Messages

1

Going Pro / Re: Fermentation Temperature Control

« on: May 10, 2013, 08:51:11 am »

Here's how I have my Fermentation Box set up. It's 4Wx6Lx6H. The Temp Controller Probe rests next to the conical. The AC is 5000 btu rated. All I did is reposition the copper override sensor from the front (behind the filter) to the back so it never thought it was below 60F. You can sorta see it in one of the pics. Cheers!!!

The small fan above the AC moves the warm air out of the room.

2

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:55:09 am »

That's sweet.  I max out around 7 racks on my smoker.

Maybe I need to talk to the wife about an upgrade.

I know what you mean.... Here's how I sold it to the Wifey...  "I'm just borrowing it from the next owner."  and "If I don't do it now I'll regret it the rest of my life 'cause I'm not getting any younger."  Cheers!!!

3

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:50:07 am »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

only 25 racks?

I know. I'm a slacker.... 

4

All Things Food / Re: AHA Big Brew Day & Ribfest

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:48:52 am »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

Only a few 

How did it go?  Looks good! How big is your smoker...pics?

All went well. Ribs took about 3 hours @ 275F. The wind was brutal @ 30 mph+. The temp controller (IQUE-110) worked like a charm and kept the air moving through. Without it we wouldn't have eaten. There were 25 racks of Baby Backs. They took up 3 racks in the smoker and one rack was dedicated to Baked Beans. I think I posted pics of the smoker earlier but here ya go. I designed it last winter & had a local welding shop fabricate it for me. Cheers!!!

Just after paint & hardware:


The guts less the charcoal basket:


Finished with decking & a storage box. The canopy will come in real handy on those rainy days...

5

All Things Food / AHA Big Brew Day & Ribfest

« on: May 08, 2013, 11:48:48 am »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

6

All Grain Brewing / Re: Lid on partially?

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:59:02 am »

I leave my lid partially on for the same reason.  Plus I find that I can keep the same rolling boil with less heat. Win/Win. When the chiller goes in the last 15 minutes I do take the lid off completely and increase the boil a little. I can't tell you if it matters or not but it works for me. YMMV. Cheers!!!

7

The Pub / Re: Cats are not Hop Heads.

« on: March 24, 2013, 02:06:43 pm »

Does anyone else know any random facts about pets and brewing?

Hops are poisonous to dogs.  I'm not sure about cats though.

I don't think his cat is a dog...    My cat hats hops too...

8

Pimp My System / Re: Custom Tap Fridge

« on: March 22, 2013, 01:45:18 pm »

Dang that looks nice. Mine just serves beer..........

9

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: March 22, 2013, 11:37:35 am »

That's a thing of beauty my friend!

You could go into business with that rig.

Congrats!

Thanks!! Just friends & family, and maybe a charity event or two. "Business" sorta takes the fun out of it. Maybe the next owner will take it to another level... Cheers!!!

10

All Things Food / New Smoker Build

« on: March 22, 2013, 07:30:44 am »

This past winter I designed & then had a local welding shop build a smoker for me. It's 36"x36"x48" OD. It's always been a dream of mine and now it's a reality. Probably a little more than I need but so be it... Like I told the wifey, I'm just borrowing it from the next owner. I'm not planning to get into the BBQ business but I have a number of gigs lined up already for friends & family. I just LOVE BBQ. Almost as much as Beer... 

Anyway, here are a few pics.  Thanks for looking!

The trailer arrived in pieces, literally. Fortunately all the pieces parts were there and unscathed.


Trailer assembled with the wheels set back:


Just getting started:


Ready for paint:


Painted & assembled:


The guts:


The charcoal basket. The basket ID is 28"x28":


First Cook. Three Pork Butts. It performed very well & averaged about a pound of charcoal per hour with the outside temp below freezing.

11

Beer Travel / Re: Small Town Brewpubs

« on: March 20, 2013, 01:43:10 pm »

Hey guys, the original post was back in 2009. Looks like Bob is going strong now...  http://www.rlbrewingco.com/

12

Events / Re: NHC 2013 Entry Problems - Possible Solutions?

« on: March 04, 2013, 03:02:38 pm »

Maybe it's been discussed/mentioned before and I apologize if it has.  Couldn't we start a lottery system a month or two before the 1st round. Entrants would initially enter their beers into the Lottery System. Those who are randomly selected are given say a week to  pay for their entries. After a week the unpaid are dropped and more are randomly selected to take their place. It would need to be done at the regional level due to a brewer possibly having more than one entry. Cheers!!!

13

Equipment and Software / Re: Dry hopping in a keg

« on: February 27, 2013, 07:09:35 am »

I use a woman's knee high nylon (white & sanitized in starsan). I throw in a 1/2" stainless steel nut for weight & tie it off, then the pellet hops, then tie off the opening and put it in the keg (no strings attached).  CO2 to purge the O2 and leave it on CO2 @ 20 lbs. for 7 days @ room temp to dry hop. Then into the kegerator (without removing the hops).  Leave it for a day to chill & settle and start enjoying.  If you're going to leave it at room temp after its dry hopped then I'd prolly remove the hops to avoid the "grassy" flavor. I always plan it so it goes into the kegerator right after dry hopping so I never remove the hops. The cold seems to stop the "grassy" flavor from appearing. YMMV... Cheers!!!

14

All Grain Brewing / Re: Batch Sparging pH

« on: January 30, 2013, 03:00:27 pm »

My well water is pretty alkaline.  Last year I had a couple brews turn out a bit on the astringent side and I attributed it to the unadjusted sparge water (Batch Sparge). Since that time I adjust it with lactic acid to get the pH down around 6.5 and have not had the problem since. For comparison here's what my water looks like from Ward Labs:

pH 7.6
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 274
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm  0.46
Cations / Anions, me/L 5.2 / 5.1

Sodium, Na 7
Potassium, K 5
Calcium, Ca 77
Magnesium, Mg 10
Total Hardness, CaCO3 234
Nitrate, NO3-N 1.0 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 3
Chloride, Cl 5
Carbonate, CO3 <1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 287
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 236

15

Pimp My System / Re: Blatzhaus Electric Brauerei

« on: December 12, 2012, 09:41:24 am »

Looks awesome Paul.  I know it's been a dream of yours for quite a while. Happy to see it finally became a reality for you! Cheers!!!