Messages

1666

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First Brew.....

« on: November 22, 2010, 07:20:13 PM »

You're at a very precarious point now....it's going to be very difficult to stop starting at the bubbling airlock.  You may find yourself sitting in front of it for hours watching it.  I find it best to watch the airlock with a full beer in hand.  An empty beer is the only thing that gets me away from starting at it. 

WATCHING it? How about sitting there SNIFFING it.......

1667

General Homebrew Discussion / Brew Masters......up or down.....?

« on: November 22, 2010, 07:16:48 PM »

Well, it isn't every day that beer is the star of the show, and I don't watch a lot of ugly box, I mean, I have things to DO....

But, I did find the family room and kicked back on the mega couch with a couple of Leffe's (first batch still fermenting) and fired up the big screen......

I liked it. Learned some stuff (when was the last time you learnt something from the the TUBE....?) and found the people pretty entertaining.....


Anyone?

1668

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First Brew.....

« on: November 22, 2010, 07:17:47 AM »

Well, it ain't brew yet, but it's happily bubbling away right next to me....... Even the cat is impressed... sniffing the fermenter with enthusiasm. Wonder if he would like.... no, no, bad......bad.

Now, the kit recipe doesn't call for a secondary, but as I intend to become a "serious" brewer I am contemplating just that. Shall I rack to a carboy in a few days? I'm planning to keg, so logic says let it go 'till it's done plus a day or so and then keg right away....

1669

Kegging and Bottling / Re: CO2 question.

« on: November 22, 2010, 06:31:56 AM »

0 this morning......

Time to get the soapy water out.. Although I still think it's going into solution.

1670

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Operation Fermentation Step two....

« on: November 21, 2010, 07:08:45 PM »

The only addition that my insane mind is contemplating is a N2 bottle and stout tap.........

1671

Kegging and Bottling / Re: CO2 question.

« on: November 21, 2010, 06:53:17 PM »

Aahhhhh, good point. The cooling. Just to reiterate, the kegs are 90% full with water/B.E.S.T. sanitizer. But, validating your theory will be easy. Once everything is cooled down, I open the valve for a few seconds, bring it all back up to 5 psi and close the valve and observe. If it holds, you were right.

1672

Kegging and Bottling / CO2 question.

« on: November 21, 2010, 05:16:08 PM »

New to all of this.....

Have a brand new setup in the keggerator. (See related threads). Bench tested the whole setup empty, held pressure 48+ hours. Now, they are installed in the fridge, filled with sanitizing solution. Set the pressure, leak tested, and shut off the CO2 bottle. The pressure is slowly going down, but there are no apparent leaks.

Am I correct to assume that the CO2 head is going into solution into the water? Fizzy sanitizer so to speak? If I were to leave the valve open (I'm not) the pressure would eventually equalize somewhere after needlessly using a lot of CO2?

1673

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First Brew.....

« on: November 21, 2010, 04:42:28 PM »

Well, two hours later......( I know, patience Grashopper) ....no bubbles, the little "hat" still sitting down on the tube..... so I tapped the airlock...... thought it was going to hit the ceiling..... we HAVE fermentation!!! I can see the water moving down, minutes away from the first beer fart..... this is COOL! Meanwhile the barn still smells like a brewery..... LOVE that smell.

1674

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Operation Fermentation Step two....

« on: November 21, 2010, 04:36:58 PM »

Brewed a batch today, fermenting as we speak..... (We HAVE bubbles.....) Meanwhile the boys are installed in their new home.... All I'm waiting for there is the UPS man with the drip tray.....

1675

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First Brew.....

« on: November 21, 2010, 03:07:36 PM »

Copper pot...way cool!

Under $100 on eBay...It's an apple butter pot, nice thick copper, probably close to 100 years old. A few hours to get the gunk out of it. Someone had used it as a planter...... But in the and a half a jar of POR did the trick. I REALLY like it.

1676

General Homebrew Discussion / First Brew.....

« on: November 21, 2010, 02:32:10 PM »

Well, today was my first brew day..... Got all the gear, got it all set up and got a nice fire going out in "the barn". Partial mash kit for an APA. Some grain, some dry, lotsa hops and a yeast bag that zipped to life to the point where I thought it would blow....



Note the cornies and CO2 on the side bench testing..... holding pressure for 49+ hours now......

Your's truly checking on the wort cooler.....



What's better than a guy brewing? TWO guys brewing. My buddy Dave is a long time brewer who said it had been too long. Plus the wife doesn't like him messing up the kitchen..... Well, bring your bucket and come play at my house. I happened to have a second burner.......



Well, they said aeration is to introduce O2 into the wort for the yeast...... You want O2? I got O2....... This baby be aerated with pure O2 for about 40 seconds.......



Bucket is sitting in my office which is about 65-68ºF...... and now we wait......

1677

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Looking to start kegging.

« on: November 21, 2010, 06:40:19 AM »

Just went through all this. The problem with the little fridges is the hump that the compressor lives in. By the time they are tall enough to put a shelf in and house a keg they are larger and not cheap. Go to Sears or Home Depot and bring a measuring tape. Cornies are just under two feet tall and 9 inches in diameter. Need four or so more inches on top for the connections and hoses.

If you can manage the space anywhere, there are TONS of used fridges on Craigslist. I got mine for $50. Took an hour to clean up, and I just threw most of the racks out. Saved the drawers as tubs in the workshop.

An added benefit is the freezer that comes with this. You can store the ice for your jockey box in it.

1678

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Operation Fermentation Step two....

« on: November 21, 2010, 06:34:17 AM »

I'm glad to see you jumping into this both feet first! Doing it right too. You might have been a candidate for the "whole brewery" advertised but I think it's more fun to build yer own.

5 large? Don't think my other half would have bought that story...... With the fridge, the kegging setup and the first brew gear I'm under $500.

Meanwhile the bench test has held at 10 psi with no loss for 48 hours. I think we'll sign off on that one and release it to service.

And, today is BREWDAY! But that will be recorded in another section of this forum.

1679

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Lingering Cola smell...

« on: November 20, 2010, 09:18:13 PM »

And to think that people DRINK that stuff.......

1680

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: For you brewers who are broke as I am.

« on: November 19, 2010, 06:01:20 PM »

Refrigeration is one of the hardest DIY nuts to crack. Most people never get that far. Professional repairs make no economic sense. So, they go out and get a new one, and instead of paying the removal fee, they try to get a few bucks for the old one.

If you know how to work on them, you can pick them up VERY cheap. Never pay what they're asking, unless it's working 100% and clean. OK, I paid full whack for Fridgie and he was dirty, but he was working well  and only $50....... So, there is definitely a dollar to be made there.

Heck, by the sound of it you may be able to fill the gap your a-hole employer dug for you.....