BeerTools Discussion Forum

I recommnend getting a fryer that has a stainless steel pot. I haven't used an aluminum pot so I don't know for sure, but aluminum pots have been linked to metallic off-flavors. I wouldn't take the chance. What material are the bottles made from? Don't worry too much about additives. You really don'...

I had spent the last hour typing and what I thought to be good advice, but I must have been timed out or something and it did NOT post. I'll try to collect my thoughts agian to tomorrow.

Nate

What equipment do you have? Do you have a stockpot that can serve as a brew kettle? If so how big is it? What kind of primary fermenter do you have? I'll do my best to help you out.

Nate

Specifically what numbers changed? Did your projected O.G. change? Did your IBU's change?... or ,did your 'agreement' percentage change?

Nate

It is possible that even though some flavor is lost to the ice you still will get more concentrated flavor. It is possible that the amount of flavor compounds that you loose will be drastically offset by the removal of much of the water. Thus you will get a more concetrated beer flavor, of course as...

I use a ten gallon igloo cooler as a mash tun. It works great. It holds heat really well. zymico.com has some products that may interest you??? I am not affiliated with the site in any way, aside from being a satisfied customer. I use the mash tun for 5 gallon batches hoping to switch to 10 gallon a...

I went all grain last summer. I bought a sabco keg conversion. I spent about $120 bucks for the keg, valve and spigot. I really like this set up. The drain is on the side of the keg. When you drain your wort after the boil there is about 1.5 gallons of wort left in the kettle. I set the calculations...

For a 5 gallon batch a 6.5 gallon bucket is standard. You want to make sure that you do have headspace because when the wort ferments you will have foam 'on top' of the wort. The size of the foam will probably vary from batch to batch, but an extra 1.5 gallons is usually sufficient.

Brook, Read, read and read. Keep in mind that many people brew from extract for months if not years before going brewing all-grain. There are reasons for this. I would strongly recommend reading Charlie Papazian's "New Joy of Homebrewing." He will take you through the steps. Also, byo.com ...

During fermentation yeast will produce heat. For example, I keep the ambient temp of my fermentation area at 65 degrees F. My ales ferment at 68-70 degrees which is great for the yeast strains that I use. The temperature that you use should depend on the yeast company's reccomendations for the speci...

This is just a guess, but if the beer wasn't fully fermented when you transferred it to the secondary it would still produce CO2. This will increase the pressure in the headspace above the beer/wort. As this pressure increases it will exert an increasing force on the sides of the vessel, top of the ...

Without knowing specifically what strain of yeast from which company you are using it is hard to say for certain what temperature is correct, however 72-74 sounds about right. What strain from what company are you using? If you are using a dry ale yeast you are probably alright. I know that Wyeast a...

I have tried, with some success generous portions of flaked barley, dextrine malt, and hops combined with low-carbonation. The flaked barley will help with giving the creamy head, the dextrine malt increases mouthfeel and head-retention, retaining good head is something everyone worries about. The h...

PipeMan, welcome to the hobby and site. I'm not sure what kind of experience you have brewing, but I really want to say something. I wouldn't worry so much about clarifying the wort as I would about sanitation, yeast selection, proper fermentation temperature... By my way of thinking the most import...

Thank you both for your replies. One last question. When I remove a portion of the mash to boil it do I take the grain with it?
Thanks again,
Nate