BeerTools Discussion Forum

Thank you all for the advice. Unfortunately, my wife plans on working weekends, with me in charge of the child. I'm just going to have to find a way to brew & babysit simultaneously, which shouldn't be too hard, since newborns just sleep all the time right??? right????. So now, not only will the kit...

I used it in a blackberry wheat last year w/ good results. If you are planning on brewing an "orthodox" American Wheat, then I'd say go ahead and use it. You can always tweak the next batch if you feel the need to. Check out the descriptions at the Wyeast home page; http://www.wyeastlab.com/beprlist...

I typically spend about 4-5 hrs making a 10gallon all-grain batch. Here's how I save time: 1) Grind the night before brewing. Not does this save time, but it prevents airborne grain flour yuckies from infecting your beer. I find that the grain stays fresh enough in a sealed bucket. 2) Start the wate...

I just kegged a witbier (fermented 10days, then 2weeks in the secondary). It was so good that I drank a pitcher of it flat, right out of the secondary....... I'm so ashamed.

I've been kegging since last October with good results. Like Mesa said, your sediment will come with the first couple beers, unless you are like me a tend to tap the barrel a little early. I also carbonate naturally, but I also like to use a little CO2 to purge (most) the O2 from the keg (add a litt...

Just for fun, I made milkshakes out of vanilla ice cream, DME, and a handful of kellog's "Smart Start" cereal. It was great!!!! Also, we made shakes out of vanilla ice cream and imperial stout. Also good.

As far as I can tell, Mexican beer styles are copies of pre-existing styles. For example.. Negra Modelo & Dos Equis are Vienna Lagers, and Corona is listed as an American Light/Standard/Premium Lager in the BJCP guidelines. If anyone wants to check out the guidelines, let me know, I can email them t...

I disagree.... making a beer that everyone can enjoy is not dull, but can be quite a challenge. My neighbors enjoy Light American Lagers (i.e. Coors, Bud, Old Mill, etc) and tend to get a little turned off by say... an imperial stout or IPA. As for me.... during the Summer months, I enjoy a lighter ...

Since you observed activity after you prepared the starter, I guess the question becomes "do feel confident" that your sanitary practices did not allow contaminants to start gobbling up your yeast starter. In other word, did you observe yeast activity or a bacterial frenzy. My bet is that you are OK...

The way to increase your alcohol level is to add more fermentable sugar. I agree with the other posts that flavor is paramount, so I'd prefer to use more grains (or extracts) but..... if you feel the need to boost the beer, why not do as the belgians do, and add Belgian Candi Sugar. The clear type a...

"Cave Brewing" sounds cool, but I can appreciate your problem. I'm afraid that "vapor" is a common problem among beer lovers, It's difficult to overcome but not impossible with some dietary changes and a little restraint. But seriously; When you convert water into steam, it has to go somewhere, and ...

Unfortunately, our note taking was pretty much free-form. If we do it again, I think I'll spend a little more time writing down my impressions of the different varieties. To sum it up though, we each got an idea of what we liked, disliked, or could take or leave. Some notable favorites of mine were ...

To answer your inquiry... I like pellets. They are easy to use and you don't have to worry about straining (or burning nylon bags). Understand though, that there is no easy answer to your overall question. The "problem" is that there are so many quality ingredients available to homebrewers that it i...

Yes you can use you bottling bucket as a temporary holding tank until you get your carboy cleaned out, but you'll want to be very clean about it. In it's current state, your beer is not as susceptable to infection as it was after the boil, the amount of alcoholand CO2 in your beer makes for a somewh...

For almost a year, I bought equipment & ingredients from mail order companies like homebrew.com and stpats.com. In the meantime, I'd stop on occasion at a small homebrew shop about 30mi from my home (when I was in the area). The fellow who ran it didn't stock many beer ingredients but he kept tellin...