Recent content by DrewBlue

The only point at which Carbon Monoxide is a threat is from the flame source during the boil (maybe the mash too, but it doesn't take nearly as long to heat a mash as it does to do a boil). Fermentation doesn't produce carbon monoxide, and I think that's what you're referring to. The problem...

Thanks to both of you for the replies. I didn't know about the vegetative/reproductive growth cutoff, so that is helpful knowledge. Actually, upon looking at it, it may be a Bull Shoot. Please see the attached pic and let me know what you think. Granted, the pic was taken a couple days after...

I have some third-year Cascades growing and my largest bine broke about 2'–3' from the crown. It has started to develop lateral shoots. I initially thought I would just train the lateral shoots. But then I read somewhere online that laterals can only grow so long (maybe 40") and that won't be...

Thanks for breaking it down for me, aj. Interesting to hear that replicating "historic" waters is maybe not really all it's cracked up to be. Would it be succinct to paraphrase your summary by saying that there are just established parameters within which the chemistry is favorable to the...

Thanks, this is helpful. So, what I'm gleaning from this in lay terms (aside from the partial grist test) is: go without the Lime, see what the pH is after the grain has a chance to balance out (chances are it'll be okay), if it's good, leave it alone and the flavor will be fine. If the pH is...

I apologize if this has already been posted before, but I couldn't find any pre-existing posts that directly addressed it... I just used the Bru'n Water spreadsheet for the first time for an upcoming mash, and thought I had everything dialed in (using Pickling Lime to raise my mash pH for a...

I'm trying to decide on what CO meter to buy. Does anyone know if the lower-cost model (Kidde) would work for my purpose, or is it inadequate? Is more expensive (Pyle) necessarily better in this case? I'd really like to hear the opinion of anyone who has experience with these…...

Just an update in case anyone stumbles upon this thread (because I hate when you're looking for info, and there is no followup and you're just left in suspense as to the outcome). It turned out great. It's now been in the bottle for seven months and no bottle bombs (carb is just right). The only...

At this point I'm inclined to do that, too. I'm looking forward to doing FFTs on my future brews though, so that was good experience. Thanks to all of you for the helpful guidance! :mug:

Okay, so I did the FFT, and I'm still confused... :confused: Here's how I did it: (Of course, sanitized everything), took a hydrometer sample (still at 1.029), transferred it to a pint-size mason jar, sprinkled a more than ample dose of both dry champagne yeast and baker's yeast, covered with...

Ah, I see. I found another post that said I can use any yeast with the goal of fully attenuating the sample, and then I can compare that vs. the attenuation percentage range on the type of yeast I used. In other words, the lowest my wort will go being 100%, and then calculating back from...

So if the wort, not the yeast determine the degree to which it is fermentable, can I do a forced fermentation test with any brewing yeast, or do I have to use the same yeast i used for fermentation?

I've had an extract Old Ale in primary for three weeks. Starting at 1.080, I was expecting a FG of 1.020-1.023 based on this yeast (Wyeast 1318). A week ago it was at 1.030. At that time I roused the yeast, bundled it up, and turned the heat up a couple degrees. I checked tonight and it's still...

Ha! A few of them really taste good. But a couple of them are so high in iron that they taste like liquified metal... The Native Americans considered these waters holy, and in the Victorian Era they were used to treat various maladies. In the early 20th Century it was bottled and sold here and...

Thanks for the input, everyone. Taking a closer look (I was specifically focusing on the Twin Spring), even the Magnesium level is about three times the high end of the optimal range for brewing. Maybe the guy who makes an IPA with it just uses a tiny amount so he can advertise it as being "made...