Beer Feeds

If I use 80l crystal will there be a dramatic difference in color or taste??

Posted: by CBowser (1 hour ago)

When we all brew and lose somewhere north of a gallon of water in the brew kettle, it's obviously going up and out. For those of you who brew indoors, what has your theory been with the use of a range hood? Are you finding that the majority of the evaporated water is channeled through the hood? Do you use a fan or just rely on heat rising? Do you have a way to collect condensate and route it away from the kettle?

I've read and heard many things that say you should purge you vessels with co2. Makes sense, but how do you know when you've filled the carboy, or whatever with co2? I don't want to waste any co2, but I want to make sure that I don't leave oxygen in there.

Even back in the Hotrod days of the fifty's no two cars where the same. Even today with Street Rods just a little different..


My hats off to guy that came up with shiznit here is my humble offering





May be serving a Wee Heavy so needed tire print






Two three gallons sitting level, remote tank and regulator, gas manifold and a catch can if heavy forbid if there is a spill





The towers are removable for loading into a trunk and are made from keg dip tubes. The shanks turn down on the lathe


The liquid lines and drip tray drain are quick connects







Dominus Vobiscum

Swagman

I'm planning a Raspberry Wheat Ale brew this weekend. I'm looking at doing a recipe that calls for a week in the primary, two weeks in a secondary, and another two weeks in the bottles.

Everything I've ever read is that hefe's and wheats are better "young". Any insight from the board?

Posted: by PatrickJR (10 hours ago)

I used my keg system for the first time. I set the co2 pressure at 12 lbs at 40 degrees and waited 10 days. I tried to pour a glass last night and it was foam city. The only way I could get a decent glass of beer was to disconect the gas and burp the keg. My quedtion is can I set the gas at 2-3 pounds and leave it or will the beer go flat? It seems like a lot of waisted co2 if I have to burp the keg every time I pour a beer. My picnic tap's line is only 24 inches with 1/4 inch ID tubing which I know is a problem but for now its all I got.
Thanks for any help.
jml.

BeerAmerica.tv posted a great vidcast about our Gold Medal-winning Dogtoberfest. Beer America is a site dedicated to craft beer and the world’s growing thirst for it. It’s about 10 minutes, but we really enjoyed watching this video. Like what BeerAmericaTV is doing? Follow BeerAmericaTV on twitter.

Posted: by brewfiend (16 hours ago)

Posted: by BrooHa (17 hours ago)

After getting tired of bending over to reach the tap, I decided to redo the portable keggerator and add a tower (yes, I'm that lazy). Also, on my last version I had a 2.5lb cylinder on the back and it would tip over when I didn't have a keg in it (almost lost a regulator when removing a keg) so I switched to a 20oz paintball tank to lighten the load. The secondary benefit is I now have backup Co2 in case I ever run empty. Took it to a tailgate party last weekend and everything ran perfect.

Posted: by fogdog (4 hours ago)

Hey all, this is my first post here, but I've just been trying to spread the word about a project I've been working for the past couple of months.

Brewtility.com

It a free website with a great recipe calculator for extract, partial-mash, or all-grain recipes. Plus a database where you can share and track your recipes as well as search for recipes to brew.

I've only been working on it for a couple of months so it's got a long ways to go before it's fully fleshed out, but I think it's useful now and I'm hoping to get a good group of users that can help guide the future development.

So if you want, check it out, add some recipes and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Chris

I don't know much about my Water Chemistry but I do know that I have 95ppm Sodium and 71.5ppm Sulfate. According to Dave Miller Sodium and Sulfate can team up to cause harsh bitterness. According to Papazian Sulfate content under 450ppm should be fine. I know that too much Carbonate or Bicarbonate can also cause this problem. Also Magnesium in excess of 30ppm can cause a sharp sour-bitter flavor. I need opinions. I'm pretty sure that this problem in due to high Carbonate/Bicarbonate I just wanted some Seasoned opinions. My water supply is municipal and comes from a ground source I get some chalking around my faucets so I'm pretty sure that I have a high calcium and carbonate content I just don't have the proof. What should I ask the water company for and what can I do. Thanks.

Debating on this product but want to see exactly how it works. Anyone have the instructions. Can't find em on Blichman website.

Also please don't tell me what a waste it is and to use the DIY method with the cobra tap, etc. I know about that option already. Just weighing the other option too.

Thanks all.

Posted: by Tolnik (14 hours ago)

I'm going to be making my first batch of all grain this comming weekend. I've decided on a lager recipe out of Papazian's "Joy of Homebrewing". The only problem is that The recipe calls for a step mash...but I'm mashing in a pickinc cooler (12 Gallon Igloo Ice Cube with a copper manifold), so I can't apply heat to the vessel for the mash out prior to the final sparge.

I was thinking that once the time comes for the mash out, I could do something similar to a decoction mash and remove a portion of the grist and some mash and boil it up and return it back to the mash to raise the temperature for the mash out.

ANY SUGGESTIONS???

I was out in the garage this evening and took a look at this:




and I thought it just might be the ghettoist set up there is, so I want my fellow brewers to prove me wrong. Post a pic of the ugliest piece of equipment that you use on a regular basis. Although it's god awful to look at I still use this ugly Corona mill set-up for my unmalted cereal grains. What is everyone else hiding in their proverbial brew closets?

What makes someone a notable drunk in our eyes? Well, if you're Zane Lamprey, it's because you get paid to fly to exotic locales, meet new interesting people from different cultures, and ultimately get drunk with those people. Zane, the host of Three Sheets (which up until Dec 2008 has been aired on the MojoHD channel), was gracious enough to grant us an interview while we were at the Great American Beer Fest. He was every bit as nice as you'd imagine from watching him on the television, but we caught him early, so he wasn't drunk yet. But Zane's reputation precedes him. Thanks, Zane!

Hello to all you brewmasters!

I have converted a fridge to function as my kegerator. I have 3 taps installed, and that looks like about all i can squeeze into this old beast. I need to find a decent driptray for it. (as in decently priced...). The stainless ones ive seen are incredibly expensive. Is there a cheaper alternative? Plastic? Making my own? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Randy

What size cooler are people using for the Mash Tun while doing a 10 gallon batch while batch sparging ?

It seems like we have been slacking off as a group lately. We are down to a get together like once every two or three months now. What's going on? Let's get this party started again. We always have a good time when we do get together, so in the words of "The Who".........Who's Next?

Cliveden, a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will host a special craft beer tasting event and fundraiser on December 6, 2008. The Cliveden Winter Beer Festival will showcase a special selection of seasonal and limited-edition holiday craft beers from the nation’s top craft breweries. The Festival will take place on Cliveden’s historic and picturesque grounds-the scene of the 1777 Revolutionary Battle of Germantown. Cliveden is located at 6401 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144.

The Cliveden Winter Beer Festival will feature more than 20 national craft brewers pouring more than 50 craft beers including their seasonal and limited-edition holiday brews. “Hosting this festival will deliver many benefits to Cliveden,” said David W. Young, Executive Director of the Cliveden National Trust. “The festival will raise funds for the preservation and community revitalization work of Cliveden in the historic Germantown neighborhood. It will also support Cliveden’s education and community programs,” said Young.

Craft brewers from around the country will join Philly’s favorite local breweries, including the newly opened Earth Bread & Brewery, to show their community spirit and support. A great lineup of special guests and speakers will educate and entertain attendees as part of the event programming. Included among the special guests and speakers will be the Cliveden Brewers Club with a special presentation on historic brewing techniques.

The Cliveden Winter Beer Festival has two ticket options. VIP Admission (1-6pm, $65, online advance purchase only) includes a special one hour private session held inside the Cliveden Carriage House, where breweries will be pouring their most coveted limited-edition brews, a ticketed lunch, free parking, access to a lecture on the history of alcohol at Cliveden, and admission to the general session. A very limited number of VIP tickets will be sold. General Admission (2-6pm, $50; $65 at the door if tickets are still available).

Both VIP and General Admission tickets include a 6 oz. souvenir tasting glass with the freedom to enjoy 2 oz. samples from any exhibiting brewery. Food will be available for purchase. Designated driver tickets are available for $10 each. No one under 21 is permitted and photo ID is required for entry. The event will take place outdoors, under tents, and will be held rain or shine. Event programming will be held indoors. Tickets can be purchased at www.craftbeerfestivals.com/cliveden.

Cliveden is home to seven generations of the Chew family and is a site which highlights the story of America’s continuing struggle for freedom. It offers house tours from April through December, as well as year round programming including concerts, lectures, workshops, and annual celebrations. Cliveden serves as a central resource center for Philadelphia’s historic Northwest community. Visit www.Cliveden.org for more information.

The Cliveden Winter Beer Festival is brought to you by Starfish Junction Productions and TotalBru, producers of the Philly Craft Beer Festival, voted one of the “Top Ten Beer Festivals in America” by Forbes Traveler.

A few weeks ago we asked what kind of music Hunter S. Thompson listened to, and we got a few responses. But nothing definitive arrived. Yesterday, Jeff Miers, columnist at the Buffalo News, posted a story about an essay penned by Johnny Depp and Professor Douglas Brinkley about the music from the documentary Gonzo. Any Gonzo enthusiast should love learning more about what made our beloved HST tick.

Gonzo Gift #3: If you’re interested in reading this 8,000 word essay, you’ll have to buy the DVD release of Gonzo (the Alex Gibney film that was released last fall, which comes out tomorrow).

See title...

A big 'pro' of batch-sparging advocates is that it saves a lot of time. I'm just in the process of making the switch to fly-sparging, and I have to say that I find the time saving to be quite minimal. The time it takes to heat up however many batches of sparge water you want to do and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and completely drain the lauter tun takes quite a while. When batch-sparging, I usually allow about an hour and a half from when I first drain the lauter tun to getting the wort to a boil. I've not noticed much difference with fly-sparging, except I might even venture so far as to say I find it easier to set it up sparging and forget about it. I check on it pretty regularly to make sure everything's "running" (no pun intended) as it should be, but it's pretty straightforward.

Posted: by irishman06 (11 hours ago)

Nothing quite like getting up bright and early on a Monday morning to start brewing.... It's 7:50am and I just mashed-in my first brew of the day - a dry stout. My brewing buddy (who moved to Nashville) and I always used to take Mondays off for brewday, but since we moved to different towns, I've been using the weekends for brewing. Not having a job sucks, but it means you can brew on Monday. Not a bad start to the week.

I am building a keggorator system and I am curious on how many taps people have on there systems.