Search results

Yeah, it took all of my mental strength the first time. With beer, once you pitch the yeast you stay away and don't fiddle with it. With mead after pitching, every other day you have to go in and stir it like a mad man. I'm always so scared of oxygenation and wild yeast but it seems a very...

Tannins and/or acidity will definitely help get the flavour profile to shine but probably won't increase the flavour of the honey or cherriesthemselves. I have calculated that 1.1 Kg of honey in a 6.5 litre batch would get you an OG of around 1.050 (maybe a bit more from the sugar you...

I usually use cheap honey to make meads while I am working on a recipe (until I get the recipe right then I splash out for the good stuff). It won't be 100% honey if it's that cheap and it doesn't get the best result but if you are careful you can make a decent fruited (melomel) or spiced...

You said that the temperature you mashed at was lower than the last time and mention it around 64C. This would have activated a lot of Beta amylase which produces more fermentable sugars. So your initial SG reading of 1.034 would be composed mostly of fermentable sugars. Then you added brown...

Looks good! Such a clear wort makes me feel happy! Your kitten has a massive tail!

If the Triple looks good and you're doing another Belgian next I would definitely use the same yeast (as long as there were no issues with the triple there is no reason to need new yeast, save the money). Give the yeast a wash and reuse it: https://www.beercraftr.com/yeast-washing/ It should...

All of my instincts tell me that's not the best idea and I'm sure everyone else will disagree with me, but I say go for it. If you have kept everything clean and sterile up until this point it still will be. Although the dried bits where the krawsen was would worry me just a little. There may...

I would definitely say to leave it 30 minutes or so. As long as it's closed in some way it shouldn't get infected. Also if you use a little irish moss or Whirlfloc 10 minutes before the end of the boil, you will find that when you cool it, everything clumps together more and flocculates to the...

I hate airlocks, they always provoke people to make mistakes. They stop bubbling and people mess with their beer to get it bubbling again. Or they don't start bubbling so they tempt you into doing something you shouldn't. Destroy the airlock, it is evil, blow it up! Seriously though, you did...

Any air contact, or touching the beer will have a slight risk of contamination, it is very difficult to avoid bacteria, yeast and oxidation completely. If you are able to take a sample from the fermenter's tap, it is ideal. If it hasn't got one though, don't worry too much. If you are taking a...

You could theoretically add oxygen if you had an oxygen tank with perfectly pure oxygen and a sanitary way to administer it. Sanitizing a whisk wouldn't work as it is not just the utensil that has bacteria/yeast it is also the air itself that you would be whisking into the beer. However, it is...

I haven't tried a Kviek yeast before, not sure why, normally I jump on anything new or different. I'll have to bite the bullet at some stage. 36 hours is insane, though! The F1 of yeast!

No probs. Good luck with them and let us know how they turn out.

1.044 to 1.016 is an attenuation of 62.8%, I have checked the stats for this yeast and the attenuation range is meant to be 76-82% so it definitely didn't hit its full potential. Maybe because, as you mention, as it wasn't as fresh as it could have been. I would not try a second ferment as...

Yeah, it sounds like you are careful not to introduce unnecessary nasties so you will be fine. Once fermented the beer has alcohol and a lower PH which protects it a lot more than at the beginning of fermentation. In regards to oxidation, you should be fine if you didn't agitate it much so don't...

Thanks Robin54! I am going to have to start an anti-airlock gang. hahahahah

This might be controversial but the best thing to do with airlocks is throwing them on a fire. They are the single thing that causes the most stress to new brewers and provokes mistakes. The only thing that the airlock shows is that air is passing through, this is not necessarily related to the...

I have never made prosecco but the frothing up is almost certainly caused by the release of CO2 from the liquid (exactly as Bernie pointed out), which is weird as you state that there is no carbonation. CO2 is released from suspention either by agitation (in this case adding sugar) or by...

It will definitely get better with a bit of time to itself. Leaving it cold would be better but only if the temperature doesn't fluctuate. If the garage heats up in the day and gets colder at night it may be best indoors with a more stable temperature. Crashing won't kill the yeast (unless they...

I did exactly the same thing on my first brew but I didn't great advice from knowledgeable people and the lid burst off at 3 in the morning. I thought it was some sort of explosive (things sound louder at night) I have never been so scared in my life!