Topics

1

All Grain Brewing / Kettle Mashing Question

« on: November 26, 2012, 07:57:34 pm »

So I brewed on thanks giving with my new set. It's a direct fired Boilermaker with a pump to recirculate during mashing.

The problem I was having I think were really bad hotspots. I would read the Brewmometer on the side and it would dip to 140 degrees on the dial the. I would put a thermometer in the mash and it would say 160.

When the Brewmometer would say 140 I would put the heat on and stir then in a couple of minutes I would bring it up to 152 my target temp.

Should I be stirring the mash almost all the time and if so should I be running the pump to recirculate while doing this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2

All Grain Brewing / Jumping back into the game

« on: September 23, 2012, 06:10:13 pm »

So I haven't brewed since last thanks giving and it was the second allgrain that turned out for me and the other ones were failures.

So I want repeatability(if that's a word) so I bought a march pump and a blichmann boilermaker with false bottom. I think my plan so far is to direct fire the boilermaker as the mash tun bc I have been using a extreme cooler and missing my temps. I also want to make a stand one level.

So my question is does anyone have guidance for me on my endeavor? I am not a very imaginative person so it's hard to picture a finished product.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

3

Yeast and Fermentation / Waiting to use yeast

« on: May 25, 2012, 12:22:53 am »

I know this has been asked before. It can't find it.

I made a yeast starter for tomorrows brew and I have hold off till next week bc something came up. How do I store it for about a week till I can get to brewing? It has fermented out and settled to the bottom of the flask.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

4

Beer Recipes / Need help

« on: May 06, 2012, 10:59:40 am »

So I have no clue what to brew tomorrow. I haven't brewed since thanks giving it was a APA.

Any suggestions?
Criteria:
Want to be drank in June
I am not a hop head
Not a fan of stouts or porters

I also allgrain so I am not limited by lme or dme


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Cooling/storing wort

« on: April 18, 2012, 08:26:10 pm »

My question is as this a two parter.

What would happened of I were to drain my wort into my fermenter (plastic bucket) without cooling it first and let it cool in the bucket then pitch the next day?

Could I store wort in my fermentor that is cooled (plate chiller used) while I am waiting for my starter to finish out. I am asking bc I plan on buying all my stuff in one day and I won't have the forethought to buy yeast a couple of days before hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

6

The Pub / I have a fever

« on: April 15, 2012, 11:33:04 am »

The only cure is more cowbell


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

7

Ingredients / Rhizomes?

« on: April 09, 2012, 11:22:11 am »

So I am off to the lhbs to get rhizomes. I live in Minnesota and I am not sure what kind to get. I am not a hop head so high alpha acid hops are not my cup of tea. I like pilsners and blondes but I also want some for APAs. I am getting to different kinds. Any suggestions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

8

Yeast and Fermentation / Is my beer shot?

« on: March 06, 2012, 10:34:18 am »

So I brewed a APA on thanks giving and after it fermented out I transferred it to a secondary and it's been sitting in my temp controlled fridge since then at 61 degrees. Sad to say life got in the way.

Will my beer be shot?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

9

Beer Recipes / Finnegans Blonde

« on: March 02, 2012, 02:15:21 pm »

So I know it's kind of a Midwest thing but I tried finnegans blonde recently and thought it was awesome and now I want to clone it. Does anyone have any recipe ideas or thought?

10

Kegging and Bottling / Bottling and starsan.

« on: January 08, 2012, 12:25:35 pm »

So the last time I bottled I soaked my bottles in starsan.
When I drained them of the starsan they left bubbles and foam so when I was dumping the beer in I let it overflow I little to push out the residue.
Is it alright to have a little starsan left in the bottle? Or should I do something different?

11

Beer Recipes / Recipe Ideas?

« on: December 17, 2011, 10:44:13 am »

So I am done with finals and have a month off so I can brew and not have to budget my time between homework and brewing.

But I am at a loss.
I don't know what to brew. I have a blackberry wheat, horizon pale ale, and Mexican style cervesa bottled.
I am looking to see if anyone has any interesting idea for me to brew on Monday.

I want to have a brew that will be done bottled and ready to go in a month.
Only thing I am not interested in is a porter or stout.

Help...please and thank you

12

Kegging and Bottling / Bottling a lager

« on: November 12, 2011, 01:34:03 pm »

I brewed a lager and I have been lagering it for a couple of week now and it's really clear. My question is do I have to get some yeast back into suspension or is there always enough to naturally carb in bottles?

13

Equipment and Software / Quick kettle question

« on: November 10, 2011, 10:27:42 am »

36 quart stock pot would be just fine for 5 gallon all grain? Or should I get the 44 quart?

14

Equipment and Software / Plate chiller

« on: October 12, 2011, 09:02:01 am »

So I was looking to pick up a shirron plate chiller for around a 100 bucks does anyone has experience with them? Are they worth the investment?

I currently have a homemade counterflow wort chiller but it's big and clunky and I want to upgrade.

15

Equipment and Software / Beersmith

« on: October 10, 2011, 09:04:50 pm »

So i purchased beersmith 2 the other day and i am trying to create recipes and figure out the mash and strike water temp. I got the program to help me decide on the strike water temps so i dont have to sit and do math.

The problem i am running into it that i know from experience that i have to have my strike temp atleast 20 degrees above target temp and beersmith says i should have it 12 degrees above. The only place i can find that changes anything is the specific heat area in equipment edit but i know from looking things up it should be set around .3 to .5 that does not change much.
I am trying to make a custom equipment set up.

I am using a coleman xtreme 72 quart cooler
batch sparging
water to grain ratio 1.25

I must not be looking in the right place bc i cant find anything.