Messages

31

The Pub / Re: Wisdom

« on: November 16, 2012, 01:19:51 pm »

The awe with which man has regarded this natural process finds spontaneous expression in the fact that the animating essence produced by fermentation is identified in language with the essence of human life, both being designated by the term "spirit."

J.P. Arnold
1933

32

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: November 16, 2012, 01:09:41 pm »

Stop! In The Name Of Love - Diana Ross & The Supremes

33

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: November 13, 2012, 08:49:29 pm »

Sheltering Sky - King Crimson

34

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: November 12, 2012, 07:09:52 am »

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly - Alan Mills & Rose Bonne

35

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: November 08, 2012, 03:41:37 pm »

In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins

36

The Pub / Re: Have a great Movember!

« on: November 05, 2012, 11:45:59 am »

I've had various configurations of facial hair, and haven't seen my upper lip, since 1984.  I'll keep the 'stache & goatee (technically that's a "VanDyke") I have, but I'm going to do my thing by trying to grow out some handlebars by the end of the month. 

37

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

« on: November 02, 2012, 07:13:54 am »

I'm having a couple new brewers come to the house for LTHB day, and we'll be brewing an 11-gallon batch of Imperial Porter.  Half will be "plain" Imperial Porter, and half will become Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter ala Denny Conn.

38

All Grain Brewing / Re: HERMS vs RIMS

« on: October 29, 2012, 07:32:30 pm »

I don't do either, but I know brewers in our club who do both, and both methods can make great beer.  I think it's really a matter of preference.  HERMS is probably a little less prone to scorching or caramelization during the mash, but I think with good control there's probably little difference.

I'm assuming you're already brewing all-grain and are familiar with mashing techniques.  If that's not the case, I'd suggest starting simple with infusion step mashing or direct-fired step mashing to get familiar with those processes and how they affect wort production.

39

Equipment and Software / Re: New Beersmith app for phones & tablets

« on: October 29, 2012, 12:54:55 pm »

Why is that? No Wifi?

I'm asking b/c the cloud makes that recipe sharing access easier since it deals with the sync issues. With all the excitement about the cloud, it seems that software developers may not be interested in much off-line support.

Kai

Denny's brewing software runs on an abacus. 

Yep.  I brew in a detached garage and it's to far from the house to get a wifi connection.  I have the same issue with a lot of other software.  My internet connection is even too slow to stream video to my TV.  There are 2 sides to living in the middle of nowhere!

40

Equipment and Software / Re: Old Fridge For Fermentation Chamber

« on: October 29, 2012, 12:36:30 pm »

Clean as others have recommended, then hit the inside with some Star-San from a spray bottle.  I clean the inside of my fermenting and lagering fridges every couple months with a mild spray cleaner, the sanitize them with a spray bottle of Star-San and a wipe-down with paper towels.   

41

Equipment and Software / Re: Staining

« on: October 29, 2012, 12:31:45 pm »

Is the poly resistant enough to heat to set the kettles right on the stand, or do you plan to put some sort of insulation in between?  I'd consider putting a sheet of silicone rubber under each vessel.  I'm sure you can get that at McMaster-Carr, but you could probably find something less expensive - like a silicone pot holder or baking mat - in the cooking & baking aisle at Target or Walmart.

42

Equipment and Software / Re: Interesting immersion wort chiller design

« on: October 29, 2012, 12:04:06 pm »

For best chilling you want to maximize the area, maximize the Delta-T, and maximize the flow.

If you flow over about 1 quart/minute, you probably have turbulent flow in the chiller - got that from the HBD a long time ago. Turbulence mixes the cooling water, so you don't have a stratified temp inside the coil.
You also need to get the wort moving to keep it from being stratified.

This looks like a gimmic to me.

^^^ THIS! ^^^

I think the design of the chiller being discussed would probably interfere with stirring or getting a decent whirlpool going more than a "standard" coil chiller would.  It might also make using a hop bag or hop spider more difficult. 

43

Equipment and Software / Re: Hose Fittings

« on: October 29, 2012, 11:55:33 am »

Here's the Mc Master numbers.
 'Brass Coolant Hose Couplings'  male connectors ( p/n 6739K59) and  female hose connectors ( p/n 6739K64).

I use the brass McMaster high-temp coolant fittings with 1/2" high-temp thermoplastic hoses.  They work great on my system.  I use the p/n 6739K68 90-degree female fittings instead of the straight ones at the kettles, though, because they let the hoses hang vertically and are a bit easier to handle with one hand.

44

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Some very basic kegging questions

« on: August 17, 2012, 07:57:00 am »

All good posts above.  I didn't notice whether anyone mentioned that the pin-lock kegs are slightly larger in diameter (25" tall x 8 1/2" dia) than ball-lock (22-23" tall x 9" dia).  That can make a difference in how many you can fit in a particular fridge or freezer (height is usually easier to work around.  I have ball-lock kegs and can fit four in my lagering fridge.  If they were pin-lock, I'd only be able to fit three.

45

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Beer Cases! Help!

« on: August 17, 2012, 07:47:22 am »

I use milk crates.  A standard milk crate will hold 25 standard 12-oz bottles, and they're easy to stack and clean.  You can also put the bottles in upside-down to drain them of for storage.  You don't have to steal them - search "plastic milk crates" on Amazon.com and you'll find a set of four for around $25 plus shipping.