New Brewery!

[Icewalker]

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

That might be tough without a thermistor or some sort of fine adjustment. I looked into DIY-ing one of these, and found that it was cost-prohibitive. Let us know how this works.

I bottled my pale ale earlier this week. Looking forward to it.

As for all-grain, the brewmaster that showed me my first batch used 15 gal beer kegs with the tops cut out. I just purchased a pair.

Will do .... I was planning to use one heat stick as a stir stick ... not sure if this will work.

How much for the Kegs?

[Icewalker]

So the apfelwein I brewed is starting to take on a life of it's own. 24 hours later and we are talking vigorous fermentation and a smell that would make a billy goat puke.

[Schmeds]

Originally Posted by Icewalker

So the apfelwein I brewed is starting to take on a life of it's own. 24 hours later and we are talking vigorous fermentation and a smell that would make a billy goat puke.

ha! I tried one about 15 years ago. Wasn't pretty.

[Icewalker]

Originally Posted by Schmeds

ha! I tried one about 15 years ago. Wasn't pretty.

My wife was horrified at the smell .... made me take it out of the bedroom and put it in our spare room

[Schmeds]

Originally Posted by Icewalker

My wife was horrified at the smell .... made me take it out of the bedroom and put it in our spare room

I use the guest bedroom, too. If I keep the door closed, it gets to a nice temperature for when I'm too lazy to bottle lagering.

[Icewalker]

Originally Posted by Schmeds

I use the guest bedroom, too. If I keep the door closed, it gets to a nice temperature for when I'm too lazy to bottle lagering.

Yep



For the most part I'm almost solely kegging now ... although I'll be returning to bottling for the next few Belgians and of course the mead and hopefully the apfelwein

[Achtung]

I just got the ingredients to do an IPA and the brew store dude suggested adding 1 oz cascade hops to the secondary fermentation. I love a hoppy beer and the more hops the better as far as I'm concerned but I hadn't heard of doing this before is it common?

[Schmeds]

Originally Posted by Achtung

I just got the ingredients to do an IPA and the brew store dude suggested adding 1 oz cascade hops to the secondary fermentation. I love a hoppy beer and the more hops the better as far as I'm concerned but I hadn't heard of doing this before is it common?

For an IPA it's not just common; it's necessary, IMO.

[Schmeds]

Speaking of which... anybody grow their own hops? I've grown and used my own, but am just shooting from the hip -- I have no idea what variety they are or what their alpha content is.

I tried a little protocol to boil equivalent amounts of both my unknown and some knowns to gauge AAs, but it didn't quite work. I wonder if there's a testing service out there...

[Kaanan]

Here's my current batch. Apple wine. Not exactly professional I know. I'll choke it down either way.

[WI-rider]

Originally Posted by Icewalker

I'm going to be doing it in conjunction with the burner. We have a ceramic hob which is hopeless at doing a full boil. Depending on how good it works I may convert a turkey fryer pot to a full electric kettle and then use the heat stick to keep the mash to temperature.

I'm still learning about all grain so if any of it makes no sense ... put it down to my newness.

If thats your goal, skip the heatstick and go right to a keg. The heatstick will burn your mash. Mounting an element on a keg is easy and cheap. Its actually easier than making a heatstick.

[Icewalker]

Originally Posted by WI-rider

If thats your goal, skip the heatstick and go right to a keg. The heatstick will burn your mash. Mounting an element on a keg is easy and cheap. Its actually easier than making a heatstick.

I'd love to be able to buy a sankey keg for conversion. But haven't been able to find any for sale locally that I could afford. Whereas the turkey frier I already have.

The biggest challenge for me will be finding the flange/nut to screw the element into the pot - the hole I can make.

[Icewalker]

Originally Posted by Kaanan

Here's my current batch. Apple wine. Not exactly professional I know. I'll choke it down either way.

Meant to reply to this .... mine looks almost identical. What apple cider did you use?

[DirtyDog]

Originally Posted by Icewalker

...How much for the Kegs?

Got one free shiner shell from the father in law (the guy who is forcing me to store and ride his honda cruiser) and two budweiser(?) shells from my brother for $30. Hell of a deal.

Originally Posted by Icewalker

So the apfelwein I brewed is starting to take on a life of it's own. 24 hours later and we are talking vigorous fermentation and a smell that would make a billy goat puke.

IMHO- if it doesn't smell delicious while cooking, fermenting, etc. something is wrong.

Originally Posted by Achtung

I just got the ingredients to do an IPA and the brew store dude suggested adding 1 oz cascade hops to the secondary fermentation. I love a hoppy beer and the more hops the better as far as I'm concerned but I hadn't heard of doing this before is it common?

Called "dry hopping". Some words for the wise- adding ANYTHING to the brew after the boil (including hydrometer or sampling equipment) is a dangerous practice concerning contamination with bacteria, etc.

Surely you are getting sterile, vacuum-sealed hops. Sanitize the package before opening it (and your hands anytime you open the fermenter). Non-sterile, unpackaged hops are ok during the boil.

I like to use a muslin bag for dry-hopping. In this case, boil the bag in some tap water for 5-10 min to sterilize it before adding it to the fermenter (sterile hops in sterile bag with sterile hands). See where I'm going with this?

For sanitizing anything I can't boil (like siphoning gear, bottle caps, fermenters, etc.) I use Iodophor. Honestly, I don't really boil anything anymore except maybe a muslin bag and the beer of course. Cheers.

Tried a pale ale tonight (only 7-day bottle conditioned). Pretty complex flavor, but too green and not enough bubbles yet. Gonna be good.

[levain]

Originally Posted by DirtyDog

Called "dry hopping". Some words for the wise- adding ANYTHING to the brew after the boil (including hydrometer or sampling equipment) is a dangerous practice concerning contamination with bacteria, etc.

Surely you are getting sterile, vacuum-sealed hops. Sanitize the package before opening it (and your hands anytime you open the fermenter). Non-sterile, unpackaged hops are ok during the boil.

I like to use a muslin bag for dry-hopping. In this case, boil the bag in some tap water for 5-10 min to sterilize it before adding it to the fermenter (sterile hops in sterile bag with sterile hands). See where I'm going with this?

For sanitizing anything I can't boil (like siphoning gear, bottle caps, fermenters, etc.) I use Iodophor. Honestly, I don't really boil anything anymore except maybe a muslin bag and the beer of course. Cheers.

Tried a pale ale tonight (only 7-day bottle conditioned). Pretty complex flavor, but too green and not enough bubbles yet. Gonna be good.

In 18 years of homebrewing, I've never had a sanitation issue dry hopping, and I probably dry hop at least 1/2 of my beers. Remember, there are two things going for you at that stage; alcohol and hops natural antiseptic properties. I agree, things like chunks of Stainless to weigh a bag down should be sanitized, but hops? I just open the bag and dump them in.