Recent content by dubzau

Stuster, no, what I'm saying is just what I said - that most home brew is bad beer. There are a variety of reasons for why you can get away with the no chill method, and still produce a drinkable beer, but the mechanism of cold break, chill haze, etc, is well understood. Why indulge in bad...

I wish I had 10 bucks for every time I'd heard a homebrewer say "such and such makes no difference"! This belief (that nothing makes a difference) is what results in so many crap homebrews - and very rarely is a home brewed beer of commercial quality. Fortunately for many home brewers, they...

I've gone back thru some other threads about the "no chiller" method. Some people have talked about the advantage of this method being "removal by racking of all the cold break". I don't get this so maybe somebody can explain? To get "cold break" you need to rapidly force-cool the wort...

Thanks, but I already know lots about Urquell, so that wasn't the question either. As I said, Urquell does show some diacetyl in its flavour profile, which doesn't surprise me. Are you talking about Dutch Heineken or the stuff brewed under license in all parts of the world? As for American...

You haven't disappointed me because I know that you aren't correct on this one (to the extent that it's maybe impossible to brew a perfect clone of any commercial beer, you may be right). where I live, water isn't a problem. Even if you have hard water there are things you can do short of...

a related question that somebody might be able to answer! I've read that it is a common practice among czech brewers to crash the yeast before primary fermentation is completely finished, thus leaving the slight residual sweetness that gives czech lagers their distinctive (and to me pleasing)...

the key here is "NOT RATED" - that is not to say that it is not safe, just that some government body has not certified it as safe and therefore there is a risk of litigation. When fully cured it should be OK, but don't use it if you're worried about it. I believe that some silicone sealants can...

Not sure what makes 100% silicone "food grade or not", but it works great as a sealant. I know it releases chemicals as it cures (toxic or not I don't know), so make sure it is fully cured. No sparge is fine if you have room in your mash tun. Preferable in fact, like extra virgin olive oil...

DON'T aerate it, even a fraction - it's too late for that. Stir it to rouse the yeast - without aerating - and maybe add some yeast nutrient. You might want to raise the temp a couple of degrees to kickstart it.

I could be wrong but I believe that this has to do with pH - and reduced bitterness, not aroma (the latter might be affected too, but I wouldn't say it's "no good"). I regularly make a hop tea, which I add at kegging time. The flavour and aroma contribution is pronounced (not "grassy" like...

Interestingly, I am having a similar problem with a stuck - or at least slow - fermentation. However, I pitched a big starter that was at high krausen. ??? You say you don't "prepare yeasts". I'm curious - do you usually use dry or liquid yeasts, and what temperature do you pitch a lager at...

yeah, I used to use a 0.5 micro diffusion stone and I was pretty much able to turn on the gas and pour - that might be a slight exaggeration but I recall it was very fast. I haven't done it for a while because I didn't think it was worth the bother (I mean by using the "crank up the pressure...

OK, I'm going to order some and see for myself. The last pils I brewed used NZ saaz, and while NZ hops are great, they aren't the same as Czech Saaz, which I haven't bought for a few months. I'd be surprised if the Saaz that makes its way here is as good as what the big breweries in Europe get...

Mainly there is greater variety in liquid yeasts, so if you are aiming for a particular style that requires a particular yeast, you will probably need to use liquid; however, I have had excellent results with dried yeasts, especially the versatile Nottingham Ale, the outstanding US56 American...

that's what my friend thought too. How do you get a keg "legit"?