process and I would love some input. Tonight I'm going to soak the bottles in Oxiclean free to remove the labels then as I remove them tomorrow I'm gonna use my bottle brush and give then a good scrub as I...

Lol! I actually did wear a surgical mask. My moms a doctor and there was a bunch sitting around. No condom though...you don't think I gave it an STD do you?

It's killing me not to do it sooner but I know patience is key. Is there any tips to use when taking a reading to minimize exposure? I did the obvious and sanitized the lid, thief, my hands and wore a hat so no stray hairs fell in. Also made sure everything was in my hands to minimize time open...

It's been 8 days in primary and airlock activity has slowed to a halt so I figured why not take a peek and get a hydro reading and a taste of my first brew. I managed to do it in under 10 seconds so I doubt any bad guys got in. Its at 1.012 which is right around where it's supposed to finish so...

You're fine. Fermentation usually begins between 24-72 hours after pitching the yeast usually depending on what strain you used. Some begin almost immediately and others are slow starters. Plus it didn't help the temp was at 64. That's on the lower end of most ranges. If you can raise the temp a...

Not sure it will help too much but you won't need a hydrometer test jar if you get a wine thief. The wine thief itself works great after you pull your sample as a tester. Everything else looks great. Good luck.

Im not gonna do it. Ill take your advice. I soaked a towel in piping hot water and wrapped it around the bucket just to give the yeast a little love and when i moved the bucket ever so slightly i guess the yeast woke up cause it started raging again. Meanwhile my 24 hour in Apfelwein is spitting...

After about 44 hours of happily bubbling away my brown ale has slowed down considerably. I checked the stick on thermo and its colored from 66 down to about 64 so im assuming temp is ok...can i take off the airlock for a sec and send a sanitized long thermometer down there to get a liquid temp...

So I couldnt just keep staring at my empty carboy so I decided to whip up a batch of Edworts Apfelwein just to get an idea of actually watching the fermentation process. My primary now is a bucket so its tough to watch without removing the top. Plus its gonna be fun to get drunk off that stuff...

Would it be wise to quickly sneak a peek at my brew? Its bubbling away quite nicely and I really want to pop the top on the bucket and just say hi and see how its looking. Yay or nay?

It was like 75 degrees or so according to the LCD thermo on the side of the fermenter. Looks like im ok then. You guys rule. Im seriously so happy right now I can do cartwheels. Im staring at my fermenter waiting for the first bubble. I may pee myself when it happens.

My first hydrometer reading was 1.42 but according to the recipe its supposed to be 1.44 is that a big deal? I just sipped the wort and im stoked. This was such a fun experience. Now its happily fermenting away. The clean up blows though.

I do have the second fermenter ready just not the next recipe kit. Also, is it odd that im not getting any boil over? Did 3 1/2 gallons in a 5 gallon kettle and its not even close to boiling over? Is it the style of beer I did or am I just lucky? The thermometer reads 214 so its obviously...

Th grains they are a steepin'....for the dude who asked im brewing Big River Brown Ale from Midwest. This is f'ing so fun. Its actually resembling beer now.

I dont think I even made it 90...

My equipment finally came and I ran out to pick up a few last minute items and im ready to rock. Im so nervous and excited. Its like the first time I had sex. A few last minute questions...Do I need to do anything to the kettle aside from a quick wash? Its stainless steel so I dont think it has...

Thanks again for all the helpful hints. That apfelwein looks pretty awesome. Gonna definitely whip up a batch of that. One last silly question...when I get my recipe kit do I have to refrigerate the whole package or just the yeast yeast or nothing at all?

Good point...what can i do with the carboy though? Im going to follow your advice for batch #1 and just let it sit in primary before I rack it to the bottling bucket but for future beers would it be OK just to rack to secondary for the sole reason of freeing up my primary for another round of...