Slick2887

Welcome to the Borg! Relax, don't worry, have a home brew (RDWHAHB) and ask LOTS of questions. The Borg is wise and all knowing :borg:

"TimeTraveler" post=274654 said:It really isn't a mistake to taste some of your brews early. It allows you to see/taste the changes that take place as the beer conditions. As you say, you let them condition longer and improve with time. Keep tasting them at intervals and you will see how they improve. I'm guilty of doing this with every new batch that I try to brew. The reason being that since it is new to me, I have no idea how long it takes until it reaches that 'perfect' maturity of flavor that I'm looking for. I've had batches mature in two weeks and others not ready for close to a month-month and a half of conditioning time. Nothing wrong with taking samples at various weeks and noting the taste results so that next time you brew that same recipe, you know exactly how long it has to condition before it's ready for consumption :cheers:

"russki" post=273980 said:A 1.7 cu ft thermoelectric fridge (no compressor hump) will fit one LBK. I want to say that's the size I use, but I'll have to double check when I get home. It's a snug fit with the keg sideways, but I have a smaller shelf right above it for other fridge related items plus the shelving on the door.

I did one Mr batch following their directions and used the fruit before pitching the yeast. There was ZERO fruit flavor in the finished beer. I've since switched to using extracts for flavoring, but plan to do some more using fruit. I'm going to follow the borg's advice and wait until primary fermentation is complete so I get more (even if its slightly more or a hint) of fruit flavor in the finished product. :cheers:

You should be fine. I've had temperature fluctuations that high and the brews turned out fine. I know with certain strains temperature plays a role in flavor profile (higher temps lead to a more fruity profile, lower temps lead to a more crisp and clean tasting profile). Higher temps can kill yeast, but I don't think you'll get any off flavors.

I've been wanting to try a Maibock and this looks like a great recipe. Looks great! :cheers:

Now I really want to try one... :stout: How does a hoppy stout compare to say an IPA or double IPA? With the stout having more of a malty profile I would think that it would end up being closer to balanced or slightly hoppy. Oh well, I'll have to raid the local liquor store and find some hoppy stouts to try!

"packerduf" post=273629 said: "ckrascek" post=273533 said:...I'm trying to achieve something that is tasting fresh. A great way to add 'freshness" to your beer is to steep some grains. Carapils, for example would increase foam, improve head retention, and enhance mouthfeel without altering the flavor/color to your beer.+1 on the Carapils

"dankirk" post=273645 said:Thanks. I will RDWAHAHB, and leave it alone until bottling time. Sound advice :chug:

The problem with letting the beer ferment over an extended period of time isn't the risk oxidation. Unless the beer is transferred to a secondary at some point, the beer sits on the yeast cake for an extended amount of time. The yeast cake is filled with dead yeast cells and fermentation byproducts. The longer the wort sits on the yeast cake, the greater the risk of the wort absorbing off flavors from the yeast cake.

Not that it will hurt it, but 4 weeks in the primary is unnecessary IMHO. I would recommend getting a hydrometer so you can tell exactly when your brew is done fermenting (reached FG or gravity reading has remained the same for 2-3 consecutive days). All of my batches have taken about 2 weeks to finish fermenting (they were usually done by 2 weeks, but I didn't bottle until close to 3 due to laziness/lack of time). Also I have had problems with fermenting at the lower end of 60* with the Mr Beer yeast (two packets pitched). I have had two batches where fermentation stopped midway because it was too cold, but it continued once the LBK was warmed up to upper 60*s. This may have just been what I experienced and not typical, but just to give you a heads up in case you experience the same thing! Happy Brewing :cheers:

"russki" post=273453 said:This looks very tasty. +1 let us know how it turns out!

Unfortunate that the world we live in requires that we second guess our instincts to help out others (potentially) in need. Glad everything worked out ok and the scumbag is temporarily behind bars

Welcome to the Borg! Three weeks fermenting is more than enough time for a Mr Beer batch to ferment. I would go ahead and bottle it up. If you are worried about the clarity, you could cold crash as mentioned above.

I just used super irish moss for my recent lager attempt, but have no experience with it prior to that. It seems to help a great deal with clearing up the wort before putting it into the fermentor. Definitely something I look forward to using on future batches!