Recent content by strangegreenman

For my two cents, I find malty beer results from the use of a low ratio of IBUs to Original Gravity (BU:GU ratio), the use of a yeast that expresses malt character rather than hop character (WLP002 and WLP005 come to mind), and the use of strongly flavored malts like munich and honey malt. I...

Do you want to make an ale or a mead? I have a chamomile mead in the primary right now. I steeped about a fistful of chamomile flowers 10 minutes in 2 gal hot water and pulled them out. I added 5lb honey, boiled 15 min and did a late addition of a small fistful of flowers, then hit the cooled...

:mug: Well said.

Funny things I've overheard about beer? Every RateBeer post I've read to date counts in my mind. Ask two posters about one beer and get three answers, each of which contains at least one of these words: "grapefruit," "metallic," "grassy," "soapy," "piss," or "funk."...

How much bottling sugar did you use? How warm have the bottles been? You will probably oxidize your beer if you do anything to it now... and one batch of low-carb nectar is better than five gallons of fizzy wet dog.

I find I get the best hop aroma when I add the aroma hops five minutes before, and again just as, I stop boiling. Give that brew another try with .5oz aroma hops each at five and zero minutes, and cool the wort down as fast as you can afterward. The reason is that the components of hop flavor...

Don't dump it unless it tastes foul-- and not even then unless it has aged a few months and still tastes foul. That doesn't look all that bad, and I am going to guess it's just yeast. Also, get that carboy somewhere dark, or it will reek of skunk spray! :)

+1 to this, especially considering you're cloning a Timothy Taylor beer. That yeast is from that very brewery... and also happens to be my favorite english strain, bar none. Good luck on your next brew with it!

I am starting to think that is one of the hardest styles to pull of since they have many strong flavors in them. My friend made one, bless him, he loves it, but to me it tastes very strongly of molasses and ginger and is waaay too sweet. Batch #1 & #2 were delicious for me. #3 was cloyingly...

Off-topic, but worth mentioning if you get bottle bombs: if your are adding the corn sugar per bottle, you're probably adding it as powder or carbing drops and then filling up with beer, right? I suggest not doing that much. Dirty dust in the sugar could set you up with an infection in some of...

Maybe goto your LHBS and get some Brett and have fun with your recently redeemed batch? :)

I wonder how many hydrometers would have been spared if the cap on the bottom of the tube couldn't be removed, or was threaded on instead of push-fit. (one: mine.)

Only order it in Ireland if you want them to make you a British Redcoat (Red Bull, Ever-clear and a tablespoon of ketchup), or a Zimmerman Telegram (Two shots of Jaegermeister on crushed ice, served by throwing it in your face and telling you to leave the bar, please).

I guess... don't worry about it! If they're stored that well, than they will have degraded minimally. They will only impart a bad taste if they smell bad (think cheesy). If they smell fresh, use them and see how the beer turns out. Try another batch, with newer hops, and see how that tastes...

I had Saranac Brewing's Wild Hop Pils about 2 weeks ago, made with Belma hops. It was the last bottle in the store, over in the mix and match section. Boy, I wish I had a case of it. That Pils was very clean and refreshing, but unlike the greener tastes I get from Saaz-hopped pilsners, this...