Recent content by marcopolo

decant is a fancy word for pouring off the water/liquid and leaving the solid (yeast) mass

Very well done. Could someone please take this tutorial another step further and explain how to build up a starter for lagers and/or big beers, please ? I seem to have a mental block with that procedure, although I think that it is quite similar.

SORRY, I meant BEERSMITH not BREWSMITH...

I just wanted to give Brewsmith kudos for a few reasons : It's very easy to use when designing recipes, there are also a ton of recipes available via the website. You can also get free add-on/updates regarding ingredients, equipment and style guidelines. I recently downloaded the 2015...

I do both BIAB and also single infusion and occasionally a double decoction. Right now I'm doing mainly BIAB because it is less work, and I can also step mash via direct fire of the wort. I am also very close to finishing a (low tech) HERMS. I like to practice all the brewing techniques.

I highly recommend this class (if/when it is offered again). I have taken the class twice, and I still have issues remembering much of the technical material. However, there is a lot of reference material covered, & (more importantly), the class & study materials are archived, and I have access...

HEY EVERYONE, Just a reminder as hop growing season commences that dogs can die from eating hops ! They basically overheat from the inside-out and die. I forget the correct medical terminology, but I think it important that we all remember how dangerous hops are to our...

I've had similar hop-growing experiences. I have just added 7 giant bags of miracle grow veggie soil to my hop areas. I have tried to grow hops since 2008, and only 1 plant out of 5 really produced anything. Today I have 9 varieties (13 plants - about 8 are new rhizomes) - I just received...

In the beginning, I never measured gravity. Nowadays I take a lot of measurements & notes, but then I lose the paperwork & have no clue about what my notes said.

I am very intrigued with the whole CYBI podcasts on the Fullers ESB/London Pride. I just listened to both podcasts & then stumbled upon this particular thread. It amazes me that this thread was started about 5 years ago, and that it is still active ! I've never done a party-gyle mash, and the...

Thanks, Doug - I'll give this a shot. Appreciate the advice. Cheers ! :rockin:

The reason I ended up leaving so much wort in the brew kettle is because I used a keggle with a false bottom and the wort just stopped draining. I probably could've physically drained & strained the remaining wort to improve my efficiency. If I did that then I wouldn't have added so much extra...

how deep do you plant your rhizomes ? Do you amend your soil ?

Hello, I have a half dozen hop plants that I planted a few years ago, but 2/3rds of them barely grow. I suspect that I need to amend my soil, and that time is fast approaching. I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening, but I am determined to make this work. My plan is to dig up the...

Yeah, I know 17 Lbs is pretty huge for a 1060 beer. I think I can improve my efficiency, but I did like being able to basically steep all my grains & then just go into the boil in the same vessel. Plus the control of mash temp was pretty cool for me. I think there's a trade off with systems &...