Recent content by DoctorWho

Just wanted to say, I made this for a friend who doesn't drink (I know, right!!!) and it was a hit. I also highly enjoyed it and will be making it again. Thanks for sharing chickenetti!

Two things will happen(assuming ideal conditions:) 1)It will carb naturally in the keg, but it will be hard to tell when it has reached the proper psi (without hooking it up to the regulator) 2)It will eventually level out to serving psi unless you force more C02 or let it come to room...

Did you add priming sugar to each bottle individually or to the main jug? When you added the priming sugar, did you dissolve it in water or stir the cider after adding it? What you describe seems like the sugar may have just gone to the bottom of the jug and as you poured it the first few...

I'll just throw in my two cents... DON'T dump this out. I had a similar spontaneous infection that a microbiologist friend confirmed was brettanomyces (looked very similar to yours.) I siphoned off from underneath being careful not to get any of the skin on top and let that secondary for a...

If you are using Starsan and water mixed to the right ratio, you don't need to worry about if any gets into your cider as it's food grade (which is why brewers use it.) But like collitchboy said, something is causing the pressure in the carboy to drop, pulling in the fluid. Try to figure that...

Club soda is slightly different from seltzer water. Club soda has mineral-like ingredients added to enhance the flavor. Usually potassium bicarbonate and/or potassium sulfate. It's not much of a difference in taste, IMHO. If you are looking for club soda you can just add a little baking...

If you used "ReaLemon" juice that does have preservatives (two kinds of sulfites.) I use this stuff in the skeeter pee recipe on this site and you have to make a double starter and let the water/sugar/juice mixture sit for a day or two to let the preservatives off gas. Did the lemon soda ever...

For Skeeter Pee (thanks Lon) it's about a month from start to finish, if you use fining agents or don't mind drinking it slightly hazy. I let it clear naturally, so that takes about 3 weeks extra, so just a 2 months. I highly recommend it!

During my long tour of bottling in corona bottles, I have used both a wing capper (until I broke it. It was the red plastic variety) and a bench capper (Ferrari Super Agata Bench Capper.) I never had any problems with both, but the wing capper is harder to judge how much pressure to use. I...

I'm not going to say it didn't take some time, but it was stress free for me. Just soak and rinse. Then repeat 50 times! Now I have perfectly clear reusable bottles and you'd better believe I don't give those away. :rockin:

I use corona bottles all the time, but mostly for hard lemonades. I have bottled a few ciders in them and like everyone said, it's the oils in the hops that break down due to UV exposure. I have some that have had cider in a them for over 4 months (in my closet) and they taste fine. An easy...

Skeeter Pee is a great summer (or anytime:cross:) drink. Cheap, easy to brew, 11% ABV that you can't taste at all, and tastes great with no ageing. I have been making it for a while now, and its easy to tweak flavours by adding frozen fruit in the secondary. You should check it out...

I am in Manhattan, Morningside area. Really love it here and there is a home-brew club that meets at 96th street that I am so glad I found out about- "Dive Bar Homebrew Symposium!" If you have another place to store your bottles, I say do it up. Especially with the meads/melomels and their...

Not so much a phobia, but I felt like you about the waste of an empty carboy, especially given the age time needed in ciders. However, let me offer some advice from a guy who went the way you suggest (overboard.) I live in a small apartment in NYC and for about a year I have never had an...

Couple of things that I know. 1.) Honey as a fermentable sugar takes much longer to break down into usable sugar for the yeast to consume. Also, Apple Juice does not have the same natural yeast nutrients that beer grains do. Both of these will cause the slow fermentation. I wouldn't worry...