Homebrewing Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
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What is torrified wheat?

What is torrified wheat and in what styles is it used? Are there any restriction or special procedures you need to follow to when using torrified wheat? Can you substitute torrified wheat with malted wheat?
Northern Brewer Chris
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How to brew less than 5 gallons at a time?

I recently moved into a smaller apartment and no longer have the space for my 6.5 and 5 gallon carboys. Do people sell smaller carboys than this? I know Mr. Beer would be small enough, but I'd rather have something a bit bigger. Also, most…
Jerry C.
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How do I culture yeast from a commercial beer? Is it legal?

If I like the flavor profile of a yeast in a commercial beer, how would I go about culturing it? I have some very basic lab equipment, but I can buy anything that's reasonably priced. Also, would it be legal?
chrislarson
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What is fusel alcohol, and does it cause hangovers?

I'd recently heard of fusel alcohol in a reference that it causes headaches/hangovers. First what is fusel alcohol, and what creates it (can I avoid it)? Secondly, is fusel alcohol really the main culprit behind hangovers? I know I stopped…
BozoJoe
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5 answers

What class of beer is Newcastle, and what do I need to brew my own?

I like Newcastle, and now I would like to brew some. What class / style of beer is Newcastle? Where does it get its brown color? Are there any kits out there that would give pretty close results?
John Gietzen
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Making a Yeast Starter

It seems that there are varying opinions about the size your starter should be. What is the basic rule-of-thumb for 5 and 10 gallon batches? How much water should be used? How much malt/malt extract should be used? How much time should the starter…
Room3
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Didn't hit gravity--how to calculate how much malt extract to add to the fermenter?

Lets say you were aiming for 1.047 but only hit 1.032. In a 5 gallon batch, how much malt extract would you need to add to the fermenter to bring it up to the desired gravity?
Joe Lencioni
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why do you degas wine but not beer?

After reading this post, I was wondering why have I heard of people degassing wine, but never beer? Does one also need to degas mead?
Pulsehead
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What is the best brewing log sheet to use?

I'm looking for a log sheet to use to start tracking all the beer and wine I brew to (hopefully) improve the results over time. What's your favorite and what could be improved in it?
Kyle Boon
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Corny keg that won't hold pressure.

I have a corny keg that won't hold pressure unless it's kept at constant pressure at around 10 - 15 psi which apparently is enough to compress the seal against the opening of the keg enough to stop CO2 from leaking out. I need to serve from this…
topfermented
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Buckets vs Carboys?

Currently I use glass carboys because the glass seems easier to keep sanitary and you can fill them with your spare change if you ever stop brewing. I'm wondering if having a bucket would be an upgrade or a downgrade. What do you think?
Joe Phillips
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How much potassium metabisulfite/Potassium Sorbate to stop fermentation?

I've had a lot of trouble finding a quick and easy answer to this question. Wine makers will add these chemical to wine after fermentation to prevent spoilage, and as an antioxidant. You can also add these two ingredients in mead, cider, wine, and…
Tim Weber
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How to clear beer

I am brewing my first homebrew an American cream ale. Was just reading into secondary fermentation. In the directions and books I've read it seems to suggest doing this. But as I search online and read more into it, it seems many say to avoid…
fellatamas182
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4 answers

Alpha acids vs. beta acids in aging?

Can someone explain the difference in hop bitterness between alpha acids in my wort vs. beta acids bittering during aging? And is it predictable enough to plan for in recipe formulation?
topfermented
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Alternatives for priming sugar

If you happen to be out of priming sugar, but really want to bottle your beer, what are the alternatives? Let's assume a 5 gallon batch that's fully fermented - call it 1.010-1.014.
hookedonwinter
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