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So I had planned on brewing a 90 shilling ale. I made a 2.5 liter starter (wlp028 Edinburgh ale) planning to save a sample for the next starter. Things came up and I didn't brew. I decided to put up the starter. I boiled mason jars to sterilize. I sprayed with starsan before doing anything...

I have a question.... I'm on the fence with dry hopping with fresh picked hops. I have to go one way today or tomorrow. I made a Harvest IPA with fresh Chinook and Cascade hops. It's time to dry hop and I'm worried about contaminating the beer with raw hops from the bine. I've heard the...

So my Chinook and Centennial hops are up to about 30' (I posted pics at the 2015 hops picture thread) and Cascade isn't far behind. Is there a time when you should think about stopping the vertical growth by cutting the growing head? I have a 4 string trellis for each variety with 2 bines...

This is the first year I have seen this. I guess my crowns are pretty strong this year as I have had to cull a lot of bines after selecting the 8 (2 each) I selected to grow on the trellis. The trellis is anchored on a 3rd floor (attic) deck railing. It's set up so when I harvest I can lower...

Has anyone used this malt? I'm thinking of getting a sack. I know pale malt is all pretty similar but....

I brewed my first Pilsner after years of ales. I do enjoy a good pilsner on a hot summer day after working. It's Bohemian style, 1.050 OG brewed on 4/5. It's been at 54* with a little fluctuation but not much. Today the airlock action stopped pretty much dead and there is still a white...

Have a beer! Well not for another 8 minutes. You have to have a little restraint!

I was wondering of anyone has tried this or your thoughts. Yeast has just jumped $.49 a vial so it's time to think about a yeast bank. My thought is to make a large batch of 1.040 wort (DME), sterilize a bunch of pint or quart mason jars and process (fill, boil, seal) the wort into smaller...

Those leftovers! I try to brew using up everything but sometimes you only have to use a little bit. Black barley comes to mind. And those half and quarter pound bags! Grab one the wrong way and what a mess! Here's what I've come up with. A brew bucket and Ball mason jars, and when I set...

I've gleaned so much from these forums, mainly brew techniques, I thought it is time to offer something back... Here is my version of a beer line cleaner made for my keezer I built last year. It has 4 taps therefore a 4 line cleaner. Items were sourced at the cheapest places I could find...

The Buffalo area is getting a World of Beer Tavern/Store, I've never been to one so I don't know which is more accurate. Pulling from an available 8,000 beers each store carries like 500 bottles from 40 countries and have 50 beers on tap. There's well over 50 taps within a 3 minute walk from...

Has anyone found replacement seals for the Easy Siphon? I was surprised to find that replacements weren't available. Working with hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders for years I know that seals are the one thing that will go bad. Shocked to find (and be told) that you have to buy a new Easy...

If you use two different hops to dry hop is there any advantage to dry hopping separately? I usually just put the two together and suspend them in the corny for 4 days.... done. Say I'm using Centennial and Chinook. I realize that using more of one will bring that particular aroma forward...

A shout out to my Buffalo brew buddies.... Have you heard we are getting a local maltster? Queen City Malting is going into The Barrel Factory down in the Old First Ward. When traveling on Rt 190 you can see one brick building with a faded paint lettering of a malting company. And of course...

I was wondering if anyone has used Stokely canned pumpkin in a beer? I have both Libby's and Stokely available. Libby's is twice the price. Stokely is $1.97 a can. Stokely is 100% real pumpkin not squash (well technically pumpkin is a squash but you know what i mean) so I was wondering.....

I have a Frankenstein Kolsch fermenting. Right now I'm doing damage control to get the best beer I can out of this. I probably shouldn't have tried my first Kolsch and my new mill at the same time!!! 1. it was the first time using the mill and efficiency went from 64ish% to 88%, gave me an...

Well not actually ruined just out of the guidelines a bit. I finally got a mill. yep that's what did it. What a difference. After brewing with a commercial crush and getting high 60ish efficiency my first batch, for the Kolsch, out of my mill gave me 88%. Which of course gave me an OG...

Extremely aggravating brew day yesterday. I hate when something that is fun and relaxing goes the other way. Case in point the regulator on the Bayou burner just wouldn't function. The ball and spring safety (in case a steel wound hose breaks!) in the valve is just so sensitive that the...

Well... after wanting to brew in the 70's (I wish I had those cases of Grolsch 16's I saved in the basement of the house I rented) I'm finally brewing. Jump, ummm, 35 some odd years... 7 years into Retirement... I see eventual trouble affording the $13 a six pack beers I enjoy so much. So with...

Did anyone else order rhizomes from Nikobrew this year? Mine came in several days ago (2 Cascade, 2 Centennial, 2 Chinook and 2 CTZ.) They weren't in the best of condition, especially the 2 CTZ rhizomes of which one rhizome seems to be just a rotted stick. The new shoots that were already...