Beer Feeds

Can somebody help me with placing an on/off switch in this diagram, so as to turn on the PID. Would I put it in between the Solid state relay and the PID?

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I am going to do my first full boil tomorrow and I was wondering how much water I will need to make up for the evaporation loss. I will be doing a 5 gallon batch. I dont know if ingredients matters or if there is a certain amount you use for a 1 hour boil.

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Hey All,

Im going to have a wl565 yeast cake open up after I rack off of it soon. I would like to use the cake, but try a different style, possible a flemish red. Is it possible to ferment out a red ale 2/3 or 3/4 of the way, and add a finishing yeast like brett or the wyeast roselare blend to end up with something close to a flemish red??

Ive never made that style before, so Id like to get one going. I hear they take a long aging period. If that doesnt sound like a great idea, id like to hear some other styles or directions I could go with a saison yeast cake.

Thanks guys.

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Ok you all may remember my posts about how i want to make labels for my kegs. well here is my first attempt. its nothing too special.

I just did a google image search for midnight sky background.. and then cropped a pic of sqwakers (the crow who frequents my backyard) on the moon, put a lil gold glisten on his left side to shine it up a little bit and give it a mystic look… and threw some text on. however i think it looks very nice.

This will be printed on a magnetic sheet of paper, and magnetized onto my corny.

please give honest opinions. if you would include a 1-10 rating. 10 being best.

also anything you would change let me know, not that im just gonna change everything everyone say to change, but there may be some good ideas.

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Brewed 10 gallons of a helles two weeks ago. I pitched a gallon starter of white labs 820. I had read that the first generations of this yeast are slow to start, and slow to ferment out. True enough it took around 24 hours for active fermentation but now two weeks later, after sitting in my fridge at 55 degrees, it has only dropped 15 points.

I’ll check the gravity again in a week but should it be this slow? It’s starting to feel like a stuck fermentation.

_Randal

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I took a beer shower last night while swapping out a keg full of brown ale last night. I reached into my kegerator and disconnected my liquid QD from the keg, well, the poppet decided now as a good time to not close properly and got stuck with the circle not fully inside the hole. This caused beer to start spraying all over me, all over the inside of my kegerator, out onto the floor and spread around my kitchen while I have to kill the gas and pull up on the pressure release valve to stop the fountain. At first I tried to put the QD back on but I couldn’t get the angle right since it was in the back. Objectively, I bet it was quite funny to watch this all happen, especially when I swapped out the poppet for another one I had soaking in StarSan and forgot to put an o-ring on it so when I hit the keg with some pressure it of course started leaking all over the floor again (thankfully not a fountain this time). I’m not sure if I’m happy or sad that noone was taking video of the fiasco.

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Well I finally got my beer gun, and decided to put it to sue, and i brought a nice 6 pack of homebrew to work. had it in a cooler, and gave 1 beer to only a few select people that I know would appreciate it. Then at the end of the shift the other 2 people that i wanted to taste it were still there.. and we agreed to wait til everyone left the building, and wed go on the back patio, do a cheers, and have a homebrew.

Now there is this stupid fat cow that works with me Julie. She is 30 years old, but acts 8. she is one of those stupid people who will sit there and look for something to tell on someone for, then run to the manager and tell them. She somehow knew about it, and called our manager and told on us that night.

Needless to say i was VERY angry and thought i was going to be fired, but turned out i got a 2 days suspension. so 2 more days i can dedicate to homebrewing, and a nice vacation. Not sure if this really fits in the beer section, or the public house.. but just thought it ws a good story to tell everyone.

BTW they made a big deal out it.. and it was 2 bottles not even all the way full because it was my first attempt. so about 20 oz of beer between 3 people, and it was like 4.5 ABV. Didnt even get buzzed…might as well have been sampling soda.

Gotta love America sometimes…Almost get fired for sampling a low alcohol beverage. When I was in Germany, i found out that in germany u can walk down the street with a beer in ur hand….or you can even ride in a car and be drinking…even more so you can drink a beer while driving, so long as you are not drunk. (and believe me they never drink and drive over there. i was there for 12 weeks…and we went to a#A LOOOOT of bars.. and noone drinks and drives..)

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I’m going to wiring my 2000W heating element with a cut extension cord. does somebody have a picture of how they’ve wired theirs?
Thank so much. I’m just want to see what people are doing with the 3 wires in the cord…

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Looking for some help here….

When mashing in an hour ago, I notice that my temps were off… then I figured it out that my digital thermometer was not functioning properly. I realized this only after altering my mash temp and thickness severely. I am currently battle to increase my mash temp by draining off some of the mash liquid and then reheating it to cycle the temp back up to my desired 149 (low end).

Currently my mash is sitting at 130, which is better than the original 118 (before I notice the problem).

So, anyone out there been here and done this before? What is my expected out coming given I am able to pull this off?

On the verge of losing a 10 gal batch… help please help

Dana

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All,

The Details:

Sign Up Deadline - July 11th
Shipping Deadline - July 25th

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. 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.

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.

7. You must be 21 to participate.

For more information on the beer pass, please see the FAQ, for information on how to ship beer, please see the shipping FAQ that Mach5 put together.

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

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I was thinking about putting the pellets in a hop bag. an oz of them, throwing a few nuts in, and closing it off with a twistee tie. and then tying dental floss to it and letting the dental floss be long so it hangs out of the bucket.

than Ican close the bucket still get a good seal, and open it up, and easily pull the hop bag out of the fermentor in a week.

and of course is boil the bag/twistie tie, and dental floss first.

seems to easy to be true…I remember jamil and tasty mcdole talkin about how messy it is to get the hopbag out when its weighted….so I dunno why they never thought of this…maybe there is a problem with it?

can anyone see anything wrong with this idea?

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Is there a decent sub for this yeast or will subbing the yeast really not produce the nice NE Brown that I am looking for. Unfortunately, my LHBS doesn’t care WYeastlab yeast so I might have to resort to ordering this online. This brings me to my next question… it’s been hot lately and I’m worried about ordering yeast and having it sent through the mail. I know you can order ice packs but I’m sure they don’t last very long… does anyone ever have any issues with stressed or dead yeast from ordering online? I was going to order from Northern Brewer since I know they have it but they are in MN and I am in CA.

Thanks!

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What would be the result of using Smart Water (bottled water with added electrolytes)? Would it be beneficial to the drinker, would it add weird flavor. Every time I drink one, I think about crossing it with brewing.

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i kegged a batch yesterday. pressurized to 35psi and did the rock method. currently it is sitting at 38ish degrees and i have a ton of foam still.java script:add_smilie(%22:crazy:%22,%22smid_3%22) have tried burping the keg but have had no success. any ideas how i can get this to pour correctly so i don’t end up wasting 25% of the batch? thanks for the help.

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Help…My sister-in-law asked me to make the beer for her wedding rehearsal dinner next Friday and I obliged. I now need to chill, and server the 4 cornys that I just kegged. The concern is that they are in my basement at ~70 degrees and I have no way to chill them. Here are my thoughts. I’ve searched the board and have some ideas, but I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks given the occasion. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Serving:
I have a CO2 tank and regulator setup to dispense 2 kegs at a time. The plan for dispensing is to put the kegs in new kitchen garbage cans lined with a bag and filled with ice. I will have 2 kegs in service at a time each with a picnic tap. Assuming I am able to keep the kegs at around 36-38 degrees, how long of 3/16” line should I use and at what pressure? I have 20ft and can get more. Each keg will be in a separate can (we have 4). This should allow us to hold the temp and maybe chill them a little, but I don’t think this will work for initial chilling.

Initial carbing:
I have a kergerator that holds 3 kegs. I could untap my current selection, move it to the basement, and chill and carb 3 of the 4 kegs from the kegerator. The 4 keg can be on gas at ~70 degrees in the meantime. I could rotate a keg out after 2-3 days as well. This may work for initial carbing. Thoughts…I have 3 days for each keg to carb if I start today. Is there any risk to my current beer from un-tapping my existing beers and moving them from the fridge to the basement?

Transport and off-site chilling:
I live in Chicago and the wedding is in Michigan. I will be taking the beer up on Thursday and will need to keep it cold until serving on Friday night. One thought is to buy 2 larger garbage cans and surround the kegs in ice. Put some in the bottom and all around the kegs until serving. Also how long would you recommend leaving the kegs once transported before serving?

Long Shot:
I do not have a jockey box but could possibly come up with one. I would have to change the ends on the lines which should be no big deal. Has anyone done this and what advice do you have.

Thanks,
Mike

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I was thinking about this time when I go to LHBS getting like 10 vials of WLP001 because I make a lot of stuff with that yeast…and I was wondering how long it generally would last in the fridge.

Also anyone know where u can get one of those racks that holds all the vials for cheap? I always lay mine on the side and put them in the butter thing on the door..but don’t think 10 would fit….

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I decided to take the lead on the option CJ offered for a summer community brew using a recipe from Brewing Classic STyles by John Palmer and Jamil Zainsheff. I want some people to suggest which recipe that they think we should brew to swap with other persons brewing the recipe.

I suggest the Belgian Tripel recipe on page 239, what others do we need to consider?

Jeff

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My dream has come true! I have to work in London for a week and after that, we are flying over to the mainland as the wife and I are renting a car and going on a self guided tour of a section of Europe (Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, and Brugges). I am doing some heavy research on what breweries (trappist and otherwise) we need to hit while we are out there. As she knows this is my dream, SWMBO is giving me the reigns on planning our stops. It has been pretty damn hard to keep my composure as the date draws nearer!

Anyone ever done this before? Does anyone have any MUST SEE\drink stops in this region? Westmalle, Westvleteren, and Kasteelbier are among the places I have chosen so far.

I’ll make sure to take massive amounts of photos and post when I get back! Please keep your anger and hatred flame posts to a minimum!

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What’s are some good Belgian beers to try to get a nice example of a few of the major styles? Most of my beer experiences are in the American/UK/German area but the Belgian beers have always eluded me. They seem a little bit mysterious…

I’m not looking to buy anything super pricey here. Under $11 or so for a 6er seems okay if it’s fairly high quality. Also keep in mind I have to be able to find them.

EDIT: I have had Stella (not bad) and Heogaarden (not a big fan) before but I’m thinking these aren’t top of the line Belgian examples…

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OK, so I have 2 yr old Chinook & Cascade plants. I first had them in planters then transfered them into the ground. When I did, I wasn’t positive which was which. In the photo below are the two plants both with cones forming. Yes, the weight of the plants are doing some gravity testing of my trellis system, which I’ll have to rectify around harvest time, so my plants have ended up together. Anywho here they are.

You can see that the one to the right at mid photo is shorter and tighter, and the ones to the left are longer and looser. I can’t find my hops books and was wondering if anyone knew which was which?

TIA

here are some more photos

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So I woke up this morning with the idea of brewing tomorrow, and now unfortunately I have no time to prepare a starter. I’m planning a 10gal batch of an American Rye based around Hopheads recipe “my rye”. I am thinking of using White Labs WLP001 or WLP008 for my yeasties, but I won’t be able to make a starter.

Should be I OK with the dump and run method or does someone have another suggestion?

Thanks
Dana

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http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/zip/743120539.html

I don’t need 106, but someone might.

Locals want to split these up between us?

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I’ve been on a huge Belgian kick lately (drinking, not brewing). Now that I’ve brewed a few all-grain batches I want to brew either a tripel or a saison. The problem is I don’t have any solid sources for Belgian style brewing. I just realized that How to Brew and Designing Great Beers neglects to cover Belgian beers. I’ve heard good things about Brew Like a Monk, but the reviews of it on Amazon.com say that you need to be a veteren of all-grain to make use of it. It that an overstatement? I’m not an AG veteren, but I do understand the process. If Brew Like a Monk is out of my league yet, are there any other good Belgian books around?

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I have nothing to do with these except I have bought one $99 and thought it was a really good pot for the price. Just passing along what I think is a good deal. http://cgi.ebay.com/BREWPOT-HLT-9-GALLON-H…2QQcmdZViewItem

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Looking for a home brew supply shop in the Atlanta, GA area that has a website

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Saw the greatest gas burners on the Brutus 10. Primo setup. It’s all about consistent results through precision control. I search a while and could not find an outlet that had anything that looked like them. Pretty distinct with the brass jets. Anyone know a source for these? I really just want to shock myself with the price tag.

Thanks!

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So I have a stuck ferment. I think I know how to prevent what has happened here in the future, but we can get into that later.

I made a big RIS on June 14th.

The OG was 1.13. I had made a pretty big starter and used WLabs Irish Ale Yeast in the 5 gallon batch. 2 large orange peels, 1b of sugar and 2/3lb of lactose were added to the flameout.

The actual recipe was 18lbs 2 row, 1.5lbs 60L crystal, 1lb chocolate, .25 each of roasted barley, black and special b. I don’t think the hopping schedule will matter, but if it does I can provide that information.

I ended up transferring into the 2nd fermenter on June 23rd (I was leaving town for 5 days, in hindsight I should have left it in there). The reading was 1.040 on the hyrdometer at about 73 degrees, also the temperature (no more than a degree or two fluctuation in the air) during the whole ferment.

I just took another reading and it was still 1.040.

I’ve never had a problem with fermenting, but I’ve never made a beer this big. I also realize after reading a little bit more on the subject, that I should be leaving the smaller beers in the primary fermenter for a longer period of time, and may not have to 2nd ferment for those beers. I always make a big starter and my fermenting temperature is always towards the higher end (lowest has been around 70, highest 75).

Any thoughts or questions to ask before offering advice?

I appreciate it.

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I’m just starting my all-American Ryefest. 67% pils, 25% munich, 8% rye, lightly hopped, wyeast 2206. Actually the rye is the only thing American about it, but don’t tell anyone.

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I currently brew 10 gal at a time using batch sparge and I am at the limit the cooler can hold. I want to get up to 15 gal or possible 20 gal per brewing session without doing two seperate batches. Does anyone do this batch sparging? If so what size cooler do you use. Would there be a problem doing 40 something pounds of grains at one time using a batch sparge?

Thanks!

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so I was at walmart and saw this dry erase board and this is MY brewboard™. I need to read a few books because I want to go to siebel and become a pro brewer. so I am going to start assigning myself homework each day like what chpaters of what books to read because its hard to keep myself motivated in that way. those will be in red.

then in the green will be brew operations like brewing or dryhopping.

then in blue will be events like competitions and such.

below will be a list of stuff I currently want/need for the brewery

then when I get push pins ill put recipes/brewsheets on the corkboard.

here is a pic.

what do you all think? its not a big deal..but was a spontanious idea..and I kinda dig it.

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