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1500 questions
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Experimenting, Priming Sugars

I've got a 3 gallon batch of bourbon dubbel fermenting, recipe calls for priming with maple syrup, I'm thinking of siphoning off .5 gal to prime with honey and .5 gal to prime with black treacle. Recipe calls for 1.5 oz maple syrup/gal Using…
Chuck
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What about corking beer?

I'd like to start corking some of my more delicate brews. Is there a reason to switch to corking? Certain styles? And, is it difficult/recommended for a small setup? Thanks.
tbeseda
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Does wort gravity affect hop utilization?

My understanding is that wort gravity does not affect hop utilization. Instead, a larger boil volume will increase hop utilization, while a higher amount of break material will lower hop utilization. This would mean that for all grain batches,…
KISS Brew
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How should bulk grain be stored?

I love brewing all-grain but I feel that I could cut down on my costs significantly by purchasing some of my grain in bulk, storing it, and using it as needed. I know a lot of people do this but I'm not sure what the "proper" storage methods are for…
Jeff L
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Ideas for rescuing an under-pitched and under-hopped batch

A few batches ago, I had a "learning experience". I now have some pretty good ideas of where I went wrong (mainly, not having any idea how to design a recipe), but I'm wondering what I can do with a case of not-very-tasty (but not completely ruined)…
Bob
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How do I improve head retention?

I have noticed that many of my beers have terrible head retention. How can I improve this? I usually brew lighter hoppier ales.
Nathan Koop
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Proof dry yeast, or just pitch it?

In the past, I've used Wyeast smack packs, where the instructions tell you to make sure that the pack is viable before opening so that you can get refunded for a dud. I'm a baker, and I use dry yeast all the time in my dough. When I bake, I always…
Nate
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Does dry hopping affect attenuation?

Does the anti-microbial affects of hops affect yeast activity and therefore attenuation when dry hopping near the end of primary fermentation?
mR_fr0g
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Is it okay to move the beer while its fermenting?

I just started my very first batch of beer, so I am a big noobie. Earlier today I checked the temperature of the keg and it seemed a little high (74F) so I decided to try moving it somewhere else. Afterwards though I was wondering to myself if its…
Metropolis
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When brewing a chocolate stout, should the cacao nibs be added in the boil, the secondary, or both?

When using cacao nibs to brew a chocolate stout, should they be added in the boil (if so, when?), in the secondary fermenter, or both? Is there a better ingredient to add to produce the chocolate flavor?
Jeff L
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Sanitization practices when dry hopping in a muslin bag

I've had good results, have always done it the same way in recent years, but always question myself when I dry hop. Weigh-out my pellet hops Scrub my hands with soap an water Drop a weight, a muslin bag and a length of dental floss into my pitcher…
Dale
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cleaning vs. sanitizing

I have made over 50 batches of homebrew, and I have a confession: I rarely CLEAN my equipment. I take a quick look to see if there is any visible debris/dust, etc., and if so, I will spot clean it or rinse it. I am still a maniac about…
Pietro
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Sanitizer sucked back into beer, dangerous?

So I just fermented a 80 Shilling and thought I would try cold crashing for the first time. I dropped it from mid 60's to 38 or so in a 24 hour period and it sucked about 4 cups of sanitizer up the blow off tube and into my 5 gallon batch. The…
Patrick Kafka
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Should dry hopping be done in secondary, when to transfer, and for how long?

After surveying questions related to dry hopping and secondary here on the Exchange, I don't yet have solid answers to the following questions. Should beer be transferred to secondary for the purpose of dry hopping? If so, why? How long after…
Galapagos Jim
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When should I rack my mead?

I am making mead for the first time using honey from my hives. It has been going for 3-4 weeks and I'm not sure if it's time to rack it. The fermenting has been slow, which I think might be due to the coldish (60 degree) temperature in my house. I…
Larisa
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