Does the beer get more bitter just by having yeast in the bottom of the bottle, or does it only get more bitter if you drink the yeast? In other words, when the beer is decanted from the yeast, is it just as good as if there were no yeast in the bottom of the bottle to start with?
THANKS[/quote]
Its only bitter if the yeast is in suspension. When you keep it in the fridge a couple days it compacts on the bottom of the bottle. You should be able to slowly pour it out and not get much if any yeast from the bottom of the bottle. If its still bitter then you have to let it condition for a little longer out of the fridge.
[quote=“Old_Dawg”]Hydrometers are wonderful devices, but they have a very short lifespan. Mine like to creep from the back of my work area to the edge and jump to their death.
Get two and plan to replace the dead ones frequently. Or, get an assistant to guard them.[/quote]
I had a bag of DME do this once. Then decided to play refugee behind my washing machine. On a sidenote - I usually put a rag or clean towel down on my work area to help things stay put. Not the whole thing, just parts - then sanitize before use. I usually don’t sanitize the hydrometer because I never dump the beer back into the primary - I just chalk it up as a loss…or drink it depending on where Im at with fermentation.
+1. A little over 2 years and have yet to break one (knocking on wood as I type). Now if you want to talk starter flasks… that’s another story. I’ve broken a few and have the scars to prove it.
I read a lot about broken flasks, I just went the simple no frills route on my first (and only) starter and used a quart fruit jar with a lid with holes. I have also seen foil over the top with air holes cut into it. However remember you cannot boil the quart jar like the flask, but you can boil in a pot and let it cool and transfer.
Not for a reasonable sized starter. 1 qt (which would fill this to the top) would be the smallest starter I would ever make and I rarely make one that small
Yeah, I actually ended up doing two quart jars, like I said it was my first. Like everything else there is a lot of different info out there. Pint of water, quart, etc. A half gallon jar would probably work better.
