Recent content by darkrabbit

Thanks for the suggestions, all! Lots of ideas. It's quite a lot, probably 30kg total. I may take some and use in a stout, try it anyway. For IPA or hefe though these are past their prime I think... they're a bit 'chewy'. I actually have someone with chickens 2 houses down from me, I can see...

Hi all, I have a bunch of old grain I need to toss, or at least not use for beer. I made a few batches with it and it's pretty clear there's a quality difference. It's over 3 years old and has been through a few moves. Sealed bucket or not, I can't guarantee the temperature never changed...

@Kaz15 wow, that's insane! I feel like mine should be a bit bigger at this stage but I may have started late. We'll see what happens! My plan is to transplant this guy next year, which I MIGHT have to do mid season unfortunately because we're moving July 2021. Gotta make sure we do it right so...

Thanks all! Yeah this is cascade :) I might train the lower ones up the twine but ok I’ll let em grow!

Hi all. I’m growing hops for the first time and I think it’s been going really well! I was curious what I should do with these branches that are coming off the plant? I read somewhere they’re where the cones will grow but I don’t know if I want them growing so close to the ground...? Do I prune...

Sorry, yes it's a sour, kettle sour. I thought a pellicle forming was normal....

Hi, trying to figure out if this white stuff on top of my fruit (blueberry) is an infection or just pellicle? It's not all over the place just in spots. Fruit wasn't 'sanitized' but it was frozen fruit. Just wanted to see what the consensus is... Thanks

Thanks, I did some more searching last night and indeed this could very well be it! It makes a lot of sense because while I mash for 60min @ 156 let's say, reality is from the moment the water hits the grain to the moment I get to 168 it's more like 90 mins. -J

Update, my attenuation for the US-04 yeast is at 83% as of today. It's pretty much done fermenting, but again I am getting high numbers. I was reading a bit more about this phenomenon, and some ppl that had this issue linked it to mash out process. Mine is: - on mash completion, heat mash to...

Ok so I brewed yesterday and triple checked all my numbers. They're dead on. This time I got a 96% mash efficiency, digital and analog refractometer recalibrated, measured each 3 times for 3 different samples (distilled water, preboil grav, OG), ensured temp was around 90F for each one. I am...

Yep, it's controlled on the conical and I also use a swamp box for the fermonsters. 66F usually in the fermonsters as that's the ambient temperature of standing water in my basement. I add hot or cold water when I need to though depending what I want to do. For the conical it has a heat pad and...

I'll definitely change my sanitization for that one then, but I've only used it once and not in my conical, just in one of my 3 fermonsters. I think just to eliminate this as a possibility at all, even for other yeasts, I'll pick up some iodophor and use it for my next sanitation cycle. Maybe...

Thanks all for the replies! 150F - 156F depending on the beer. WLP001, WLP300, WY1318, WLP002, WY3711, WY1335, WLP820. All of the ones I've used so far same results. I think I've gone max 3 times so far. No more than that yet. And I rinse them quite well, there's almost no trub left when I...

Hi all, I am trying to figure out my attenuation numbers and why I am getting ~85% fairly consistently which it’s screwing up my recipes a bit in Beersmith. I use liquid yeasts only, and build my starters based on the number of cells BS estimates I’ll need. I store yeasts as well and reuse...

Hey all, I am putting together a JB which I'll use for a number of events year over year. I already have the taps and some other misc parts, I just don't have a cooler or SS coils. I don't want to rent as I can see this being used at least 4 times a year, maybe more. Kegs will be kept outside...