Recent content by andre the giant


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  1. andre the giant

    "Green Beer." Can someone describe it?

    For me, green beer usually tastes unbalanced. The hop flavor may be too strong, or beer may be too malty, or too sweet. There may be an astringent taste or tart taste from the yeast that hasn't settled. As the beer ages, these characteristics mellow out or change slightly. That being said...
  2. andre the giant

    Does this look like an infection?

    Not an infection. Relax. you are making beer. It will be fine. :ban:
  3. andre the giant

    What do you do with your spent grains?

    Every few batches, I'll take the grains and spread them out on cookie sheets. Pop them in the oven and bake them at low heat until they are dehydrated. then I scoop the stuff into plastic bags and shove em in the freezer. When we make bread, rolls, pancakes, brownies, cookies, scones... a...
  4. andre the giant

    How many bottles do you have?

    I've got around 15-16 cases of bottles. all 12oz. there is a variety of brown and green bottles. I've also got 25 bombers, maybe 30. Ive got 6 mini kegs as well. Most of my stuff is empty, but Ive got 10 gallons just about ready to bottle. My neighbor just gave me 10 Orval bottles. They...
  5. andre the giant

    Fruit in secondary??

    Ive brewed blueberry ale a few times and it doesn't matter how much blueberry I put in the fermenter, the beer doesn't have enough blueberry taste. So, I've settled on this process: I brew my base beer, an APA or EPA base, light on the hops. I wait for fermentation to kick in. Take a 1-3 lbs...
  6. andre the giant

    Cleaning Glass Carboy

    Last year, we moved and my brewing equipment was stored in a variety of locations, some not so desirable. Right now, I'm nuking all my equipment and bottles with a three step sanitizing process. First, I recycle any bottles that have spots of mold or other smudges that seem resistant. I soak...
  7. andre the giant

    Roaches at the brew store....

    Andre checks where tireater is from... breathes a sigh of relief. that's just gross.
  8. andre the giant

    Making my second beer and curious what i should try next.

    I may be insane, but I would go for something like a porter for my first AG batch. I find the style to be very forgiving of mistakes.
  9. andre the giant

    IPA gone wrong-- I think it's got mold. Salvageable?

    Having to dump the strong spiced english ale really broke my heart. It may have been 4 months I held onto it, hoping for the best. And as I recall, I did bottle the thing eventually in hopes that the beer would heal itself. It didn't happen. So, I brewed it again. Same recipe, strong...
  10. andre the giant


    I would be very suspect of any batch that got an opportunistic fungal infection. In spite of my earlier comment, I would probably see if it was salvageable first though. (taste it after getting rid of the crud.) There were only two batches I dumped. The first one was because I bottled too...
  11. andre the giant

    How long from brew to bottle?

    maybe, but if you're like me, you'll graduate to wanting a couple stainless steel conical fermenters. The only thing stopping you will be the $600 bucks it costs and your wife. :D
  12. andre the giant

    How long from brew to bottle?

    It typically takes me 4 weeks to move from boil to bottle. Then at least 3 weeks in bottle. My suggestion is to buy another fermenter/lid/airlock, maybe two. They are cheap, and they will allow you to brew the first few batches in quick succession. Here's what usually happens... New...
  13. andre the giant

    Clear Carboys

    I've got three glass carboys (in milk crates), one better bottle, and two buckets. I love glass carboys for secondary, but I'm always worried that I will drop it and shatter the stupid thing while cleaning. I tend to use the better bottle as primary. I'm not a big fan of the buckets anymore...
  14. andre the giant

    No fizzies in my bottle.......

    The way I understand it, (I may be wrong) the yeast goes crazy in the fermenter and consumes almost all the sugars. During this time, it reproduces like crazy. When the food, (sugars) run low, the yeast starts going dormant. Kinda like hibernation. There is still plenty of the yeast floating...
  15. andre the giant

    No fizzies in my bottle.......

    Yes, relax. Your bottles will take a couple weeks to carbonate. Three is even better. Nothing is wrong. If you added something like Campden tablets to your fermenter, it might kill the yeast. Also, if you heat or froze your beer it would kill your yeast. Aside from that, the only thing...