Beer Feeds

Guys here is the automated keg washer I built. I took the pump off my salt water aquarium and used it. It will blast a ½ wide stream of water about 20+ feet in the air so plenty of pressure to soak the inside of the keg. I use the Ranco digital temp controller to monitor the temp and turn the hot water hearter element on and off. The opening in the top of the pony keg is just the right size that my 10 & 15 gallon conry kegs just fit and there is enough friction that the keg stays in place without support. To clean 5 gallon keg i just cut a hole in a plastic coke crate and put the 5gal corny on it. I can clean all 20 of my kegs in just a few hours I just need to come back every 5 to 10 minutes to swap out the keg on top. I through all the parts (gas/liquid connectors, lids, O rings) in the cleaning tank and let them soak.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/29323340@N04/2955594476/

Hello all,
This is an extention of my post for the 30 gallon steam kettle for sale or trade. Some of your questions got me thinking?
These really are perfectly designed for what I need to complete my new system. The Groen steam kettle is double jacketed and is made for steam injection in order to boil/heat your desired product. It has a 2″ stainless drain outlet with a stainless valve and is dome shaped in order to fully empty the contents. As you can see in that picture I posted, it also has its own stainless stand - one less thing to worry about.

I would like to figure out a way to heat this and use it for my new boil kettle….all of your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My concern is with the double jacket. This creates an air space, so bottom flame heating would probably not be very efficiant? What do you think. I guess I could cut away the outer layer of the jacket, but I was hoping to use the jacket for an additional cooling source at flame out.
I also was thinking about going electric with this - any ideas regarding watts to bring 24 gallons to boil? May be too much for my weak little panel to handle.
Someone else suggested filling the jacket with water and heating from below with a flame….but wouldn’t that blow off a lot of steam?
In short - Help! lol
Thanks all….
LB69

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I have been extract brewing for a couple years now but I’m transitioning over to AG. I have a LHBS close and would like to start keeping some stock of the common malts. I know it depends on types of beer, but what are the most common types of base malts to keep on hand? I drink a lot of the ales; pale, IPA, ambers, etc.

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So, the question is do you screen all the hops and break material out of the wort as you add it to the fermenter? I found that it is too much a PITA to do that, so I’ve started to just dump and get good results. If you have a technical reason other than…”that’s how I learned it”…I’d like to hear it.

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Posted: by UGADawgGuy (14 hours ago)

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I’m looking for a good go-to pale ale recipe, all grain. I’ve got a house IPA, which I love, but it’s a little over the top for most folk. Have so for not been able to come up with a pale ale that I can get too excited about. Anyhow, I was wondering if people would be willing to share their favorite house pale ales. I prefer american hops, and I’d really like some complexity to the malt body. My favorite commercial PA is SN Aniversary Ale. I would love to see what recipes others have developed as their “house” pale ale.

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Posted: by pfknapp (3 hours ago)

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20# pale ale malt
2# Victory
1# C 120

Or

18# pale ale malt
2# Victory
1# C 120
2# malted rye

might split the Crystal to half 40 and half 120

a little under 50 IBUs with NB, 2112 slurry, 11.5 gal

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Guys,
I was thinking of taking one of the 15.5 gallon Sankey kegs and removing the center dip tube and replacing it with a rubber bung and air lock similar to a carboy only the rubber bung would be bigger. Has anyone done this and how well did it work as a fermenter?

Thanks

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I am ready to start building my brewstand, and probably one for a buddy and now just need the steel….I am looking for 1.5″ or 2″ square tubing, 0.065″ thick. I got a decent price from a company in Michigan, but would like to avoid the $50 or $60 in freight if possible via a more local supplier preferably in the west or northwest suburbs. Any tips?

Thanks

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The reason I ask is that the stainless is definitely cheaper. Given that stainless can handle a thinner wall thickness, I have to wonder if that will really offset the difference between the two regarding heat transfer rates. ANd I’m not entirely convinced that the stainless IC’s even have thinner walls. So does anybody have any first hand experience using stainless for an IC?

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How do these two compare too each other based on everyone’s experience?

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I have a chance to upgrade to a kegging system. All of this listed below for $350. A good deal?

-3 stainless steel 5 gal corneilius kegs w/ hoses and valves
-1 20 lb CO2 tank
-1 CO2 regulator w/ 3 way valve, to run 3 seperate kegs on 1 system
-1 refrigerator/ freezer thermostat to keep kegs at the temp you want
-1 stainless beer tower that has room for up to 6 tap handles
-1 single tap chrome tower
-4 chrome tap dispensers 2 are perlick 2 are tap-rite (have new seals and gaskets for all)
-1 reg size keg tapper
and misc. valves and pieces

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Posted: by Bankhead (11 hours ago)

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Posted: by dogman (13 hours ago)

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I tend bar at a nice, casual bistro style restaurant and we keep good beer on tap and in bottles. We’re mostly college kids working here, but the owners and executive chef are beer lovers. We’ve got a couple of homebrewers at work, but nobody who will take the initiative or responsibility to brew a beer for the Christmas party. I tried to brew a beer for last year’s Xmas party, but the beer oxidized and I threw it out.

Armed with better brewing techniques and a better sense of recipes, I’m attempting to make a 5 gallon batch for this year’s Christmas Bash.

I’m looking for a festive/winter warmer type beer with a clean profile, spiciness, hint of roastiness and a slight hop kick. Looking for something just a hint darker than a red ale at about 5.5 ABV. Creaminess from the flaked oats/rye would be nice. Just a twinge of caramel/toffee notes.

Comments/suggestions welcome for this partial mash brew…..

Rockin Around Ale
5.25 gallons

6# Extra Light DME
1.5# Vienna
12 oz. Munich Dark
8 oz. Medium Crystal
8 oz. Flaked Oats
4 oz. Honey Malt
4 oz. Chocolate Rye
4 oz. Flaked Rye
2 oz. Chocolate Malt

Mash at 156-158 for 45-60 minutes
75 minute boil
Use a hop bag during boil

1.5-2 oz. Wilamette, Mt. Hood, Glacier or other lower AAU hops 60 minutes
.5 oz. EKG and .5 oz. Centennial 20 minutes
.5 oz. EKG and .5 oz. Centennial 7 minutes

Yeast: US-05

Brew Day 10/28
Secondary by 11/03
In a keg by 11/10

Prime keg with 2 oz. Corn Sugar
Leave at room temp from 11/10 to 11/20
Hook up to CO2 for last 2.5 weeks before party
At party, use hand keg pump.

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Found this locally for $90. How’d I do? It’s by Outdoor Gourmet. Looks brand new, no rust except on the supports over the burners. Previous owner even put casters on it for portability. This should beat the heck out of juggling 3 pots and one burner. I’m jazzed!

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Posted: by marcpal (21 hours ago)

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Posted: by palmdalethriller (21 hours ago)

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Has anyone ever brewed with Briess’ Mild Malt.

I was thinking about trying to brew a Scottish Ale with 10 lbs of Mild Malt, a couple of ounces of RB, English Style Hops, and a Scottish Yeast. I am curious of everyone’s thoughts of brewing with just the Mild Malt and small portion of RB. What kind of flavors and textures does everyone think this will give me? Will I get a good balance of maltiness, sweet, dryness, and bitterness tilted slightly toward malt as the style suggests?

Thanks

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My hefeweizen that was going on it’s sixth day in the primary looked to be stagnant and according my gravity readings, I needed my yeasties to do more work. I was shooting for a TG of about 1.008 - 1.012. Yesterday morning it was at 1.018. So I gave my carboy a shake and swivel to get those yeasts going again.

I then went to my Dad’s house to watch the Rams tear apart the now sad Cowboys! I got home about 8 o’clock and checked the batch. I found my yeasts had come back to life and were bubbling up into my airlock! Has anyone else experienced this? I used WYeasts Belgian Wit 3944. Am I in danger of any contamination? I use vodka as opposed to water in my airlock.

Thanks!

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Looking to reduce my 1/2 inch copper pipe to connect to my 3/8 IC. I know McMaster-Carr carries the 90d fitting in this size but has anyone seen them locally (HD/Lowes/TrueValue).

This is what I’m looking for…

P/N: 5520K152 $3.96 each

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This episode’s featured artist is Gabe Vitek from “Gabe Vitek and the Ivory“. He stopped in before he performed in Muncie later that evening. Gabe has a new album called “Voices” that was released October 16th. Look for it at his site and Itunes.

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Once I transfer my brew into a keg do I need to carb right away or can I wait til there’s a spot in the kegerator? I have a couple of brews that will be done in a few days, but the 3 kegs that are being served are not finished yet. I have a spot where I can keep the un-carbed kegs chilled but can’t hook em up to the CO2 tank.

I just want to make sure it won’t ruin the brew.

Thanks

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Anyone tried one of these?
Any good or just a waste of money?

25A SSR w/ Heatsink… EBAY

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Hello all,

As we all know, soon temperatures will drop below ale levels as winter sets on. Before this happens, I want be sure that I can ferment all winter, and possibly do my first lagers. From what I have been reading I have a ton of options here and I am looking for a little advise.

My first concern is ensuring that I can keep ales going in the insulated, but not heated garage I must keep my fermenters in. No option here, I live in a small apartment and my girlfriend has been nice enough to let me colonize her garage, but I can’t bring beer in the house. I’ve been thinking about 2 options here: One is using a water bath, mush like the igloo chamber in the FAQ, and heating the wort with an aquarium heater. The other, an Idea that just came to me, is to use One of these inside an insulated box with a fermowrap or small space heater taped to the side. I figure the controller would keep ambient temp at a safe level, without the expense of a johnson or ranco controller. Anyone ever do something like this? Seems pretty straightforward.

I am very exited about the prospect of using winter temps to my advantage and doing a lager or two in the next few months. Anyone do lagers without a fridge and temp controller? Input would be amazing. My plan is to yet again use a water bath like the igloo chamber, but use a large tub big enough to hold two carboys and place the tub in a box made of foamboard insulation like that for the “son of fermentation chiller. I would use ice bottles to regulate temp with floating thermometers. I’m afraid, however, that temps might get too low and I will have to warm the bath as well as chill it.

Please give me input! I need it!

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I am making a bourbon stout. I have to soak 1 ounce of toasted oak cubes in some bourbon for two weeks. Would I be well advised to cover the wood and store it in the refrigerator?

It was supposed to ferment at 68 degrees. I had to leave the house for a while and it went up to 72.. I hope it doesn’t do any real damage that way. This annoys me.

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Posted: by Big78CJ (46 minutes ago)

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What should the mixture look like?

Historically, when I have mixed it up it looks cloudy. But, the last couple 5 gallon batches I mixed up are very clear after setting a couple hours.

I guess I’m asking if the Star San concentrate goes bad or has some sort of expiration date? I’ve been using the same 32 oz bottle of concentrate for the past 8-12 months; mixing up a new 5 gallon batch after 1-2 brews.

Thanks for any input.

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I’ve had good results from first-wort hopping. I’m considering also mash-hopping on the next batch to increase hop aroma.

Anyone mash-hopped before and care to share the results? Thanks.

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