My son and I tried our hand at mead for the first time... I didn't notice a lot of bubbling I thought that it wasn't fermenting correctly but my son thought differently, he's 17. Lol But when we went to bottle it after the normal 2-week. We tasted it and it tasted sour kind of musty It wasn't a good flavor. Does anybody possibly know what we could have done wrong? Thank you. On a side note he decided to …

I’ve made ginger beer a few times. I usually make it with just fresh ginger and raw honey. Usually the I get well less than 2% ABV. This last week though I used a different honey, sourced from a farm, it was really raw and had a distinctly wild honey smell. After making the cordial and allowing to cool I mixed with water in my brewing vesseI and used 12g ~ 0.42 oz of bakers yeast, I made roughly 6GAL …

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

I'm playing with a yeast starter right now and I've noticed when I shake the mix the yeast gets more active. I'm wondering how this applies to my actual fermentation. So I was thinking I'd let my primary sit still for 2 weeks then move it to a secondary carboy and shake it up. What are some best practices here and what can make the yeast perform the best?

This term pops up from time to time and it often cited as a reason to go to all grain. But maybe its because I don't really know what it tastes like. Do you believe in extract twang? How do you get rid of it, aside from all-grain brewing? Can you get rid of it?

just wanted to ask if anyone using 3% hydrogen peroxide to remove chlorine from your strike/sparge water? If yes how many ml/l or gallon? Thank you.

How is it used? What does it do?

If so, what kind of weight should I use? Should it be enough to sink the bag to the bottom of the carboy?

What's the maximum amount of time for primary fermentation, assuming the beer is going straight to bottles next? Will it over ferment and then fail to carbonate, if left too long in a carboy?

Curious newbie here. Watching the "moonshiners" show the other night and the guys were doing fractional distillation by freezing their mash and removing the ice. They then simply boiled to remove the methanol. Is it really this simple? I am heading up to northern Michigan from Florida next month and was thinking of making a strawberry brandy mash before I leave and the it up there to let it freeze for a few nights, then simply burn off the methanol. …

I've been kegging for awhile now, but I still haven't managed to successfully fill bottles from my kegs without losing all pressure. I don't have a counter pressure beer filler or a Blichmann Beer gun, and for the moment I'd rather spend my beer-money on something else. The few times I've tried to fill a couple bottles I've done this: Chill the keg (well, already done) Chill the bottles Turn down the keg pressure to almost nothing, like 1-2 psi …

First time brewer here... I have swing-tops that affix to used bottles via this sort of band: I am wondering if I am utilizing it correctly or if there is a trick or something for wrapping the band around the neck of the bottle that I am somehow not seeing or understanding... My first attempt resulted in this: While the seal seems to be fairly tight, I am skeptical as to whether or not it is going to hold when …

I'm making hard sparkling apple cider using the Champagne method (re-fermenting on the bottle for carbonation). This year I will try the full method of also removing the yeast lees from the bottle afterwards, which I have previously just left there. Now I'm wondering why one would actually go through all the hassle of the classical "Remuage". instead of just placing the bottle upside down directly for some days after the fermentation has finished in the bottle, to let the …

For the homebrewer that grows and harvests his/her own hops; how best can one approximate the alpha acids in the hops they have? Is it worth it or should brewers stick to using home grown hops for aroma and flavor?

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

I know from previous questions that you can use both Bentonite followed by Sparkolloid in the same mead. Am I correct in thinking the best process would be add bentonite, give a week, RACK OFF THE SEDIMENT,then add Sparkolloid and give enough time to clear and then a final racking? The key component I am asking is the racking between the two. I wanted to make sure that was correct thing to do. Thanks all.

For me, these 5 liter kegs seem like the perfect device for storage as well as remaining fresh when making beer. I understand there is a way to remove the top piece of the mini keg with some type of key? Once removed, what do you clean them with? and then how do you re-pressurize the keg?

I just started home brewing, have studied up on the issues associated with methanol/fusel alcohols, and I'm wondering if there are certain practices that can be used to minimize non-ethanol alcohols, or other harmful things in home brews? I've heard that the first ferment of wine should be anoxic, but then I hear in other places that it needs oxygen, or might produce more fusel alcohols. What about nutrients? agitating the brew? other factors?

So this question challenges a lot Brewers assumption that yeast needs oxygen to reproduce. It just plain doesn’t. Yeast does use oxygen, but it’s a mighty and inaccurate over simplification to say it has anything to do with reproduction. Please don’t answer that I am wrong. There is plenty of scientific studies (including in beverage studies) that you can read to learn about how yeast do not respire when in the presence of sugar, and how they multiply just as …

Was given a 1/2 bucket of crystalized honey and so made Mead. Used Champagne yeast, Original Gravity 1.092, Final Gravity 0.996. My sort of problem is : there seems to be a 'sediment'. AT THE TOP! After racking, the mead is clearing from the bottom upwards! I assume this is beeswax, very fine, and so will turn in a sort of reverse Champagne treatment removing the wax/scum with a suction tube (turkey baster?) Any comments please.