Interesting discussion....this post has inspired me experiment with a single hop brew this weekend. As for brewing smaller batches in a larger carboy, 2.5 gallon batches are my standard size as I love tweaking recipes and experimenting. I only have 5 gallon carboys on hand and have rarely...

Ended up making a Stout (steeped in Chocolate Rye and Oat Flakes)....with one teaspoon of Allspice added at flameout for a 2.5 gallon batch. First tasting was last night....ended up being great. The spice was just noticeable, but certainly not overpowering. Next time would probably add 1.5...

I typically do a 2.5 gallon batch with a 3 gallon boil (not requiring much of a topoff). I've also moved the stored grains into the fridge. Prior...they were just kept sealed and dry in zip lock bags. Just finished a brew using .5 lb of 3 month old Crystal 30 that were milled just prior to...

My last batch (extract IPA) had what I would consider a clear oxidized taste (wet cardboard). Aside from the fact that it might have oxidized from the normal sources (i.e. splashing the wort at a high temp), are there any other causes? I've read that use of old or stale steeping grains could...

Thanks for all the inputs...I'm shooting for Xmas timeframe as I've got a batch carbonating now to get me through until then. I guess the choice really is either add to the boil, or add to the secondary. Thinking I'm going to try cinammon or allspice only in a small amount in the boil. The...

I'll add....the better question is, any good guidelines or rules of thumb for adding spices to the wort to make a Holiday style beer?

The only brew pub I can think of is near Yokohama, and there is definitely one German "Beer Garden" style restaurant in the Rappongi area of Tokyo. Other than that, they are very few and far between. :(

Any good ideas for something to brew as we head into the holiday timeframe? Not necessarily looking for a cider (though that is always an option).

It is illegal to homebrew Sake here. My understanding is that the 1% abv rule is just protectionist law designed to insulate the big brewers here from competition. Japanese don't seem to care about beer produced in small batches for personal use. The law pretty much prevents micro breweries...

I've been looking to Keg for a while now....that being said most of my beers are > 6% so good to know bottling is more suited to those. I've had quite a bit of success with the party pig system, which is really just a giant bottle. For whatever reason though, I swear the beer tastes better...

Wanted to ask if anyone in the Forum knows a good homebrew store in Tokyo. I can source most of what I need from Amazon, but some items will not ship here. Thanks!