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tell me that if someone making soap had it come out to 'harsh', they throw it away?
There's a taste test. Just lick the soap and if it tingles like a battery it isn't ready yet.
I'm not sold on herbicide damage although it's possible. Rapid growth from 2,4-D or dicamba (both part of standard lawn spray) overspray causes epinastic growth which results in twisting and cupping. These herbicides are IAA mimics (indolacetic acid) which duplicate plant hormones responsible for cell elongation which is what leads to the distortion. Thing is, if it was a very low rate of drift I would expect more cupping of the leaves and leaf elongation. At higher rates, the leaves become small and stunted but the stem becomes dramatically twisted.
Similar question was posed on another forum with hops showing a distinct upward curling. It could be the result of 2,4-D or other herbicides used in weed and feed fertilizers. Even if you were careful not to over spray, hot, humid conditions cause some herbicides to volatilize and affect your hops from some distance. This is the first year mine didn't curl as I applied the weed and feed stuff much earlier this spring.
In the Weber 22.5 I'd recommend just sticking to the stock stuff, except for the Smokenator which is a nifty accessory:
http://www.smokenator.com/
This is something that I would like to start doing. I feel the body of my beers is a little thin and one-dimensional lately. Not sure what it could be but I'm wondering if doing a small step mash might help.
I also think a 90 minute, at minimum, boil will help create some depth to the flavor of my beer. Let us know what you think of the step mashing you just did when the beer is done.
I think you should try it and decide for yourself instead of taking someone else's word for it! I haven't found any benefits to a step mash, but that's not to say you won't.
I have typically used single temp mashes, but after listening to some of the commercial brewer interviews on Brewing Network, I have begun using a short beta rest in the upper 140's and then a quick ramp to a alpha rest temp. My first brew with that mashing approach is in the fermenter now, so I don't have a feel for the effect yet. I fully expect that the fermentability will be higher.
I like my henckels and just had them sharpened - wow, what a difference!
