I brewed a few MrB kits, they were acceptable, but I want to make excellent beer. I think my problems were crap temp control (fermenter was high 70s a lot) and I am impatient and drank it all after 3 or 4 weeks from pitching.
I made my first extract/specialty grain batch, a Belgian blond that fermented for 19 days I think, bottle for 20. Was my birthday yesterday and I drank it. It was pretty good... better than MrB... but had some similar flavors that I'm not really into. Could be green, I am learning the flavor... I think it could be the Belgian yeast too, which makes me wonder what the yeast really is that MrB uses. And I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but they are giving you ale yeast to make an 'american lager', no wonder it doesn't really taste all that crips and clean...
Anyway, I need more equipment. I have a 6.5-gal bucket, and a 5-gal carboy. When I transfered my last batch to the carboy, I immediately started a new batch in the bucket. Now my carboy is ready to bottle, so I need another vessel (I don't have anything empty). I could get another carboy, transfer from my bucket to the carboy, then use my bucket as a bottler. I could get another bucket, dedicated for bottling. I am thinking about getting a 6.5-gal carboy too...
Basically, I want three vessels so I can do at least two batches at a time and still bottle. Should I get another carboy or a bucket? I have an autosiphon, don't think I want a spigot on the bucket, but do you like them?
I made my first extract/specialty grain batch, a Belgian blond that fermented for 19 days I think, bottle for 20. Was my birthday yesterday and I drank it. It was pretty good... better than MrB... but had some similar flavors that I'm not really into. Could be green, I am learning the flavor... I think it could be the Belgian yeast too, which makes me wonder what the yeast really is that MrB uses. And I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but they are giving you ale yeast to make an 'american lager', no wonder it doesn't really taste all that crips and clean...
Anyway, I need more equipment. I have a 6.5-gal bucket, and a 5-gal carboy. When I transfered my last batch to the carboy, I immediately started a new batch in the bucket. Now my carboy is ready to bottle, so I need another vessel (I don't have anything empty). I could get another carboy, transfer from my bucket to the carboy, then use my bucket as a bottler. I could get another bucket, dedicated for bottling. I am thinking about getting a 6.5-gal carboy too...
Basically, I want three vessels so I can do at least two batches at a time and still bottle. Should I get another carboy or a bucket? I have an autosiphon, don't think I want a spigot on the bucket, but do you like them?