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I'm looking for a good propane burner for 5-15 gallons for brewing. Has anyone used the bayou classic http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ASIN=B000291GBQ It seems to be good for the money, a lot of positive reviews on amazon. Does anyone have experience with it?
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Jan 6, 2012 16:02
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All of the Bayou Classic burners are well-liked by homebrewers. Perhaps the most popular is the SQ14 model. Propane burners themselves are pretty simple, so there's not a lot that can go wrong, but there's a lot to be said for a sturdy stand when you are trying to boil 5 or 10 gallons of liquid. If you are looking to boil 15 gallons, you will find a lot of utility in a burner with a 20psi regulator. 10psi will probably get you there, but it will take a while. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Jan 6, 2012 |
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Jan 6, 2012 16:24
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If you don't see yourself doing big batches someday (like with a converted keg), the SP10 rocks. Particularly because it has a better burner than the SQ14. The 14 has a very very nice stand and a burner that likes to blow out and lower settings and is a little finicky at higher settings. The SP10 you can just crank up and up and it just gets hotter and doesn't blow itself out.
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Jan 6, 2012 16:34
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Jo3sh posted:All of the Bayou Classic burners are well-liked by homebrewers. Perhaps the most popular is the SQ14 model. I would disagree. 50-60k BTU = weak and you will spend a lot of time waiting for your water to get up to temp. I started off with a 55k BTU burner and eventually the regulator died and I upgraded to a SP10 which is 185k BTU burner and I cut probably an hour off my brewday. I would get either a KAB4 burner or a SP10 though there are worrying reports on Amazon that the SP10 is coming with a 10psi regulator (weak) as opposed to the 20psi regulator it is supposed to come with. One person said he contacted Bayou classic because the box said it was supposed to come with a 20psi regulator and it didn't, and they sent him a 20psi one for free.
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Jan 6, 2012 16:39
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Yeah, I missed the large volume part the first time, and went back and edited in a recommendation for a 20PSI burner. The brew stands I use are made from burner castings much like the SP10 style, fed by 20PSI regulators, and they work great. I get my 13 or so gallons up to a boil in a reasonable period of time and don't feel like I have any lack of control at the low end or blowouts at the high end. So: Bayou Classic in general good 10PSI OK for 5 gallons, but you will want more for larger volumes 20PSI good for 10 gallons+, but use the SP10-style heads, not the SQ10 style. EDIT: These and these. They don't seem to have a 20PSI regulator on their web page, but the one I linked there is a 30PSI unit. If you know anyone who welds, it should be pretty much no issue to weld up something sturdy out of angle iron. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jan 6, 2012 |
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Jan 6, 2012 16:45
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Does having a larger regulator (20 or 30 psi) cause problems with no being able to use all the LP in your tank? Can you use a normal 20 lbs. tank?
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Jan 6, 2012 16:53
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No. Yes. I use regular tanks with my rig and have no issues. 20 pounds of propane generally gets me through 3 to 4 batches of heating both strike and sparge water and doing a 90 minute boil.
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Jan 6, 2012 17:02
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As a reference to the previous page, are magic hat bottles alright to re-use? I decided to try a 5 gallon batch and I can have like 300 bottles if I like from a guy I know.
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Jan 6, 2012 23:28
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Not sure if magic hat bottles are some different kind of bottle, or just from a certain brewery, but any pry-off bottles will work. It's the twist-off bottles you want to stay away from. You can tell the difference by looking at the lip. Twist-offs have a little bit of threading while pry-off just has one smooth lip.
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Jan 6, 2012 23:39
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Well, they are pry-offs as far as I know. I just don't want to blow up 5 gallons worth of bottles! Also my brother decided he wanted to try it out as well and bought an ingredient kit that recommends lagering. While I find Charlie Papazian to be hilarious in the photos in Joy of Homebrewing, it doesn't explain a lot about lagering. The sheet just says to use a secondary fermentation, so I suppose I can just grab another carboy...but I haven't ever done a secondary before. The secondary is just for clarification....and then just stepping down the temp for lagering?
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Jan 6, 2012 23:47
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Yea, I'm pretty sure I have some magic hat bottles in my stash. If I remember correctly, the labels come off pretty easy too.
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Jan 7, 2012 00:06
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Daedalus Esquire posted:Yea, I'm pretty sure I have some magic hat bottles in my stash. If I remember correctly, the labels come off pretty easy too. Maybe the 12oz labels, but the label that came on a bomber of #9 has been pissing my off in how the adhesive stays on the bottle. Even Oops! has been unsuccessful.
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Jan 7, 2012 00:33
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Synnr posted:Well, they are pry-offs as far as I know. I just don't want to blow up 5 gallons worth of bottles! I think the concern with twist-off bottles is more about breaking them while capping rather than exploding afterwards. You can do that with any type of bottle by priming with too much sugar. John Palmer's How to Brew is a good and free companion to joy of homebrewing, with a chapter on lagering.
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Jan 7, 2012 00:40
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Cpt.Wacky posted:I think the concern with twist-off bottles is more about breaking them while capping rather than exploding afterwards. You can do that with any type of bottle by priming with too much sugar. I don't know if it makes any difference because I've always had pry off bottles and its honestly incredibly easy to drink a load of pry offs if you like beer in any capacity. Worst case they seal better which is worth the world in a step where oxygen is the arch enemy.
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Jan 7, 2012 01:25
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zedprime posted:A crimped cap will be entirely load bearing only on that whispy thin bottom coil of the thread as opposed to a crimped cap on the entire beefy lip or a commercial screw cap spreading the load through the whole thread. I cap canadian twist-offs, I don't understand what you're describing. Do American twist-offs flare towards the bottom or something? Why does the cap only touch the bottom coil of the threading?
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Jan 7, 2012 01:33
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I tried to wing-cap twist offs and I crushed the glass on the top of every bottle I tried. I haven't tried it yet with my bench capper, but I hear those do better.
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Jan 7, 2012 02:15
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mewse posted:I cap canadian twist-offs, I don't understand what you're describing. Do American twist-offs flare towards the bottom or something? Why does the cap only touch the bottom coil of the threading?  By nature of the crimping the cap will be most intimately contacting the bottom most anything sticking off the lip. For a pry off its the lip itself, for the twist off its the bottom of the thread. That isn't to say the cap isn't touching the other threads, its just a lot more tenuous of a contact, especially when we consider where the forces will be coming from.  Here is what I mean. The pry off is an open and shut case since it has the one good contact. The twist off is a bit more complicated since it is contacting the other threads to varying effectiveness. The other threads will balance the pressure by whatever slim pickings friction has to offer. This will be pretty small compared to the contact at the bottom where the hooking around the bottom thread will provide the major constraining force, analogous to the twist offs lip but with much less glass bulk to take the force. This is less of an issue with a threaded cap since the threads on the cap provide a good, hooking contact on each of the threads and shares the love. I don't know if this would cause a measurably less amount of CO2 volumes you'd want in your beer. Personally I don't think I even care since as I said I always used pry offs for other reasons.
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Jan 7, 2012 02:55
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Thanks for drawing the pics, I see what you mean now. In the end I'm fairly sure the distinction is moot because it's the liner on the underside of the cap that forms a seal with the bottle, the crimping is to secure the cap against the bottle.
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Jan 7, 2012 03:44
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I read mewse's post and thought "dang this needs a diagram to explain".
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Jan 7, 2012 03:52
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Daedalus Esquire On your weizenbier: Good all around flavor. Malty and slightly sweet with a hint of banana overtones. Paired well with pork chops, cheddar, and pepper potatos. Initial impression was that it was a bit sharp with a yeasty aroma, but that subsided after sitting a minute or so. All in all, a good beer, would drink again! Stout tomorrow.
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Jan 7, 2012 06:45
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This took too long to post, but here's a picture of my Secret Santa beer and goon (crazyfish's) chickenscratch. I think I'll wait a while on the Tripel as suggested, but I'm excited to drink the rest soon. We can't get Three Floyds here, so it'll be cool to try that, too. Thanks crazyfish! 
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Jan 7, 2012 18:52
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Magua posted:This took too long to post, but here's a picture of my Secret Santa beer and goon (crazyfish's) chickenscratch. I only discovered after I had sent the package that Goose Island is distributed around you  Should have sent more 3F instead.edit: Also j3rkstore, I've got your vienna lager in my fridge right now and I'm planning on drinking it tonight. Might dip into the hefe too depending on what kind of mood I'm in.
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Jan 7, 2012 19:05
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I just poured myself a half-litre of that same lager  
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Jan 7, 2012 21:04
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Oh man, Cocoa Porter is amazing. It had to sit for a month to even out, but seriously, it's great. 6oz of cocoa is a great addition to a malty, english style porter. Pours like chocolate milk. Beer porn! 
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Jan 7, 2012 22:57
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TheKingPuuChuu posted:Oh man, Cocoa Porter is amazing. It had to sit for a month to even out, but seriously, it's great. 6oz of cocoa is a great addition to a malty, english style porter. Pours like chocolate milk. When did you add it? I have a perfect London porter clone that I may try to chocolatify. From what I've read, 4 oz nibs is the bare minimum.
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Jan 8, 2012 08:58
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Iv been brewing mead's and apple ciders from scratch for a few years now and because of money problems ( and winter ) I'm no longer able to make either, I have 3 large carboys sitting empty when I noticed that Extra foods is selling frozen fruit punches for .50cents each "no name ® punch selected varieties, frozen, concentrated 341 mL" Could I buy a enough of these to fill a carboy and ferment it? Is there any problem with using frozen punch's? Its pretty hard to find any information about brewing frozen punch online.
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Jan 8, 2012 11:49
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Depends on what's in it. It might have sorbates or other preservatives to inhibit microorganism growth which would pooch the yeast. It could also just have other ingredients that gently caress with yeast metabolism to produce off-flavors or combine weird with esters and ethanol to make some gross poo poo. I'd try it with a gallon first to see what's what.
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Jan 8, 2012 12:02
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There was a whole thread a while ago about "hobo-jug wine," which I believe was just this - cheap-rear end fruit punch, fermented. It should work in the sense that it will make ethanol. Indigi is right that sorbates will hinder the process, so you'll be best off if they are fruit juice, sugar, and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). If you dilute them less than the can calls for, you will start from a higher OG and thereby increase the alcohol content - or you could dilute them the regular amount and add sugar to achieve the same effect.
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Jan 8, 2012 16:57
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If you really want to save money, start stealing ketchup packets from fast food places and ferment that, prison style.
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Jan 8, 2012 18:28
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Tried searching for the hobo jug wine thread with no luck, just some people talking about it and wondering when the next one will pop up. Is there any certain chemical additives to look out for? Would it make a massive difference if I mixed it with a few lbs of honey? Cheers.
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Jan 8, 2012 20:53
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I think ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is probably the only thing you want in there besides juice. Anything else is probably a preservative.
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Jan 8, 2012 20:57
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Picked up my copy of " The compleat Meadmaker by ken Schramm " and flipped to the section of stalled yeast and suprise suprise " Far more common is the use of fruit juices of concentrates containing preservatives such as potassium sorbate or sodium benzonate. These compounds will render a must unfermentable and have cause the waste of more then a few batches" So there we go.
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Jan 8, 2012 21:15
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I've used frozen apple juice concentrate when making cider before, even the cheapo store brand was preservative free.
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Jan 8, 2012 21:15
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grass posted:Picked up my copy of " The compleat Meadmaker by ken Schramm " and flipped to the section of stalled yeast and suprise suprise " Far more common is the use of fruit juices of concentrates containing preservatives such as potassium sorbate or sodium benzonate. These compounds will render a must unfermentable and have cause the waste of more then a few batches" Sorbates work by preventing (or inhibiting, I guess) reproduction, so a few people have reported being able to "power through" sorbated musts just by pitching a whole crapload of yeast. The best bet, though, will be to find juice concentrates that are preservative free. I mentioned vitamin C because a lot of juice has it, but you should not be afraid of it for fermenting. I agree with Toebone - all of the cheap apple juice I have seen is juice conentrate, water, and ascorbic acid, which is fine - but I have not looked at every label so I can't validate that the store brand you are looking at will work. grass posted:Tried searching for the hobo jug wine thread with no luck, just some people talking about it and wondering when the next one will pop up. Is there any certain chemical additives to look out for? Would it make a massive difference if I mixed it with a few lbs of honey? Honey works great. I've used it to boost the gravity of some things and it ferments right out. A must made only of honey (that is, a mead must) tends to be pretty low in nutrients and therefore is reputed to ferment slowly, but when you use it in combination with malt and/or fruit juice, it seems to be fine. Jo3sh fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Jan 8, 2012 |
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Jan 8, 2012 21:29
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Jo3sh posted:Sorbates work by preventing (or inhibiting, I guess) reproduction, so a few people have reported being able to "power through" sorbated musts just by pitching a whole crapload of yeast. The best bet, though, will be to find juice concentrates that are preservative free. I mentioned vitamin C because a lot of juice has it, but you should not be afraid of it for fermenting. I could only get cider with potassium sorbate, and it's currently fermenting for me. I made a starter with a packet of Red Star's Pasteur Champagne yeast and I have a slow constant bubbling but no kraeusen. I'm about to pitch two more packets of it without doing a starter since they are only about $1.25 at my LHBS in hopes it gets a little more vigorous. So yea, it will ferment, just won't reproduce. Also, I saw this online when I realized I couldn't get preservative free cider and was googling around: http://www.fermentarium.com/homebrewing/winemaking/everything-you-know-about-potassium-sorbate-is-wrong/ Basically, a guy messed up his wine batch, did a bunch of research and figured out that the effectiveness of K-Sorbate is related to the alcohol concentration, pH, concentration levels, etc. :edit: Anyone here use Beersmith? I can't seem to figure out a way to specify that I added additional yeast to my recipe without it automatically going into the starter too. Daedalus Esquire fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Jan 8, 2012 |
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Jan 8, 2012 21:56
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Built a new electric heat stick last night, got it waterproofed and tested boiling with it today. Might brew with it tonight, depending on if I feel like getting up. 
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Jan 9, 2012 02:23
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TheKingPuuChuu posted:Oh man, Cocoa Porter is amazing. It had to sit for a month to even out, but seriously, it's great. 6oz of cocoa is a great addition to a malty, english style porter. Pours like chocolate milk.  First beer I've kegged, I can't believe I waited this long. That being said, having a keg of awesome beer real close is dangerous. I'd like to bottle some of the beer from the keg, and I've been looking for resources on how to do this without buying a beer gun, but the guides are a bit confusing. How do I "burp" my keg? How do I keep the foam down to manageable levels?
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Jan 9, 2012 04:05
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Zakath posted:I see your cocoa porter and raise my cinammon vanilla porter (recipe here): Assuming you have a picnic faucet, jam a bottling wand/piece of tubing in the end, turn pressure down low, vent the keg, and go to town. It helps if you chill the bottles first.
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Jan 9, 2012 04:41
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Go, little Helles, go!  http://t.co/ZPQ1W6H1
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Jan 9, 2012 05:37
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Toebone posted:Assuming you have a picnic faucet, jam a bottling wand/piece of tubing in the end, turn pressure down low, vent the keg, and go to town. It helps if you chill the bottles first.
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Jan 9, 2012 14:01
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