| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Booze gone bad! | 10/18/2009 |
Q: I'm working on my third batch of home made cider. My previous batch went bad after about two ...
A: Dave, Sorry for taking so long to answer your question but I have had computer issues. As to your ...
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| kegging/carbonation | 10/3/2009 |
Q: I have brewed 4-6 batches a yr, mostly ales & bottled for 10 yrs. I recently bought a 4 keg system & ...
A: Sorry it has taken so long. 1. Fill your keg up as full as you can but leave room to add the lid. ...
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| short fermentation | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I a brewing a batch of beer from a kit. After only ywo days it stoprd bubblinh. My hydrometer, if ...
A: Alex, Okay, lets take it from the beginning. After you finish brewing you should take a sample and ...
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| short fermentation | 9/6/2009 |
Q: I a brewing a batch of beer from a kit. After only ywo days it stoprd bubblinh. My hydrometer, if ...
A: Some batches bubble more than other. The only way is to look at hydrmeter readings. Having said ...
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| extract recipe equivalents | 7/13/2009 |
Q: What is the equivalent in malt to one cup of corn sugar when brewing up a 5 gallon batch? Thank you ...
A: Paul, Sorry for taking so long to answer but I was hospitalized and had no access. TO answer your ...
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| fermentation | 5/1/2009 |
Q: Alan thanx for time... I recentley mashed up a hefen weisen with wpl300 and wheat extract and ...
A: Jesse, Did you take a hydrometer sample in the beginning? That is the only way to be sure the ...
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| hygrometer | 4/24/2009 |
Q: where can i order a hygrometer (to measure the specific gravity of the beer making liquid)? i live ...
A: Mary, I think what you want is a "hydrometer" and not a hygrometer. If you do a search for "home ...
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| Force Carbonation vs. Bottle Conditioning | 3/12/2009 |
Q: Hey, I'm a somewhat new homebrewer, but I'm getting pretty involved. We bought a kegerator and ...
A: Dave, Personally I have always prefered beer on tap. I also keg my beer with bottling sugar which ...
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| Fermentation. | 3/4/2009 |
Q: My friends and I are making our first homebrew. This is going to be an Imperial Stout. We ...
A: Kenny, A stout is made with Ale yeast which normally will not function at 30 F. So untill the ...
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| Fermentation | 2/23/2009 |
Q: I just brewed a Pilsner kit this past Saturday. As of this morning, I still haven't seen any bubbles ...
A: Todd, There is no problem adding more yeast. Have you tried pushing on the top? Also be carefull ...
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| hydrometer reading | 2/8/2009 |
Q: the instructions state the the reading should be 1006 but my reading is 1012 how do i achieve the ...
A: Lee, I have a few question that will help you resolve your problem.e 1. Did your original gravity ...
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| Beer Bread | 1/27/2009 |
Q: This is an odd question, I'm sure. My husband is new to brewing, and I'm a baker. We just finished ...
A: Christi, I am not surprised. I was afraid that the trub would just be waste products. As I said ...
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| Beer Bread | 1/24/2009 |
Q: This is an odd question, I'm sure. My husband is new to brewing, and I'm a baker. We just finished ...
A: Christi, The question is not odd at all. In fact it is a good one. The stuff at the bottom of the ...
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| Low Alcohol/Flat Beer | 12/10/2008 |
Q: I am a first time brewer and I tried a Coopers IPA kit. I felt that I did everything pretty well. I ...
A: Coopes IPA caned malt extract comes in a 3.75 lb can. If you achieved 7 points per pound you would ...
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| Low Alcohol/Flat Beer | 12/10/2008 |
Q: I am a first time brewer and I tried a Coopers IPA kit. I felt that I did everything pretty well. I ...
A: Todd, With out the original reading it is hard to know what the alcohol should be. Did your system ...
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| Beer Kit no airlock bubbles + no head = no fermentation? | 11/29/2008 |
Q: I've just started my first attempt at home brew using a kit. I added brewer's sugar to the malt, ...
A: Tony, Some batches can take 24 to 36 hours until you see signs of fermentation. So you may be ...
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| extract to grain conversion | 11/26/2008 |
Q: How do I convert a malt extract to all grain
A: Extract to grain convertion is something that requires a little practice and some knowledge. ...
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| hops | 11/25/2008 |
Q: when adding hops to boil is there any advantage to steeping opposed to just adding to the pot.what ...
A: I must admit that I have never thought of steeping the hops. If you steep instead of boil you would ...
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| fermentation | 11/10/2008 |
Q: what are the advantages and disadvantages to a second fermentation with both ales and lagers
A: A second fermentor allows the beer to clear and provides the yeast a nice clean inviroment to ...
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| flaked grains | 11/9/2008 |
Q: are flaked grains used in the mash or in the boil.are these grains such as corn, rice, and wheat ...
A: Doug, All grains should be added to the mash. Adding grains water over 170 degrees would release ...
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| hops | 11/9/2008 |
Q: what information do you have on adding bittering hops to the mash,opposed to the wort
A: Doug, I must admit that I have never heard of any one adding the hops to the mash but I would not ...
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| Coopers tins | 9/10/2008 |
Q: I'm fairly new to brewing my own beer and have been brewing the brew house kits and the coopers ...
A: Paul, Sorry to take so long to reply. We had a visit from hurricane IKE and we are still digging ...
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| Home brew ale | 8/8/2008 |
Q: I have been home-brewing beer on and off for some years. Just recently I started again with renewed ...
A: Paul, My guess is your yeast. I have never used Safale S-04 but I know it is a neutral yeast. You ...
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| Home brew ale | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I have been home-brewing beer on and off for some years. Just recently I started again with renewed ...
A: Paul, Could you please send me the recipe? Please enclude the yeast that you are using. I am ...
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| geneticly modified ingredients | 7/22/2008 |
Q: Does Shiner's use geneticly modified ingredients and how can I find a beer that is G.M. ingredient ...
A: Ray, Shiner does not release its ingredient list. I can tell you that they pasterize all their ...
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| darker beers less calories? | 5/19/2008 |
Q: Generally, do darker beers have less calories than lighter beers? Also, does Guinness have more ...
A: Gorett, The color of the beer has nothing to do with the amount of calories it contains. ...
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| No airlock bubbles | 3/30/2008 |
Q: I am a new comer to beer brewing. I started my 4th batch this week (a kit, Brewers Best English ...
A: Greg, If you have a head then you have fermentation. But the only way to tell is to take a second ...
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| Did I kill my yeast? | 1/30/2008 |
Q: I recently attempted to brew my second batch of beer. I had difficulties cooling the wort down ...
A: First pitching the yeast at 74-75F is fine. Actually anything below 90F will be okay. Taking two ...
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| Who sells Schlitz in Temple TX | 12/18/2007 |
Q: I'm wondering if anyone knows who may sell Schlitz in Temple Texas. Thanks for your help.
A: Eva, If you live in Texas you may be aware that each county must have different wholesale ...
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| Fermentation stalling and chlorination of water | 11/29/2007 |
Q: I just recently began brewing again after a five year hiatus (and I'm a bit paranoid), and I have ...
A: First, welcome back.1. I would not worry about the quick fermentation. If you are really worried ...
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| yeast | 11/2/2007 |
Q: Hey, Id love to brew more beer and wine but due to the area that I live in brewing yeast is not ...
A: Josiah, I must admit that I have not worked much with yeast wrangling. But I do know that you can ...
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| Yeast not working? | 10/26/2007 |
Q: I put in Wysap?s yeast in my wort and it doesn't seem to be fermenting....should I use another one ...
A: How long has the yeast been in the wort? Some yeast take 24 to 48 hours to show activity. If it ...
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| No grain beer | 10/25/2007 |
Q: I have been brewing using Mr. Beer for several months but wanting to larger batches, 5 gals. at a ...
A: John, I presume your friend has a problem with gluten. If that is the case there are recipes out ...
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| how many liters | 10/5/2007 |
Q: how many liters is it of beer 4 liter of larger 25 liter of ale 10 liters of beer, 12liters of hoops ...
A: Dunn, I am sorry but I really do not understand the question. I am guessing that English is not ...
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| Sweeteners used in beer | 8/22/2007 |
Q: What is your experience with using sweeteners in beers? The reason I would like to know is because I ...
A: Biba, Let me start by saying I have never used artificial sweeteners in anything. I hate the after ...
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| Conversion | 8/15/2007 |
Q: How can I convert degree plato of beer to % Saccharine ANSWER: Idowu, In general terms, °Brix, ...
A: Idowu I must start by saying that I have not heard or seen any one measureing degrees of ...
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| Do I need a Carboy for the second fermentation??? | 8/11/2007 |
Q: Do I really need a glass carboy for the second fermentation or could I just use the second plastic ...
A: I know a lot of brewers that do not use glass as a secondary. I personally always use glass but ...
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| Conversion | 8/9/2007 |
Q: How can I convert degree plato of beer to % Saccharine
A: Idowu, In general terms, °Brix, °Plato and °Balling are interchangeable. All three of these scales ...
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| Shipping Beer | 8/6/2007 |
Q: Soon I will be moving and was wondering how I can send beer to my friend through the mail -- Daryl, ...
A: Rody, Where you live will determine how you can send it. If you in the United States of America it ...
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| hydrometer readings | 8/3/2007 |
Q: When and at what temp do you take hydrometer readings both the first and the second ? After the ...
A: Daryl, You can take a hydrometer at anytime. While a hydrometer is calibrated usually for 60 ...
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| Inconsistent Taste | 7/20/2007 |
Q: I've brewed a few time using other people's recipes and kits, and brewed this time using my own ...
A: If you believe the off flavor is temperature based I would suggest adding an external thermostat and ...
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| steeping grains | 7/15/2007 |
Q: Getting ready to brew batch #3. Some people say to add the crushed grains to cold water others say ...
A: Daryl, Let's talk temperature first. The temperature plays a big part in steeping or mashing ...
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| beer | 7/12/2007 |
Q: I have brewed 4 batches of beer. First 2 were great, one a dry hopped bitter, next an 11% pale with ...
A: Well I must admit from what you have stated that I would have expected the brews to go down to about ...
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| beer | 7/10/2007 |
Q: I have brewed 4 batches of beer. First 2 were great, one a dry hopped bitter, next an 11% pale with ...
A: Kevin, What was your original gravity? Have you tried using some brewvigor? What yeast did you use ...
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| Malternative Brews | 7/3/2007 |
Q: I'm interested in homebrewing my own malt beverage, similar in taste and characteristic to Mike's ...
A: Colin, First you are not pestering me. I am glad to help. As I stated to start I have never ...
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| Malternative Brews | 6/30/2007 |
Q: I'm interested in homebrewing my own malt beverage, similar in taste and characteristic to Mike's ...
A: Colin, This is a malt liquor. To my knowledge it is not brewed with hops or grain. I have never ...
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| wort cooler | 6/15/2007 |
Q: I will be brewing my second batch soon and this time will be using a wort cooler I made. Read ...
A: Daryl, A mixture of vinegar and soaking time may get the water scaling off but it will not "clean" ...
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| Brewin! | 6/13/2007 |
Q: I am just starting out brewing and don’t have the money to buy any of the ready made kits, so I’ve ...
A: Dave, I am not sure what your making either. Most likely it will taste extremely bad. 1. use ...
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| dandelion and burdock | 5/29/2007 |
Q: Been trying to find recipe for dandelion and burdock as a soft drink for the kids. any idea where to ...
A: Brian, First I hate to admit it but had to research Burdock. After looking at Burdock and ...
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| dandelions as a substitute for hops | 5/23/2007 |
Q: I am wondering how my beer will taste since i used dandelions instead of hops for bittering and oats ...
A: Ivan, I have never brewed using dandelions but I have used heather and that produced a great beer. ...
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| bottling | 2/8/2007 |
Q: i would like to ask a question about bottling... here goes. ive just started as a homebrewer and ...
A: Pat, You have a problem. First I suggest that you purchase a second bucket (primary). If that is ...
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| How does Joe six-pack start? | 1/14/2007 |
Q: My name is Todd and I am from Ontario,Canada. A friend and I have just recently heard about this ...
A: Todd, Welcome to the world of home brewing. About all it takes to brew at home is the desire. A ...
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| beginning gravity | 12/22/2006 |
Q: Okay let's see the beginning gravity was about .022 which is around what we are getting now. The ...
A: Alright so you had a .022 for a beginning. If you got it down to zero you would have a 2.75% beer. ...
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| beginning gravity | 12/19/2006 |
Q: Put it in a water bath with running cold water and brought down the wort temp to 120F. Temp of wart ...
A: First your not taking up my time. I enjoy helping and believe it very import to save beer. Okay I ...
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| beginning gravity | 12/19/2006 |
Q: Yes sorry, we couldn't take a reading on the wart because the volume was to low to drop the ...
A: Jaclyn If I understand correctly your first reading was 1.022 and now you get no reading at all or ...
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| Oak Chips | 11/29/2006 |
Q: Someone who knows that I brew gave me a bag of oak chips from a beer supply store. How do I use ...
A: Oak chips are used to add oak flavor to a beer. Or I should say it is used to simulate the aging ...
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| Krausening | 11/28/2006 |
Q: I've been reading through some of your recent answers to questions and in one of them you say that ...
A: Kräusening is the traditional method that German brewers use to carbonate their beer, most often ...
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| HOW MANY BEERS | 10/17/2006 |
Q: I WAS WONDERING HOW MANY BEERS ARE BREWED IN TEXAS, OR HOW MANY TEXAS BEERS THERE ARE? BEEN TRYING ...
A: First I am sorry for not answering earlier. Second I must admit I do not know for sure. Here are a ...
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| Why can't I enjoy beer | 9/6/2006 |
Q: Every couple of years since I turned 18 I try to drink a beer (I'm 27). Sometimes I'm able to take ...
A: Eric First everyone’s taste buds are a bit different. Being an ex Army Ranger I can tell you that ...
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| Original Gravity | 8/27/2006 |
Q: I just brewed an all grain Strong Belgian Ale.....My target O.G. was 1.09 I'm at 1.07.... What ...
A: A difference of .02 is great! Keep in mind that the 1.09 is a target and not an exact measurement. ...
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| Gypsum | 6/17/2006 |
Q: Remind me again what exactly gypsum does for the brewing water? Some older recipes say to add ...
A: The addition of gypsum is used to harden the water and reproduce a water profile. If your using ...
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| BEER MAKING -A START | 12/19/2005 |
Q: I would like to start brewing at home. Pls give me a step by step procudre to start up
A: Brewing beer is a simple process. Below I have given indepth instructions, should you have any ...
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| no airlock activity after 2 days | 12/4/2005 |
Q: Alan, I started a muntons am. lite brew kit thursday afternoon and decided to follow the ...
A: I would not worry. I have had several batches that do not bubble noticeably after 3 days. A way to ...
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| Misconceptions about cleaning | 3/31/2005 |
Q: My wife wrote in to you a couple of days ago. She keeps telling me my microbrewery is disgusting, ...
A: Jon, I bow to your choices. Also thanks for taking the time to explain why you leave the spent ...
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| Misconceptions about cleaning | 3/31/2005 |
Q: My wife wrote in to you a couple of days ago. She keeps telling me my microbrewery is disgusting, ...
A: Jon, After your wife explained what you where doing I understood the method that you where using. ...
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| Husbands home brew smelly mess | 3/29/2005 |
Q: he uses an extra bathroom in the basement for his home brewery he has even bottled and sold the crap ...
A: Brenda, First, I understand your concerns. I myself would be a little concerned about the health ...
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| Husbands home brew smelly mess | 3/28/2005 |
Q: he uses an extra bathroom in the basement for his home brewery he has even bottled and sold the crap ...
A: Brenda, Lets start with the basics. First I would have your husband check into the legality of ...
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| Specific gravities | 2/9/2005 |
Q: We just made a batch of McEwan's No. 1 Champion Ale. The FG was supposed to be 1.022 and it is ...
A: Jeff, I would really need to see the grain bill to determine what you should have gotten. I have ...
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| Beginner's questions | 1/13/2005 |
Q: As you could see in the topic I'm a new to home brewing and of course I have some questions. It's ...
A: First, your English is much better than my Croatian! Next, relax everything is on track. You ...
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| ferment / blow off | 1/3/2005 |
Q: Well I just lost my 2nd batch of beer due to the same problem. I'm fermenting in a 6.5 gallon ...
A: First, you have my condolences, it is always hard to loose beer. Next I am a bit confused. I have ...
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| Mr Beer | 12/29/2004 |
Q: Well thanks. I'll get a hydrometer. I added the yeast from another Mr Beer kit yesterday. Still see ...
A: Each brew is different. Depending on the type of yeast you may not see many bubbles. You may see ...
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| Mr Beer | 12/28/2004 |
Q: I followed the directions to the letter. After I added the yeast and let it float for 5 min., then ...
A: First, welcome to the great world of home brewing. Second welcome to the woes of Mr. Beer. I also ...
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| secondary? | 11/30/2004 |
Q: I currently have my wort fermenting in the primary bucket. When I transfer to the secondary for ...
A: First if your way works for you then go for it. I have fond with brewing and life that there is ...
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| Novice brewer experiencing some problems | 8/22/2004 |
Q: Everything seems fine, fermentation started and now it appears to have ended. I have been so busy ...
A: Okay David it seems your ready to move on. First, I generally rack my wort from the primary ...
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| santizing solutions | 8/18/2004 |
Q: I have been using the bleach trick for years and have heard about iodine and other sanitzers, could ...
A: Michael, I very rarely ever use bleach as a cleaner. In stead I use B.T.F. Iodophor: Iodine ...
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| contaminated beer? | 8/2/2004 |
Q: I'm brewing some beer from a Morgan's kit. It's in a secondary fermentor with an airlock and it's ...
A: I must admit that I have never seen what you are discribing. If you could answer a few questions ...
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| Novice brewer experiencing some problems | 8/1/2004 |
Q: I am a new to home brewing. I have only brewed once before and that was a while ago. Today is day ...
A: David, First take a deep breath and let it out. Lets take these questions one at a time. 1. Is ...
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| grog | 6/24/2004 |
Q: Please tell me the reciepe for grog? Is it a beer based drink? Or is it a rum based drink? Can you ...
A: Larry, Grog is a mixture of rum and water. Below I have given you some history I retrieved from ...
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| Trouble brewing | 4/27/2004 |
Q: Have you ever smelled trouble brewing? Just curious. Cletus Edmond
A: Well I am not sure what you really mean by smelled trouble while brewing. You may be smelling the ...
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| Rice Adjunct | 4/7/2004 |
Q: I wanted to use rice as an adjunct to a light ale, and being cheap (not wanting to buy rice flakes ...
A: John, I think you have two problems. No mash time and to little grain. I say I think because I have ...
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| Beer Larger? | 4/6/2004 |
Q: I sorry to trouble you, could you tell me what the diffrence is between Beer and Larger? Thanks for ...
A: No problem Darren. A beer is any of a variety of alcoholic beverages produced by the fermentation ...
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| beer bottles | 3/30/2004 |
Q: I have been told that "twist top" bottles that major manufacturers use in retailing their beers can ...
A: Jay, I must admit that I have wondered the same thing and asked the same question. I have never ...
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| beer headache | 3/26/2004 |
Q: This question doesn't apply to home brewing, but, I thought I'd ask if you know how I could avoid ...
A: First home brew should offer little to no morning-after-beer headache. It has not chemicals or ...
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| Building a lauter tun | 3/18/2004 |
Q: Lautering being simply rinsing the converted sugar from the grain seems not quite so simple when ...
A: Woody, As with anything simple is a matter of practice and experience. What is simple for one is ...
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| Carbonation | 3/10/2004 |
Q: Does beer have carbonation in it? The same way soda has carbonation and explodes if you shake it up ...
A: Yes, beer has carbonation in it. It can be force carbonated with CO2 the same way soda is ...
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| hello betty
what are the... | 2/10/2004 |
Q: what are the legal drinking ages in jamaica and cuba? thanx betty!:)
A: Betty, Although this is a bit outside my area I believe the drinking age in Jamaica is still 18 and ...
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| Beer Market | 2/9/2004 |
Q: Do you have any idea on the factors beer consumers take into account when buying their beer in North ...
A: Seth, I must admit that you are a bit outside my area but I do have part of an answer. In fact if I ...
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| First Batch | 1/13/2004 |
Q: I started my first batch of homebrew this past weekend. My wife got me a "True Brew" kit consisting ...
A: Mike, In short there is no problem. Relax! I know the feeling. Each batch of beer is a little ...
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