Recent content by Brewkowski

So I work in the hotel industry at an airport hotel and I'm the lucky guy who gets to run the food and beverage department and I'm looking to bring on a decent assortment of the local Chicago/burb beer. It's not a super happening night spot so I can't go crazy, and lets face it every weekend my...

I just finished the graphic novel volume where the prison attack went down, I think it's interesting the things that have deviated from the comic vs. series. I don't think any of this can count as spoilers since the prison thing happened right? For example, the way the governor looked was...

I was just at the library and decided to look to see if they have TWD graphic novels so I could start on them. Go figure, volume 1-5 were checked out, so I got 6 and 7, that shouldn't spoil anything right? When I started to page through it, Michonne was in the middle of f'ing a guy up really bad...

Ok, so who kidnapped Beth? Will Rick recognize the group that Daryl is with? Terminus seemed awfully quiet for being a place where everyone survives if they arrive, I'm thinking the greeter has a little Norman Bates thing going on and talks to dead people? Is the mullet man really heading to DC...

I've used some of them for part of a batch, personally I preferred the taste of the oak options from the local brew shop, they just seemed a little more harsh compared to other options. If it's what you have, I'd totally try it though, I mean worse case scenario you have to make a few batches...

I mashed at around 150 and let it rest for about 40 minutes. I thought about doing a protein rest, which I think I used to do around 120 or so, but I read that it wasn't necessary for partial mashing?? One thing that stood out to me was my Estimated OG was considerably higher than my actual...

I was going to start a thread to ask for help trouble shooting the cloudiness/haze in my beer, but I figured no use adding to the never ending of amount of first timer questions. Although I'm not a first timer, this is my first beer batch in maybe two years so I'm foggy on technique. Attached...

I'd take a gravity reading to see how far it has come, or how far it has to go.

I've made a few port style fruit wines, I used a typical brandy from a liquor store to fortify it, then aged it on some Hungarian oak. Technically you're supposed to start your fermentation and then pour in the brandy to fortify it to stop fermentation (kills yeasts due to high alcohol level)...

I thought Northern Brewer hops were the only hops used in making Anchor Steam ale, which might work nice for your recipe.

Big money big money, no whammy!!

7 day kit? I'm not familiar with any kits that would be "ready" in 7 days, most of the time fermentation can still be active at that point. I've heard some kits can be ready in 30 days or 6 weeks, but I've never used one. Wine making is a thing of patience, ever more so than brewing and I...

I think they're too stiff, but it's really just a personal preference. I think using real cork gives the bottle a chance to age better because it can get a small amount of air through the cork over the few months that I normally have it on the shelf. I know some people who are totally happy...

I've been using the double lever style corker for years and I don't really see a need for anything more, it might make things go faster if you're doing bigger batches and occasionally the corks aren't exactly the same depth but for my supply it's good. I think I use a size 8 cork, I don't like...

I've done plenty of both on rainy days, any idea of the reasons behind why not? Pressure or temperature fluctuations and back pressure or something?