Recent content by robbyg

Thanks for the reassuring responses, all. And Calder, that makes a lot of sense. I think my wife had a vinegar going in the kitchen when I brewed this, so the opportunity for cross-contamination was there.

I'm not entirely a beginner -- this was my 52nd beer -- but this problem is a first for me. I brewed a Cali Common, tested it prior to a dry hop around week 2, removed the hops at week 3, and then tested it again at week 5 when I went to keg. At week 2 it was a balanced beer with a slight...

Thanks... I'm fond of her. ;)

And then she wrote about it on her blog, DIY or BUY: http://diybuy.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/apfelwein-hard-cider/ I consider this awesome on many levels: She writes well, and thus it's generally entertaining to read. Many of our friends read her blog, and perhaps this will encourage...

Two tips that I've found here and elsewhere that I've started using with fantastic results: 1. More grain is better. The first time I tried to do a partial mash using this system, I only used maybe 3 pounds of grain in a 3-gallon pot. I had a terrible time maintaining a constant temperature...

A quick peek after two weeks runs a minimal risk of oxidation, as long as you're not stirring things around or anything. After two weeks, the oxygen at the top of the bucket will be replaced with CO2, which will give you a nice buffer from the air outside the bucket. Infection is still a risk...

It went together easier than I expected. I bet you'll do fine. I will admit that this wasn't my first-ever DIY project, but it was definitely the biggest and most complex. The woodworking took the longest and was the most difficult for me. I had to borrow a miter saw to cut my boards. That's...

Yup, that's the drip tray I'm using. Then I just picked up three 4-inch angle brackets, some 5-minute clear epoxy, and some velcro strips from a hardware store. Attached the brackets to the freezer with the epoxy, put velcro on the top bit, and attached the tray using the velcro. That way I can...

After much planning and three part-time weekends worth of work, my keezer/kegerator is complete! The base of the kegerator is a white 7.2 Cu. Ft. E-Wave chest freezer (an E-Wave is a rebranded Magic Chef, which can hold 6 corny kegs) that I got used off Craigslist for $100. I'd originally...

My kegerator. Four taps currently, with room to upgrade to six later.

Airlock activity is not a sign of fermentation, and lack of airlock activity does not predict a lack of fermentation. The only real, easy way to tell how your fermentation is progressing is to take a hydrometer reading. That having been said, I doubt you have anything to worry about. It could...

The Crystal Clear bottling company (Des Moines-based company) has started replacing their old #7 plastic water jugs with #1 plastic. Once we started getting them at my office, I was able to pick up an empty 5 gallon water jug for $7.50. A cheapo bung and airlock later, and I have a whole new...

Thanks for the detailed feedback, KellyK. That's what I was looking for -- an understanding as to whether the amylase would stop on its own after a certain point, or if the quantity I added would merely speed/slow the conversion process. And my hydrometer IS significantly off... but I knew that...

I brewed my second-ever partial mash a few weeks ago, which also happened to be my first-ever 5 gallon batch (I did a dozen or so 2-gallon batches first). It was a Northern English Brown Ale cobbled together from various recipes on HBT that finished at a respectable OG of 1.047. However, I...