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Hey, everyone. I looked on the forums but couldn't quite find the answers I was looking for... Sorry for the lengthy post I'm about to write. I made a batch of sweet dessert mead pretty much based on that recipe in the "Making Wild Wines & Mead" book by Pattie Vargas. Every recipe in that...

Just to post an update I've brewed another batch with the no chill method and so far I'm 2-0 against infections. However, I have also since decided to stop brewing this way. I figure the $3 investment for a clear, clean bag of Home City Ice was better than risking dumping out a $40 batch of...

Yikes! That's crazy that they didn't include a rubber stopper with your equipment. If you and your husband cooled the wort down to room temperature quickly you are in good shape and shouldn't get any weird bacteria. If you sanitized everything properly I think you'd be ok with just putting...

Thanks for the quick response. I added the yeast when wort had cooled down to seventy-six degrees. This was during a particularly hot spell in the midwest where we had 90+ for three straight weeks. We had our AC on but the room temp was probably right around that same temperature. I'd prefer...

Howdy! My buddy and I brewed a batch of Irish red with a touch of coffee to it a few weeks ago. I let it ferment for two full weeks and dry hopped it with a half ounce of cascade hops. I bottled today and I couldn't help but notice a hint of banana aroma. I sampled my hydrometer sample and...

It sounds like the yeast is mingling very well with the sugars. I'd keep an eye on your airlock and check the gravity in about three weeks when the yeast should be exhausted. A common practice for bigger beers is to repitch yeast to consume any leftover sugars. good luck! D

Damn that looks tasty!!!!!!!

I would suggest leaving it in your primary for four to six weeks before transferring to a secondary. Are you planning on pitching yeast a second time? If not I don't think letting it age in a carboy/pail is any different from bottling it then and just letting it age in the bottles. BTW, I...

Blueberry Ale - The Blueberry Screen of Death IPA - I.P. A.ddress Lager - Error Lager/Logger Nut Brown Ale - Intranut Homepage good stuff! good luck! What a clever idea!

I enjoy reading the posts on here and I always value the advice. Normally my questions are "what if" scenarios but I am facing a situation and I'm unsure how to proceed. I recently made a four gallon batch of blueberry melomel and a few things went wrong. 1. At the last minute I...

I have brewed a Tripel so I have some familiarity with the Belgian style ales. I would let it ferment for at least three weeks in your primary. After that you can take a gravity reading to see where it's at and wait a few days and take another reading to see if the yeast is done. This beer...

From what I've seen, heard and read it is preferred to have a stainless steel pot but I use an aluminum pot that came with my turkey fryer and it does the job. It does get scorched on the bottom but that is to be expected during a full boil, I guess. Oh, and if you are using aluminum don't...

One thing you can do to prevent this is to make sure you don't exceed your batch size when you top off. The cO2 was rising and ran out of headspace in your primary and topping off too much can increase the likelihood of this happening. Follow the advice you've already gotten and you should...

Hey, everyone! It is my understanding that we want to cool our beer down as quickly as possible after brewing to avoid it getting any bacteria in it, correct? Since I'm on a budget I decided to let my beer get down to room temperature by sitting in my fermentation pail overnight with the lid...

LOL! Thanks for the input. That sounds like a more subtle way of adding a lemony citrus character to it without ruining my entire batch. I'll look into those hops!

I plan on brewing an IPA soon and was thinking about adding some lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate to accent the bitterness. I'm not looking to make it too sour or tart but to make it noticeable. I'd also planned on adding an ounce of lemon peel during the entire sixty minute boil. How...

It's easy to not notice little things like that until you find yourself scratching your head and wondering what to do next. Let us know how your batch turns out. I'm sure it will be fine. Make sure you document little things like that in a journal so you remember to avoid the same mistakes in...

Thanks for your input. I was hoping to use glass bottles but that doesn't sound like a safe idea anymore. I was hoping to use Charlie Papazian's recipe for MacJack root beer in the homebrewer's companion. He mentions to not use any yeast and I was hoping to make a non-extract root beer. So...

I agree with the above statements. There's no need to rack it to a secondary unless you're freeing up your primary for another batch. From what I have seen it isn't recommended that you let your Tripel age less than three months. I have a batch that is about three weeks old and once it is...

Thanks for the input. Once I read "getting decent head" I knew one of you would chime in with some witty banter. = )