I'm probably being too paranoid here, but what's the best way to make sure the priming sugar (I tend to use corn sugar boiled in a few cups of water for 5 minutes and then cooled) is thoroughly mixed into the beer without oxidizing it? I'm afraid if I agitate it too much I'm going to oxidize it and add off-flavors, but I've had some batches where the bottles are unevenly primed. My current process is to pour the 70-80°F …
I'm going to be tackling this recipe for my first attempt at a kettle sour. In the notes, it goes over procedures to make a starter. Researching I've come across sources that say you should have a heating pad under your beaker on the stir plate. I have neither currently and I was wondering if I could get away with not doing one. This question suggests heating the mixture to temp and then just wrapping it. Would that be effective?
I want to experiment a bit by adding spices - I'm thinking cinnamon and vanilla - to my beer, but wonder at which step is considered the best time to add it. Personal experience is very welcome. I assume adding it during mashing is out... I guess the obvious time would be during the boil (in "tea"-bags?) - but early or late? Or is it better to do it after the boil - during "mixing" - just to let the …
I just brewed my first oatmeal stout (the Brewer's Best kit), and decided I'd try to add a little "holiday" flair. At my local brewing supply store, I found a recipe for a holiday ale, so I followed the spicing directions used in that, but I wonder if there's a better way. Here are the ingredients I used: 1 orange, with whole cloves stuck into the skin cinnamon sticks peeled ginger root Here's what I did: During the last 15 …
Will scaling a recipe down to 1 gallon (i.e.: dividing the amount of each ingredient by 5) produce a pretty close approximation of the results of a full 5 gallon batch? Are there any additional considerations in brewing such a small batch? I'd like to do some small experimental batches over the winter, using a 2-gallon stockpot on the stovetop instead of my usual brew kettle on an outdoor burner setup. I want to make sure they're pretty close to …