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Archive for October, 2007

Turkey Fryers

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hey all, just a quick question- I am ready to go outside and get a big pot & turkey fryer style burner. Do these things get discounted significantly after Thanksgiving? Anyone know? Thanks.

Ryan

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Flying Dog Brewery is one of the many craft breweries participating in the national program called Craft Beer and Food for the Holidays. This free program organized by the Brewers Association, highlights the ways in which beer styles complement many traditional American holiday foods.
The program delves into pairings such as ale with traditional American […]

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Steelhead Trout Recipe

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Posted: by foureyedgeek (28 minutes ago)

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New Frankenstein Mill

Monday, October 29th, 2007

It’s made out of 6″ x 24″ glue rollers one smooth and one ribbed & 2 opposing rotation motors, I think he said they were 33.33 RPM. Seemed faster when i was testing it out.

It works good, I milled a pound of 2 row with it and the crush looked great, about 25% finer than what I have been getting from the LHBS. It needs a stand and hopper and a better way of keeping the motors from spinning, he has 3/8 fiberglass rods holding them from spinning, I assume it was a safety measure incase he got something stuck in there so the rollers would stop before you were up to you elbow omg.gif

Good thing I bought a Crankenstein 3D a couple weeks ago and have it almost ready to go. I guess I will use them both for a while and sell one in the future.

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Burnt remains bottom of mash tun

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Gentlemen: I had a broken thermometer on my mash tun (converted keg) and by the time I realized, I had some really nasty scorching which left about a six-inch diameter of thick black carbon. And this was just from medium heat. I have tried everything to scrub this off- boiling with sanitizer, ceramic scrub, and finally spray oven cleaner. So far the only thing I haven’t done is chuck a brass wire brush in the drill and go at it. Any suggestions please, I haven’t made much of a dent. Luckily it didn’t give the wort an off flavor and fermentation seems to be fine.

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Fest. of Wood Aged Beer

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hello all, can any one help me out, it looks like i waited too long to drop by and pick em up - they are sold out.

im looking buy 2 tickets to the Festival of Wood Aged beer being held this Sat. (Nov3 2007) at goose island in Wrigleyville (Chicago).

either pm me or drop me a line at mofango@gmail.com

Thx,

Tony.

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Miane brewers festival

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Another guy I brew with and I have tix to the afternoon session. The event sold out pretty quickly.

MB

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Nottingham is Awesome!

Monday, October 29th, 2007

I’m on my second day of primary for my dry irish stout (5 gallon extract batch). I have a 6 gallon carboy and I decided to attach a blowoff tube instead of the airlock I normally use with my smack pack fermentations. I went with the blowoff because of all the comments on this board about how active Nottingham is. I love this board, this morning I had some foam in my blowoff collection container and constant bubbling out of the end of the tube. I have NEVER experienced this type of activity with my 6 or so smack pack fermentations. The carboy is still filled with foam and it is coming 3 to 4 inches into the tube. One word for this stuff, AWESOME! If the taste is there I’m gonna be predominantly a dry guy shock.gif Can I pretty much use this yeast for all my ales? I have a three hearted ale I’m going to order that has a starting gravity around 1.065, is one packet of Nottingham sufficient?

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Turkey Dinner

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Posted: by BrewMonkey (17 hours ago)

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Recent Beer Dinner

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Posted: by Jmamay22 (22 hours ago)

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Meatball soup

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Posted: by jaxon53 (23 hours ago)

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Home Brewing The Easy Way

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

We here at CFWAY are going to begin spending some more time discussing home brewing, and hope to get some advice from those who have been doing it for a long time, in addition to sharing our own advice as we begin to brew our own. As with anything, it’s always a good idea to […]

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New Chiller design

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

With water restrictions and all I was thinking of a new design for a counterflow chiller.

The ones you see are made with garden hose and copper line with a bunch of fittings that tend to leak or the garden hose will spring a leak over time. That, and they are bulky to move and store.

I got to thinking and this is what I’ve come up with. I call it the “ChilliDog”.

Take a 2 foot section of hard PVC pipe- 4 inches in diameter. HD sells this length. Get the end caps. Total about 21.00
Take a 20′ section of 3/8 OD copper tubing. Get the 0.032 wall, (thinner) stuff. 20.00
2 Barb hose fittings with female garden hose connector. 15.00 for both.
Coil the tubing slowly and carefully so as not to kink it. The thin wall will coil tightly. Use a spray paint can as a guide. Leave about 6 inches straight on both ends. Make the coil about 20 inches tall.
Drill 3/8 hole into each cap. Aim for center of the cap.
Drill 2 5/8 holes into the PVC pipe. Don’t offset.
Put the coil into the PVC tube. Put the end of the copper line through the caps at both ends and tap the caps on tight.
Remove the washers from the hose fittings and push down the screwflange. Gently hammer the barb fittings into the holes.
Seal up everything with high temp. silicone and allow to dry 24 hours.
Test for leaks.

What do ya think? Going to test out tomorrow.

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Do I need a starter?

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I’m going to be making a big beer (1.080) this week and I’m wondering if any of you think its still necessary to make a yeast starter. I made an Oatmeal Stout with California Ale Yeast and saved a good portion of the yeast cake. I filled a large mason jar with it. I refrigerated it, let it settle, poured out the stout and “rinsed” the yeast with Coors light to dilute the color and flavor from the stout. Since there is MUCH more yeast there then there would be if I just used a smack pack or vile, do I really need to bother with a starter???

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Another dry yeast thread…

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Just kegged my Dogfish 60 clone that I pitched with S-04 - Totally Awesome!!!

I’ve used 1056, 1187, “whitbread”, and 1098 in the past with the same hop/grain schedule…I wont say that it is way better than any other but the S-04 is really really good.

I gotta say, dry yeast is a good thing and you cant beat the value…

Brew on!
Carl

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March pump incosistencies

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Don’t get me wrong I freekin love my pump. I have switched the configuration easily 5 times and the orientation is now as low as possibe, inlet about 3 inches off ground.

I have read here about priming and dump valves. I have no apparent problem priming, when I transfer strike water or sparge water to the MLT from HLT I get a solid fast flow, for 1-2 min, then it slows up to a trickle. Stop, reprime, runs great, 1-2 min then trickle. What gives?

The inlet on the pump is 18″ below the HLT valve, and the inlet on the MLT is only about 5 feet high. When I pump wort to the fermenter which is only maybe 6″ lower I get unbelievable flow control. All lines have no kinks and easy flow, just seems that extra 1/2 foot makes the pump strain and you can here it start to slip and slow down flow. My lines are 3/8 not 1/2″, I would think that would help not hurt. Normal?

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Kegging and Stouts

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Hi,

I’m new to kegging and have read on the proper way to keg and serve stouts, with the mixed nitrogen and stout faucet, but I wanted to hear from people who don’t do that. How is it? What if you only had the stout faucet but not the mixed gas? Anyone upgraded and opinions about the difference (of course it is probably better, but vastly better and how)? Would anyone suggest not serving stout unless you went the full 9 yards?

Thanks you,

g-

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Got a huge load of brewing goods

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Took a road trip (long) to pick up this brew sculpture I scored off eBay. That turned out great and everything was in as new condition. I am very pleased.
I also stopped to look at another and ended up coming home with it too.
It sat out side for 4 years and needs the stand repainted and a couple new hoses but other than that its ready to go.
I have boxes and boxes of stuff that came with it. I have not even looked thru most of them yet, here are the highlights that I can remember from loading it up:

3 burner, 2 pump rims system
Lab grade refractometer
1 - 10 gal corny
7 - 5 gal cornys
2 - 3gal cornys
4 or 5 CO2 tanks from 5 lab to 20 lb
Chest freezer w/Johnson analog control
New SS 2 tap tower and every keg coupler known to man
HUGE grain mill made out of 6×24″ glue rollers with each roller powered by its own motor
2 stills, one all stainless tower with tri-clovers and a sankey keg and one is a Still Spirits plastic one on a SS milk bucket
big box of Zymurgy’s and other brewing books
Propane burner w/stand
8 packs of turbo yeast?
2 wine kits

Here is the info provided to me on the unit from the guy that made it:

It’s a mobile unit built on a steel frame with wheels. All three tuns, hot liquor, mash, and kettle are made from SS Sanky beer kegs and fitted with ball valves and wells for Ashcroft thermometers. Everything is hard-lined except the hose from the counterflow chiller to whatever fermenter you’re using. (I always used 20 gallon white poly drums.)

All three tuns have 175,000 BTU burners, and all gas controls, (actually all the controls) are mounted on a central front mounted panel. There is an on-board water filter and supply lines to all three vessels, the top center tank has a sight glass and is for hot liquor which gravity feeds the left lower mash tun.

The mash tun has its own 110 VAC pump for recirculation (vorlof) and a 175,000 BTU burner for use in RIMS or step mashing and for transferring wort to the brew tun (kettle). (I also use it to hit strike temp before doughing in the goods) The mash tun is fitted with a hinged SS perforated-plate false bottom and SS lines to the lower outlet valve. All lines outside the Tuns are copper, all those within are ˝” SS.

The brew Kettle has a separate 110 VAC recirculation pump (hot pump) for whirl pooling the finish hops and transferring the hot wort through the counterflow wort chiller which is mounted behind the control panel in the center of the system. The entire system is designed to be self cleaning using re-circulated boiling water or the chemical of your choice. The mash side is separated by a central ball valve so a second mash can be run while the brew kettle is in operation. I always used 90 minute mashes and 90 minute brew cycles. So one ˝ barrel keg can be brewed in 3 hours and another one every 90 minutes thereafter, for as long as you want to keep it up.

I am going to go thru the trailer and unpack stuff later today. I am sure I will have tons of questions and will need lots of help getting this rig going.

Too bad I live in the boonies and have no experienced brewers near by to show me how to work this thing smile.gif

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November Beer Pass

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Fellow brewers,

The November 2007 Beer Pass drawing (deadline to enter) will be held Friday, November 2. The deadline to ship beers will be two weeks later, Friday, November 16. If you find yourself in a situation in which you signed up but cannot provide for the pass, please contact me and we will work it out. I’ve had A LOT of great beers through the pass and I want everyone to have the same opportunity.

Thanks as always for participating in the beer pass!

The rules for the Pass:

1. Preferably send Homebrew, but if your stocks are low you can send a favorite microbrew. If you are sending a commercial style, check in with the person you are sending it to just to make sure they don’t already have a bunch of that in the fridge already. BMC is not pass worthy, so don’t send any of that swill. Sending BMC is grounds for a permanent ban from future passes.

2. The deadline to Ship your beers is 2 weeks after the drawing. That allows some people who get paid every other week to wait for the following paycheck if it falls on an odd week for them.

3.Every Month is different. Just sign up during the month you want to participate. If you want in, just post below and say “I’m In”

4. You are responsible for PMing the person you are paired up with for the month.

5. Minimum of 4 bottles to be sent, can be 4 of the same, or a mix and match. Feel free to send more if you wish.

6. If you don’t receive your pass within 2 weeks of the deadline, post the offenders name and they are out of the name exchange for good, unless everyone who is participating votes to give them another chance, or a penalty is paid to the person who did not receive beer. Please don’t make CharlieVMan get ill and bust out his pimp hand….

7. You must me 21 to participate.

For information on how to ship beer, please see this FAQ that Mach5 put together.

If you have any questions at all, please let me know. Thanks and Cheers!!!!

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California Yeast Wlp 001

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I made a starter using wlp 001 for the first time. It had an almost wine like smell coming from it. All the other starters that I made smelled like a beer brewing this one smelled like a wine that I have fermented before. Is this how it is suppose to smell like or should I go out and buy another yeast tube?

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flat ass tired mini mash?

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I am a noob that loves Fat Tire (the reason why I got into home brew).

I have already brewed 2 clones, Austin Home Brewery clone and the Phat Tyre clone (still in primary).

The AustinHB clone does NOT taste like FT at all.

I have read that Flat Ass Tired clone recipe is the best.

Since I am green, I don’t want to attempt a all-grain brew.

Can someone post instructions on what to order and how to proceed as a mini-mash?

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Halloween Beers

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I just went to the local beer store and picked up the following 6 pack:

Dead Guy Ale
Hobgoblin
Avery’s The Beast
Victory Hop Devil
Maudite
Lakefront Pumpkin Ale

I picked them all based on their label having some “scary” theme. What beers are you drinking for Halloween?

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Recommend me Some Pairings!

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Posted: by Lothore (19 hours ago)

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Homebrewing Illegal?

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

I keep hearing hear and there that homebrewing is illegal in some states but I can’t get a definit answer. Does anyone know the answer to which states if any that homebrewing is illegal

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What is the best

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

Hello brew boarders,
I have a brewing rig with two banjo burners and was shocked at how much propane I had to use during my last brew. I am wondering there is any way to make these more efficient. I was wondering how close I should mount them to the object that needs to be heated. Right now they are mounted 6″ lower than pot. Brew Rig Pics

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High Gravity Beers

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

I was just wondering why it seems that the higher the gravity the longer it takes for a beer to fully mature? They seem to ferment to the right final gravity in a similar period of time as say a 1.040 beer, but it seems like they need to sit for a month or more after fermentation to taste really good. Where as you could drink a low gravity stout within three weeks and have it taste good, an imperial stout needs to sit for longer. Why is this?

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Gravity Check

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

As a first time brewer I wanted to know the best way to take a test sample from my fermenter.
Should I use the valve on the bottom of the tank or remove the airlock and take the sample from there?
I am only concerned about keeping everything sanitary. My first brew is a Williams Brewing Kit (Belgian Dubbel) that is in the seventh day of fermenting and the air bubbler has slowed to 3 per minute.
Thanks

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A successful beer and food party

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

Posted: by brewdoc75 (12 hours ago)

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Mikey Makes It Up

Friday, October 26th, 2007

On this episode, Mikey Mason brought his guitar and created songs with our key word suggestions. Such classics as “When Did I Eat Corn”, “Beersnob and Applesauce” and “Popcorn and Porn”. All beer for this show was supplied by Groucho of “The Beer Report” podcast. Lagunita’s Lucky #13, Maximus and Undercover Investigation […]

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Westvleteren 12 clone

Friday, October 26th, 2007

I’m formulating a West 12 clone.  I got most of my info from BLAM. The color I am mostly getting from Belgian Candi Syrup and a little Belgian De-Bittered Black malt.  Do you think I’ve got the right balance of color and flavor for Westy 12?  thanks.


CODE
Color

        Stats
OG    1.086
FG    1.010
IBU    44
ABV    9.8 %
SRM    35

        Specifics
Boil Volume    3 gallons
Batch Size    5.5 gallons
Yeast    88% AA

        Style Comparison
    Low         High
OG    1.065    1.086     1.098+
FG    1.014    1.010     1.024+
IBU    25    44     40+
SRM    7    35     20
ABV    7    9.8     12+

Fermentables % Weight    Weight (lbs)    Grain    Gravity Points    Color
23.5 %    3.00    Belgian Pale Ale    15.7    1.0
23.5 %    3.00    Belgian Pils    15.3    1.0
11.8 %    1.50    Belgian Candi Sugar Dark    12.3    75.0
23.5 %    3.00    Light Dry Malt Extract    24.5    1.1
2.0 %    0.25    Belgian De-Bittered Black Malt    1.1    22.7
15.7 %    2.00    Cane sugar    16.7    0.4
    12.75         85.6    

Hops % Wt    Weight (oz)    Hop    Form    AA%    AAU    Boil Time    Utilization    IBU
33.3 %    1.00    Northern Brewer    Pellet    6.9    6.9    60    0.036    25.1
33.3 %    1.00    Mount Hood    Pellet    4.3    4.3    30    0.020    8.4
33.3 %    1.00    Styrian Goldings    Pellet    5.2    5.2    30    0.020    10.1
    3.00                                  43.6

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