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1500 questions
33
votes
2 answers

How to clean yeast

I like reusing yeast to save money, and I like having my own "house" yeast. However sooner or later my yeast eventually dies and becomes unusable. I have a feeling that each time I repitch, I'm getting more an more crap and less and less yeast. I…
PMV
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32
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7 answers

What are some alternatives to hops?

I have a friend that is allergic to hops and can not drink our beer (or just about any others for that matter). What alternatives do I have if I want to make a beer for him? What could I substitute for bittering? What would my options be for…
CLJ
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32
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10 answers

Brewing Solid Things: Can Leftover Yeast Be Used for Bread?

I find myself baking a couple loaves of bread just about every weekend. Has anyone tried reusing their yeast from brewing for baking bread? I've heard that using some of the spent grain in bread recipes works well, but I'm curious if brewing yeasts…
Ben
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32
votes
8 answers

What's the point of going all-grain?

My extract beers are good, I think better than most commercial beers that I buy. Extract takes less time, less equipment and seems to produce great quality beers. Why do people do full grain?
CLJ
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31
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3 answers

How do you sparge?

One of the biggest hurdles I came across when switching to all-grain was learning how to sparge. I honestly still don't think I do it 100% correctly. There are very detailed descriptions online, but they are pretty confusing if you haven't done it…
hookedonwinter
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30
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14 answers

Good home brewing blogs

Any suggestions for good blogs aimed at home brewers?
jason.vanderhoof
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28
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7 answers

What is the difference between Clean, Sanitized and Sterilized?

What is the difference between Clean, Sanitized and Sterilized?
Nathan Koop
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27
votes
5 answers

Carbonation Drops vs. Sugar?

I'm brewing my very first batch with an actual kit (I've used Mr. Beer before with decent results and wanted to do it right). I bought a recipe kit from Northern Brewer and I opted for the Cooper's Carbonation drops. But I see no one mention them…
Ell
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27
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7 answers

Can I condition in growlers?

I read up a decent amount on conditioning in growlers before attempting it. I wanted to share my experience and see if others had had similar experiences. The thinking, of course, is to minimize bottle-washing. From my research, the dangers…
Rich Armstrong
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25
votes
8 answers

Temperature Control for Fermentation

I am curious how everyone controls the temperature of their primary, especially those that live in the warmer climates. In Florida, where the temperatures can soar and remain in the 90's and above for months, it can be a challenge to keep the house…
Sean Nordquist
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25
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2 answers

What is cold crashing?

What is cold crashing? When is it done? How long does it take? Best temperature to make it happen?
brewchez
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25
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5 answers

Reusing yeast at home

Reusing yeast at home is something I'm incredibly interested in, but haven't found the time to learn enough about it just yet. What are the basic steps for harvesting, cultivating, or whatever other term you want to use, in order to reuse yeast from…
hookedonwinter
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24
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10 answers

Alternatives to a hydrometer?

I can't seem to keep a hydrometer for more than a few brewing sessions. They either break from dropping them, going from hot to cold, or I've had the wax holding all of the lead pellets to the bottom melt and shift the paper. Are there any other…
PMV
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24
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2 answers

Partial vs. Full Volume Wort Boil

The starting position for most new extract brewers is to use a partial boil set up. Defined as using a pot smaller than the intended batch size, all the ingredients are boiled in a smaller volume. Then the wort is diluted to the final desired…
brewchez
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23
votes
7 answers

Methods for cleaning and drying tubing

Brewing 5 gallon batches at home. During the transfer from my primary fermenter to the secondary, and when filling bottles from my bottling bucket I constantly need to use plastic tubing to transfer the beer/wort. After Im done i give these tubes a…
still_learning
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