1
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Stir Bar Tip
« on: June 16, 2013, 07:37:08 am »I think a lot of good beer has been made without a stir plate.
Commercial beer, for example.
News: Welcome to the American Homebrewers Association Forum. Though you do not need to be a member to participate, we would love for you to join us!
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Commercial beer, for example.
2
Wood/Casks / Re: When do you RETIRE a barrel or solera?
« on: June 15, 2013, 08:27:19 pm »
There's also Vegemite and Marmite, which are basically just autolysed brewer's yeast and salt. I think soy sauce is fermented with a mold and not yeast.
Not that it makes much difference; they just taste like a richer soy sauce.
Not that it makes much difference; they just taste like a richer soy sauce.
3
Equipment and Software / Re: Plastic carboy
« on: June 15, 2013, 06:27:49 am »
Since it's being sold specifically for food production, I imagine it's a pretty safe bet that it's food-safe.
4
Kegging and Bottling / Re: GOt my frist batch of kegs
« on: June 14, 2013, 04:58:03 pm »If they didn't recondition the o-rings, go get some new ones and replace them now. I bought bulk rings from McMaster-Carr a lot cheaper than buying the kits. I have no idea if the pinlock o-rings are different...mine are ball lock.
I've heard that some people have good luck with getting a slightly larger size of post o-ring. I guess pin lock posts are ever so slightly bigger around than ball lock posts. I haven't tried it myself - I'm doing fine with the same size everyone uses for ball lock kegs, though I do have to be careful because any lateral pressure whatsoever on the disconnects can cause a leak.
5
Kegging and Bottling / Re: GOt my frist batch of kegs
« on: June 14, 2013, 01:27:26 pm »
1. Doesn't seem to unusual to have them shipped under pressure. A handy trick is to store them under pressure, so that when you go to use one you have that reassurance that it's still holding pressure. If they're coming shipped that way, that's a nice touch.
2. Disassemble the keg and fill it with 3 gallons of PBW solution. Let it soak for a bit, then flip it over into a bucket to let the top half soak. Finally, scrub it down a bit and rinse. I like to go after the threading for the posts with a toothbrush. A dip tube cleaning brush is nice to have here, too. Don't forget to check all the o-rings and poppets and replace them as necessary.
3. Yep, just use a box wrench so you can work around the pins.
2. Disassemble the keg and fill it with 3 gallons of PBW solution. Let it soak for a bit, then flip it over into a bucket to let the top half soak. Finally, scrub it down a bit and rinse. I like to go after the threading for the posts with a toothbrush. A dip tube cleaning brush is nice to have here, too. Don't forget to check all the o-rings and poppets and replace them as necessary.
3. Yep, just use a box wrench so you can work around the pins.
6
Equipment and Software / Re: Plastic carboy
« on: June 14, 2013, 08:43:36 am »Hmm they dont mention if the Spiedels are made out of PET plastic. Thats a concern
They are made out of HDPE. Don't ask me what that means though.
It means that it'll let gas through. If you need a good degree of gas/oxygen impermeability then PET is the way to go.
As far as the airlock sucking when you lift a plastic carboy, I deal with that by just replacing the drilled stopper with a solid one before picking it up.
7
Beer Travel / Re: Chicago in October?
« on: June 13, 2013, 02:42:33 pm »
Revolution Brewing - solid brewery, their Porter is definitely worth a look-see-taste; I believe their pub serves food but I've never actually made it there. Near the northern (i.e., toward O'Hare) California stop on the Blue line. Don't ask me why one line has two stops called California.
Half Acre - a young 'un; they only opened up about 3 years ago. Used to be my neighborhood brewery so I may be partial, but I think they do really good things there. They opened a fairly bare-bones taproom this spring, and I had a gas of a time when I did their brewery tour a couple summers back. Closest train stop is Montrose on the Brown line.
Goose Island's brewpub goes without saying. I've never been to their Wrigleyville location, but their (slightly north of) Goose Island location used to be a favorite stopping point on the way home from work. On beer terms, though, if you have to pick one to miss this is probably it. They do have one or two local-only brews, but thanks to the influence of a certain large brewing conglomerate who shall remain unnamed, most of what you'll see here is probably even available at McMurdo Station by now. Short hop from downtown via public transit, though - take the Red line to North/Clybourn.
Half Acre - a young 'un; they only opened up about 3 years ago. Used to be my neighborhood brewery so I may be partial, but I think they do really good things there. They opened a fairly bare-bones taproom this spring, and I had a gas of a time when I did their brewery tour a couple summers back. Closest train stop is Montrose on the Brown line.
Goose Island's brewpub goes without saying. I've never been to their Wrigleyville location, but their (slightly north of) Goose Island location used to be a favorite stopping point on the way home from work. On beer terms, though, if you have to pick one to miss this is probably it. They do have one or two local-only brews, but thanks to the influence of a certain large brewing conglomerate who shall remain unnamed, most of what you'll see here is probably even available at McMurdo Station by now. Short hop from downtown via public transit, though - take the Red line to North/Clybourn.
8
Equipment and Software / Re: Plastic carboy
« on: June 11, 2013, 08:23:51 am »
You can't scrub them like glass, but you don't really need to either. Gunk doesn't stick to them the same way. Usually all it takes is a gallon of lukewarm water, a tablespoon of PBW, and some shaking. If it's really gross then I'll stick a soft rag in there too, and with the rag they're always spick and span within a minute or so.
Soaking works too, but I prefer the shaking because a) I'd rather just get it done and b) I'm a teensy bit worried that excessive exposure to caustic chemicals would shorten the life of the plastic.
As far as relative merits, to me it comes down to this: Both kinds require lots of careful treatment. The difference is in why they do. With plastic, if you aren't careful you might need a new carboy. With glass, if you aren't careful you might need a new carboy and a new hand or foot.
Soaking works too, but I prefer the shaking because a) I'd rather just get it done and b) I'm a teensy bit worried that excessive exposure to caustic chemicals would shorten the life of the plastic.
As far as relative merits, to me it comes down to this: Both kinds require lots of careful treatment. The difference is in why they do. With plastic, if you aren't careful you might need a new carboy. With glass, if you aren't careful you might need a new carboy and a new hand or foot.
9
Ingredients / Re: Priming with Stevia Packets
« on: June 10, 2013, 12:17:55 pm »
I'm guessing all that artificial sweetener (i.e., the actual stevia) would still be there even after the dextrose had fermented out. That might result in the beer being a lot sweeter than was intended.
10
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: How much head space in fermenter to much
« on: June 10, 2013, 11:06:53 am »
Speaking as a fan of many beers that happen to be open fermented, I'd say you should be fine up to ∞. Just get it racked in to some other sort of container after active fermentation finishes.
11
Equipment and Software / Re: Torque
« on: June 06, 2013, 01:07:41 pm »
Ours (cheap Krups model) is 200W.
12
Equipment and Software / Re: PBW
« on: June 01, 2013, 09:13:40 am »
Back on the subject of cleaners, has anyone ever tried that powdered laundry detergent that Better Bottle recommends using on their website?
13
Kegging and Bottling / Re: Home Depot Deal of the Day!!
« on: December 19, 2012, 01:14:51 pm »
Fair enough. I think building one would be a heck of a lot more fun, anyway.
14
Beer Recipes / Re: Baltic Porter Recipe Critique
« on: December 19, 2012, 10:44:50 am »
I'm not convinced that BJCP is necesssarily the end-all be-all for deciding whether a beer really deserves its name. BJCP guidelines are meant for competitions, where there's a lot of value in defining relatively narrow guidelines in order to make sure that everyone has a common target to shoot for. Traditional brewing isn't necessarily like that that; it's a much more organic, living thing. There's been a whole lot of variation from region to region and decade to decade in response to all sorts of factors.
So to me, there's a huge difference between saying "That's not a Baltic porter" and saying "I wouldn't submit that to a BJCP competition under category 12C."
So to me, there's a huge difference between saying "That's not a Baltic porter" and saying "I wouldn't submit that to a BJCP competition under category 12C."
15
Kegging and Bottling / Re: Home Depot Deal of the Day!!
« on: December 19, 2012, 10:35:15 am »They are set up for corny kets.
The product description says it fits full size and 1/2 barrel kegs. Don't those always have Sankey couplers?