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  1. Birrus

    Low OG - Efficiency Issues

    I stand corrected. Interesting reading. Thank you. 😉 I assume one of the solutions in cases like this would be having a larger pre-boil volume then, and boiling for longer. Any ballpark idea of the percentage difference when brewing only 5 gallons? I ask because I have not noticed it, but then...
  2. Birrus

    Low OG - Efficiency Issues

    It is my understanding the efficiency is not dependent on grain bill size, but equipment and process instead. Efficiency remains the same for a system regardless of the grain bill. It would only need to be adjusted for changes in process and/or equipment profile.
  3. Birrus

    Low OG - Efficiency Issues

    BIAB is the only method I've used since switching to AG 4 years ago. I agree with everything that's been said. Finer crush translates into higher efficiency. If buying a mill is not in your plans (I don't own one), simply ask the LHBS to crush the grains differently for you. Mashing for longer...
  4. Birrus

    Consistency, Efficiency, and Squeezing the Bag

    What they've said. Assuming conversion is done, if you thoroughly mix the wort before pulling the bag out, gravity should be uniform throughout the mash; and how much you squeeze the bag should not change this. On a side note; consistency is achieved by following the same routine every time you...
  5. Birrus

    Brett in secondary for a 10% ABV beer?

    Hey guys, just a quick update for those interested. After 5 months, I measured gravity last week, and it is already @ 1.006; I don't think I ever mentioned the original Wee Heavy ended up @ 1.019. A nice white pellicle is covering the surface of the beer, and it smells wonderful. As far as taste...
  6. Birrus

    Lager Fermentation woes

    I don't think 58 F is "cold" for pitching lager yeast; I'd say it's actually rather warm, especially considering zee Germans (and myself, although German I'm not), pitch as cold as 41 F. As far as never lowering the temp during fermentation, those homebrewers in the "warm pitch camp" swear by...
  7. Birrus

    Lager Fermentation woes

    Okay, if you pitched 2 packs of yeast @ 58 F, have the fermentation temp set to 51 F (within normal range for this strain), and after 3 days the gravity has not changed at all, you may have a problem. Hard to pinpoint exactly what that is, since many things could go wrong, but I lean towards it...
  8. Birrus

    Brett in secondary for a 10% ABV beer?

    Thank you all. Sweetcell, the result of your barleywine gives me hope. It looks like all I have to do is wait. Btw, I had a sour party all by myself, and dumped dregs from 4 bottles of Petrus Oud Bruin in there, ;). Let's see what comes out of it.
  9. Birrus

    Brett in secondary for a 10% ABV beer?

    Thank you for that. The beer is dark, but not roasty nor highly hopped, as you very well assumed. I actually dialed down the Roasted Barley when I decided to go the Belgian route for the Wee beer, and according to calculations, the IBU were around 30 originally, (and 8 months of ageing most...
  10. Birrus

    Brett in secondary for a 10% ABV beer?

    Thank you all very much for your input. I apologise it took me a while to reply, but I was out of commission for a few days. At this point I think I'll follow OldDogBrewing advice, and will leave it alone for a few months. I'll add the bottle dregs from every sour I drink from now on, in an...
  11. Birrus

    Brett in secondary for a 10% ABV beer?

    Hello folks, will inoculating a 10% beer after fermentation with Brett work? I brewed and kegged a Scottish Quad (a wee heavy kit I bought and fermented with Belgian yeast) in January, and 7 months later I still had 4 gallons of it. It wasn't bad at all, but Florida and 10% ABV beer somehow do...
  12. Birrus

    All grain problems

    I assume that your house being on a "well" means you have no access to municipal treated water. If that's the case, you can always send a sample of your well water to a lab, to determine if it's "usable", and what type of filtering needs to be done. If you insist in using RO water, remember the...
  13. Birrus

    Northern Brewer Support (or lack of)

    OK, according to what you are saying, it is the shipping industry who eliminated the free option. I did not know that, hence my remark at the end: "I do not understand what could possibly have happened." And you sound mad, in these times more than ever: RAHAHB. :)
  14. Birrus

    Northern Brewer Support (or lack of)

    Northern Brewers' website states, and I quote verbatim: "FREE SHIPPING is Temporarily Unavailable Due to High Demand". I am struggling to understand how high demand equates to the suspension of free shipping; in my mind it would bring exactly the opposite as a result: More business, more profits...
  15. Birrus

    Grain Brewing in 5 Gal Kettle for a 5 Gal Batch?

    I used a 5 gallons SS pot for over a year, employing the BIAB (Brew in a Bag) method, while brewing AG. RM-MN superbly explained what BIAB is, but you can always do some research, plenty of resources online, if you finally decide to go this way; it is indeed a thing of beauty. I adjusted my...
  16. Birrus

    Bottling 24 hours after priming.

    I didn't notice any difference whatsoever between the original and the late capped batches. I have to say though I just tried a couple of random bottles from each batch to test carbonation levels, and didn't do a side by side comparison, but they were identical in my opinion. Thank you.
  17. Birrus

    Bottling 24 hours after priming.

    Well, in case anybody is interested, the beer carbonated just fine. I bought the capper and finished the job 24 hours after adding the priming sugar. Apparently there's plenty still for the yeast to eat after this time. Thank you.
  18. Birrus

    Bottling 24 hours after priming.

    Hello everyone. I have read related posts but haven't found the answer to this particular question. My capper broke yesterday while bottling a batch with 32 bottles still left uncapped (will have two cappers at home from now on). I left the beer in the bottles and covered them the best I could...
  19. Birrus

    Who inverts bottles after a few days?

    I believe inverting the bottles is unnecessary, the yeast will do it's work regardless; keep in mind the yeast actively working on your priming sugar is mostly the one suspended in the beer (which it's always there in a greater or lesser degree, unless the beer is filtered and/or pasteurized)...
  20. Birrus

    Yeast starter not fermenting

    Hello everyone. My Wyeast 1214 yeast seems to be DOA. It was delivered 5 days after shipping, and the pack was hot as a beach model. 6 hours after smacking the pack it showed no signs of swelling. I still tried to make a starter but this is what it looks l like after 12 hours. No signs of...
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