Recent content by Maybenaut

I used a kit (everything was premeadured). I fermented at 70 degrees (obsessively adjusting the ambient temp to keep the brew at 70). But I didn't leave the bottles in the fridge for that long (only about a day). I'll try that. Thanks for the tip!

And as I'm learning, sometimes you have to keep waiting. My first batch should have been done a couple of weeks ago, but it's over-carbonated at the moment; tastes OK, but the feel is wrong. It's been in the bottle nearly a month, but just doesn't feel "ready." Like I said, it doesn't taste...

I just opened my first brew in 15 years or so just the other day (an American Amber), so I know the feeling. That looks great! My second batch (an American Pale Ale) is in the primary (I'm going to skip the secondary this time around), and it'll be ready to bottle in another week or so. Love...

This is what I keep telling myself. They didn't have hydrometers in the Middle Ages. They didn't have Star San in the Middle Ages. They didn't understand the science of fermentation in the Middle Ages. But they still managed to brew beer.

I'd love to keg (and lager) but we have limited space so I don't have room for the refrigeration. So I'm stuck with bottling for the moment. It's OK, though. One nice thing about bottling is I can always give it away if it's taking up too much room. I can brew a new flavor every week and I'm...

Just cracked open my first bottle from my first batch in 15 years. Made an American Amber from Brewers Best ingredient kit. When I bottled, I had a little left over from a 5 gal. batch after filling 48 12oz bottles, so I put the last little bit in a 20oz plastic coke bottle. That's what I...

So how long does it take? I've seen a few days to a few weeks...

Thanks, all... This was very helpful. This is one of those batches where it seemed like everything went wrong. I had my syphon too far down into the wort and clogged it with trub when I was transferring to the primary; poured the rest, but a *lot* of trub went into the brew. I left the brew...

I have a Brewers Best kit. It says in the instructions that you can rack to a secondary, but includes this warning: "When the fermentation slows (5-7 days), but before it completes, simply transfer the beer into the carboy and allow fermentation to finish in the ‘secondary’." The...

Thanks!

Oh, and I measured the G today at 70 degrees (don't know if that matters).

I brewed a batch of Brewers Best American Amber Ale. Brew day was 2 March. Instructions said OG should be between 1.050 and 1.054. My OG was 1.043. BUT I don't know if I measured it right. I *think* the temp was around 65 when I measured the OG, but I don't know for sure. Also, I forgot to...

I (re)learned that the temperature really does rise during fermentation. I had the heat set at 70, and after I chilled the wort down and added cold water, it was about 65 degrees in the primary. The next day the thermometer on the primary said 70 and I thought, great, that's about what I want...

Yeah, she would. Plus everything else you own...

Thanks, ya'll. I have my first batch in over fifteen years in the bucket right now. First 48 hrs, nada. Next 24, happy, consistent gurgles. Now nothing again. I'm not going to worry about it.