Recent content by TJhands

Thanks, ryser! Yeah, I figured I could just play around with when to add the hops and in what quantities, but was really unsure about the malto-dextrin.....had never heard of that being used in homebrewing. Thanks a lot. :p

Hi again, fellas! My first batch has been in the secondary for a week and will be bottled this coming weekend. Thanks for all the help on that one. :) I ordered my next kit - a porter - and just received it today. The thing is, it didn't come with directions! I think I have the main gist...

homebrewer 99...... Is Koski's Homebrew Shop still open in Moline? That's where all my equipment came from! Lived in Davenport a number of years ago, but call the Des Moines area home now. :D

Hi guys, I see your point, homebrewer99......you don't want your ice (or beer!) tasting like the deer you bagged last winter, or whatever else one might have in the freezer. "A Venison Porter anyone??" The water was in a milk jug type of conatiner which, hopefully, was too thick to have...

Hi again! Welp, for those who commented on my other thread about potential benefits of putting ice directly in the wort after the boil, here's the follow-up. I did it last night. :p After the boil, I ever so gently (to avoid too much aeration whilst still hot) poured the wort into...

Just got to thinking.....could a sanitized milk jug be used for the starter vessel? Just drill a small hole in the top and stick the airlock bubbler in the hole? How long before pitching would I want to do my starter? A few hours? A day?.......... How much malt extract do I want to use? How...

Thanks, D-brew. I should have gone the liquid yeast route, I know. But just for this time, I'll use the dry and do a starter like you suggested. If I had gotten the liquid yeast, would a starter still be advised? I'm guessing so. BTW, I used to live (briefly) just north of you in ID Falls...

Hi again, I'll be brewing my 1st batch in a few days. It's a light American-style beer kit from homebrewers.com (boring, I know!!). Anyway, the dry yeast package says to boil some water, put the yeast in the water once it's warm, and let them rehydrate before adding to the primary. But! The...

Well heck, if it's simply a matter of whether it tastes OK or not, I can just freeze a hu-monstrous chunk of ice made from my own tap water, which I know tastes fine and dandy. If I freeze it in a sanitized milk jug and then cut the jug off when the wort is ready, I'll be one gallon closer to...

Thanx, Janx! :) The snooping around that I've done on this board has been helpful. I have especially enjoyed your posts - good, straightforward advice is always appreciated, and your obvious knowledge has earned my confidence, 100%. Granted, a full 5 gallon boil would be ideal - and I...

Lemme have a big "Hell Yeah!!" for my first post! :p Howdy everyone, I have a question about cooling the wort without a copper cooling mechanism. I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseum on this board, so forgive me for adding a notch on the broken record! 1) When I pull the kettle...