Recent content by StusBrew

I've heard mixed things. I guess depends on mazer or preferences right? I've heard to forego ferm k, but use ferm o instead. And have also heard you can use DAP or not use DAP. The only thing I can do is to make more of it. To see? The difference between Ferm O and Ferm K is that Ferm O is...

I measured 1.136 for O.G. Kind of a bummer. Could only find wildflower honey. Trying for a sweet mead. 18 lb. of it! Excited, mostly because I've been brewing ales. For the last two autumns, made cider once a year. So brewing beer, depending on process could take 3 - 6 hours or more. I...

So if bourbon is already aged in wood barrels, but then soaking more oak in bourbon...Doesn't seem like it would take much more oak to get what you want. Curious now. What about just soaking oak in bourbon, then using a Scottish Ale yeast strain to get some of that Scotch character?

So...It's been exactly 2 weeks since brewed it. It was pretty vigorous fermentation for 2 days, maybe 3 days. I had blow off tubing on it in basement at 67 or 68 degrees F. At end of day 2 it looked a little slower. So took off blow off tubing, inserted airlock and hauled it upstairs to...

Well, day 2. Still going strong. Testing temps. around the "Ponderosa". Nothing higher than 69 right now (ugh... 69 is equivalent to like 666 or someting right. Just opposite. Whatever!) What is wrong with me? It's like 10:45 p.m. right now and 73 degrees F right now. I've been...

So, it's been ??? since put this post. It's now July 22, 2013. Finally brewed it yesterday. 13 lb. Weyermann Pilsner, 3.5 lb. table sugar. 90 minute mash. 90 minute boil. Approximately 3 Liter starter of Wyeast Abbey Ale II instead of the Wyeast Belgian Strong Ale strain. Recipe from J.Z...

Okay. Thanks. I guess I English sparge. I mash, drain. Add sparge water, sit 10 minutes or so after stirring, drain.

Or maybe (just occured to me), mash enough for 5 gallons or whatever your batch size is, and that's it?

What's an English sparge? I could Google or Bing it but...I figure let's see from home brewer's forum?! If it's 'quick sparge', kind of thinking batch sparge or no sparge or something.

I was at a brew supply store today. Getting 1" blow-off tubing and priming sugar. ALMOST bought a package of newer yeast and start over. We'll see. I brewed a California Common style beer 4 weeks ago but need to bottle it. anyway, made a starter and it was the california lager from Wyeast...

I checked gravity a half hour or so after posting this last night. Was 1.042 ish. Slightly below that mark so probably 1.041 maybe. So I took off sandwich bag (out of tin foil and amazing how bad you need things when they're not there. Really tin foil!!!) Stirred really good to oxygenate...

So....Was planning on brewing a BGSA Sunday. Got a lot going on and kind of wishing I was going to do an extract version or something. Oh well. Well, I was 'oh well' until I started questioning my starter last night and today. Now it's beyond 'oh well', but I can't get too worked up. I...

Hey all, So going to try a steam beer. Using the California lager from Wyeast. Went through brew day just fine. Pitched yeast. And being the creepy guy that I am; had to go watch to see if the yeast were "active". Nothing! Ever since I went all-grain, I've been making yeast starters and...

Gueze indeed. Awesome. Though wish I could have tasted it!

FWIW, I have used both yeastcalc.com and mrmalty.com. You get different numbers from both. So that tells me right there that these pitching rate calculators are an approximation. I use both when I get ready to brew or to get a starter ready. I get it in the ball park. Each time I manage to...