Messages

736

Equipment and Software / Re: Building a new mashtun!

« on: February 16, 2011, 08:21:29 AM »

Nice.  You'll really like the 70 qt xtreme.  You'll still leave some wort behind though.  Not as much but there's still room beneath the drain.  It helps if you prop up the back end of the cooler before you start the vorlauf.  I use a little ceramic flower pot that used to belong to my wife.  She was going to reclaim it until I told her it was now part of my brewing system.  I'll leave it to your imagination the look I got for that one.

You've probably already seen it but this is the site I followed when I converted mine:

http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/mashtun.html

And it is really nice to have all that room in the mash tun for the bigguns.

I just got my order from Amazon ($40 with free shipping!) and put it together tonight!  Leak testing it now, everything looks great!  Can't wait to use it for a Begian Quadrupel this weekend.  Getting the 20 pounds of grain into and out of this should be a lot easier than the round rubbermaid.  I think the hosebraid should help me get a much better runoff than the bazzooka screen I've been using too.

Best of all....Its a blue one 

Since you got the blue one, make sure you adjust your recipe to compensate for the 110% efficiency you're going to get. The blue goes up to 11! 

737

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: My first yeast starter - questions!

« on: February 16, 2011, 08:12:41 AM »

The Propagator packs contain only 25 billion cells, while the Activator packs have 100 billion cells. The Mr. Malty calculator works under the assumption that you're starting with Activator packs. And good purchase on the gallon jug. Those are perfect.

738

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: my Brewery on youtube

« on: February 16, 2011, 07:58:28 AM »

Very well planned out and constructed. Quite impressive.

739

Pimp My System / Re: Single Tier Semi-Automated, Lowell Brewing

« on: February 15, 2011, 01:50:00 PM »

Impressive. I'm jealous. I keep telling myself, "one of these days."

740

Pimp My System / Re: 3 tier gas/electric indoor 10 gallon brewery

« on: February 10, 2011, 01:35:21 PM »

You don't run into any carbon monoxide issues with the propane? Does the exhaust fan have enough oomph to pull it all out? Do you also have a fresh air intake somewhere? Just curious as I start to plan...

I use a CO monitor just to be safe but it has never gone off.  CO isn't really the big danger with propane.  The combustion gases need to be vented, so a exhaust hood and fan is a must, especially with a turkey fryer burner Btu capacity.  If you put inan exhaust fan, CO should not be a problem.  It also helps get the beer smell out of the house.  I rather like the smell of brewery but the other members of my household don't share my view on this. 

The real danger with propane is if the flame goes out and you don't notice and propane gets released in the room, or your tank leaks.  If this happens, the propane will settle on the floor because it is heavier than air.  If enough propane leaked out, it could get deep enough that the pilot on your hot water heater could ignite it.  Having propane in the house is not the best solution.  While I have done it myself, it is a temporary solution and I would not recomend others do it.  Maxieboy's comment was dead on.  Using propane turkey fryers indoors should make you nervious.  If you do use propane in doors, you need to understand the hazards and act accordingly.  I never leave the room when the burners are on.  I never run the burners without the exhaust fan on and CO monitor plugged in.  I never store the propane tanks in the basement when I am not brewing.  Natural gas is a much better solution.  It is lighter than air and if it leaks, it will not settle on the floor. Plus, it is way more convenient and cheaper.  No tanks to run out and have to refill.  The only down side is that converting propane burners to natural gas will reduce their Btu capacity.

As for a frech air intake, I do not have one.  I originally thought I would need one and planed to put one in.  My house apparently has enough air leaks though so it isn't a problem.  If you have a fairly air tight house, it could be an issue.  I still plan on adding a fresh air source just so I don't suck in cold air through windows and doors and make my furnace run harder than it needs to.

Thanks for the info! Good stuff!

741

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 2/11 Edition

« on: February 10, 2011, 01:29:49 PM »

No brewing, but I will be doing some bottling for a competition.

742

The Pub / Re: The other "pork soda"

« on: February 10, 2011, 11:53:00 AM »

Primus sucks! And I love 'em. I hear a new album is in the works.

743

The Pub / Re: pork soda

« on: February 09, 2011, 04:02:33 PM »

The pub brewer for Goose Island, Jared Rouben, is actually a big Primus fan, so that was the inspiration. It is also a collaboration brew with Longman & Eagle, designed to "cut the fat" in their pork dishes. I'll give it a try next time I hit Goose Island. I really enjoy the work Goose Island has been doing with their Belgians, so I'm sure it's good.

744

The Pub / Re: pork soda

« on: February 09, 2011, 03:54:11 PM »

"Wrap my wound in a porterhouse steak, and point me towards the shore."

745

Pimp My System / Re: 3 tier gas/electric indoor 10 gallon brewery

« on: February 09, 2011, 08:37:34 AM »

Thanks for the info. There is no makeup air-duct, but there is a window in the furnace room/brewery, so I could always open that on brew days. As for the smell... that's what has driven me outside in sub-zero weather lately... My wife is pregnant...

746

Pimp My System / Re: 3 tier gas/electric indoor 10 gallon brewery

« on: February 09, 2011, 08:00:40 AM »

Very nice. I'm in the process of planning a basement brewery and am trying to decide on whether to use natural gas or electric. You don't run into any carbon monoxide issues with the propane? Does the exhaust fan have enough oomph to pull it all out? Do you also have a fresh air intake somewhere? Just curious as I start to plan...

747

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Bubbles in airlock stopped after only TWO DAYS!

« on: February 08, 2011, 04:21:49 PM »

... the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

You get over that eventually. 

Yep, as soon as you starting drinking them...

748

Classifieds / Re: Wanted: Cheap 5 gal kegs

« on: February 08, 2011, 04:19:04 PM »

Just keep checking craigslist. They're still out there at reasonable prices. I picked up 4 for $60 a couple months ago. They were very clean, I just replaced the o-rings, and they function perfectly. The trick is to stop looking after you have enough  . Those last 4 were 4 more than fit in my kegerator, but two are sitting full waiting for a spot to open up.

749

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Charlie P.

« on: February 08, 2011, 03:56:21 PM »

Northern Brewer and Brewmasters Warehouse also carry it, for anyone else interested.

750

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Cold conditioning vs priming sugar calculations

« on: February 08, 2011, 03:51:27 PM »

I'd calculate it based on 68F. After you drop the temp, the yeast are no longer producing carbon dioxide. So you're not really introducing much more into the beer, other than dissolving in from the surrounding air, and that would happen very slowly since it's not in a pressurized vessel.