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My first time making cider and I have a few questions: 1) I've treated 10 gallons unpasteurized cider with k-meta (aiming for 50 ppm) and left 5 gallons untreated to ferment naturally. The treated stuff is much cloudier after 20 hours of treatment than the untreated stuff. Is this normal? Did...

extract + steep recipe, posted at the Beer Examiner

I was just given 2 cases of 22oz green bottles. I'd like to brew something strong to cellar sometime soon, but I'm nervous about cellaring in green bottles. So, painting the bottles to make them totally opaque seems like a good option(maybe like Brouwerij Huyghe bottles...

I've got a 5-gal batch of Apfelwein that's been sitting in the primary for 5 months, on the yeast. Oops. Any chance its not nasty? It smells fine, but I haven't tasted yet.

I've got a short trip to CA coming up next month. First a couple days to visit family in Davis, then off to Stanford for a conference. I'm planning on heading to either Russian River or Lagunitas for a tour/sampling, but probably not both. I'm leaning towards Russian River since I can't...

Anyone have a good system for storing empty/sanitized/cleaned bottles? I just cleaned out my brew "shop" (the unfinished corner in my basement) and found 5+ cases of de-labeled bottles and 2+ cases of bottles still with labels in various states of moldiness -- all in random paper & plastic...

Hi-- I brewed the Blue Balls belgian wit (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24978) a couple weeks ago, and it still has a pillowy head of kerusen on the top... is that normal with WLP400? Not like full-blown active fermentation foam, but it definitely hasn't dropped down. Been...

Hi -- I may have found my keggerator: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/fur/384834098.html . Seems like a decent deal on a 6-mo old Danby. For those that may have one of these: How many cornies will it hold? Any issues with yours? the built-in digital temp. controller seems nice... if it...

Hi all keggers! I hope to be joining your ranks soon, and just came across this on craigslist: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/spo/372318235.html I've asked the seller a few questions about what's included (co2 tank, regulator, connections) but I know nothing about the brand. Anyone out...

I'm sure you hard-core DIYers have already seen this site, but I recently stumbled across it and find it amazingly cool. http://www.mcmaster.com/ they have an amazing array of parts & equipment, from 3-pc SS ball valves to rollers (DIY grain mill?) to temperature probes to heating elements...

Anyone out there have experience trying to recreate beers (or meads or any other alcoholic beverage) from the 18th century? My father-in-law is into re-enactments/rendezvous and asked if I could brew up something for him to share with his buddies. I found this book: "Libations of the...

What's the minimum volume I can get away with boiling for a 5-gal. batch? I'm considering trying to speed up my brew-day activities a bit for the following Kolsch recipe: 0.5lb wheat DME 5.5lb light DME 2 oz Hallertau Boil 1 gal. water add wheat DME add 1.5 oz 6%AA Hallertau, boil...

Hi--- I brewed a coffee stout 2 weeks ago & have just now had a chance to sample it. My first reaction: WAY too much coffee, and still a little too sweet. It was my first coffee stout, and I really didn't know how much would be too much. Anyone have any ideas for how I can tame the coffee...

when making a starter, do you just let it sit or agitate/swirl it every so often? I know some people do their starters on stir plates, so I would think keeping yeast more in suspension would be better.

I made a 1-gallon batch of Apfelwein 5 weeks ago (thanks EdWort!), using unfiltered apple juice so I couldn't really tell when or if it cleared. Tonight I bottled in 12-oz beer bottles & it was off-gassing a ton while I was filling up bottles... really a PITA. The SG is almost exactly 1.000 (a...

Hi- I'm about to brew my first batch with a liquid yeast, and while I'm at trying new things, I figured why not try to pitch my next batch on the yeast cake. I've done a bit of reading, but I just wanted to make sure.... when I rack to the secondary, I just leave the goop behind in the primary...

Hi all -- I've been lurking on the forum for a couple weeks & thought it might be about time to introduce myself. I'm back to brewing now after a couple years off -- feels great to get back into the hobby. My second batch since my return to brewing is in the bottle now, and I'm planning on...

Hi -- I've recently started doing a full boil, but I'm not convinced of its merits. (1) my stove can't bring 5 gal. to a boil, so I've got to brew outside & its COLD (2) a full boil depletes the dissolved O2 in the water, and I don't have an oxygenation setup. I don't know if shaking the...

Anyone have any experience cleaning "labels" printed directly on glass/ceramic bottles? I'd like to grab a few of the fancy Rogue brews (eg. http://www.rogue.com/Beer%20Brochures/MorimotoImperialPilsner.pdf) but I want the painted label off before I use it for bottling. Any ideas...? (BTW --...