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New to lagers and need suggestions/reassurance. On Sunday, I brewed 10 gallons of Bohemian Pilsener. I cooled the wort down to 50F and pitched a packet of Saflager W-34/70 in each fermenter. I have never hydrated dry yeast in the past, but those were all ales. I am beginning to wonder if I...

I am collecting the yeast slurry of a batch I am transferring to the secondary today into a sanitized mason jar. However, it will be 6 days before I plan to brew and pitch the slurry. Will I be ok if I skip making a starter, or is a week too long? In the past when I have done this, I have...

I am brewing a Belgian Wit this weekend and have plenty of orange peel and coriander left over from last year. Both came in zip-lock pouches and I have kept them in the fridge since last year. Should these still be good, or should I pick up some fresh stuff when I go to the LHBS on Friday? I...

I have been wanting to make tap handles that are easy to switch out the labels. Here is what I came up with. I started out with some 1x2 oak, cut into 6" lengths. Then, I carved out the face of the handles in the shape of some mending plates that I picked up. I drilled out the end and used...

I have two regulators connected to two separate co2 tanks and would like to join the regulators so I can just use a single tank. However, one is left-hand threaded and the other is right-hand threaded (I didn't realize that until today :(). I know you can buy the couplers in either right or...

I am planning to try the yeast washing method from the sticky. I have four mason jars and a large jar boiled for 20 minutes, filled and cooled. However, the large jar was a pickle jar. I washed it well and boiled, but when I opened it today to use, it had a strong pickle odor. So, for plan...

I just brewed my second AG last night. It was an IPA that called for mashing at 154. I picked up a new thermometer since I wasn't sure I trusted the one I used on the first batch. Using the new thermometer, I heated my strike water to 166. In hindsight, I think I failed to stir the...

After watching Bobby_M's youtube video, I decided to build my own immersion chiller. I ordered 50' of 1/2" tubing from coppertubingsales.com. $43 shipped, which is a lot cheaper than the big box stores. I had some 1/2" straight copper pipe left over from finishing my basement, so I picked...

After reading about building cheap and easy MLTs, I finally put an old 10 gallon cooler to good use. I decided to go with the CPVC manifold, as it was easy to put in, take out, and clean. Manifold: Inserted in cooler:

I have a batch of Hefeweizen that I brewed a couple of months ago and bottled. I have about 30 bottles left. While it tastes fine, it is IMHO very under-carbonated for a Hefe. I feared the exploding bottles, so I stuck with the 3/4 cup corn sugar to 2 cups water per John Palmer's How To Brew...

I found this CO2 tank on Craigslist, but it doesn't have the right valve. Do you think it could be swapped for a 5# beverage cylinder? If so, $15 looks like a deal. CO2 Tank

Is there a trick to removing ear clamps from beer lines? I need to balance my system since my lines are too short. I bought some more tubing and was ready to swap out the lines, but can't figure out how to get these @#*&! clamps off. :mad: I am not able to get a small screwdriver in there...

I have read the Wiki about yeast washing, but wondered if this method would work, as well. I made a 2 pint starter using White Labs yeast for this weekend's brewing. Before pitching, I was thinking about shaking the yeast into suspension, then pouring some of the starter wort into the...

I am making a cherry wheat which is currently in the primary. I plan to add the cherries to the secondary. Since this will add more fermentables, how do I factor this in when calculating ABV? My OG is 1.052 and will take another reading before racking to the secondary.

I will be brewing my 6th batch in a week or so and want to do another hefe. I brewed a VERY simple one a month ago and it is good, but am looking to tweak the recipe to make it better. For the previous attempt, I used 6 lb. wheat DME, 1oz. Mt. Hood for 60 minutes (Hallerauer not available)...

I am starting to acquire equipment to build my first kegerator. I was looking on Craigslist for CO2 tanks and ran across two tanks for $80, one filled and the other partially filled. The seller states that the partially filled one came from a fountain dispenser. It sounds like a good deal...