Messages

166

Ingredients / Storing HOP Pellets

« on: December 11, 2012, 09:21:48 AM »

So, how does the oxygen that is in there get purged?

like any standard pin lock - depressing the poppit in the middle.

He said "oxygen."  When you have liquid in the PET bottle you can squeeze all the air out before capping it with the carbonator, then add CO2, but with hops, I don't think you can do that, so there will be some O2 in there, but very little.

I have always assumed that the idea is to fill the container with co2, wait a bit for things to settle down in there and then purge through a top opening which should get most of the o2 out as it will have migrated to the top portion of the container. still some o2 but a lot less

That's not how gases work.  Otherwise, basements would be deadly. :-)

167

General Homebrew Discussion / Infection Because of Chamber Mold?

« on: December 10, 2012, 08:55:36 AM »

The siphon house was exposed to brett awhile ago, however, I've made beers and haven't noticed it.

I agree with others—replace all your tubing.  It's cheap.  Boil things that are small enough and have nooks and crannies (ball valves).  Also, consider switching sanitizers for one batch in case bacteria have become resistant to what you're currently using.

What does everyone do that may have mold spores floating around??

I try to keep the brewery below 55% relative humidity.  I use a fume hood to pump out water vapor while brewing and a dehumidifier to keep the moisture low at all other times.

168

General Homebrew Discussion / How Long is Too Long?

« on: November 11, 2012, 06:49:11 PM »

It depends how clean your wort is.  I once had to leave some wort sitting at room temperature for days while I replaced a chest freezer (it was a lager and I didn't want to pitch too warm).  No infection.  Some bacteria can be slow to take hold, though, so if it seems okay after fermentation, keep it cold and drink it fast. :-)

169

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

« on: November 11, 2012, 06:40:42 PM »

Special Bitter.  Considering adding tart cherries to half the batch because it seems like an unusual thing to do.

170

General Homebrew Discussion / Homebrewing Hobby Survey

« on: November 04, 2012, 11:47:53 PM »

call me paranoid but this survey is funded by the National Science Foundation, A fed govt agency. Sorry but I don't trust the govt enough to give out this kind of information... I don't see the need to go blindly into any survey that pops up asking about homebrewing...

They're not collecting any personally identifiable information (other than your email address, and only then if you want to a shot at the gift card) or really anything else they couldn't get from posts to this forum if they tried hard enough.  So I think you're safe.

Signed,
A Fellow Paranoid

171

Pimp My System / suggestions for vent hood install in basement

« on: October 05, 2012, 12:44:04 PM »

I got this extra-wide (42") range hood from a Sears store that sells refurbished appliances.  It's dented right in front, but it was cheap, and it has twice the flow rate of a standard unit.  There were knock-outs for a standard-sized (10"x3.25") rectangular vent in the top and back.  I opted for the top and adapted it to 6" round pipe.

In the next photo, you can see the round pipe running from the hood through the joist bay to the rim joist.  I really ought to insulate that pipe.

Here's the vent assembly on the outside of the the house.

To put that in, I had to cut a hole in the side of the house.  A friend with a hammer drill came over to help me (thanks, Tom).

Keeping the fan on full blast during the boil keeps condensation and humidity in check.  It doesn't completely eliminate the smell of boiling wort in the house, but it's a considerable improvement.  I keep the fan on low when working with cooled wort or yeast, thinking the resulting updraft will prevent bacteria-laden dust from landing.

172

All Grain Brewing / Last three batches terrible

« on: October 01, 2012, 11:48:31 PM »

How does the wort taste post-boil but pre-fermentation?  Next time, try saving some of the wort, and let it sit, without yeast, in the same chamber as the fermenting beer.  Then taste it at the same time you taste the beer.  Do you get a similar off-flavor?

Are you pitching fresh yeast every time, or are these repitches?

I recently had issues with wild yeast infections.  Getting aggressive on sanitation of post-boil and repitch components (boiling ball valves and tubing, flaming the lip of the repitch vessel, etc.) seems to have helped.

173

Ingredients / Maple Syrup-When Add To Get Maple Taste

« on: September 24, 2012, 10:14:17 AM »

I just used hickory syrup in a beer, and I added it just as fermentation was beginning to slow.  Fermentation took off again, of course, but plenty of hickory flavor remained when activity subsided.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.  I used 16 fl. oz. of syrup in 5 gallons of session-strength beer.

174

Events / NHC Location Application

« on: September 06, 2012, 09:35:50 AM »

Hi, Kyle.  There are at least three people who agree with you and are working on a bid.  They are Anita Johnson, Agatha Feltus, and Sandy Cockerham.  You should contact them; I'm sure they'd appreciate your help!

175

Kegging and Bottling / aluminum "bottle cans"

« on: August 10, 2012, 12:00:27 AM »

Heineken comes in aluminum bottles now. Goes down easier than Bud, especially since it's not skunked.

176

Questions about the forum? / Is tapatalk up yet?

« on: August 06, 2012, 10:20:44 PM »

Works great for me.  Considering getting the HD version.  Wish it worked with the BJCP forums (I think the BJCP forum admin just needs to register on the Tapatalk web site but don't know the details).

177

General Homebrew Discussion / Does Anyone Know of a Company that Ships Beer from the Brewer Through the Mail?

« on: August 02, 2012, 03:23:20 AM »

Homebrew? No that is yeast samples. Homemade BBQ sauce/marinaide. Homemade vinegar. 

Glassware.  Oh, there's homebrew inside?  That's just packing material.

178

Yeast and Fermentation / Harvesting and using yeast from a slurry

« on: August 01, 2012, 09:04:13 PM »

Are you sure you'll only boil off 0.2 gallons?  Despite what some people say, evaporation rate isn't a percentage that stays constant for all volumes.  Unless you have a tall, slender vessel, you might end up with only a half gallon or less after 60 minutes.

179

Events / GABF Tix problem...?

« on: July 31, 2012, 05:10:21 PM »

AHA..get rid of Ticketmaster!

PLEASE!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure about the Colorado Convention Center, but a many venues have exclusivity agreements with TicketMaster.  So the Brewers Association may not have a choice unless they want to switch venues.

180

Events / GABF Tix problem...?

« on: July 31, 2012, 04:30:58 PM »

Are you seeing the same behavior I am?  The site lets me select tickets; it's when I try to submit all my payment information that it says "There are problems with your submission".