Messages

1

Equipment and Software / Re: Recommendation for a barley crusher?

« on: August 27, 2013, 01:29:09 PM »

For those of you using a Barley Crusher... I made a hopper extender using a bucket. It will hold ~20 lbs. of grain.
Cheers!!!

That's very slick. Is that a 1 gallon bucket?

It's an icing bucket. 3.5-4 gallons I guess.

2

Equipment and Software / Re: Recommendation for a barley crusher?

« on: August 22, 2013, 06:40:13 AM »

For those of you using a Barley Crusher... I made a hopper extender using a bucket. It will hold ~20 lbs. of grain. Here are a few pics.



The Base the bucket is attached to:


Looking inside the bucket:


Cheers!!!

3

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Fixing overcarbonated bottles

« on: August 22, 2013, 06:22:58 AM »

I had a Mead one time that I thought was Still, it wasn't...  Fortunately I bottled it in 12 oz. beer bottles with crown caps. You can gently pry the cap just enough to let some pressure off and then release it when it starts to foam up. The cap, for the most part, will reseal and stop the gushing. You have to be gentle though. If you actually open it enough so it won't reseal you're in for a mess... I had to do this over a number of days before I could open them completely. Then I set new sanitized caps on top of each bottle for about a week or so to let them vent, and then recapped. They turned out fine.  Cheers!!!

4

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: So I have a bland lager on tap...

« on: August 13, 2013, 11:18:44 AM »

Dry hopping it might help. When I do it I use a women's white knee-high nylon stocking with a stainless steel nut tied off in the bottom/toe to weigh it down. Drop it in quickly & close the lid fast or you'll have an old faithful on your hands. Been there! Leave it at room temp for a week or two and then back into the kegerator. You can leave the hops in the keg for the entire time as long as it stays cold.

Another option is to make a Jalapeno tincher and add 2-3 ml to the pint before you pour it.  Cheers!!!

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Dry-hopping with Saaz

« on: May 23, 2013, 09:23:20 AM »

You could brew another Blonde and blend the two. Or, blend it at the taps with something a bit more maltier & hoppier that can handle the SAAZ...  Cheers, and good luck!!!

6

Going Pro / Re: Fermentation Temperature Control

« on: May 10, 2013, 08:51:11 AM »

Here's how I have my Fermentation Box set up. It's 4Wx6Lx6H. The Temp Controller Probe rests next to the conical. The AC is 5000 btu rated. All I did is reposition the copper override sensor from the front (behind the filter) to the back so it never thought it was below 60F. You can sorta see it in one of the pics. Cheers!!!

The small fan above the AC moves the warm air out of the room.

7

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:55:09 AM »

That's sweet.  I max out around 7 racks on my smoker.

Maybe I need to talk to the wife about an upgrade.

I know what you mean.... Here's how I sold it to the Wifey...  "I'm just borrowing it from the next owner."  and "If I don't do it now I'll regret it the rest of my life 'cause I'm not getting any younger."  Cheers!!!

8

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:50:07 AM »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

only 25 racks?

I know. I'm a slacker.... 

9

All Things Food / Re: AHA Big Brew Day & Ribfest

« on: May 09, 2013, 09:48:52 AM »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

Only a few 

How did it go?  Looks good! How big is your smoker...pics?

All went well. Ribs took about 3 hours @ 275F. The wind was brutal @ 30 mph+. The temp controller (IQUE-110) worked like a charm and kept the air moving through. Without it we wouldn't have eaten. There were 25 racks of Baby Backs. They took up 3 racks in the smoker and one rack was dedicated to Baked Beans. I think I posted pics of the smoker earlier but here ya go. I designed it last winter & had a local welding shop fabricate it for me. Cheers!!!

Just after paint & hardware:


The guts less the charcoal basket:


Finished with decking & a storage box. The canopy will come in real handy on those rainy days...

10

All Things Food / AHA Big Brew Day & Ribfest

« on: May 08, 2013, 11:48:48 AM »

Along with brewing I smoked a few Baby Back Ribs for the Brew Club.

11

All Grain Brewing / Re: Lid on partially?

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:59:02 AM »

I leave my lid partially on for the same reason.  Plus I find that I can keep the same rolling boil with less heat. Win/Win. When the chiller goes in the last 15 minutes I do take the lid off completely and increase the boil a little. I can't tell you if it matters or not but it works for me. YMMV. Cheers!!!

12

The Pub / Re: Cats are not Hop Heads.

« on: March 24, 2013, 02:06:43 PM »

Does anyone else know any random facts about pets and brewing?

Hops are poisonous to dogs.  I'm not sure about cats though.

I don't think his cat is a dog...    My cat hats hops too...

13

Pimp My System / Re: Custom Tap Fridge

« on: March 22, 2013, 01:45:18 PM »

Dang that looks nice. Mine just serves beer..........

14

All Things Food / Re: BBQ Style

« on: March 22, 2013, 11:37:35 AM »

That's a thing of beauty my friend!

You could go into business with that rig.

Congrats!

Thanks!! Just friends & family, and maybe a charity event or two. "Business" sorta takes the fun out of it. Maybe the next owner will take it to another level... Cheers!!!

15

All Things Food / New Smoker Build

« on: March 22, 2013, 07:30:44 AM »

This past winter I designed & then had a local welding shop build a smoker for me. It's 36"x36"x48" OD. It's always been a dream of mine and now it's a reality. Probably a little more than I need but so be it... Like I told the wifey, I'm just borrowing it from the next owner. I'm not planning to get into the BBQ business but I have a number of gigs lined up already for friends & family. I just LOVE BBQ. Almost as much as Beer... 

Anyway, here are a few pics.  Thanks for looking!

The trailer arrived in pieces, literally. Fortunately all the pieces parts were there and unscathed.


Trailer assembled with the wheels set back:


Just getting started:


Ready for paint:


Painted & assembled:


The guts:


The charcoal basket. The basket ID is 28"x28":


First Cook. Three Pork Butts. It performed very well & averaged about a pound of charcoal per hour with the outside temp below freezing.