There has been a myth that squeezing the bag after a BIAB mash will extract unwanted tannins. I'm not sure how this started. Tannin extraction from the grain husks is generally only a problem for temperatures above 170 F and pH over about 5.8 or so. So, if temperature and oh are good, go...

The starch conversion in the mash is pretty complete by 45 minutes. A 30 minute boil is sufficient to precipitate proteins and other miscellaneous components. Depending on your hop schedule, you made need to slightly adjust the quantity of bittering hops to meet the IBU target. I’ve used the...

I just want to note that this works well for small batches, just as BIAB is good for small batches. Lifting the grain bag from a 2.5 gallon batch and rinsing is pretty easy. Lifting from a 5 gallon batch gets to be a bit harder. I probably wouldn't use this technique if I were making 5 gallon...

Yes, I use a method that's basically a BIAB with sparge. The rinse step recovers quite a bit of sugars.

I’ve been using a Gigawort electric vessel for the last four years. It’s a 4 gallon vessel and marketed towards extract brewers. However, I found that it is the perfect size for 2.5 gallon BIAB. I also bought a 9” round wire cake cooling rack to put in the bottom so that the grain bag does hit...

I brew 2.5 gallon batches with a 1600 watt system, although it’s not induction. Works pretty well and heats fairly quickly. I evaporate roughly a quart during a 30 minute boil.

You should run a cost analysis. If you have a working electric system, I'm guessing you will need to brew a LOT of batches before the incremental cost of the electricity offsets the purchase price of the new gas equipment. Now, to be fair, I live in an area where both electricity and propane...

Belgian Farmhouse Ale. Lots of ways to tweak the flavor, body, and gravity.

With dry ale yeast, I use an 11g packet per 5 gallons for pretty much every style with OG ranging from 1.040 to around 1.090. I’ve not had any issues with under- or over-pitching. Today’s yeast strains seem to be pretty good in that regard. Yeast are the one ingredient that self-adjusts...

I’m a big fan of natural carbonation in the keg. I use 2.5 gallon kegs with 2-3 ounces of priming sugar, depending on how much carbonation I want for the style. I basically combine secondary fermentation with the carbonation process. I keg the beer, add the sugar, and let it set for two weeks. I...

An extra few days will not hurt and may be beneficial. Even with fast yeasts, I always leave the batch two weeks in primary. It seems to help with the taste. Nothing scientific, just an observation.

I calculated out that you need approximately 2.4 g of sugar for a 330 ml bottle. This equates to 5 oz (141 g) of priming sugar per 5 gallon (19 l) batch which is somewhat of a standard dosing. You could meet in the middle and add one and a half for each bottle.

No, it wasn’t Stephen’s beer. From a brewery near Carbondale, IL.

People put some crazy things in beer. Some of them work but other fail. My number one on the list of things that shouldn’t be fermented is mushrooms. One of the local breweries had this and the beer tasted like dirt. Anyone else know of notable failures?

I typically use packets of US-05, S-05, BE-256, T-58, and Belle Saison. For each of my 2.5 gallon batches, I use 1/2 packet. I carefully roll the envelope with the remaining yeast up tight, put a bit of tape on it to seal, and place back in the refrigerator for storage. I will sometimes go...

I use BE-256 fairly often. I control the temperature and keep it around 70 F (21 C). Good yeast for Dubbels or Belgian dark strong ale. It ferments pretty vigorously.

I didn't mention my Tilt as it's not used for control. But it always reads about 2 degrees higher than the others. Most likely due to convection.

My fermenter is located in the garage. In the spring and fall, we can get quite significant temperature swings, so I have both heating and cooling hooked up. I have a stainless Brewtech fermenter with a neoprene jacket. For cooling, I use chilled water through the lid mounted heat exchanger...

Do you have insulation over the probe for the surface mount? For surface mount temperature measurement in the process industries, a few things are required. 1. A good conductive surface. Stainless is good. 2. A reasonably-sized piece of insulating material over the probe to prevent error...

Ice for cooling is a great way to go. Use a clean ice cream pail or equivalent, add boiling water, cover, and freeze. This will give you sterile water and drop the temperature quickly. So if you have 3 gallons of wort at boiling and add 2 gallons of ice, final temperature will be around 75...