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Author Topic: How do you brew?  (Read 15857 times)

Offline Robert

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  • Arlington, TX
Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #15 on: November 05, 2009, 11:52:18 am »
I brew 5 and 10 gallon batches. I have two blue coolers, a small one for 5 gallon batches and small 10 gallon batches and the big one is for most 10 gallon batches and really BIG 5 gal batches. Both have stainless braid, with the big one having two braids running the length. Boiling is done in a converted keg with newly affixed valve. Don't know why I didn't do that sooner. Other than that, I use a wooden kitchen cart so I can gravity feed into my fermenters from the BK. Oh yeah, KAB5 for the fire.

I use mainly buckets for fermenting and one glass carboy for Brett beer aging.

Brewday takes place in my garage, with the laptop set up to surf Tastybrew and play my iTunes. Mainly Drive-By Truckers on brewday.
"In three things is a man revealed: in his wine goblet, in his purse, and in his wrath."

boulderbrewer

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #16 on: November 05, 2009, 03:37:54 pm »
I mash and batch sparge in the basement.Then I do the wort boil outside. Nice to have a walk out basement.







Offline beerocd

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #17 on: November 05, 2009, 03:45:15 pm »
I mash and batch sparge in the basement.Then I do the wort boil outside. Nice to have a walk out basement.

Without the walk out basement part- I started thinking it'd be cool if someone pumped their wort up and outside to boil it, then gravity drain back down into the basement to ferment after a gravity feed through a chiller.

-OCD
The moral majority, is neither.

Offline matthew

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #18 on: November 05, 2009, 03:57:23 pm »
I havent brewed in a long time ....March this year, but I've brewed beer for a while. I went from 5 gal batches to
2.5 to 3 gal batches mainly cuz I lazy and my health aint so good , so I  brew on th stove still, use a 4 gal pot
to mash in( I still step mash alot,decoct too) and boil in a 5 gal pot, sparge in an old bucket w/false bottom( have to
x-fer from MT)-still fly spage, fement in a 5 gal carboy and secondary in 2.5-3 gal carboys(yeah I still do that too)
Nothin' Fancy
I think I hurt somethin lookin at Skotrats stuff  ;)
Matthew
Well it hurts down here on Earth lord
It hurts down here on Earth
It hurts down here cause we're running out of beer
But we're all gonna die someday

Offline smurfe

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  • Brewing on the Bayou
Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #19 on: November 05, 2009, 07:54:45 pm »
I have a Sabco System and do all grain. Normally 5 gallon batches with the occasional 10 gallon batch.


I cook and I brew down on the bayou

Swampwater Brewing
Gonzales Louisiana

Offline eccsynd

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #20 on: November 05, 2009, 08:33:20 pm »
48qt. cooler based mashtun, HERMs with small external heat exchanger.  BCS controlled of course. 

Trying to stock up for the winter.  I usually brew in the garage, and it gets cold here in MN.  Last time I brewed sub-zero, my chiller froze up and it was a real pain. 
BCS-460 Temp Controller - Interactive web based interface, data logging, and programmable control rules.
http://www.embeddedcontrolconcepts.com
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Offline karlh

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #21 on: November 06, 2009, 12:43:10 pm »
I brew 10 gallon all grain batches on a 3 tier stand.  10g stainless HLT, 15g stainless MLT w. false bottom, 15g. keggle with false bottom (8 inch or so stainless mesh) for boil kettle.  Jet burners on HLT and Boil kettle.  March pump.  Chillzilla. 
Karl
Mundelein, IL  USA

Offline slimsparty

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  • 1882 Brewery
Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #22 on: November 06, 2009, 03:06:11 pm »
Still evolving thanks to some coaching from club buddies, tastybrewers, and other veterans.

Now I have a Sanke HLT and BK 60qt cooler Denny style mashtun and my new KAB4 burner.

I use a sawhorse table and some fairly manual bucket transfer technology for moving hot water around and measuring it.  This is done outside in Northern Illinois.  I actually have had fairly mild weather every time.  I have the garage outfitted with music, man fridge, and tools for messin' with.

I will probably stick with 10 gallons from now on because of the economies of scale.  The last batch is only half bottled and just hitting proper carb.  Now I know I have 5 more gallons "in the bank"

Offline pdbreen

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #23 on: November 06, 2009, 04:39:48 pm »
As someone else said - always evolving.  Current setup:

Mill with a barley crusher.
Mash in the kitchen with 2 rubbermaid coolers - 1 for HLT and 1 for MLT.
Boil on the patio in a 15gal pot on a Blichmann burner.
Cool with an immersion chiller w/whirlpool.
Ferment in either glass carboys or Better Bottles (really liking the latter).
Keg in cornies.
Atomic Dog Brewery
On Deck: Imperial Stout, Nut Brown
P: American IPA, Irish Red, Barley Wine, Smoked Porter
S: British IPA, Hefe Weizen, Zinfandel
K: Apfelwein x 2, Graff, Phat Tyre, Lefse Blonde, Cream Ale
T: 3 Hearted, Dry Irish Stout

Offline niquejim

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #24 on: November 06, 2009, 06:17:33 pm »
I make Denny's C&E seem high class








Of course it helps to live in an area with warm weather year round. There is no need for things to keep it warm in the cold weather
Burrowing Owl Brewery----Better things for better living...Through Debauchery and Inebriation

Offline tomthebrewer

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #25 on: November 06, 2009, 08:52:09 pm »
I made 5 gallons batches for 4 years and recently have switched to 3 gallons. I find since I don't drink as much beer as I used to (more whiskey now) I can still brew on a normal schedule, but not feel guilty about lots of extra beer sitting in the closet.
618 Country - Southern Illinois

Offline weazletoe

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  • Howland, Ohio
Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #26 on: November 06, 2009, 09:57:30 pm »
70qt Coleman X-trem.......16.25 SS boil kettle, dual turkey fryer burners, 7.5 gal HLT, home made IC, and I do it all in my basement. Just got a pump, and have plans in the works to weld up a new sculpture. Hopefully in the next few weeks.
A man works hard all week, so he doesn't have to wear pants all weekend.

Offline dean

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #27 on: November 07, 2009, 06:25:22 am »
I use keggles and a blue cooler like many others.  Since I've moved I only need to brew 5 gallon batches now (so far anyway) and I like the keggles in that I can brew up to 10 or 12 gallon batches but I don't have to.  I'm building a brew shed and I'll be adding a few toys to the system as time goes by and once the shed is able to be used.  I procrastinate a lot so it might take a while.   ::)  ;D

Offline tom

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #28 on: November 07, 2009, 09:37:12 am »
3 kegs on one level each on their own propane burners/stands. Soon to be converted to natural gas.
I batch sparge and use a March pump for liquid transfers.
I also use bucket heaters over night with RANCO thermostats to get the water ready and heated in the am. Mash in, coffee, comics, then brew on.
I also ferment in 5 gallon cornies. I love them.
Brew on

Offline mrcceo

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Re: How do you brew?
« Reply #29 on: November 07, 2009, 12:51:39 pm »
5 gallon batches - all grain.
Mash tun - 7 gallon cooler.
Boil using a ten gallon pot with spigot on a commercial range.
Looking to pick up a bigger cooler and a grain mill by the end of the year.