Recent content by temptnmonkey

Just bottled a saison extract--tastes great so far If I remember correctly: 6lbs pilsen LME 1lb wheat DME 1lb amber DME 1/2 lb candi sugar used WYEAST 3711 Got down to 1.004 in a couple weeks

Good advice. I do this too. I also try to get the wort moving in a whirlpool each time I put it in the water.

I've used chilled natural spring water as a top off with good results. Helps cool the wort down a touch more, helps oxidize a little more, and it doesn't have the chlorine taste of tap water. Never sanitized it before it went in (might spray the opening/spout/top with star san, if I...

I wanted to make an APA and was curious what people were thinking about the Zythos blend. On hand, I have 4 oz of the Zythos blend, 1 oz of Simcoe, and 1 oz of Sorachi Ace. I'm probably only going to do a 3 gallon batch, so I'll have enough hops to cover it, but I certainly don't want to use...

Already a lot of comments describing what went wrong. Keep an eye out for bottles blowing up and gushing when opening. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is you can't take accurate hydrometer readings of partially or fully carbonated beer (bubbles will play some mean tricks)

whenever you use extracts, the beers tend to come out a littler darker from my experience, and from what I've read (not sure why). The ABV calculation is correct. how does it taste?

well there is a little more to it than just changing its alcohol content. What style of beer are you looking to make?

you can't really over boil the extract (as far as I know), so you just wasted those first 45 minutes and that is all. Beer will be fine!

Any CO2 released during the secondary fermentation (of the sugars) is able to escape the carboy *unless the carboy was airtight, which I hope is not the case...* The reason why your beer becomes carbonated in the bottle is the CO2 fermented by the yeast is not allowed to escape and instead...

I made a Juniper Pale Ale yesterday and added an oz of Juniper Berries for the last 5 mins. Added them whole. After tasting the hydrometer sample, the Juniper taste seemed underwhelming, borderline non present. Is it typical to add whole Juniper berries instead of crushed? I have another...

I suppose just because it is well-carbonated doesn't mean it is conditioned. Good point for a newbie like myself to keep in mind. Thanks!

Fermentation temps were likely in the low 70s. WLP001 They were a littler higher than ideal since I don't have any good and reliable means of controlling temps, so fusels are certainly possible. And I may be a little to premature with the beer. It probably is just a touch young. But I'm still...

It definitely isn't ruined. Just like the previous poster, you can taste it and see how the orange is after a couple weeks. If it isn't orange-y enough, add some orange zest (microwave the zest for 30 secs to kill any nasties) to the bucket and leave another few days. Or, you can just serve...

There are many thread topics related to whether or not it is worthwhile using a "secondary fermenter". Unless you're adding fruit or dry hops it is not overly important. Rule of thumb is just give it a good 3 weeks in the fermenter and 3 weeks in the bottle and it should be fine (unless you're...

It depends on how much hop flavor you want. It looks as if you're going for a very light wheat beer and 20 g of Centennial will give it a moderate but pleasant bitter bite (assuming you add them for 60 mins--not sure on the exact IBUs). Id add half an oz of hallertau in the last 5 mins for aroma...