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It's a myth that you can't get an accurate ph reading in RO or distilled water.

Acidulated malt is used to lower the ph of brewing water slightly to the level where it's needed if it's too high. That was always it's intention. I treat all of my water (RO or distilled) with phosphoric acid to a ph of 5.5 before I ever start my mash. I do this for all beers. I want mash ph to...

I buy all of my brewing water. I use only distilled or RO water. My logic is that I can easily add things to the water to get what I want out of it. It's much harder to add things to water to offset something that's already there that I don't want. At the end of the day, it's all still there...

Properly is the key. Improperly can absolutely hurt it. That includes not only adding a protein rest to grains that are well modified but also having too long of a rest time. Too long of a protein rest, even on lower modified grains, can absolutely hurt head retention.

I do decoctions all the time. I messed up on that one. When I say no head retention, I mean NO head retention! Even properly carbonated I had a hard time building up a head on it while pouring and what was there was gone in seconds. The guideline that I follow for a protein rest is based on...

It's hardly a myth. I messed up my Oktoberfest decoction schedule and rested at 122 for 20 minutes before pulling a decoction. That was the wrong time to pull it. Be the time I added it back after boiling to raise the temp to 144, the main mash sat at that temperature for over 50 minutes. I was...

I don't know what base malt you are using but if it's American 2 row you'll destroy your head retention with that protein rest. I'd dough in at sacc rest temp. If you insist on doing a decoction with a highly modified grain, do so as a single step to raise the temperature to mash out temp and...

When I used Fuggles, I admittedly was using a hop already known for a grassy character.

I tried steeping and then squeezing some Fuggle hops in a French press once. The hop tea that came out of it tasted like I mowed the grass and threw the grass clippings in a glass of water and drank it. It was terrible! I've never messed with the French press ever again.

That's is why I suggested he try a sample every week or so.

What kind of oak cubes? French oak for instance is far more intense than American oak and even more so if it's heavily charred. Keep in mind that the amount of beer in contact with the surface area of a cube is much higher per weight than it is for a barrel since that cube has contact on all six...

I started as most people do with a converted cooler. Then I upgraded to a 3 vessel keggle system. Now I've sold them off and am back to a cooler again. Coolers hold temperature very well. Keggles do not. I know that you can direct fire them but between the heat on the bottom and the heat...

First off I mash in a cooler since it holds temperature very well. Over an hour I typically don't have any temperature drop. Raising temperature is another matter altogether. If you don't have a RIMS or HERMS system, raising temp can be a bit tricky. The first way is with a simple infusion of...

I haven't tried the Schmitz process yet but may at some point. A good way to get into decoction mashing is to do a simple single decoction. Dough in as you normally would for an infusion mash. Target a thickness of 1.25 qts/1 lb and your standard alpha rest temperature. Let it stand for 45...

Every beer I've ever had that only used spices tasted like it was only spices. Body was lacking. I'm weary of any results where people state they prefer one type over the other. After all, the number one selling beer in the world is Bud Light so most people must think it tastes the best.

I just brewed mine yesterday. It's a Brown Porter Pumpkin. 36% of the grist is Brown malt. There's a dash of flaked oaks and carafa II as well. I roasted 64 oz of canned pumpkin purree in the oven at 400° for one hour. It was added to the boil in a steeping bag. I'll know in a few weeks how...

I personally like decoction mashing. I don't find it difficult at all. In fact I think it's far easier to hit target temperatures than through infusion step mashing. Mash efficiency gets a nice boost. About 10% overall which is significant. Many would argue that it's only a couple of dollars in...

The only time I find his method to be difficult is when brewing my porter. It is 36% brown malt which noticeably pulls the ph down. The problem with brown malt is that it can't be steeped. It has to be mashed so I can't just add it later. I'd love to know how others deal with his technique and...

That's weird. I just brewed yesterday with RO water and mine measured at 6.12 ph. Incidentally I always use the Gordon Strong method now. The quality of my beers has gone up noticeably since I started using his method. Water has actually gotten quite easy as a result. I don't see any need for...

Ratebeer has absolutely zero influence on me. I personally find Sculpin IPA to be merely average for the style yet it scores 100 there. It's OK but it's hardly the best. After that I knew that site was one I'd never take seriously again.