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1500 questions
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8 answers

Which pieces of brewing equipment seem like a good idea to buy, but are of limited usefulness?

My brewing buddy asked me this the other night. I've accumulated a lot of stuff over just an 18 month brew career. Not all of it useful. I know it's subjective, but I'd be very interested to hear other people's answers. My answer: the Northern…
Rich Armstrong
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Is beer bad for dogs?

My dog, Lilly Von Shtupp, loves to drink beer. I only give her an ounce or so once in a blue moon, but I stopped recently because I heard that dogs are sensitive/allergic to hops. Can anyone either confirm or deny this?
BoilerBrad
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How to get clearer and more clarified home-brewed beers?

I'm still pretty new to home-brewing, but I've got a couple of extract kits under my belt so far and I was wondering how I could get more clarified beers. I've used both Irish moss and Whirlfloc tablets, but still would like to know what else I…
jamesaharvey
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9 answers

Sweet sparkling cider without pasteurizing, sulphites or lactose

We've got an apple tree that produces more fruit than we know what to do with, so being cider lovers, we decided to get into brewing. Our first batch of cider was very dry so we've been adding sugar after opening which is a pain. We want a…
Luke Rohde
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5 answers

Can glass carboy be used for both beer and wine making?

This last summer, my Dad showed my brother and I the process for making wine that he learned from his Dad. It was pretty simple and used a 5 or 6 gallon glass carboy. I've made a few batches of beer using a kit from Mr. Beer, which in. I was…
xecaps12
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4 answers

Permanent Bottle Labels

I'm considering making permanent labels for my bottles. I've had a friend create a label design with a blank banner in the center. My idea is to have the design printed on vinyl stickers and then use a Sharpie or some other marker to label the…
theraccoonbrew
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2 answers

What is the proper way to use Melanoidin Malt in a recipe

I know Melanoidin Malt can be used as a substitute for decoction mashing, provides the richness expected in certain styles, and may improve red or brown color. So at what percentages does the malt achieve these results?
therulebookman
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Will a carboy's narrow opening hinder or prevent successful wild fermentation?

I'm considering trying to brew a simple lambic, which requires some open-air time for wild fermentation and souring of the wort prior to pitching yeast. I'm wondering if I could use a carboy as the vessel for this, or if its small mouth would…
STW
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6 answers

Why do my airlocks lose liquid?

This has happened with a few batches now. My three-piece airlocks are drained of the sani inside them repeatedly. Even after a few days, when fermentation doesn't seem as rapid (and therefore the temperature of the beer shouldn't be that much warmer…
hookedonwinter
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Liquid malt extract storage

What's the best way to store LME for extended periods of time? Can LME be kept in the freezer to limit spoilage or are there better ways keep it somewhat fresh?
Northern Brewer Chris
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Crystal Malt - How does it influence head retention?

Crystal malt is said to positively influence head retention / foam stability in the final beer. Why is that?
Tobi
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3 answers

Distillation legality

In California is it legal to build and operate a still for the distillation of homebrew?
BozoJoe
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5 answers

What kind of contamination is this and is the beer ruined?

This is my first all-grain batch and unfortunately it has developed some kind of growth. It didn't smell like death, actually smelled pretty good, and the samples I have been taking have all tasted good, so I went ahead and bottled it. Just…
ryanbillingsley
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5 answers

How clean does your equipment really need to be?

For example has anyone done an experiment where they either didn't wash/sterilise any equipment including the fermenter, spoon, jugs, other etc or at most they just rinsed out the equipment with water. If so what were the results, did you get an…
user7668482
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How does alcohol affect flavour/aroma when dry hopping?

As a chemist, I know that extraction (from hops in this case) can be different for water (hop tea), beer (eg. 7% ABV), or pure ethanol. So in theory it should make a big difference if I dry hop with hop tea, simply by adding hops to beer, or by…
Louic
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