I think the Tilts are really cool and I would love to get one but, can't justify $135, just so I can package my beer a few days earlier. Temperature tracking and iffy gravity tracking just aren't enough benefit for the cost. At least not for me.

Having a second hydrometer is a guaranteed (so far) way to keep from breaking a hydrometer. After the last time I dropped my hydrometer, I bought two. I haven't broken a hydrometer since!

We can't help much with the look-over-the-shoulder part but, you are more than welcome to ask questions or show what you've done. We're pretty a laid-back group who love to give advice...especially if you are looking for advice on how to spend your money :D ! Do you know what kind of setup you...

Next time just have a few more beers and you won't remember about any schedules! :p

Wisconsin really loves its brandy. So around here you are more likely to get an Brandy Old Fashioned or a Brandy Manhattan unless you specify Whisky. I prefer whisky and Whisky Sour is one of my top favorites. Drinking straight though, it's got to be whisky. From a very limited sample size...

I always drain the boil kettle through a double-mesh strainer, sitting in a funnel, and into the fermentor. I dump the whole contents of the kettle. If the beer is hoppy I'll need to pause at least once to empty the strainer of the hop debris. I'm not worried about kettle hops making their...

When filling kegs (with Starsan or beer) I use the overflow method. Fill through the liquid-out and vent through the gas-in port. As soon as I see liquid coming out the gas post, I disconnect it from the keg. (The liquid in the bucket is Starsan that overflowed when I pumped it out of the keg...

Kegged Janet's Brown Ale. Had a slight problem in that the liquid out post was clogged. First time that has happened but, this is the first time I fermented a beer with a significant hop load in the Fermzilla. I cleared it by manually depressing the center post. It was a bit of a mess, but...

I bought one of those when they first came out. Hopefully they improved it since then because I could not get mine to stop leaking around the gasket between the upper and lower plates. They cautioned against overtightening the screws so I first had them on the loose end and then after each use...

I had the same thought. I'll take the snow and near 0°F temps over flooding any day. I pray it's not too bad for people in your neck of the woods @Josh Hughes.

I have one of those and always pumped 4-5 times. I'm sure 3 would have been enough but, like you said, more just feels right.

You definitely don't need to buy a mill. I brewed for 10 years before I bought one, and the only reason was that my LHBS (Local Home Brew Shop) closed down. There are a few benefits to having your own mill. One is that you can mill your grain as fine as you want it; which may help to extract...

Nice to hear your voice again Ben! Did you lose any chicks or eggs?

I brewed Janet's Brown Ale today. It's a great hoppy brown ale from Brewing Classic Styles book. Everything went pretty well; cloudy and a little chilly (29°F/-2°C). I was about 3 points short of target. That's not unusual. I think I need to drop my efficiency a couple percent.

One thing to consider is that fermentation is exothermic. Depending on the yeast strain, during active fermentation, the beer can be 3-5°F or more over ambient temperature. So I would recommend using a swamp cooler at least until the kreuzen falls.

But overthinking things is half the fun of homebrewing! :)

If it was close to deer hunting season...I just got an mental image of one hunter asking another: "Does this deer taste hoppy to you?" :D

I've done that so often I have a note on my checklist to make sure the valves are closed!

While deciding on which of the above to brew this weekend, I went to check the recipes and came across Janet's Brown Ale. Instantly I knew I had to brew it! It's a great tasting beer and it's been too long since I last brewed it. And this is the main reason I love having a local homebrew...

Been there....done that.....many times! :D