Recent content by hikemor

Some bottles have smaller "lobes" below the lip which means the capper is more fully depressed before it engages. I had this problem with Dos Equis bottles IIRC. As others have said, I also have had good results with Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada bottles.

Thanks.

Thread hijacking with another water treatment question: I want to address chloramines in my brew water. My city reports a chloramine level of 3.79 mg/l. I have a 2 oz (weight) bottle of powdered potassium metabisulfite from LD Carlson. The directions recommend 1/4 tsp per 6 gallon of must to...

Over the short time I have been brewing, I have settled on house pale ale and english bitter recipes that I brew ½ to ⅔ of the time. These give me drinkable, inexpensive beers. The rest of the time, I experiment with other ale styles. Just finished drinking a batch of pale ale and...

How much did you aerate? I've had US-05 start slow because I don't think I aerated enough.

^^ Thanks for the suggestion of using cornmeal. I've used instant rice from the grocery in other recipes. Also, Cluster to bitter and Tettnanger for flavor sounds really good.

I brewed a cream ale a couple of months ago. The flaked corn per unit was more than the 6-row at my LHBS. It was an experiment but I don't think I will bother with "cheap" adjuncts again when I can make a simple pale ale for less. Used Perle for bittering and flavor and it came out well. If...

Nominated for the Best Hemmingway-style Post in a Beer Forum Competition. :tank:

Update on the recipe posted in Post #9: Started drinking this weekend. Matches the style well. Subtle malt and hops. Corn flavor is present but not overpowering. I think Perle is a good hop choice but any noble/noble-derived hop would do. Next time I would up the 60 min. hop addition by .25...

Sounds like you are brewing partial boils using extract. When you pitch your yeast you want two things: the right volume (e.g. 5+ gallons) and the right temperature for your yeast (65-70F, YMMV). How you get there is up to you. The wort is most vulnerable to infection when cooling from...

I use the sanitize cycle on my dishwasher also. Says "antibacterial", actually. No detergent/sanitizer in the dishwasher. Inspect and clean the bottles beforehand.

Here is an old thread with positive comments on WLP080: www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/anyone-use-wlp-080-cream-ale-yeast-70695/ One quoted recipe used Fuggles (could use Williamette) and Saaz for hopping ... more options.

IMO Cascade and Citra will not complement a cream ale well - too citrusy. Noble/noble-derived hops are usually recommended for cream ales so Liberty and Mt. Hood should be good choices. As it happens, I just brewed a partial mash cream ale a couple of days ago: 2.5 lb. American 6-row 1 lb...

For this batch: It is fermenting and you are making beer. Let it ferment for another week or two. Check FG with a hydrometer (see below). Bottle it using corn sugar or table sugar to prime: approx. .8 oz (1/8 cup for 1 gallon). Use an online calculator if you want to be more accurate. Don't...

I am assuming you are talking about the screw off type caps. I tried it once but the top did not seal well and the beer did not carb. I think the secret is the little ring that is left at the bottom of the cap when it is opened. I believe this is crimped at the factory to provide a good...