All Questions
8
votes
8answers
1k views
Are some types of beers easier to brew than others?
I'm just getting started with home brewing. Are some types of beer easier to brew than others? Would you suggest starting with a certain type for my very first brew?
7
votes
1answer
846 views
Skunking beer process
How fast does beer skunk, in the bottle or out?
I have heard people claim their IPA gets skunky in the glass as they drink it on the sunny patio.
I have also left a sixer of beer on a shelf on my ...
7
votes
9answers
804 views
Gosebier- a unique style
Dose anyone have any experience brewing Gosebier? Its a german wheat style of beer that is flavored with some salt (and citrus I believe). I had one at the Golden City Brewery in Denver a couple ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
Using Plastic Water Jugs as Fermenters
I asked this on Twitter a while back, but I thought I might get some other thoughts on it. I have one of those 5g Poland Spring water jugs. If I get a bung that fits it, is there any reason I couldn't ...
6
votes
6answers
3k views
Should dry hopping be done in secondary, when to transfer, and for how long?
After surveying questions related to dry hopping and secondary here on the Exchange, I don't yet have solid answers to the following questions.
Should beer be transferred to secondary for the ...
6
votes
1answer
729 views
Is the iodine test for starch conversion pointless?
Looking around the web there seems to be a lot of mention of the use of the iodine (starch) test at the end of your mash. Is it actually useful (i.e. is it reliable)? There have been times when I ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
No carbonation in the bottles?
Had to recap my bottles to fill the level up so I didn't have any explode on me. Now they have been sitting for 2 1/2 weeks. Opened one up and there is no carbonation.. is there a way to recarbonate ...
5
votes
6answers
686 views
Wort aeration on a budget
To aerate my wort I have been using a whisk, but i am worried about contamination. What are other more effective ways to aerate wort without spending too much money?
5
votes
2answers
920 views
Why would OG be significantly higher than predicted?
I know there are several questions on the forum about OG being lower than predicted. Please bear with me though. I'm at a loss. I just brewed a straightforward extract wheat beer recipe. The ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Should the grain or strike water be added to the mash tun first?
I've always added my grain to my MLT cooler first, then dumped the strike water on top (I don't have a sparge arm). I calculate my strike temps based on the grain temp and initial cooler temp, so I ...
3
votes
1answer
237 views
recapping my bottles? Will it ruin the outcome of my beer?
I bottled my first batch of homebrew and didnt fill the bottles all the way. So the next day I opened the bottles and poured some more beer into them and recapped them.. I this going to mess up the ...
2
votes
2answers
243 views
How much light is too much light?
I generally like to let my fermented beer sit in the primary fermenter for a couple of hours in the kitchen (where I bottle) to give any sediment a chance to settle to the bottom of the carboy. I ...
1
vote
1answer
296 views
Day 2 of Primary Fermentation of beer
Is this what my primary fermentation should look like after a day???
It looks like my yeast has been sitting on top of foam..
0
votes
1answer
471 views
Storing full kegs at room temperature
So I have a related question here, but my questions are the following:
I only have one (and only have room for one) dedicated chest freezer/fridge for brewing. I have one beer (Marzen) kegged and ...
30
votes
13answers
1k views
\[WIKI] Improving Your Brewing Significantly
I made this wiki to allow folks to post what upgrades in process or equipement really take one's beer brewing to the next level. The bottle-necks to better and better brewing if you will. (This was ...
18
votes
20answers
7k views
How do you label your bottles?
How do you mark, label, or otherwise identify the contents of your bottles? I'm currently using masking tape and a marker, but I'm curious what most other people use.
12
votes
9answers
310 views
Book for beginners
What book would you recommend for a beginner hoping to start with extract recipes or from an extract kit?
18
votes
7answers
970 views
About going all-grain
I have made 7 or 8 extract brews over the past year and am interested in moving up to all-grain. What equipment is needed, and what steps are added to the process.
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Reusing yeast at home
Reusing yeast at home is something I'm incredibly interested in, but haven't found the time to learn enough about it just yet.
What are the basic steps for harvesting, cultivating, or whatever other ...
10
votes
3answers
384 views
Glutten for punishment? How can I make a Gluten-free beer?
A few friends of mine have Celiac Disease. They've all told me that the commercial gluten free beers they've tried have been terrible. Can I brew something at home that's tasty and something they can ...
14
votes
4answers
3k views
What are some alternatives to hops?
I have a friend that is allergic to hops and can not drink our beer (or just about any others for that matter). What alternatives do I have if I want to make a beer for him? What could I substitute ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
How to Properly Oxygenate Wort
How much oxygen do I need to put into my wort?
I've heard that homebrewers need to aerate with an oxygen stone and either aquarium pumps or oxygen. Is this true, or is shaking my carboy enough to ...
11
votes
2answers
609 views
How do I make a Yeast Starter?
I know I should be using a Yeast Starter so that I can make sure I have enough, healthy yeast, but I've never managed to go around to it.
How would I start a yeast starter? How long before brewday ...
16
votes
4answers
696 views
What happens in the bottle?
I often drink a bottle 2 or 3 days after bottling, and then often every day or 2 after that, and it's sometimes quite amazing to see those "rough edges" getting smoothed out.
Can someone explain what ...
12
votes
10answers
1k views
Uses for spent grains
What are some uses for spent grains - either a few pounds from a partial mash or the 10+ from an all-grain batch - that don't include just throwing the grains away?
If your answer is to include some ...
11
votes
1answer
2k views
When is it necessary to pitch fresh yeast for bottle conditioning?
I've read that you can leave an ale to secondary for months and enough yeast will remain in suspension that you won't need to pitch additional yeast when bottling. But are there times when you do ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
How do you pitch additional yeast for bottling?
This is a follow on to my other question about when you would need to pitch additional yeast for bottle conditioning.
Assuming you know that you need to pitch more yeast before bottling to ensure ...
5
votes
1answer
416 views
Where can I get printed crown caps?
I'm investigating buying crown caps in bulk and having a logo and/or my name professionally printed on them.
Does anyone know if this is possible on a small-ish scale and is it within the budget of a ...
5
votes
3answers
770 views
Why does my beer taste like bacon?
I recently brewed an oatmeal stout that has distinct bacon notes to it, both in the nose and in the flavor. What could be causing these flavors? This bacon-ness isn't disagreeable; it's actually ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Alternatives to a hydrometer?
I can't seem to keep a hydrometer for more than a few brewing sessions. They either break from dropping them, going from hot to cold, or I've had the wax holding all of the lead pellets to the bottom ...
12
votes
4answers
5k views
Can OxiClean be used as a sanitizer?
Many batches ago I abandoned the sanitizing solutions sold (at ridiculous markups) from standard homebrew stores in favor of OxiClean Free. My logic at the time (being out of sanitizer, and at a ...
10
votes
3answers
500 views
What effects will the type of water have on beer?
For instance, will hard water really change the taste that much?
9
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is it bad to pitch too much yeast?
What are the effects of over-pitching? Where is the line for, say, a 1.050 beer?
There is also a question for to under-pitching.
9
votes
5answers
843 views
Best way to mill grains
I've brewed many extracts but want to get into whole grain brewing. What equipment do I need? Any recommendations for beginner / low-cost grain mills?
8
votes
3answers
2k views
What is a whirlpool chiller?
What is a Whirlpool Chiller and how does it work? What are the advantages or disadvantages?
8
votes
2answers
1k views
When bottle conditioning, when should I re-yeast, and how much yeast should I add
I have a Chocolate Cherry Stout that is currently in secondary on fresh Cherries. It has been sitting on the cherries for 2 months now.
As I prepare to bottle I want to be sure I have enough, healthy ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
When brewing a chocolate stout, should the cacao nibs be added in the boil, the secondary, or both?
When using cacao nibs to brew a chocolate stout, should they be added in the boil (if so, when?), in the secondary fermenter, or both? Is there a better ingredient to add to produce the chocolate ...
3
votes
7answers
4k views
Why is my starting gravity low?
In the fall of 2011 I made the leap from extract/partial kits to all-grain kits. I'm enjoying AG, but my SG is continuously below the expected. I have brewed 5 AG kits and 4 have had a low SG.
My ...
14
votes
4answers
620 views
How do you cool wort?
More specifically, what methods exist to cool your wort after the boil, and what are there respective pros/cons?
13
votes
3answers
426 views
Why do you aerate wort at first and try to keep oxygen out later?
Why should you aerate the wort before pitching yeast but then try to avoid allowing oxygen into it later in the process? What is going on with the yeast that makes oxygen good at first but bad later?
10
votes
8answers
3k views
Sanitizing oak chips
Going to try using dry oak chips in my secondary fermenter. How do you recommend sanitizing the chips before adding them?
9
votes
2answers
462 views
Does keeping a beer cold significantly preserve fresh hop aroma?
I'm double dry hopping my Rye India Pale Ale, doing half with simply double the dry hops, and half one addition, remove, adding the other half to see if anyone within drinking distance can distinguish ...
9
votes
1answer
547 views
Making a Yeast Starter
It seems that there are varying opinions about the size your starter should be. What is the basic rule-of-thumb for 5 and 10 gallon batches?
How much water should be used?
How much malt/malt ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Didn't hit gravity--how to calculate how much malt extract to add to the fermenter?
Lets say you were aiming for 1.047 but only hit 1.032. In a 5 gallon batch, how much malt extract would you need to add to the fermenter to bring it up to the desired gravity?
9
votes
1answer
498 views
How long does 5lb of C02 last you?
I can never get a grip on how often I'll need to refill my C02. Sometimes it seems to last forever other times it seems very quick.
In general, if you are just using C02 to pour, how many soda kegs ...
8
votes
2answers
198 views
Competitions & Kegging
I keg my beer but I would like to enter some of it into competitions. I've bottled directly out of the tap, but carbonation suffers.
What would you do in this situation?
7
votes
2answers
3k views
What is fusel alcohol, and does it cause hangovers?
I'd recently heard of fusel alcohol in a reference that it causes headaches/hangovers. First what is fusel alcohol, and what creates it (can I avoid it)? Secondly, is fusel alcohol really the main ...
7
votes
3answers
455 views
Pennies in the Boil
I've heard that adding cleaned pennies to the wort can help prevent boil-overs. I guess they could provide nucleation points- I dunno.
Any truth to this, or is it just an old wives' tail?
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Dry hopping without secondary fermentation
I have so far only done bottom-fermented beers without transferring into a second vessel for secondary fermentation. If I wanted to do some dry hopping with this technique, when is the best time to ...
7
votes
2answers
709 views
How long does StarSan last?
I keep StarSan in a spray bottle for easier sanitizing during brew day.
How long does the StarSan last in that bottle? Is it good forever?
