I have had a great time in these collaborations, and have come up with some award winners, but unfortunately my schedule now would be too tight to commit to another. From work, I have more frequent flier and hotel points in the past year than ever before. I really encourage anyone new to participate...

I do like some IPAs, and Spacedust was one of the positives. Being balanced and avoiding harsh bitterness are the keys for me, while having the definite hop presence that IPAs should have.

I had a Spacedust a couple of weeks ago on vacation. I normally don't really like IPAs (the only category I have ever said I don't want to judge, twice for different reasons), but this time it was the most interesting of the restaurant's choices. I really liked this one!

I'm so sorry to hear that news. I know you were close to him, and that makes it an even tougher loss.

Welcome back, and congrats on the new job! While the Light American style is much maligned and admittedly not my own preference, I couldn't have more admiration for the brewers' ability to keep such consistency despite so many variables from place to place and year to year, besides the need for perf...

Thanks for checking in. That sounds like a rough time, and I hope everything goes better from here.

It sounds like we might have both had single-bottle issues, with similar bottles not having problems. In my case, the bottles were on a table, and adjacent bottles were knocked onto the (carpeted) floor, but didn't have problems. I figured there might have been a bit of crud despite all my cleaning,...

I'm glad you got it to be manageable. After more than 4 years of brewing, I had my first from my own brews also, a couple of weeks ago. My wife said (while I was at work) that it wasn't an explosion, but suddenly glass shattering from my workroom. This was an old brew where I had taken two bottles o...

Outstanding! Congrats! Best of luck in the finals!

I don't know if Utah's laws are the same for wine and beer, or what the enforcement is, but once when I was wine tasting there was a couple from Utah who were filling the trunk of their car with California wine before heading home.

Thanks for posting the photo, Ray, and I'm glad you found this, BigPapa. When I had one last week, it seemed to match the style description but would continue to improve with more conditioning. If I enter it in a competition, I'll let you know the results. BigPapa, it will be great to hear how yours...

I brought homemade cider & mead on a visit to relatives across the country, which worked fine except for sediment taking a week in their fridge to settle and clarify, to enjoy at the end of the visit. Also commercial brews a few times. In checked luggage, I put the bottles in thick clean socks, ...

I used the Newcastle Dark Ale yeast in a Scottish ale and have been happy with the results. I have more types that I bought online, and am looking forward to trying them. It's good to see also that there will be a full variety to try in the future -- they seem like a good innovative company.

Needs for multiple crushes can depend on the mill's adjustment. I once bought grain at a store where one did one's own milling, and the mill was adjusted so poorly that I had to run the grain through 5 times before it was right. Normally From my current favorite shop once is enough.

It's true that you don't "need" a refractometer, but I find mine so useful that I have not used my hydrometer at all for my last several batches. The yield from grains varies, and the refractometer tells me whether I will need adjustments like adding DME. When sparging, it confirms that my...