Cricket? I could see how a cricket player could probably play baseball.

He’s a basketball player, right?

To each their own. I definitely won’t fault you for having formed your own opinions about it. What you said definitely makes sense. I see it a little differently, but that’s just how my palate works I suppose. Not better or worse, just different.

Nothing wrong with that. Like wine or coffee, beer is largely an acquired taste. If it isn’t a flavor you’re used to and enjoy, it is definitely going to overpower food.

Fruit extract can be tricky. A tiny amount goes a very long way. And in many cases, you are exactly right that it can often be tasted in a fairly significant way.

On the discussion of flavor, I had a great meal for last night. It was at a local tap room. Five course meal, with every course containing some form of bacon. And each course had a specific pairing with a beer from a local brewery. I could tell there were a few people there that dragged their boyfriend/girlfriend…

I haven’t noticed any significant changes when using the ClarityFerm. But I haven’t done enough side-by-side comparisons to draw a full conclusion. It hasn’t given me any noticeable off flavors, and the beer seems to be carbonating fine on both the keg and in bottles.

I swore by Whirlfloc tablets or Irish Moss for quite awhile. ClarityFerm is wonderful though. It clarifies the beer and removes gluten. I still will go back to Whirlfloc sometimes, as I have a jar full of the tablets. And I do still use pectinase for ciders.

Definitely a possibility there. If it’s a pinhole leak, it could have gone unnoticed. But to go through a 5lb tank that quickly? It’s interesting, to say the least.

For sure. But I love that even though there doesn’t appear to be an English word to properly describe it, you know exactly what it is when you taste it.

I’ve had bad luck with plastic parts, so the barb would be my guess. But it is a little strange that you couldn’t hear anything when it was fully pressurized.

White Labs makes great stuff too. I use their ClearFerm regularly, and I’ve tried their yeast with good results a couple of times. But Wyeast has by far the most variety at my local homebrew shops. The A04 is the only strain I’ve ever seen from Imperial apart from one can of their C05 lager yeast that has been sitting…

Yeah, that definitely sounds like a leak. You’re probably already fully aware, but you can quickly check for leaks by spraying a little soapy water onto the lines and fittings, and waiting to see where bubbles are coming from.

Nice, I’ll have to check out my local Costco and see if they offer it here as well. Sounds fantastic!

I love the V8 rumble rumble rumble...

I’m kind of glad we don’t have one of these nearby. After a few beers, my girlfriend and I would adopt every dog there. And then the Lyft driver coming to pick us up would yell at us and refuse to give us a ride home, because they don’t want 17 furry friends in the car.

I moved away from dry yeasts (apart from Red Star champagne yeast for ciders) after having a few refuse to spring back to life, even after preparing sugar water starters. Apart from the Imperial cans, I mostly use Wyeast, because you know before you even get started brewing if your yeast is alive. Those “smack packs”…

Agreed, I don’t like the term “spicy” to describe it at all. But really, I can’t think of anything significantly better. I like the word piquant, which to me is more suitable. But I feel like too many people will ask me what piquant means, and I’ll just stammer and mumble, “...um...spicy...I guess?”

I’ve started brewing recipes a second time with different yeasts just for kicks, and it’s pretty incredible how much the strain used can impact the final product.

I always tend to go for a sniff test for IPA’s and most Belgian ales. IPA’s because the most commonly used hops used tend to have very distinctive characteristics that are necessary to get the desired flavor profile. Belgians, because the yeasts tend to be much more floral in nature.