HBT collective wisdom

[rhoop]

Post a quick tidbit on what's made brewing easier/your beer better. Don't start an argument with your comment, this thread is just to condense the wisdom of HBT in one place!

I'll start.

Don't depend on airlock activity to know if fermentation is active/finished, use a hydrometer!

 

[tuckferrorists]

Clean as you go. Set a timer for hop additions, and you can clean for almost an hour while waiting.

 

[bad67z]

Move to full boils if your extract brewing, cool wort as quickly as possible, pitch the proper amount of yeast and control your fermentation temp.

 

[ludomonster]

Move to full boils if your extract brewing, cool wort as quickly as possible, pitch the proper amount of yeast and control your fermentation temp.

You can get around some partial boil problems by doing late extract additions or pasteurizing the extract separately.

Clean as you go. Set a timer for hop additions, and you can clean for almost an hour while waiting.

If you only have a bittering addition, maybe. As for me, I start the boil, watch for the hot break, add fermcap and then some hops. I watch it again and then I set a timer for 20 minutes remaining. I usually have to wipe down the chiller, sanitize more stuff, and possibly scrub a carboy. It's not simply cleaning up the mess I just made.

 

[Zamial]

Use the search function. Threads JUST LIKE THIS already have been tried and failed. The wealth of HBT knowledge is here on HBT...

 

[rifraf]

Use the search function. Threads JUST LIKE THIS already have been tried and failed. The wealth of HBT knowledge is here on HBT...

Not to mention that half the wisdom is in the discussion itself.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,I'd have to sat the biggest one around here is teaching patience. I can't remember how many times we've preched this sermon. Let the yeast do their thing. They have their own time table that doesn't always follow yours. Let it settle out after Fg to get clearer beer that's already on it's way to being balanced by the time it's ready to be packaged.

 

[daksin]

Make good beer in 5 easy steps (in order of importance):
Fermentation Temperature
Fermentation Temperature
Fermentation Temperature
Pitching the correct number of healthy yeast cells
Oxygenating to 8ppm with pure O2

 

[husker]

I have learned that you do not need a Secondary.
I have also learned not to start a thread asking if I should use one.

 

[ETOHonboard]

Never ask what any sort of acronym is (SWMBO)

 

[dannyhawkins]

Never ask what any sort of acronym is (SWMBO)

What the hell does that mean!? I've been trying to figure it out for months and my mind is blown. I've figured out every other abbr. on this site. I don't care if its common wisdom I'm asking, What Does it Mean?

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

Move to a conical fermenter with a catcher at the bottom. No more racking to secondary with a conical

 

[edmanster]

use the stickys and wiki.. dont feed the trolls..

 

[rhoop]

What the hell does that mean!? I've been trying to figure it out for months and my mind is blown. I've figured out every other abbr. on this site. I don't care if its common wisdom I'm asking, What Does it Mean?

+

Google

=

Knowledge

Don't ask don't tell was just repealed in the military, not on HBT when it comes to SWMBO.

 

[Bobby_M]

Don't ever think you've just found the best way to do anything.

 

[HeadyKilowatt]

Write everything down.

Learn something every time you brew.

 

[ETOHonboard]

Dannyhawkins, did you Google it yet?

 

[dannyhawkins]

Oh yeah, I googled it. Very funny, I just couldn't put it together. Thank god for mine, she loves the home-fermenting experience. Her first beer is going strong in the chest freezer with the new temp controller (JC A419)
It's the Sticke Alt kit from AHS. She loves Alaskan amber which is an alt so we tried this and I graciously donated my equipment and hard Saturday night labor.

I was, until recently, fermenting in the closet cause it was the coldest room in the Texas heat. One particular barleywine got out of hand and blew sticky krausen and particles all over the closet, and her clothes shoes and purses. Luckily it didn't erupt as much as it peppered everything and no substantial amount of beer was lost. She thought it was funny more than anything but did become a big advocate of temperature control shortly after for some reason.

 

[dannyhawkins]

Which brings me to my collected knowledge, brewing can be messy. Don't ignore all the funny stories about blowouts and proceed to ferment high gravity beers without a blow off hose in close proximity to valuables. Even if you know you can get away with it.

 

[kaconga]

Ask why. If you know why then you will be more likely to do things the right way.

 

[Dan]

Have a brew step sheet. Paper or computer. Check marks all the way.
Weigh and grind the grain the night before. (I hand crank)
Weigh out hops the night before as well. Put in sandwich bags with the addition minute labeled on the front and stack them in order of time (re-usable)
If using salts same thing. Night before and package
These steps make for a more relaxed brew day, at least to me.

Sanitize everything post boil.

 

[rhoop]

When your adjusting your brewing techniques, only change one thing per brew and keep everything else consistent. That way you will know how the change effects the final product.