Tastybrew User Journals

The homebrewing journals are designed as a way for you, the homebrewer, to let us, the Tastybrew users, know what you're brewing or what you're drinking (or most anything else). This is a good way for other users of Tastybrew to learn more about other homebrewers and enhance the community feel. So share whatever is on your mind. (Website registration required to add journal entries.)

Recent Journal Entries

By beerinthe760 on Jun 26th 2008, 11:35 pm	Permalink
I've got a brew day coming up on 7/12 and that Hot Weather Belgian IPA looks like a nice candidate. I'd rather do that than feel rushed in building my temp-controlled fermenting box. Any other suggestions for a good warm weather extra brew? Thanks!

By Blizzard Brewing on Jun 16th 2008, 1:41 pm	Permalink
Hello All, Just looking for a place to put my good recipes out there and this site is great for that. As well as a good place for recipes, or even just an idea or two. Why keep an excellent beer bottled up?

By Nick on Jun 15th 2008, 2:28 pm

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Doing a quick little IPA Experiment to boost my supply for July, and to help myself (still a novice brewer) taste the specific difference between some finishing hops. Used a simply base (9# light LME, 1#Crystal 40, 1/2# Carapils), and then the following hop schedule. 3oz Sterling 60mins 1oz Cascade/Hallertau 15mins 1oz Cascade/Hallertau 5mins 1oz Cascade/Hallertau Dryhopped in secondary used Coopers Ale Yeast, rehydrated. All Temperatures and length of time in primary and secondary were kept the same. Should be a marked difference in tastes! Will be bottling in another week, so I'll have results in early July on the taste! Using the yeast cake from these two to drive 2 batches of a simple (and cheap) summer cider (10cans of concentrate, 2# dark turbinado sugar). Cheap, refreshing, quick to make, and my drunk friends will think it's amazing. Doesn't hurt that the ladies always like it too Happy Brewing! Nick

By Richie Giannone on Jun 3rd 2008, 11:09 am

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Luigi, ho appena notato che sei un Italiano. Dove vivi? I miei genitori sono italiani. Mia madre viene da Frosinone e mio padre e' di Villabate, Palermo. Dai dieci ai quartordici anni ho vissuto a Villabate perche' i miei genitori avevano deciso di riimpatriarsi. Dopo quatro anni di disoccupazione mio padre ha deciso di retornare in America. Comunque adesso loro sono in pensione adesso e hanno una casa a Villabate e trascurano ogni estate li. Grande piacere di vedere un'altro intaliano tra di noi!! Riccardo

By chris schroeder on May 17th 2008, 9:32 pm	Permalink
MMMMMM,first glass from the German Pilsner....Good stuff. Man I love this hobby.

By MiTcH on May 7th 2008, 10:15 pm	Permalink
so im thinking of this for a bw recipe 19lb american 2-row 0.5 lb crystal 40 0.25 lb crystal 20 0.37 lb special roast 0.25 lb chocolate wheat 2oz magnum - 90 min 1.5 perle - 25 min 1.5 centiennal - 10 min denny's fav 50 yeast any thoughts...let me know

By chris schroeder on May 7th 2008, 2:19 pm	Permalink
Hello all fellow homebrewers......Im extremely new to this,only brewing about a year,loving every minute of it.hope to chat with you in the future.

By Matthew on Mar 20th 2008, 3:25 pm

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brew day 3-20-08 #220 starter for yeast Exta Pale; Lightning Pale cleaned and prept water yesterday 5 lbs 2-row Cargill Pale 4 ozs. biscuit Ding. 2 ozs. Spec.Roast Briess 4 ozs. Torrified wheat Briess 8 ozs. 10' cry Briess Mash; short step- 144' 10 mins. ramp to 154' 20 mins. 156' 20 mins. 172 5 mins. .50 oz. EKG 6.2% 60 mins. 19 IBUs .25 oz. EKG 6.2% 15 mins. 4 IBUs OG; 50 Gals; 3.25 YEAST STRAIN: 1028 | London Ale? Rich with a dry finish, minerally profile, bold and crisp, with some fruitiness. Often used for higher gravity ales and when a high level of attenuation is desired for the style. Origin: Flocculation: Medium-Low Attenuation: 73-77% Temperature Range: 60-72F, 15-22C Alcohol Tolerance: 10%ABV Popped; 3/19/08 5:24:58 PM

By steve breingan on Mar 20th 2008, 1:08 am	Permalink
rough week here. blew the top off my fermenter (imperial stout). flat hefe batch and had a bottle blow up with a belgian triple. after 50 gallons i guess im getting to bold or to careless.

By luigi on Mar 17th 2008, 7:03 pm	Permalink
Hello I am Luigi the first Italian of this wonderful forum I know the english only a bit I am a homebrewer from about 7 years

By Heath Haynes on Mar 2nd 2008, 6:13 pm	Permalink
Hi everyone, first time question long time viewer. Thanks for your forum it been a great help. Question: I kegged a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Clone yesterday. I am getting different amount of vol co2 to use. Designing Great beers says to Carbonate to 3.6 to 5.1. Brewing Classic Styles says between 2.5 to 3.0 vol. Any one have a suggestion??

By Greg Galczynski on Feb 28th 2008, 12:39 am	Permalink
I would like to add a beer quote..and it said to use the contact page. Anyone wanna tell how to find it ??????

By they made me change my name on Feb 17th 2008, 8:11 am

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120 quart cooler converted to mashtun...75 dollars 30 lbs of grain and associated in mashtun...30 dollars Having to dig out the valve on your mashtun when your buddy knocks off the screen filter while breaking up dough balls...in Priceless! Do not let intoxicated people reassemble the filter system in your mashtun. They forget to actually screw in the filter causing you to be completely covered in hot sticky goodness. If this was a porn shoot it would be ok, but since it was three guys in a garage it did not make for a good time. We scooped the grains and water out using a pot and put it in some buckets till we were able to dig the crap out of the ball valve and re-attach the filter, so after about 20 minutes of bitching we were able to pour it back in and do the runoff and get to the sparge. The new 15 gallon kettle is one of the best investments we have made as of yet next to the 50 ft. immersion chiller and the grain mill. It was only the first batch, but it worked great. Hopefully it holds up over time.

By Tom K on Dec 20th 2007, 11:55 pm

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Bouncing back from a 6 month brewing hiatus while we got out of debt. Did the Dave Ramsey thing, and we're debt-free except for the house. Feels great! But the closet is bare, and it's time to restock with brew. Started with a cream ale that I will add vanilla to in secondary this weekend. Using part of the cake for a brown ale tomorrow, and then will use the whole cake from that to do an american barleywine (recipe TBD). After those I want to do a belgian golden ale to practice having a light touch, and then use the cake for a rochefort 8 or 10 clone. Seems like I'm planning my beers around my yeasts these days. I used to pitch a new vial and not reuse it. I also want to start planning brews for competition. I'm not looking to gratify my competitive streak (though it exists!), but I think that I need outside input and more discipline if I'm going to keep improving at this point. And maybe the wife will be impressed if I put a few ribbons on the wall.

By they made me change my name on Dec 17th 2007, 11:20 pm	Permalink
3Lbs of Briess light DME 3.3lbs Coopers Light LME (late addition) 1lb Chocolate Rye 1lb Crystal 60L .5lb Munich .5lb Black Patent 1oz Perle @ 45 min 1oz Perle @ 5 min 1oz Perle @ 0 min 1 vial White Labs Dry English Ale 1 packet safale us-05 (Just because) 1tsp Irish Moss @ 15min Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min

By TomW on Nov 25th 2007, 2:40 am

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21 lbs Canadian 2 Row 1 lb Crystal 40 .5 lb Wheat Malt .25 lb Crystal 120 pinch of Chocolate Malt 1 oz Nugget 12.8 % 70 Minutes (First Wort hopped) 1 Oz Cascade 50 Minutes 1 Oz Nugget 12.8% 45 Minutes .5 Cascade 10 minutes .5 Cascade 0 minutes - as I'm cooling the wort 2 tbsp Irish moss 10 minutes before the end of the boil S.G 1.058 Low initial mash 136 F 1 hour Scooped 1/3 mash and brought to a boil and added back to the mash raised the mash to 148 for 1 hour Sparged out at 170 F Made roughly 12 gallons OG 1.058 Added Chico Ale yeast from my Friends at the Costal Extreem Brewing Company These guys know how to Brew!

By TomW on Nov 25th 2007, 2:39 am

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21 lbs Canadian 2 Row 1 lb Crystal 40 .5 lb Wheat Malt .25 lb Crystal 120 pinch of Chocolate Malt 1 oz Nugget 12.8 % 70 Minutes (First Wort hopped) 1 Oz Cascade 50 Minutes 1 Oz Nugget 12.8% 45 Minutes .5 Cascade 10 minutes .5 Cascade 0 minutes - as I'm cooling the wort 2 tbsp Irish moss 10 minutes before the end of the boil S.G 1.058 Low initial mash 136 F 1 hour Scooped 1/3 mash and brought to a boil and added back to the mash raised the mash to 148 for 1 hour Sparged out at 170 F Made roughly 12 gallons Added Chico Ale yeast from my Friends at the Costal Extreem Brewing Company These guys know how to Brew!

By DOUGCANNON on Nov 9th 2007, 8:47 pm	Permalink
I WORK HERE AT HOP UNION MIGHT HAVE ALITTLE EXTRA MISC PRODUCT TO SHARE

By skipv on Oct 12th 2007, 6:43 pm	Permalink
No-Sparge question. I've used the no-sparge calculator on the tastybrew site 3 times now and got significant variations in yield. Are there any known common errors or things to keep in mind when using this technique? I haven't read Ken's complete document on the subject yet. Thanks for the feedback, Skip

By vickerss shane on Sep 22nd 2007, 8:48 pm	Permalink
What up E! Welcome to a complete site for all your beer needs! Feel free to ask questions. Plenty of knowledgable home breweres here.