Specifically, whether it would be worth it/necessary to make a yeast starter for a smaller batch of lager. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5/3 gallons.

Thanks, Blackie! I usually update Beer Thoughts toward the end of each month. In fact, I was going to post a new one this morning. Recipes updates are a little more rare, but I try to keep current, especially if it ties in with the Beer Thoughts topic. I should be updating it in a couple of...

I retired from my job January 1, 2017. I worked for a major pest control company, and put in almost 22 years. But by my late 50s, my knees couldn't take it anymore, and neither could my patience with the increasing corporate demands. I got a good 401(k), and my wife continues to teach, which...

There's also the hoops you have to jump through and the red tape you have to machete through just to get licensed, at least in NY State, where I live. You have to have a lot of up-front money to cover that, and the equipment, the venue, the renovations you'll need to do, etc. There are two...

Never even considered it. I know my limitations, and I'm not a businessman. There's more to going pro than just brewing good beer. It's also a given that brewing on a scale that large is arduous work. I spent over 20 years in a job that taxed me physically and emotionally. I'm retired now, and...

I try to stage my kitchen the night before. Everything in place so when I get up in the morning, I can get started ASAP. I also stir my wort against the flow in the immersion chiller while I move the chiller up and down. The more motion, the more contact, and the more contact, the more...

I have a recipe I developed a couple of years ago for a smoked amber ale. This is a very successful recipe, as I've won third place in one competition and second place in another competition with it. So I know it's a solid recipe, and one which I intend to brew every summer. I smoke the...

Thanks for your response, Nosybear. I realize the flaws and limitations in my approach to the water, but I'm okay with it. I'm not looking for stylistic accuracy. I'll rethink the Munich malt, too. As regards the hops, the idea is not necessarily to go beyond the range of IBU, it's to use a...

I've decided to concentrate more this year on lagers. I usually only brew a couple of them a year, but I want to expand the recipe file a little bit. I've got an IPL working right now, but a friend of mine asked about making an IPP - which translates to an India Pale Pilsner. So the grain bill...

I agree with thunderwagn. For myself, the numbers matter up to a point. I take a gravity reading just before I pitch the yeast, because it's a good measure of where I started and where I should end up. Same with the FG reading; I have to know if there was a stuck fermentation and I like to know...

To answer some of these issues randomly: I had used ground cloves, and thought the gushing might have been from small amounts of particulate getting into the bottles and creating nucleation sites. That's why I add whole cloves at the end of the boil rather than adding ground cloves during the...

Thanks for the responses. To answer Megary's questions: All the bottles of this recipe have had issues with gushing. I've made this recipe every year for the holidays for about four or five years, and it's become something of a joke. While it's a tasty holiday beer, people have learned to...

I posted a few months ago that I was brewing my spiced holiday porter, and asked for advice on the excessive foaming that I've experienced in the past upon opening the bottles. Everything was fine, in terms of the amount of time in the bottle for proper carbonation and conditioning. I reduced...

I've never had a problem with the priming software I've been using when it comes to the other styles I've used it on. I mostly keg, but some batches I bottle, for competitions, a saison that I want to have high carbonation (and doesn't foam, BTW). As this is a porter, I know the carb level is...

I'm going to be brewing my holiday porter soon, to be ready for the winter season, and I've been plagued by excessive foaming when the bottles are opened. The recipe includes whole cloves in the final minutes of the boil, and orange zest and coarsely broken cinnamon sticks during secondary...

Congratulations! Forty-one is a great score. I've yet to break the 40 barrier myself. Great job!

Perhaps that's two questions. But here's what I'm contemplating, and I'd appreciate any input. I prefer BIAB, because I've had just one too many stuck sparges and problems with false bottoms and manifolds. So I just put the bag in the mash tun and forego any sparges. But I've dedicated 2019 to...

I wouldn't say no to entering a "people's choice" competition, but the BJCP sanctioned comps mean more to me. I'm interested in having some of my beers brewed to style, since the many varieties interest me, and I dig the research and puttering around with different ingredients. So having a beer...

Yeah, it's not my first rodeo. I got spoiled when I entered my first one (Homebrew Alley VII). I took third place with an Amber lager, and I thought, "Hey, this is easy!" LOL So I've got a special place in my heart for Homebrew Alley. And there are a couple of other fairly local ones that I'll...

Actually, it's my third podium spot. First time I've been second, though. So I've got two bronze and a silver. Still looking for the gold.