Recent content by NonServiam

Thanks for the replies, guys. It's pretty unlikely that I mis-measured the ingredients, just because of the way they were packaged -- even if I had screwed up the tare function, I couldn't have been off by much, because I know how many bags I used. So the unmixed top-off water theory seems more...

I just brewed a partial mash version of BierMuncher's Black Perl Porter. This was my second time brewing this beer; the first time went perfectly. This time, however, I'm getting some ridiculous gravity readings for the OG, and I just wanted to check with you guys that they couldn't possibly be...

I literally use a coat hanger. Just make sure it has NO PAINT ON IT (that sucked), break it into two or three pieces, and bend them to the desired shape. They go right on the burner, between the element and whatever your heating. Works really well at preventing scorching, both in the flask and...

This was an experiment to see what Argentine Cascades are like, and also my first stovetop all-grain. The result is strange but drinkable. The aroma really pops. In retrospect, I would tone down the Argentine Cascades a bit -- as brewed, the aftertaste can have an almost aspirin-like bitterness...

Can I assume that the secondary was a bucket, or is there some trick to getting a 4 pound bag of strawberries into and out of a carboy?

My partial mash version of this recipe (two pages up in this thread) turned out freaking great! Thanks BM! I chose this recipe as the first one for my new kegging setup, and it came out beautifully. The first pour was crystal clear! Anyway, just wanted to show it off :)... and also...

As I understand it, 12 psi is 12 psi regardless of the volume occupied, and so it should have worked. You're sure the regulator and tank were open the whole time?

That's very interesting. Ah, I see. So you're basically just pressurizing the gas line up to the disconnect, and since that is a much smaller volume, it will settle on whatever the cold-temperature equilibrium is much faster. Cool.

OK, cool, so it doesn't seem to be unusual -- I'd just never heard of it in my pre-kegging research. I've already bumped the output back up to 12psi. I'm curious about the mechanism behind this, though. Is it just the thermodynamics of the keg-side gas, or does the regulator's diaphram get...

I was thinking about that, but since the regulator is open, wouldn't new gas immediately flow in from the tank, maintaining a constant pressure of 12psi as the beer absorbs co2? I thought that was the whole point of the set-and-forget method. If you've seen this before, that's reassuring. Did...

So I just kegged a batch for the first time yesterday, and I'm trying to force carbonate it with the set-and-forget method. I put the keg & tank/regulator in the fridge at about 5:30pm yesterday and set the keg-side pressure to about 12.5 psi, tank and regulator open. I checked on it at...

Wait -- I assumed that if the kegs are "reconditioned" the o-rings should be new, right?

I also just brewed a partial mash of this today. Won't be able to tell you for several weeks whether it's "watery" as you say. Mouthfeel is apparently a pretty complicated thing, being a lot more than just finishing gravity, so it's hard to say what could be wrong (if anything, really). Your...

I've had a similar experience with that same yeast. Brewed a saison which started out fine, but has actually gotten more diacetyl notes as it sits in the bottles... it's very noticeable now after about 8 months in bottle.

Cool, thanks for the advice, Yooper. I agree that the delicate balance of a cream ale calls for some caution, but I found this thread on another board where a number of people report using S-23 at ale temperatures with some success (in cream ales, even), so I think I'll go ahead and give it a...