Aside from Allagash, does anyone have any brewery recommendations for Portland, Maine?

I have an English Brown that I brewed with S-04 and the finished product (OG 1.050 to FG 1.010) is incredibly tart. It's almost like a kettle sour. Is there a way to raise the pH without changing the beer too much? I put a dash of baking soda in a tasting glass and poured beer onto it. I used...

I plan to do my first parti-gyle brew this weekend. I'm hoping to get an IPA from the first runnings and a dark mild from the second mash. Plan is to mash in with all the grain except for the specialty grains in the dark mild, collect first runnings, then add enough water to hit volume/OG for...

I'm doing a single malt IPA with maris otter. I can't decide on the hopping. At my disposal I have Cascade, Centennial, Azacca, and Mandarina Bavaria. I'm leaning towards Cascade and Azacca, but all input/feedback would be appreciated.

Does anyone here have a formula or know of a calculator that will help with recipe design for a parti-gyle brew? I'm thinking of doing an all maris otter IPA, then tossing in a small percentage of roasted/crystal malts to collect a second runnings for an English Mild. I'm not opposed to blending...

I spun up a starter from harvested lager yeast that had been previously treated with gelatin. Two days in, I’m not seeing any activity. Is it possible that the yeast won’t ferment after being treated with gelatin? Fermentation temp is 55F and the lager strain is Carolina Yeast CYL03. (I know...

I goofed and built a schwarzbier recipe around a base malt with a higher ppg than the malt I actually have. Would a table sugar addition to the tune of 9% of the grist change the beer too much?

My last two brews have left me scratching my head. The only thing I've changed is my water source. By the numbers, my last two brews were at 62% and 55% brewhouse efficiency. Would changing my water lead to this? I used to start with USP water and build from nothing. Currently using the city's...

So I've found a great deal on a 240 V, 5500 watt heating element and am considering switching to electric brewing. What is the best way to control this? I've seen the Tower of Power from Blichmann and found another pre-built brew controller on Amazon. For the prices I've found those items it...

I brewed a blonde stout on Sunday, OG 1.072. I do no chill, so I let hang out in the fermentation chamber overnight to get to pitching temperatures. When I pitched the next day I was at my desired temp of 66 F for US-05. When I woke up this morning I realized the chamber had not been completely...

I can't decide if brewing a white stout/blonde stout is worth the effort. I've done a little reading on it and built this recipe: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/723196/blondie Looking for any and all input here. (I haven't settled on yeast yet, so that may change to...

As someone who doesn't normally fine beers with gelatin, I have no idea if this is a stupid question or not... Can you harvest yeast after fining with gelatin? If so, is it as viable as any other re-pitch? I decided this time to add gelatin directly to the keg so that I could harvest from the...

I understand that amylase enzyme is generally used for beers that are light or have a grist with low diastatic power, but could a brewer add powdered enzyme to the mash to shorten mashing time to high conversion? My LHBS has it for cheap, so it could make for a fun experiment.

I'm headed to Chicago soon for work. I'll only be there a week, but am planning to hit as many breweries in my free time as possible. I'm currently planning to visit Lagunitas, Goose Island, Moody Tongue, Vice District, and Motor Row Brewing. Are there any can't miss breweries?

I don't brew many lagers (mainly because I'm impatient and want my beers as soon as possible), but I plan to brew some for this fall soon. Those of you that brew festbiers, helles, and the like: Do you decoction mash, and if so, do you think there's an appreciable difference or is it just your...

I have a friend who wants to borrow a keg to serve homebrew to some guests he's having over. Until now, this person has only bottled. With limited fridge space and 1 gas line, it would be easier for me to lend him the keg, let him prime it with corn sugar, and blow out a pint or two of crud...

Does anyone here have recommendations for increasing the body of low (sub 4%) alcohol beers? I've got some session recipes that I like, but they're all a little thin for my taste. I've tried mashing high (and don't really notice much of a difference) and have had limited success with carapils...

I recently brewed a pale ale and tweaked my grain bill a little from my usual base. Fermentation took almost 48 hours to kick off. I pitched some harvested S-04 (and didn't see any activity at 36 hours) then pitched US-05 on top of it. I've never mixed yeasts before, but I could swear I'm...

SWAMBO saw a post on facebook where some breweries are adding food safe luster dust to make their beers glittery. Her birthday is coming up and she wants a glittery pale ale. Does anyone have any ideas on when to add the dust? My guesses would either be whirlpool, during primary, or at kegging.

I've been asked by my brother to provide 60 people's worth of beer for a gathering in a few months (not selling or taking anything in exchange, and in a private setting on private property, following all rules and regs, etc). Given that these will be families, how much beer should I have ready...