Recent content by pauljacks

I vote for making a starting for any higher gravity beer. I used to believe Wyeast and had some interesting experiences-- slow fermentations, etc. After these problems, I started using starters for more peace of mind and had no issues. For lower gravity beers, you are probably OK, but for...

I am a big believer in starters. When I first started brewing, I sometimes had issues with slow fermentations. After I switched to starters, I never had that problem again. In my experience, I've gotten much more vigorous fermentations using starters than without. Also, as noted in several...

I'm not sure that I can tell the difference. I use my oxygen set-up for convenience and easily repeatable results. Not being a "beer nerd," from a commonsense perspective, it would seem that there shouldn't be much difference, if any, as long as the yeast gets enough oxygen for a healthy...

I know this is an old post, but I wanted to say something so that an inexperienced brewer could learn from my mistakes. I carbonated my first keg using the shake method (40 degrees for 15 minutes), and, as is often the case, overcarbonated the beer. I went to the internet to look for a...