I've prepared a 1qt (~1L) yeast starter according to instructions from Wyeast.com. I didn't measure its gravity, but in theory it should be about 1.040. I am brewing a 5 gallon batch of high gravity stout @ 1.076 target original gravity. So, after pitching the starter, the total volume in the fermenter will be 5.25 gallons. How do I calculate a more accurate gravity reading from the blended starter and wort?

Good day, I am seeking help from the seasoned brewers on this forum to find a recipe for a beer that I absolutely loved and cannot get anymore of because it was only a seasonal craft beer that Mill St. used to carry here in Ottawa, Ontario and is now, well all dried up of course. When I read the ingredients listed on the bottle, they listed only (3) key ingredients, Barley, Wheat and Pineapple, while their website describes the …

I am new to home brewing and would welcome the insights and comments of the other home brewers on this website in order to brew a 5 gallon batch of a Wheat and Barley based Pale Ale. That said, what would be the typical grain bill be (for a 5 gallon brew) as well as the water ratios (mash in vs mash out). Much thanks and appreciation for everyone's help and support. Jay

So I followed a recipe called "hoppy red ale" and I just took a sample after 14 days in the fermenter. I'm a little disappointed that it's not as red as I thought it would be. It's more of a brown / golden yellow. My second confusion is the fact that it tastes very similar to my first recipe, although slightly darker / roasted. So looking at these recipes, why didn't the second one turn out as red and why …

I'm interested in making a hard lemonade after my cider is done, but I'm having a tough time figuring out how the recipes I've found actually work, and what's the best way to ferment lemon juice. What I'm looking at doing is grabbing some good organic lemon juice from Whole Paycheck, adding some kind of sugar (agave nectar, cane sugar, whatever...), then throwing on yeast and walking away. From what I've read, yeast like an acidic environment (pH 4.5-5.5), but …

Background Based on my searching here and elsewhere, brewing with birch sap is quite uncommon with brewers (although I did find one brewer that mentioned brewing with maple sap). So I'd like to get a list of things to think about as I develop a beer recipe based on birch sap. Brewing with sap is different than using syrup because knowing the flavor of the sap once concentrated is unknown in the case of using sap. Specific Gravity / Flavor …

If I double a mead recipe, do I need to double the yeast I put in to have the same fermentation time? I'm doubling a small batch from a half gallon to a gallon, would I need to add a second packet?

I'm finally taking a stab at formulating my own beer recipe. What I'd like to achieve is something dark and chewy, but not overly sweet. I've been playing around with the recipe tools on brewersfriend, estimating OG / FG / ABV / IBU / SRM from a recipe. Are there similar tools for estimating perceived post-fermentation sweetness from a recipe? For that matter, does a "sweetness" measurement scale exist? Or am I overthinking this - and what I'm after is …

I'm planning to add some in my mead because we have the best saffron in our country. anyone ever tried to add saffron in their mead, wine or beer during first or second fermentation? i know it can definitely give your drink a nice orange colour but how does it taste like? how about aroma?

I've encountered several commercial beers with peanut butter flavor and I'm interested in making something similar but I'm not 100% sure how to go about it. I've seen reference to peanut butter powder but I'm not sure if this is the recommended way to do it or, even if it is, if there are other methods worth considering. How to commercial and home brewers generally add peanut butter flavor to beer and what other prominent options exist? Is there a …

I am new to the home brewing community and have a question regarding some malts I am using on my next batch. After using a few beer kits from Brewers Best, I am taking a spin at trying to gather my own ingredients to brew. I have: 1 pound of Briess Pilsen DME 1 pound of Briess Bavarian Wheat DME 1 pound of Briess Carapils crushed malt 1 ounce of German Hallertau hop pellets Safale US-05 Ale Yeast Additional items: …

I'm brewing ginger beer for the first time using a ginger beer plant with this recipe. In this recipe once fermentation begins you feed the plant sugar and ground ginger for 7 days. I understand why the plant is fed sugar but I don't understand why it is important to feed it ginger regularly. Couldn't one just add all the ginger at the end to taste? I'm also not sure what a good ratio of ginger to liquid is. Someone …

I made many great stouts in the past, but blondes seem more difficult to get right. I looked on the web for an all-grain Canadian Blonde recipe (basic blonde similar to a Budweiser). I found a few recipes with similar ingredients, so I tried a small 4L batch trial: 660g pale malt 2-row 165g munich malt 50g crystal 40L 40g Carapils 6g Cascade hops 60 min. 4g Hallertau 10 min. Safale american US-05 yeast Mash at 67°C for 70 min. …

I'm thinking about doing a series of lightweight, flavorful beers. The fact is, I'm not going to drink more than one or two beers a night: I want to be able to drive my kids to the ER if I have to. But if I can Brew a sub 3% beer then I could have three or four without a problem. I've found a handful of great sounding recipes, but I was surprised none of them were stouts... It feels …

I've been making home hooch for about a year now. I put lots of sugar, let it get almost hot, add a good amount of yeast and wait. I put it in 5 liter plastic jugs with the cover not screwed on. Sometimes I put fresh mint in there or fresh absinth. I think it's absinth. They call it Seeba here, in Morocco. After about 3 weeks it's clear, and I do nothing after that but drink it. It's strong! …

I am a home brewing newbie from the UK. I have made 2 batches so far; my first was a 1 gallon IPA kit using grains which I was relatively happy with for a first attempt; the second was a 40 pints IPA from a tin which whilst drinkable, was disappointing. I would like to move into adding my own ingredients to a 40 pints kit (yeast, hop, etc.) but don't really know where to start. The reviews for this …

I'm looking for some input as to whether my planned recipe looks right. I have only just finished my first ever brew and wanted to try my hand at pulling together my own recipe (but I am not skilled enough, nor do I have all necessary equipment to do all grain or start partial mashes, so would be looking at extract with some steeped speciality grains). At the same time, I have been drinking a lot of Brooklyn Brewer's Sorachi …

I will be boiling corn cobs and I was thinking about reusing this water to make a brew batch. I know some commercial breweries use corn as an ingredient, but I am unsure how. I am thinking that a light blonde beer would work well, like a Corona. It could be an all-grain batch, where I would use the water to mash my grain... Or it could be an extract batch, where I would used this "tinted" water in the …

I am planning a small experimental 1 gallon BIAB batch of something like an Amber Ale. According to one article I've found: Description of Typical Grain Bill Amber Ale is traditionally made with American two row pale malt as the base, making up 60-85% of the grain bill. Medium to dark crystal malts are used to provide color and caramel flavor, typically making up 10-20% of the grain bill. My Proposed Grain Bill 2 lbs. Briess Organic 2-Row 0.5 lb. …

This is more of a general question that I'd like to throw out to homebrewers that like to 'experiment' with beer recipes. I've been through enough all-grain brews now that know my equipment fairly well, and even though I'm still learning tips and tricks along the way I want to throw out a question on experimenting with different ingredients (different yeast, malts, hops). I like the art and science of brewing as much as drinking my results. So much so …