Recent content by RyanN

Thanks that makes me feel better. At this point I think my only option is to keep going and see how this turns out. I brew frequently but rarely make stouts so I'm unfamiliar with the ingredients and how they affect taste.

Hey guys. I'm brewing a recipe that calls for 0.8 oz black barley and the lhbs told me black patent was the same thing. After doing some research it looks like this may have been a bad mistake. The recipe calls for 11 pounds of grain total (yoopers oatmeal stout). I'm half way through the...

That was fast, thanks. I think some time will help this beer too, the yeast have not totally settled out and I'm sure that's not helping. Thanks again, I appreciate your advice.

After some thought (and lots of tasting) I am sure this is some esters I am picking up on. I did not make a starter because I thought it was unnecessary given the SG of 1.052...package said anything less than 1.060 needed no starter....lesson learned I guess. 30-40 batches and this is the...

I have actually only tried it the last few days...I really lack patience and I keep thinking I am over analyzing the flavor.... Next day it tastes the same. I am pretty sure this flavors from the yeast and it's okay just not expected. I will leave it alone for a few days before I throw it in...

Not sure what the cause of this is but I added priming sugar to a keg two weeks ago and it tastes a little fruity/sweet? I am unsure if this is the yeast that caused these flavors or if I am picking up on some of the priming sugar? I have not put this keg in the fridge yet but have been...

Hmm, potato is a tuber, probably should have looked into it a bit more before my last post.

Thanks for the reply. Laying the pot on it's side is a great idea....of course to do this I would have to sever the roots coming out of the bottom of the pot but that shouldn't do any permanent damage. By laying the pot on it's side I'll also have the rhizome above soil level to keep it a...

I've read that this can happen and I actually prefer the hops spread. How do I encourage these roots to throw out bines? I planted my hops in huge pots because my yards is like a swamp in the spring. Pictured root is growing out of the bottom of a 2 foot tall pot and is as thick as my thumb.

What yeast? Are you using tap water? Filtered or treated? When I have had this issue in the past it was from too high a fermentation temperature - mid 60's. How are you measuring fermentation temp? Inside the chamber or do you have a probe taped and insulated against the fermenter?

What yeast did you use? Just curious as I've had some off flavors myself lately.

I've been noticing some off flavors using this yeast as well. I have a hard time describing the flavor but I have noticed the same flavor in things like Bell's Winter White Ale (tastes Belgian to me??). I assumed it was from higher fermenting temps so I've been fermenting in a swamp cooler. I...

Thanks for the reply! I ended up making a Terrapin Rye (never had it) Ale clone because something with rye sounded good. Please let me know if you make an attempt at cloning this beer, I'd love to hear how it turns out. I was also at the beer fest in Ypsilanti which got me thinking about...

Anyone have any idea on a recipe for this beer? Here's a description from their Facebook page (that's the most info I can find) In honor of our adventurous friends at Sky Dive Inc., in Hastings, Michigan, we crafted a truly adventurous brew in SKY HIGH RYE. A west-coast-style pale ale...

This is probably a dumb question but is it possible to overuse insecticidal soap? I have a horrible problem with japanese beetles and have been spraying my hops (they are flowering currently) daily to try and get some handle over the situation. The bottle of Garden Safe says to spray weekly or...