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Normally I brew Spring and Fall. I brew maybe 7-8 x 5 gallon batches a year, so my grain needs aren't nearly that of people who are brewing 10 or more gallons at a time, and making who knows how much...well, let's not go there. I usually make an order for a brewing season consisting of a bag...

First, there would have been no enzymes in that flour to convert the starch. If enzymes had been put in there, burning the flour in the oven would have denatured the enzymes. Result is burnt flour, burnt (?) hops, and water. Together.

You mean by "mash water" the first runnings that came out of the mash tun?

Wait, this was supposed to be a comparison of the MM and the Captain Crush mills. But then people bring in the JSP and the Barley Crusher, and we then get the good old PC challenge: "I dare anyone to show me that their mill will do better. " Well, folks, I use a $23 Corona-type mill that I run...

The fine parts look plenty well crushed. It doesn't look real floury to me. OTOH there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of husk material in there, which you need for a good drain bed. It's hard to tell, given the resolution of those photos, whether or not some of those larger pieces may be...

The one barleywine I did (about the same numbers as OP) was a success. Standard simple English barleywine, mashed in a 10 gal cooler.....did NOT try to use all the necessary grain (the recipe called for a bump of 2 lbs DME to hit OG) to make this beer. I then fermented it out per recipe, using a...

I've never had failure to convert*. On the other hand, I never mash less than 60 minutes. I get going early, am done by 1130 or so.....not in any hurry, I guess. If a mash shows conversion in 20 minutes, by all means, get on with it. *I've used the iodine test once or twice. Now I just use a...

At the risk of opening up the interminable discussion of roller mills (all the stuff discussed heretofore in this thread, e.g., Malt Mill, Crankenstein, etc.) and a Corona-type plate mill, I've been using the latter for over four years with complete satisfaction. I use a "Victoria" mill bought...

It's already been mentioned in this thread, but this is another vote for Orfy's Mild-Mannered Ale (see recipe section).

What he said. Refractometer until the wort goes in the fermenter. Hydrometer to check FG. That is all.

The flat rates are disappearing all over, and I suggest that you compare your actual cost before going with a supplier. I went that route once, when Northern Brewer still had their flat rate. I put in exactly the same $200 order on both sites, and there was $8 difference....and you may take the...

I have used a 7.5 gallon pot (a cheap Proctor-Silex SS kettle I paid $40 for delivered) since I started brewing over 5 years ago. It worked fine for extract, and made the transition to AG without a hitch. I routinely do 6.5 gal. boils in it....the secret is 5-6 drops of Fermcap-S (available from...

My go-to vendor is Midwest....I don't have a good LHBS around here. I guess I go there because their product line is pretty comprehensive, and they've always given stellar service. I've used Northern Brewer a few times, and AHS once, and they were both fine too.

As far as putting blueberries in a weizen, I have a proven recipe, but when I researched it I found out the same thing mentioned earlier in this thread- that it took a LOT of blueberries. So I just went with the blueberry flavoring in little bottles (I got mine from Midwest, its branded LG...

To maintain tension on the belt in a pulley-type setup, I'm not sure how well a Corona-type mill will hold up with the lateral pressures exerted on the rather thin bearing on it's shaft. I'd stick with a drill....well, I do. I use an old Craftsman 1/2" AC drill to drive my Corona, and have no...

I routinely brew the BCB Rye IPA and the SWMBO Belgian Blonde in the recipes section, and I use no rice hulls whatever. The former uses 2 pounds of rye malt (reputed to be a mash-sticker, like wheat) with over 12 pounds of other malt, and the latter uses four pound of wheat malt with just 5...

I was going to post something very much to this effect. Thanks, "rockfish42," you saved me the trouble. Given the cost of a pound of 2-row, although I've been brewing for five years I've never calculated an efficiency, and see no reason to start now. I can hit my OG consistently, and the...

I vorlauf about 2 quarts at the beginning of lautering, and then 2 quarts again when I start lautering the sparge (I do a single batch sparge). The wort is always pretty clear after running two quarts.

Well- if you have the brewing kit and have done some extracts, then what you are apparently contemplating is moving to all grain, and it sounds like malt will be hard to come by. What happened to Tusker or another brand of local beer? Perhaps a Kenyan brewery could provide a source of malt. You...

I understand that there will always be some temperature gradient from the center to the edges of the cylinder represented by my mash. The relevant questions are: 1. How much is the gradient? 2. Is it enough to make any significant difference in the outcome of the mash? So far, my...