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I brewed up a Northern Brewer Imperial Stout extract kit a couple of days ago, (OG - 1.08) using 2 packs of Safale S-04 yeast. I'm glad I attached a blow off tube, because it boiled off about half a gallon of foam over the next two days. While it was fermenting I looked at the post-ferment...

I believe I read somewhere a recommendation to use a metal paint tray, instead of plastic, to allow sanitized items to drip dry; the slant in the paint tray helps in that. But I've found that starsan corrodes aluminum something fierce, and I'm wondering if I got it wrong, and the recommendation...

A slew of recent studies have been published indicating that all that intestinal flora and fauna is good for not only our physical well-being, but our mental well-being as well, and that got me wondering if my daily drink or two (who's counting) of beer might be bad for my intestinal microbiome...

My brain short-circuited again, and I siphoned my wort into the bottling bucket with the conditioning sugar before I remembered to check FG. Here are the particulars: An all-grain IPA from a regional brew shop. The OG was 1.059@67F. The ersatz FG was 1.06@68F. ("Wait," I said, "That can't...

I started a batch of Northern Brewer Ferocious IPA on April 27th. It fermented ferociously for about a week, but kept on working appreciably for almost a month. On May 27th it had slowed down to approximately one bubble per minute in the airlock, so I added the dry hops, thinking I'd bottle in a...

Yesterday I started an extract ale kit that I bought from a brew supply store back in November of last year. I steeped the grain, brought the liquid to a boil, then opened the six lb bucket of LME and prepared to dump it in. But surprise, there was a spot of mold on top of the LME. On closer...

I've been reading Papazian's "Complete Joy of Home Brewing" and Palmer's "How to Brew" in an attempt to make some sense of kit instructions, and I am now suffering from information overload. Both books give a cursory overview of the diacetyl "butterscotch" flavor, but neither book goes into the...

I've gone through the forums reading all the pumpkin ale recipes in preparation for making the NB Smashing Pumpkin Ale that I have on order, and have a question I haven't found an answer to. I'm using 3 15-oz cans of pumpkin, so I ordered 3 lbs of Rahr 6-row as NB suggested. The NB site has a...

The home brew setup my wife bought me last Christmas included a blow-off tube, which, after nine batches of beer, was still unused. I was beginning to think Northern Brewer had taken my wife for a sucker and sold her an unnecessary item. But Monday I started a Porter kit with Nottingham yeast...

Made my first beer ever, Block Party Amber from NB, on Jan 15th of this year. Bottled it on Feb 7th. Drank a bottle on Feb. 21st. It was very good, not great, but very good. Served some to guests on March 12th, and they all raved about it. (I have nice friends, or at least ones that appreciate...

Hi, I started a White House Honey Porter kit from Northern Brewer two and a half weeks ago. The OG was 1.054. The Nottingham ale yeast took off right away, and worked hard for several days, then slowed down and quit working about a week ago. So on the 24th and 26th I checked the gravity, and it...

I want to brew a batch of AoS Black IPA for my son's college graduation party in June. He loves IPAs, so I want it to be at it's prime. I'm trying to figure out when to start it. The instructions that came with the extract kit are not very helpful. At the very beginning, second paragraph, they...

Checked the SG in my first beer brew ever (Block Party Amber Ale), and it's gone from 1.044 OG to 1.011 SG. I opted to drink the test beer, and was surprised to find that it tasted, well, not good. It's still very cloudy, and has a thin layer of what look like the hops floating on top (I...

More noob questions: I've read in here that many of you place your freshly bottled beer in plastic storage boxes to make it easier to clean up after any possible bottle bombs. I checked out some storage boxes at local stores, but didn't find one that had the right dimensions for a case of beer...

I am a week into my first brew (Block Party Amber Ale). I have read many reports, in this forum and elsewhere, that one can expect the working yeast to raise the temperature of the wort up to ten degrees. I added yeast to my primary when the wort temperature was between 64 and 65F degrees. (The...

I've searched the Homebrewers Association list with no luck, and any links to clubs down here on the Southern Oregon Coast seem to be inactive. I'm just starting out and would love to get in touch with some folks who are into the brewing scene.

I've yet to start my first brew. Call me a nervous Nellie, but I want to be sure I have all my ducks in a row before I start. I've still got to pick up a few things to complete my starting gear, but I'm thinking I'll bite the bullet and start boiling water tomorrow morning. But I have this...

Hi, I'm a rank beginner, starting with a Block Party Amber Ale from Northern Brewers. I have a question that the brewing books I've read (Palmer's "How to Brew," and J. and D. Fisher's "Brewing Made Easy") don't really address, and I've searched the site here without finding what I'm looking...

Hi all, Another rank amateur here. My wife bought me the gear to start home brewing for Christmas, so I guess there's no way out now. :>) I've been studying up, and I'm almost ready to start with the Block Party Amber Ale she got me, but I'm here because I have questions. So I'm off to the...