BKB Home Brewing Blog Posts
Forced Fermentation Test, for accurate attenuation
I have noticed that one of the most frequently asked questions by new and old brewers is, is my beer done fermenting? Well, there are a few ways to answer that; varying from pitching more yeast to be sure, comparing the expected attenuation from the yeast manufacturer with the actual attenuation, or moving the beer [...]
Cleaning out those keg lines the easy way
Most of what you read or hear says to clean out your keg lines every 2 weeks. I know most restaurants are required to do this, (whether they do or not I can’t say), but that is the recommendation. Now I feel that at the homebrew / homebar level that is probably overkill, and a way [...]
Ulterior Motive Recipe
Ulterior Motive Brewing Beer and men go together. This is an accepted, immutable fact which cannot be changed without dire threat to life in this universe as we know it. Since the very balance of our existence hinges on this combination, then it stands to reason that most hobby brewers are men. This isn’t to say [...]
Recipe Review - Clara Bell
Home Brewers Ultimate Recipe Book Clara Bell So, I was scrolling through my copy of the Home Brewers Ultimate Recipe Book (also known as the Best Cookbook Ever) looking for a nice refreshing summery beer when I came across the recipe for Clara Bell. I decided to make it mainly because I noticed [...]
Building a kegerator
Tired of cleaning out your bottles? Maybe it is time to start kegging your beer! Like anything else there are certain advantages and disadvantages to almost every process that can be done more than one way. Let’s face it, our goal as homebrewers is to have a full glass of the highest quality homebrew you [...]
Implementing a HERMS easily
So you have made the jump to all grain brewing. Your mash tun has the kinks worked out of it, your sparge methods are pretty sound, and your efficiency is consistant. There is no need to change a thing with your process right? Well that is a matter of opinion. For most everyone in the AG [...]
No boil starters
So there is no argument, most everyone will agree that a proper yeast count will yield a healthy fermentation, which will lead to proper attenuation as well as yeast performing in a comfortable lower stress environment. This equates to the most accurate flavor profile of your beer. Some may say that underpitching stresses the yeast [...]
Brewing equipment made simple, kinda, The Mash Tun
The mash tun is a piece of equipment used by the “all grain” brewer. Put simply, it is a vessel, in which the milled, malted grain is placed with hot water to release the sugars necessary for fermentation. The mash tun is one of the easiest, yet most confusing pieces of equipment to the [...]
Blowing Off Bacteria
Face it, making beer can make you paranoid. Everything has to be spotless and sanitary. The boil has to be watched carefully to ensure that the new brew isn’t scorched or doesn’t boil over. Hops have to be added at just the right time. Temperatures have to be monitored so that the delicate new [...]
The natural progression of equipment
After reading many posts over several months on various forums, there seems to be one thing evident with this hobby/obsession that I share as many others may. I thought I could dive in with the basic start up kit and make some OK beer to satisfy my craving for a hobby that produces an end product [...]
Featured Home Brewing Discussions
Water Absorption
I was wondering how much water typically gets absorbed by the grain during the mash
Got About 500 Dollars
I have about 500 bucks to spend on some equipment for brewing.....
Keg Carbonation
I need help, am on my third batch on my kegging system. I have a severe lack of carbonation to my beer. Any ideas?
A Brewer's Prayer
My daughter sent me this, I thought I should share it.
Whirlpool
Any advice on a better whirlpooling technique?
2008 BKB Fall Community Brew---Oktoberfest Style Ale!!!
So the winner as mentioned, an Oktoberfest style ale based on the recipe of our very own Brewchez.
2008 BKB Fall Community Brew
Dartgod was wondering if we should start this one now, I'm up for it, any volunteers for thread and recipe management?
Dead Space?
Anyone know what this is? I heard that too much in a mashtun is a bad thing..........
March 809 Pumps
I didn't want to hijack another thread on march pumps so I started a new one here...
OK to Pump Hot Wort?.....
Well, as the subject states, is it ok to pump hot wort?
Adding Spices to Secondary
I'm making a pumpkin pie ale and it's ready to transfer to secondary and add spices.....
Keg/Kettle Conversion
Question on cutting the top off a keg to make a boil kettle.... Seems to be two different methods in general, and just looking for some input on what anybody has experience with, and has found to work best.
Mead Day
Did anybody make up any mead for the AHA Mead Day on Saturday?
Torrified Wheat Rules
So our spring community brew kolsch disappointed me a little because I used a pound of wheat malt....1n1m3g and his buddy Michael recommended torrified wheat instead???
Flaked Barley
I'm attempting my first stout in about a week and I was wondering if anyone knew how to incorporate flaked barley into an extract recipe
Dry hopping in Primary?
Does anyone do this on a regular basis?
Cloudy Beer
I am very new to kegging (2 times)and both brews are tasting great but they are both cloudy. I am not sure why this is happening.
Fruit Extract Questions
I'm gonna be bottling some beers with fruit extracts soon. I was wondering if I need to do anything to sanitize them first, and if so how?
Belgian Wit
I have a Belgian Wit in primary as we speak, and something hit me. I want to keep diacetyl to a minimum so I wanted to at least keep the latter portion of the ferm temp high...75 ish.....Will the higher fermentation temps drive the esters through the roof?
Organic Grain Users
Does anyone have any information on how specific organic grains might taste differently than their non-organic counter parts? Even more importantly, has anyone ever brewed the same recipe, one with organic and the other non-organic and can pin point the specific differences they tasted?