All Questions
-1
votes
2answers
103 views
How can I recover this barleywine batch?
Can we help our fellow geek solve his homebrew problem?
I'm making a barley wine. My boil gravity should be 1.106. Hydrometer reads 1.042, and at 140°F (60°C) the adjusted SG comes out to more ...
2
votes
1answer
872 views
Should I boil a hopped malt extract prior to fermentation?
I am an absolute beginner; I've merely helped my brother brew once. I purchased a beer brewing kit and want to get started.
John Palmer's bible suggests that I should throw out the directions that ...
2
votes
2answers
68 views
Are there Cooling “Spirals” or similar devices?
Not sure if that's on-topic, but I'm converting an old barrel into a tap system. Essentially a Keezer, except that I don't like something that still looks like an appliance - a barrel is just more ...
1
vote
4answers
66 views
Suitable small bottle for liquid
I need to find a leak proof glass bottle for some liquid, which I would later put into the refrigerator. And because I tend to put it horizontally, I would prefer to use a leak proof bottle which is ...
1
vote
3answers
88 views
Temperature control equipment and Fresh Wort Kits
My first brewing attempt (from a can) has just finished bottle fermenting and it turned out pretty bad (mostly just tasted very weak). I'm not concerned though, I know what mistakes I made along the ...
2
votes
2answers
88 views
How important is the 'Best Before' date on Brewing Sugar?
I have a 1kg bag of Youngs Brewing and Winemaking Sugar. It was bought early last year, and the pack has a Best Before date of 08/08/12.
I was hoping to use it for bottle priming next week. Does ...
4
votes
2answers
123 views
Can I change the color to my beer to an arbitrary color?
It's a bit gimmicky, but I wonder if it's possible to make a purple beer? Food Coloring only works for "hard" food, but I've never looked into coloring beverages and I don't want to affect the taste ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Additives for 5 gallon batch
These are the ingredients for the extracts I will use in a 5 gallon batch, should I still use the priming suger. Orange- oil of orange, alcohol, water. Watermelon-propylene glycol, alcohol, water, ...
4
votes
1answer
67 views
Hydrometer correction equation
Can you identify the constants in your hydrometer correction equation? I know that 2.6X10-6 is the coefficient of thermal expansion for the hydrometer glass; what are the others (not related to ...
3
votes
3answers
94 views
What is the 'cake'?
I've been looking into ways to restart unfinished fermentation and some sources talk about using a Cake, or yeast cake from previous brews. They also talk about pitching on the cake. I've searched to ...
3
votes
3answers
105 views
How long can I leave my Ginger Beer (kit) in the primary?
Another fact finding question: How long can I - theoretically - leave my Ginger Beer brew in the primary (a 5 gallon glass carboy) before bottling?
The instructions suggest 8 days, hovever it's ...
3
votes
2answers
116 views
Too late to move a brew?
I brewed an IPA yesterday. All went well and it is bubbling away today. However, my friend's brewing fridge/fermenting chamber just freed up and he suggested putting my brew in there. It would ...
13
votes
5answers
5k views
What are the benefits of using brewing sugar over types of sugar?
In many kits I've used, the instructions recommend using brewing sugar. Of course it's okay to use other sources of sugar, but I was wondering whether there are any benefits of using brewing sugar ...
2
votes
1answer
109 views
Side-effects of 'lower than recommended' fermentation temperatures?
I have a Ginger Beer kit on the go. It's sitting in the kitchen and ambient temps are ranging from 15 to 20ºC (59-68ºF). The beer was started 3.5 days ago and I was away for the weekend, I can see ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
first time using pet bottles and have 8 flat
Is there a special way of sealing PET bottles?
This is the first time I have used these bottles so I just screwed the cap on by hand until I thought it was tight. I have had 8 flat bottles so far and ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I set up a Sestos D1S temperature controller?
I am trying to set up an Sestos D1S temperature controller. Initially, just to see if it works at all, I am trying to use it to control the temperature of my kettle. I've wired it all up correctly so ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
Forgot bottle capper - priming interrupted
I was all ready to bottle up my IPA last night (and yes, since this is StackExchange, I named the brew "IPAddress"). Everything got sanitized, bottles were de-labeled, the whole nine yards. I boil the ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Peracetic acid as a sanitizer?
My friend got Paracetic Acid from his LHM store (they only had that and alcohol 70 there).
Is it a non-rinse sanitizer? How good is it?
Wikipedia says it corrodes metals, so no go for the crown ...
6
votes
2answers
749 views
Yeast nutrient schedule for meads?
Somewhere I remember a mention that a "more-modern" technique in brewing meads involves a regular schedule of adding yeast nutrients while in the primary. I was never able to find the reference again ...
9
votes
7answers
294 views
How to clear beer
I am brewing my first homebrew an American cream ale. Was just reading into secondary fermentation. In the directions and books I've read it seems to suggest doing this. But as I search online and ...
3
votes
3answers
125 views
Growing hops from seeds
Where I live (France) I can't easily find hops rizhomes, but I can find seeds, so my two questions are:
Any shop in France/Europ from which I can buy hops rizhomes?
If I grow hops from seeds how do ...
6
votes
9answers
3k views
Is there an online equivalent of Beer Smith?
Simple question, does anyone know if there is a purely web based equivalent of Beer Smith / Brew Target, etc? Just looking for a decent product that I don't have to install on my desktop.
1
vote
1answer
98 views
Low gravity reading after one week
My first home brew batch has been in the primary fermentation for one week and the gravity reading has dropped from 1055 to 1008. Is it going down too quickly?
4 kg pale ale malt
0,5 kg crystal malt
...
3
votes
2answers
86 views
Ensuring an accurate gravity reading
So I've brewed between 6-10 batches of beer at home using partial boil methods but have never managed to get accurate gravity readings.
The issue I have is that my readings somehow always seem to be ...
1
vote
1answer
141 views
Is this lactobacillus?
My last batch had a thin whitish 'membrane' on top of it and some white spots, visible on the picture bellow.
I think I saw something similar on a blog a while ago, attributed to a lactobacilus ...
1
vote
2answers
57 views
My brew is taking far longer than the leaflet suggests
I'm brewing two Coopers kits at the moment - a Pilsner and an India Pale Ale. Both have a generic leaflet which suggests I should leave 6 days at 21 degrees for fermentation (which seems quite short) ...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
How does lemon juice ferment into hard lemonade?
I'm interested in making a hard lemonade after my cider is done, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how the recipes I've found actually work, and what's the best way to ferment lemon juice. ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
How can beer styles be classified?
Reading (or tasting) it is easy to find dozens of different styles, going a litte more in details than lager/ale distinction, what is a simple categorization of beer styles?
3
votes
1answer
62 views
Making a starter without DME?
Planning to start to use liquid yeasts and will need to do some starters.
It is hard to get hold of DME over here (I can get some hopped LME, though).
I was thinking on doing a starter from grains, ...
1
vote
1answer
231 views
Where are MillerCoors Light Home Draft units available?
MillerCoors used to sell Coors Light Home Draft and Miller Light Home Draft "kegs" at my local grocery store, but I have not seem them in a long time.
The reason I ask is because these units are ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Considering adding Fresh Ginger to a 'Simply Ginger Beer' kit
I'm about to start a brew using a 'Simply Ginger Beer' kit. I've heard that it's sweet, and light which is what I want, but it's not very gingery. Would it be ok to add some grated and boiled fresh ...
6
votes
6answers
302 views
Marking your brew pot?
I have a new stainless steel brew pot and it doesn't have any quantity markings. How do you recommend marking each gallon? I tried to make an indent but it's not very noticeable, any ideas?
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Inconsistent flavor between my bottles
I bottled my second batch of beer, a nut brown ale recipe from northern brewer. I added coffee to the secondary, and my first bottle I had after 2 weeks bottle conditioning tasted like a nice coffee ...
2
votes
3answers
111 views
Fermentation - only very small bubbles after 36 hours
This is my first batch so I'm wondering if I am worrying over nothing or if I need to take action. I brewed an all extract IPA kit from Williams Brewing. I feel I was very careful with sanitation ...
0
votes
1answer
164 views
Kegerator Parts for Ball-lock kegs
I know the difference between ball-lock and pin-lock kegs. My question arises in the fact my kegerator is set up for a commercial keg and I need to convert it to fit my ball-lock keg.
This is the ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
Estimating final alcohol by Original Gravity
Is it possible to estimate final alcohol value from the orginal gravity of the wort? Is apparent attenutaion involved in the estimation?
I guess if I know OG and FG this is the answer. What if FG is ...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
What is the quickest way to heat mash / sparge water?
Using a propane burner, is one of the following methods quicker / more efficient than the other? If so why?
a) Heat 2.82 gallons of water from 70 degrees to boiling and then add 1.12 gallons of 70 ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
Contact time for sanitizing bottles with diversol
To sanitize bottles with diversol can I simply put the solution in a vinator, pump it into the bottle a couple of times and rinse?
Or does it require to soak in the bottles for 20 minutes?
4
votes
2answers
130 views
Is using brass ball valves safe?
I heard the other day that using brass in your brewery set-up is a bad idea?! well I have brass ball valves from the hardware store on all my kettles? I know that typical brass has lead in it but is ...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Boil size, ABU's and adding LME
I see version of this question has been asked, so apologies for the repeat but its never quite answered in the way I need.
I made a batch last night and noticed half way through the process that ...
3
votes
1answer
105 views
Does trub effect your gravity reading?
took a gravity reading today at the end of the transfer from the kettle and there was quite a bit of trub in the cylinder, like the whole flip'n tube. so would the trub hold the hydrometer up and give ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Using a March pump without a kettle valve
I'm thinking of buying a March pump, but my kettle doesn't have a hole in which I could install a valve.
Now, obviously, I could drill a hole and install a valve. But before I do that, how easy is it ...
0
votes
3answers
115 views
Mash process vs specialty grains
Everybody can buy a certain number of specilaty grains and combine them, but in a way it seems to me this way I will do something that someone else can do just replicating my grain choice. On the ...
0
votes
2answers
90 views
Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout- Cocoa or Nibs?
I'm looking to piece together a Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout recipe and I torn between using powdered cocoa late in the boil or cocoa nibs in secondary. Any suggestions?
Also, with either ...
1
vote
3answers
180 views
Hydrometer reading interference
When brewing an IPA about a week ago, my starting gravity reading came out to be 1.12 - significantly higher than the listed target of 1.07 on the recipe. I had suspicions of error at the time which I ...
1
vote
4answers
270 views
Why is there so much foam when I open the bottle?
I have a batch of beer, fermented and then bottled. When I open the bottle, there is a lot of foam and it flows out of the bottle for a while.
What could cause this? I assume it's too much CO2 and ...
7
votes
1answer
106 views
Does using a fining agent effect the flocculation of yeast?
I'm doing a series of smash beers all using the same yeast same temp same grain. I'm noticing a big variation in flocculation on the current batch (forgot the Irish moss oops) WLP001 by the way. Im ...
4
votes
2answers
91 views
How to avoid blowoff on a 1 gallon jug?
I'm experimenting with 1 gallon batches, and every single time I had a blowoff. So for the batch I brewed today I just put a bucket of sanitized water and a blowoff tube to start with since I know ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
Control Products 9102D Temperature Controller won't go below 50 degrees?
So I got a dual stage controller (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057APR3I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to hook up to a keezer that I am making. I got it wired up today and was ...
11
votes
8answers
1k views
Is it important to weigh down a hop bag for dry-hopping?
If so, what kind of weight should I use? Should it be enough to sink the bag to the bottom of the carboy?
