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1500 questions
18
votes
8 answers

Can Infected beer cause death or major illness?

Basic question. Can you get sick and die from drinking infected brew? I know that it must taste terrible, was just wondering. Can't seem to find any references where people have died from infected beer.
drj
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18
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3 answers

What are the advantages and disadvantages of transferring to a secondary vs. a long primary?

The conventional wisdom in homebrewing has been challenged in recent years. This wisdom held that a beer should be transferred from the primary fermentation vessel to a secondary one after 7-10 days. In recent years, many homebrewers have…
Dustin Rasener
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18
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3 answers

How Does a Hydrometer Work?

I know how to use my hydrometer, and I know what numbers to look at and write down on my brewing sheets, but I'm not sure what those numbers actually represent, or even what units I should use to label those readings. What's the science behind the…
Ben
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18
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9 answers

Is it OK to starting fermentation while wort is still warm?

I'm just getting started, so in my first couple batches I realized I had a problem cooling the wort all the way down to 60°F/16°C recommended by my instructions. I boil all of my water, but I don't have all day to let it cool before introducing the…
spoulson
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18
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12 answers

Is an immersion chiller really necessary?

I have been reading here about immersion, counterflow and plate chillers and they don't seem to chill the wort much faster than my current method; ice. Many people have stated that their chillers cool the wort to pitching temperature in 20-25…
Greg
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18
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6 answers

What happens when beer freezes?

After a bit of trouble with a thermostat on a 2nd hand fridge, I discovered that my latest batch of bottled, ready-to-drink brew had frozen. What happens to beer when it freezes? Will the taste be affected? Does the level of CO2 change?
Mark McDonald
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18
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3 answers

How long will bottled beer last?

How long will bottled beer last without refrigeration?
Jason T..
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18
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9 answers

How to add coffee/chicory to beer?

We have made a few coffee beers. Once we used a cheap coffee by brewing a strong pot and adding to the boil. It turned out very acidic. The next beer we brewer we went with a little higher OG 1.070 and added 1/2 pound of Starbucks breakfast blend…
CLJ
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18
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7 answers

How much water does a wort chiller use?

I am thinking on buying an immersion chiller and from other threads I've thought of using the post-chiller hot water for cleanup, and I've also heard of using the water (after it starts to cool down) to water the garden. How much water does a wort…
Pulsehead
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18
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1 answer

What is a hopback?

How do you use it? What does it do? Do you pass finished wort through it hot or cold?
brewchez
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18
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6 answers

Are plastic fizzy-drink bottles an acceptable substitute for glass bottles?

I'm thinking of cola, lemonade, etc bottles, usually 2 litres, commonly available in the UK. Are these going to be an acceptable substitute for glass bottles? Would save a few pennies on the cost of beer bottles, caps and capper.
robaker
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18
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4 answers

Should I ferment a new batch directly on the yeast cake generated by the previous batch?

I'm going to re-use the yeast cake from a low-gravity batch to ferment a high-gravity batch. Can I just put the wort directly on it? Does it then need to be agitated? Is it worth the risk of contamination to take the whole yeast cake out, wash…
Rich Armstrong
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17
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10 answers

Which yeast should I use to make apple cider

I am looking to make some homebrew cider. I intend to use store-bought apple juice, and mix with an appropriate amount of yeast. I am wondering what kind of yeast you would recommend? In the past, I have been told that Champagne yeast is the best,…
razumny
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17
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10 answers

Sanitizing oak chips

Going to try using dry oak chips in my secondary fermenter. How do you recommend sanitizing the chips before adding them?
WayneTheTrain
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17
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4 answers

First Time Homebrewer Setup

There was a request for difficult questions, but having never brewed, this is all I've got: Can you describe the most basic setup (preferably one with a reasonably low difficulty and high success rate) for a first time brewer? Information on where…
tcabeen
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