Recent content by Bones1948

Responses from a bunch of uneducated sots. I'm outa here.

"Sounds like he doesn't have great scientific knowledge" Of course the carbon dioxide and oxygen are miscible...if stirred! If not stirred, it requires time for them to misc according to the laws of dynamic pressure, kinetic theory, Bernoulli's Principle and scores of other laws and theories...

After carefully pondering the Blichmann brew instructions I have to say it makes sense on paper. However, it has been my experience the Blichmann instruct is overly simplified. It just doesn't work that easy. I can see where early-on and frequent dumping would help but still there remains...

The dump valve design: Too small an aperture to completely flush all the thick gooey trub. Flushes some of it but leaves much of it. That is my experience w/ the Blichmann. That valve should be re-designed w/ a minimally 2" inner diameter aperture. Introducing oxygen into the beer: Nope...

Ya don't have to soak the equipment with it. A one-time very fine mist of the booze mixture on the surface of anything is sufficient to instantaneously kill all living organisms it touches so I am assured there won't be any mishaps like I had w/ one batch of beer using Starsan sanitization...

For years I've enjoyed my Blichmann Fermenator and have always transferred to a secondary fermenter just like the brew instructions say to do. Several months ago I had a Duh-h-h! moment: The purpose of transferring into a secondary fermenter is to remove the beer off the sediment (trub)...

I wash all crud off everything until visibly clean then air-dry or dry w/ paper towel. I sanitize w/ spray mist of 50/50 mix of tap water/generic Everclear (Mohawk brand 95% alcohol, 11 bucks a liter). Nothing can live in it and there is not enough residual alcohol on the surface of the...

It's not the little bombs I'm worried about; it's the atomic bombs. Picture this: Coupla years ago Mother'n-Law opened a wire-bail bottle I sent her for Christmas resulting in Old Faithful spewing beer all over the ceiling. The next one did the same. "Extract does not store well". That's...

To clarify: 8oz dextrose water was the volume of water. It contained 4.5 oz by weight of Dextrose which is optimal for 5 gallons of American lager. However, by sloppy method I lost ~ 25% of the secondary juice before I added the dextrose. That, of course, means there is too much dextrose...

I looked up RIS. Is that similar to the Belgian Trappist Tripple Ales? Those are VERY difficult home brews. I failed at all 3 attempts. Just now rummaging thru my brewing inventory I found an Austin Homebrew Supply Alaskan Amber ale kit of same vintage as the Brooklyn Lager. The extract...

CORRECTION: Wife brought to my attention the 3-1-14 brew date ain't 3 and a half years ago, in reality it is 4 years 9 months ago!! I did indeed use the 4 year 9 month old smack pack. After activating it I noted it to swell so I put a few drops of it into some dextrose water and after a...

The recipe posted in The Professor's response is different than what I used 3.5 years ago. (I purposefully added less bittering because I don't care for hoppy beer) But, yes the 1/2 oz Hallertau was added to the secondary fermenter.

See my last response. There is no hint of hop in this beer so you IPA guys would not like this.

Airlock was removed 3.5 years ago when the bubbles ceased. Great ideas: What I'll do is rack a coupla-3 or 4 plastic soda bottles so to monitor carbonation by simply squeezing the the bottles. Also will monitor change in sp. gr. in 4th bottle. To make this more scientific I will fill an...

I normally use crown cap bottles. However, not knowing the live yeast population (in billions) and viability of the German Lager Wyeast in 1 tsp. of of the goo (which, before activation, is also 3.5 years old [but according to my microscopic sample is multiplying and producing CO2]) I am...