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Thanks @TxBrew

Consider too that fermentation is an exothermic process; so the actual wort temp is typically slightly warmer than ambient.

I used oak chips in a recent batch of Bourbon Barrel Porter that's maturing in my cellar right now. As you can imagine from the name, I soaked them in a pint of Bourbon for about a week in a sealed mason jar. I set it on a shelf in the kitchen and shook the jar a little whenever I walked by...

I've been brewing on the stovetop and it takes about an hour just to get it to come to a boil. Even then it's a slow rolling boil not a vigorous boil. This past weekend I brewed for the first time with my fleamarket propane turkey fryer and it brought my wort to boil in about 15 minutes with...

Just to tag onto this thread, I just made my second batch of an IPA I'd made once previously. I made a starter again and the only thing I did differently this time was that I aerated the cooled wort before pitching. Holy smoke, what a difference! My 5 gallon batch in a 7.8 gal bucket took...

A quart sounds like a lot to me too. I just made a Bourbon Porter and used a pint of Makers Mark. The recipe called for 10-12 oz but most reviews said it needs a bit more, but also more time to blend and mellow. Mine has been bottle conditioning for 3 months now and I'm going to give it...

I'm still very much an extract noob, but I think you're all onto something with the water being the key factor. My second ever batch was an IPA and I followed the "if your water tasts good..." and used it straight from the tap since we do have good water. The beer was good, but not great...

I'd like to tag onto this thread but with the caveat that I don't like pumpkin. I've got a strong amber ale planned for the fall that calls for a bit of orange zest but I'm thinking of something else or in addition. Cloves maybe? Nutmeg ?

I've got a bourbon barrel porter maturing in the basement now. I poured the Makers Mark in a mason jar, added the oak chips, covered and let sit, shaking occasionally for a week or so. Then poured the whole lot into secondary. For that particular beer that seems to be the consensus method...

I'll tell you what NOT to do. Don't, on bottling day, say to yourself "dang my yield isn't what it should be but I've got what looks like it could be good beer left in the bottom of the bottling bucket on top of the yeast cake" and then bottle that. I did this on my recent IPA and got 4...

I'm a noob but from what I've done with my own brews I'd bet you're fine. Maybe give it and additional week or two beyond normal (say a full 4 weeks) after bottling before you start testing, they'll only get better with a bit of maturity anyway.

I've got a bourbon barrel porter that went into the bottles about a month ago and are aging in a dark, cool corner of my basement until Christmas. I'll test one about Thanksgiving, but Christmas puts me right at six months maturity which is about the minimum recommended for this recipe. I...

I just finished the last bottle of my first run of this kit. It was a colossal hit with both my IPA friends and non-IPA friends alike. I bought two of these when they were on sale with the intention of making one by the book, and the other with Belgian yeast to make a Belgian IPA. But now...

My first iteration of this one went into the bottles a little over a month ago and they're hiding in a cool, dark corner of my basement until Thanksgiving.

Stone Brewing bottles are the same way. The plastic/vinyl labels come off quite easily, but the glue residue not so much and are too much trouble. Recycle bin.

I made the small batch version and had similar reaction. I thought maybe it was because it was my second batch ever. I didn't consider, until recently, that the small batch wasn't dry-hopped and that's probably why it was less than great. I dry hopped my Dead Ringer that went into the...

I just moved mine to secondary after 3 weeks in primary. OG was 1.065, today's reading was a hair under 1.03. I called NB and they told me to pitch another pack of yeast, but considering my results are consistent with what everyone else is getting it seems like a wasted effort (esp since the...

I'm sorry if this is a thread hijack, but on a similar note: What about brown sugar instead of refined for priming? I have a porter that will be ready to bottle soon and I was thinking the brown sugar might complement the porter well.

I think the key to getting your wife/girlfriend (not to be sexist, this applies to anyone) to broaden her beer horizons is to properly pair a particular style with the right complement of food. Don't expect her to drink it by itself. My wife never liked smokey porters, until I served one...

I recently bought a larger fermentation vessel. I was leaning hard toward a Fermonster so I could see what's happening. At the last minute I switched to a bucket because it was less money, included a spigot and a handle, and better shielding to UV. I concluded that having my face pressed...