All Questions
4
votes
5answers
4k views
Is the Blichmann burner worth the money?
Do you think it is worth the $135 for a Blichmann burner?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-equipment/burners/blichmann-floor-burner.html
I found a turkey fryer at Home Depot for less ...
2
votes
3answers
237 views
lemon flavor after kegging
So I made Jamil's California Common (minus the chocolate malt) with Wyeast Bavarian Lager yeast (2206). Fermentor samples tasted great, I had about 82% attenuation, so the 'flat' samples were nice ...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Aggressive foam from Keg
For the record, I am using some storebought kegs, but figure you guys know more about all of this than I do. EDIT: I checked the internet and the couplers to the keg are of the sanke variety.
Here's ...
8
votes
3answers
527 views
Is There A Way To Get Root Beer Taste/Smell Out Of Kegging Equipment?
I've since learned better, but when I first got my kegging setup, I put root beer on one of the lines. After that keg was empty, I decided to put soda water in instead. Unfortunately, the root beer ...
9
votes
3answers
323 views
Anyone here ever brewed Kvass?
Has anyone here ever made Kvass? If so what was the result? How did you go about it? Did you add any special ingredients (spices, herbs, fruit etc...)? Is there any special process I should know ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
How little light can spoil a beer?
I build a fermentation chamber that has a small computer fan that is equipped with tiny blue led lights. Is it only UV light that can skunk a beer? What would the effect of this frequently run fan ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views
Can Infected beer cause death or major illness?
Basic question. Can you get sick and die from drinking infected brew? I know that it must taste terrible, was just wondering. Can't seem to find any references where people have died from infected ...
2
votes
2answers
72 views
How to prime with maple syrup?
I'm not necessarily looking for a flavor add from the maple, but I want to carbonate my beer with some pure Vermont maple syrup that my brother harvested and prepared.
I'm comfortable with the ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
Well carbonated, but no head
I've tried looking for duplicates to this question, but can't quite find a single question that covers it, so here goes (pls let me know if I've missed one)
Last night I tasted the first bottle of my ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Filtering using a keg and a carboy instead of two kegs
I've read that filtering requires two kegs. I've only got one corny keg but I'd like to filter my brew with a canister or plate filter. Do I risk overly oxidizing the beer if I were to filter from a ...
7
votes
2answers
85 views
How to train my nose for hop aromas?
I oftes see videos where people describe (what I believe is hop-related aroma) with words like spicy, floral, citrusy, etc., but for me it is very hard to get (and to tell apart) any of this. So what ...
4
votes
4answers
159 views
Would placing the fermenter tank in a tub of water be a good way to handle hot environments?
Summers where I live typically have 80F nights and it can easily pick up to 95 degrees during the day.
I have a plastic trash can (which I bought for this purpose) that I have filled up with water. ...
3
votes
2answers
123 views
What is the benefit of long fermentations/leaving beer on yeast for weeks?
I know the 'general' answers: "it allows the yeast to 'clean up' compounds", "it allows the beer to 'condition'", "it allows the flavors to come together", none of which I am satisfied with.
My ...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Do commercial breweries mash every day?
I guess it depends on how the brewery is organized, but I am mostly referring to small breweries. Since the fermentation takes several days (and will keep equipment busy for several days) and ...
1
vote
2answers
77 views
Gravity going down during boil. How can it happen?
Can you think of any scenario (apart from errors of the measurement tools) where gravity actually goes down during boil. Normally, due to the loss of water, gravity should always go up. During our ...
3
votes
1answer
52 views
How to prevent solventy/overly alcoholic flavors?
I'm a moderately experienced homebrewer, and recently I've been making a lot of imperial stouts--variations on the same recipe, hoping to dial it in. Decently strong ones: my OG is usually around ...
4
votes
5answers
995 views
Is there a technique which prevents the deposit of sediment at the bottom of bottles?
Every beer I've brewed and have seen done by others has had a sediment form at the bottom of the bottles.
Is there some common mistake that I and others are making which is causing this to happen?
...
7
votes
7answers
208 views
Most common and obvious off-flavours for homebrewers
I heard about some possible errors in the process that cause off-flavours (for example skunk due to sunlight). Excluding infection problems, and talking about most obvious errors one can do and are ...
1
vote
2answers
107 views
What is the most important parameter to measure in water
I live in a region where the water is very hard, so I am considering spending a little more on bottled water to have more of a choice.
Supposing that one can choose the water to use, but he doesn't ...
5
votes
3answers
161 views
Which yeast should I use to make apple cider
I am looking to make some homebrew cider. I intend to use store-bought apple juice, and mix with an appropriate amount of yeast. I am wondering what kind of yeast you would recommend?
In the past, I ...
2
votes
3answers
124 views
Oh… my back…
I've always brewed with my brewster girlfriend around to help but even then I still find that I do the majority of the lifting. Moving into this time of year I know she's going to be less available to ...
1
vote
3answers
3k views
No Bubbles and No Foam after 3 Days
First time brewer here. I'm concerned my batch is not progressing as it should. Here's a quick run down of what I've done...
I put my batch (which had a SG of 1.044) in the primary fermenter on ...
2
votes
2answers
94 views
Storing home brew
I was wondering if I could store my finished home brew in a fermenting bucket that has a spout on the side. Of course not the same one it was fermented in but a clean one. Will it hold its ...
2
votes
2answers
68 views
My first Porter. Should I add any calcium chloride chalk to my bottled water before mashing?
Hey brand new here on SE, but have been brewing all grain for about 5 batches now, mostly pale and amber ales. Going to brew my first Porter tonight, following Biermuncher's Black Pearl Porter recipe. ...
5
votes
6answers
694 views
What is the purpose of dry hopping in intervals (multiple additions)?
What would be the purpose in adding dry hops, then removing them prior to adding a second, even third addition, rather than simply putting all the dry hops in at the same time?
If the answer has to ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
6
votes
1answer
137 views
What is the benefit of a 3 tier system?
I see a lot of people with the 3 tier brewing system. What is the benefit and What are the different levels for? This system is what I am referencing.
1
vote
2answers
85 views
SG and OG quite different to values indicated on can label
very quick question: making a kit brew (Coopers Real Ale), which says a typical OG is 1.046 and FG is 1.006. Unfortunately, my OG was 1.038, and my current reading (after about 17 days) is 1.013, and ...
5
votes
5answers
3k views
How can I put minerals back into distilled or reverse osmosis water?
The tap water where I live is filled with chlorine, flouride, some pretty bad elements such as arsenic, chromium, barium, etc. So I would like to purify my water with either reverse osmosis or ...
6
votes
3answers
208 views
Airlock: vodka, water, or
I've just started making my first brew, and am using vodka in the airlock, but am hoping for some more detailed info about what is best practice, or if there is not really any difference between using ...
3
votes
1answer
53 views
How much Potassium (or sodium) metabisulfite to remove chloramine?
I have a small jar of powdered Potassium Metabisulfite and Campden tablets that are Sodium Metabisulfite. The tablets are 550mg. I have seen on this forum that these chemicals, when added to your ...
2
votes
2answers
368 views
What is the oily film on the top of my kit beer
I made a creme ale 10 days ago and I racked to the secondary after 4 days fermenting( don't ask ) . I tasted it yesterday and it taste very bitter with little to no flavor. When I transferred it to ...
2
votes
4answers
108 views
yeast cell count importance
I have a had a question for quite some time that nobody has been able to answer. The question is more academic or theoretical than it is practical. Perhaps the community here is a tad smarter ...
15
votes
4answers
4k views
How do you sparge?
One of the biggest hurdles I came across when switching to all-grain was learning how to sparge. I honestly still don't think I do it 100% correctly. There are very detailed descriptions online, but ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
Milton / Baby bottle sanitiser?
Can anyone comment on the suitability of Baby Bottle sanitiser for cleaning brew kit?
Milton is a popular brand name of such in the UK. I'd like to put a brew on this eve or tomorrow morning and ...
1
vote
1answer
99 views
Does kegging require a fridge
I was planning on building myself one of these for the summer: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/portable-igloo-cooler-kegerator-172047-post1990392/
I currently bottle all my beer and don't own any ...
5
votes
2answers
331 views
Are German Merkur or Herkules hops noble enough to sub in a Pilsener?
On an impulse last week I picked up some German Merkur and Herkules hops from the LHBS to use as flavoring and aroma hops in a pilsner, because I thought they might be an interesting twist. But now ...
2
votes
3answers
92 views
Ash/ash tray off flavour
What does cause ash or ash tray off flavour? I made an all grain porter (using chocolate and carafa type I), there is a slight ash tray off flavour. The falvour was apparent at the beginning (just ...
2
votes
2answers
105 views
should I/how do I account for temperature differences for gravity readings?
I've taken my OG at the start, and another reading last night. Only last night did I register that my OG seemed slightly low according to what the brew can suggested as typical.
My OG was 1.037 (can ...
7
votes
2answers
144 views
How to make malt vinegar
How should I proceed to make a good malt vinegar. In particular I would like some recipe to know what grains (or extract) I need to use, to have a really good vinegar, not just something that is sour, ...
1
vote
2answers
142 views
Alternative uses for a failed batch
the Simply Ginger Beer kit I've brewed and just part-bottled is horrible. The chemical sweetener taste is overpowering and even though I have bottled 20 500ml flip-tops (more for practice than ...
5
votes
2answers
146 views
Pros and cons of a conical fermentor
What are the pros and cons of a conical fermentor compared to buckets or carboys?
3
votes
1answer
77 views
Is bitterness extraction dependent on wort volume?
Supposing I boil the same amount of hops in the same wort (same SG, for the same time, let's say one hour), separately into two pans:
One with 10L wort, and x grams of hops
One with 1L wort and x ...
2
votes
1answer
75 views
Brewing with Tonka Beans
I am planning a recipe with Tonka Beans. At what point should I add them and approx. how many?
I know that vanilla is usually added after primary.
Should I do the same with these or can I add them ...
1
vote
4answers
117 views
What are the price/features tradeoffs to consider when buying a new brew kettle?
I'm thinking of popping for this brew kettle -
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/brew-kettles/megapot-with-ball-valve-brewmometer.html
It comes with a ball valve and ...
2
votes
2answers
74 views
Is it possible to successfully bottle a beer that's already been primed in a barrel?
I'd like to know what the effect of trying to bottle 35 pints of a light ale that's already been primed in a barel would be? Presumably there is still yeast floating about that would be able to ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
What are the benefits of fermenting under pressure?
I hear that some brewers ferment under pressure. What is the rationale/benefits of doing this?
5
votes
1answer
120 views
Should I extend boil times if temperature drops?
I use an electric burner when I home brew. It doesn't have a ton of excess power but it can get a nice rolling boil going. Occasionally, when I add malt extract to my kettle the temperature drops ...
7
votes
2answers
112 views
Pressure during fermentation
I imagine other parameters are more important (like temperature or pitching rate). Still, I was wondering if pressure has some effect on the fermentation process (for example on flocculation, ...
3
votes
2answers
236 views
How to Cold Crash an Imperial Stout?
During my first all-grain (an Imperial Stout recipe a friend and I invented), I managed to forget adding Irish Moss towards the end of the boil. After 3 weeks in primary, I've verified that ...
