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It's been almost five years exactly since I brewed my first batch of beer on a frigid December day in 2016. I fell in love. I brewed almost every other week, joined up with two local clubs, competed beers in about a half dozen competitions, read books, read forums, listened to podcasts, ran...

I'm wanting to brew a dopppelbock. With my current grain bill, the estimated og and fg, the final ABV will be an estimated 11.3%. I'm struggling to find any lager yeast that is listed as tolerating an ABV this high. I plan on doing a big starter, doing cell counts under a microscope, hitting the...

If human civilization was to collapse, what three yeast strains would you want to take with you to ride out the apocalypse in case you survive and begin brewing again?

So I'm coming up on 2 years since I got into this hobby. I've done 43 batches as of last week, 4 extract, 1 partial, and the rest all-grain BIAB. I've won a few medals out of some of these and hope to win more with a bos at least some time in the future. So far everything I've done has been...

Plan on brewing a Grodziskie. I'll be using 7lbs of oak smoked pale wheat malt with 0.5 lbs carapils. A neutral strain was recommended but after stumbling across Denny's Favorite 50 it was said to be a more malt forward strain. Is this an appropriate strain for the style I am brewing?

I brewed this Amber Ale a while back. It wound up going sour on me but I let it ride and kegged it anyway. It has wound up being my favorite homebrew yet. I've been hesitant about pulling it from the tap because I doubt I will ever be able to replicate it and it tastes so GOOD! Welp I'm nearing...

So I’ve been using a whirlpool paddle attached to a drill to whip and aerate my wort once cooled below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Link is http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Brewing_Paddle_Ultimate_Whirlpool_Paddle.html Yesterday I brewed a Schwarzbier and whipped that thing around like...

So I got this for Christmas. It’s an unused 20 L American White Oak barrel. I was wanting to use it for lambics, but it has been suggested that I age a few beers inside it first to extract some of the oak character from it so it doesn’t overpower the beer. I was curious as to what styles are...

I was gifted a 5 gallon barrel for Christmas. I will be fermenting and aging a Lambic in it. I typically do 5 gallon batches in 7 gallon stainless steel. How much headspace should I have in the barrel for fermentation and aging?

But it actually tastes pretty good. Other than the taste there is no other sign of infection. I've waited almost 4 weeks to see if it was just an off flavor the yeast would clean up but it's still there. If I want to keep it, what is the proper protocol moving forward from this point?

I've been brewing about 9 months now and have done about a dozen or so all-grain batches with BIAB? Every single recipe I've done my efficiency has been 75%-80% which I'm fine with, but my beers always finish lower than the the expected gravity. Here's some details from my latest which is a...

For the more experienced brewers out there who have been around the game longer, how did home brewing used to go? This is coming from someone who started in January this year and has only 18 batches thus far? I'm talking about 20, 30, 40 years ago or more. How did you get ingredients? Was it...

Background : So this past weekend I brewed a smoked porter. For reference it is the recipe in Brewing Classic Styles. OG called for 1.065. I do BIAB and managed to achieve a 1.073. The recipe calls for 2.5 liquid packets(which I equate to 250 billion cells), but I made a starter using Thames...

Took a bronze with a score of 37.

Has anyone else found this to be true?I've just barely started kegging with only two batches kegging thus far. Kegged my first batch about two weeks ago and we tapped it last night, on the other side I've still got bottles from 6 batches ago stored away. Do you guys find you flow through kegs...

This post is both a review and inquiry into issues. So this is my set up here. First I must say that I love everything I've gotten from them so far. I only started brewing in December. Initially I was going to go the regular route with basic equipment, but I stumbled across the SS Brew Bucket...

It was my fifth batch, second lager, and first all-grain. I did BIAB on the porch of my apartment. It was a Rauchbier recipe. OG came in at 1.051 at 5.25 gallons with 77% efficiency. Was pretty stoked about it. I felt like a kid before Christmas I couldn't sleep. Started prepping at 6am. By the...

When is it best to use secondary fermentation if at all? Everything I've heard from more senior brewers always recommend racking to a secondary for at least some reason. I know doing primary only has gained quite a bit of popularity, with most brewers seeming to do a mix of the two; only using...

So I just bottled my first batch. I brewed an American Amber. I did 10 days in the primary, cold crashed for 3 days, and bottled. I purchased an SS Brew Bucket for fermentation with the FTSs temp regulator. For cold crashing, due to the freezing temperatures we've had, I stored it outside...

So we've had one of the most frigid winters in 30 years here. It's my first time brewing with the SS Brew Bucket and the FTSS temp controller. Fantastic products so far. My question is, would it be possible for me to cold crash outside and keep the brew heated at 35° F with hot water and an...