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I recommend adjusting the pH of your wort down to 4.5 using either phosphoric or lactic acid. The lower pH tends to inhibit the types of bacteria that can produce off flavors and aromas in your beer (think parmesan cheese and stinky feet). For my last few kettle sours, I haven't worried too...

I'm sending in a Belgian Blonde Ale, assuming it carbs up before the deadline... :)

Ah well, none of my three entries went on to the second round. They were all award winners in other competitions (the Pacific Brewers Cup and the National Organic Homebrew Competition, in particular), so I thought I had a pretty good shot at moving up. I entered in 20B (Historical Beer - Gose...

I started boiling all of my kettle sours before pitching my lacto source after I had a batch get infected with enteric bacteria (think parmesan cheese and gym socks). The only reason I can think of to avoid boiling at this point would be to minimize caramelization and melanoidin formation to...

Just pulled the trigger on a Brewometer -- thanks to everyone for their feedback so far. I also got a pair of Tessel 2 devices a few weeks ago. Originally, I was planning on writing code for the Tessel to have it drive an SSR to control my fermentation chamber fridge, much like this project...

I lightly dry hopped my latest gose batch with 1 oz of Azacca for a week before kegging. The beer has very nice pineapple, lemon, and stone fruit aromas, and the hops seemed to add a subtle bitterness that rounds out the sour flavors (final pH was 3.3). I'd definitely try more Azacca next time...

I'm a big fan of all of their beers, so I'd say grab anything they have in bottles. West Ashley is their flagship sour, but that may only be available in a growler fill. You can check their Facebook page to see what's on tap: https://www.facebook.com/santeadairius/?fref=ts

I started off on sax in middle and high school. When I got to college the marching band manager said to me, "We don't need any more damn saxes. This is a baritone horn. That guy over there is named Scott. He'll teach you to play it." So now I do low brass, too. After college, I got into...

We went through a home study when we became foster parents to a 16-year-old boy (who is now our adopted son). We decided prior to putting in our application that we were going to go the "don't volunteer" route. My kegerator was a potential problem, however, as it sits right out in plain view...

This, exactly. I've been going to my CrossFit gym twice a week for over five years now and still love the program and workouts. I can't get more than one or two dead-hang pull-ups and my burpees are dog slow, but so what? Just about everyone is good at some movements and struggles with...

Since I posted this thread, I've replaced my K-type temperature probe with a platinum RTD probe and have had much better luck with keeping my mash temps in line. I'm including my PID settings anyway in case you are using an RTD P100: Hy: 0.3 I: 187 P: 150 D: 12 T: 2 Sn: 21 Pb: 1.5...

I use a standard drug store heating pad plugged into an STC-1000 temperature controller. I bungee the pad against the side of my kettle and wrap the kettle in blankets for extra insulation. I just kettle soured a gose last weekend with this setup, and it held 5 gallons of wort at 95F for three...

If you just want a slight sourness, the easiest thing to do would be to add food-grade 88% lactic acid to taste after fermentation. You're using a relatively high percentage of acid malt, and the beer pH will drop during fermentation, so you may not need to adjust the sourness of the beer at...

That's a great feeling, right? You should definitely bring your beers the Beer Masters Cup, the homebrew "competition" that is part of the Hop-N-Barley Festival held every year Scotts Valley at Skypark. You get to serve your homebrew to a very appreciative crowd, meet other brewers, drink...

I use Loc-Line and a wort aerator to break up the return flow and avoid channeling. During the mash, I position the aerator below liquid surface to avoid introducing oxygen:

I second that. I had a K-type probe connected to an Auber 2352 in my RIMS controller and was constantly autotuning and adjusting the temperature offset to get a stable, accurate reading throughout the mash. Since I swapped out the K-type for a platinum RTD, I haven't had to mess with any of...

I'm planning on brewing a Belgian Blonde Ale on Sunday. Why? I want to tweak my recipe based on the judges' feedback from the competitions I entered this past fall to see if I can make some incremental improvements. If it turns out good enough, I'll enter it in the NHC and LA Belgian Brew...

The 88% lactic acid is just lactic acid and water, and it comes as a solution. You can use a pipette to add it to your mash or just pour it in a little at a time. The amount you use will depend on the starting pH of your mash, the buffering capacity of your water (basically, how resistant your...

Here's the quick version: the enzymes which convert starches in your malted grains into fermentable sugars have a range of pH values where they work best. The two primary amylase enzymes (the ones that clip the long starch molecules into shorter sugars) in barley malts are most active between...