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I recently got back into home brewing thanks to my fiancee. She bought me a starter kit. I picked up one of the plastic Big Mouth Bubblers and used it for the first time last week. I haven't seen any action in the airlock at all. I did see some bubbling action in the krausen so I assumed everything has been going fine. Is this an common issue with the BMBs? I'm going to be dry hopping either today or tomorrow so I plan on checking it out. Now that I'm comfortable again with brewing, is there a good resource for BIAB? I guess I'm more curious about if I can use an all grain kit with BIAB or does it need to be modified slightly.
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Apr 2, 2016 12:38
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 03:53 |
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Jermaine Dildoe posted:Cider spergs: what are your best blends Have a cranberry cider going on right now. Tasted pretty good before going into the fermenter. Also extremely blood red in color.
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Jul 13, 2016 10:33
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robotsinmyhead posted:I bought a 7.1 cuft Idylis freezer from Lowe's, and it's perfect for 3 kegs. The 3rd keg sits on the hump over top of the compressor assembly, and about half my kegs are slightly taller than the rest, which I found out is the key component to my gas leakage problem. The lid of the keezer was sitting on top of the gas inlet line and slightly cocking the fitting on the post, slowly releasing gas. I just picked one up tonight. I'm only at 2 kegs right now but moving things around I'm sure I could fit a third one on the bottom and potentially a 4th on hump. I'm thinking of putting my gas on the outside to free up more room as well. I'm trying to decide to do either 2x10 or 2x12 for my collar or go with a coffin on top.
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Jul 20, 2016 00:59
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Errant Gin Monks posted:Just a hint from learning on my keezer build, you need a fan and a dehumidifier. You can get a computer fan 80mm on Amazon that plugs into a normal outlet for about 30 bucks that will change your life, there is no circulation in a chest freezer so when the collar goes on it will freeze on the bottom and be 50 degrees at the collar without a fan. Yeah I saw that a ton of people were adding fans to their freezers. I have a few lying around that I was thinking finding a converter to use. I didn't think about the dehumidifier part of it. Thanks for the idea. I'll look at something on Amazon.
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Jul 20, 2016 02:18
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Speaking of cider, I've got a cranberry cider finishing up. I've never kegged a cider before, anything I should avoid or tips? I'm still thinking about carbing it or not. I figure I'll drop it in and taste it to see if I'd rather have it sparkling or not.
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Jul 20, 2016 21:28
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I'll probably toss it on around 10-12 PSI, from some of the online calculators I've seen it's what was suggested for ciders. It's for my fiancee more than me but it tasted pretty good before fermentation so I'm interested in what it'll be like after.
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Jul 21, 2016 02:11
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JawKnee posted:just got a lung-full of lots of co2 for the first time, sticking my head in the chest freezer to try and hear if there was a leak (spoiler: there was) Opened mine last night to find my tank empty. Oops.
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Aug 20, 2016 00:40
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Really, if anyone wants fresh poo poo I'm about 20 minutes from the brewery. Don't really like them as if I have a single beer from them the next morning I wake up with a splitting headache. I'm not sure what it is. Edit: I've got two kegs in my keezer, first time doing multiple kegs. I'm assuming I up the serving pressure a bit to make sure there is plenty of push correct? calandryll fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Aug 24, 2016 |
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Aug 24, 2016 22:40
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Yeah stupid me should have realized that. I just poured from it and it's pouring slowish but not that big of a deal. Now to figure out why the hell it didn't clear up. Still tasty at least. I'm looking for something new to brew, preferably sessionish that would be good after playing hockey. Suggestions?
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Aug 25, 2016 04:23
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Biomute posted:Grisette. Funny you mention this, the most recent episode of Basic Brewing Radio had an interview with a DC brewer doing those. They sounded really good. Tough decision between that and a hefe.
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Aug 25, 2016 22:35
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Biomute posted:Yeah, not a huge fan of the Basic Brewing podcast, but the guy they interviewed and his blog at http://www.horscategoriebrewing.com/ is legit. Yeah that was the week's before. The most recent episode was Right Proper brewer. It sounds like an interesting small batch I think.
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Aug 26, 2016 21:21
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Speaking of ciders. I brewed my first cider using a kit. There is a slight off odor, as a friend described it as apple orchard, more specifically the smell of apples on the ground. Is that from the kit I used? The cider tastes great but the smell is slightly off for about 10 seconds.
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Sep 11, 2016 03:10
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Arcland posted:Did you age it long enough? Cider smells awful for the first few months of aging. Probably not long enough. The smell lasts for about 15 seconds or so and then it's gone. Otherwise it's pretty drat good.
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Sep 11, 2016 13:07
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Just brewed my first non-kit beer, so I have some left over grains. What's the best way to store them for next time? Or since they are already milled it's pretty no good? I'll probably be pick up a mill in the future because 
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Nov 6, 2016 12:54
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Drone posted:Make some kickass bread with them. I kept my spent grains from a rye beer I did last month. Meant to thaw it out yesterday to make some bread for teach homebrew day. LaserWash posted:Denny and Drew did a IGOR experiment where the people doing the tests found that there was no difference in storing the milled grain for a few months. Go listen to one of the most recent episodes of experimental brewing. They keep good show notes so you can find it there. Thanks. Listening to the episode right now. I figure I'll grab a few tupperware containers to store the grain in. My basement stays pretty cool ~66-68 year round.
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Nov 6, 2016 15:03
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The weather has certainly gotten chillier, requiring a nice dark beer. I picked up my first winter sampler from Sam Adams with one of my favorite winter beers, Old Fezziwig Ale. Does anyone have a nice clone recipe for that? I've also kicked the cranberry cider I made a few months ago from a kit that used concentrates. I'm looking at making it again with local cider. My thought was to do 4 gallons of cider and 1 gallon of cranberry juice. Is that going to be too much cranberry?
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Nov 12, 2016 23:34
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McSpergin posted:Definitely read any of the recipes in Brewing Classic Styles, I always try Jamils recipe for the first time doing a new style. His foreign extra stout is worth a go!! I'm working my way through this right now. So many beers I want to make.
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Nov 28, 2016 22:54
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I'm getting a bunch of foaming issues on my keezer. Typical chest freezer with a 6" collar that the taps are going through. Foam insulation on the inside of the collar. I'm guessing the temperature differential between the keg and tap is causing an issue. The travel distance is about 5 foot beer line with about a 1 ft of that going from top to keg to the tap. The rest of the 5 feet falls down next to keg. Would tossing in a computer fan help with the foaming? I can get about half a glass poured before foam takes over. I'm serving around 11-12 PSI. I'm also looking at getting into doing a eBIAB setup. I'm currently doing BIAB on my stove but want more control over everything. I'm thinking of doing the Unibrau, anyone have this system?
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Dec 19, 2016 22:10
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I love the big mouth bubbler, stupidly easy to clean. Only thing I have a weird issue with is the bung and airlock. It'll drip liquid from the airlock into the beer, luckily I've been using sterilized water.
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Jan 3, 2017 01:49
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BaseballPCHiker posted:drat this whole time I've been looking into Sanke kegs! They seemed like they'd be easier to clean. Are they just not worth the extra money? I've got a few of Morebeer's torpedo kegs. They came out to be a bit cheaper than other options, granted they do not have the rubber on them but I'm never moving them. The one thing I do like they make a slim line version.
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Mar 3, 2017 01:39
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Is anyone brewing all electric? I just got a new system so still learning it. I brewed a roggenbier last Saturday, which resulted in a bit of char on the element. Trying the wort at the bottom it had a burnt flavor. Hoping it was only the dregs tasting like it, I pulled a sample for a gravity reading and tasted it. There is a burnt flavor on the backend. I figured I'll let it sit for a bit longer and see what happens. My main question, easiest way to get rid of the burnt on crap on the element? I'm thinking there was some particles floating and/or the high levels of rye that caused the issue. I just want to get the element cleaned so try again in the next week or so. calandryll fucked around with this message at 11:20 on Apr 13, 2017 |
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Apr 13, 2017 11:18
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Ethics_Gradient posted:I have a recirculating electric BIAB system, never had that problem. I'm not sure what sort of element the guy who put mine together used (bought it secondhand) but I assume it's a standard hot water heater one, I just scrub the hops/break gunk off it at the end of the boil and it's good to go. When I was looking into building my own I came across things talking about scorched wort, supposedly you want an ultra-low watt density element to avoid that. Yeah mine is a recirculating BIAB as well. Do you recirculate yours during the boil at all? Like I said it was the first time using it and I think part of the problem came from some of the grain escaping out of the basket. I also saw similar info and as far as I know my elements are ULWD. BrianBoitano posted:Cleaning stovetops, I usually try brillo scrub pad + soap -> copper scrub pad -> barkeeper's friend -> oven cleaner. Read directions on latter two because they can be caustic to your skin & counter top. I have barkeeper's friend already so I'll give it a try, do you let it soak at all? I've also seen suggestions on letting it soak in some PBW for about 20-30 minutes and it coming right off. I'll try both before my next brew day. I think knowing where I screwed up will help me with my next brew. Not too worried about it since it only cost me about 20 bucks in supplies. The next time it'll be cheaper since I overbought on some of the grains.
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Apr 13, 2017 16:01
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Brewed this today: 4lbs 2-Row 4lbs Wheat Malt 1lb Honey Malt Mash at 152 for 60 min. All Mosaic 0.25oz at 60 min. 0.75oz at 15 min. 1oz at Flame out US-05 for the yeast. I was about a point low on my SG but close enough for government work. Didn't have any carbon scoring on my elements this time so big plus. Tasted pretty good before going into the fermenter. Be interesting to see how this one comes out. I love brewing but drat do I hate the clean-up.
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May 21, 2017 18:38
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rockcity posted:That's really just like using a keg as a bottling bucket and then wasting CO2 instead of just letting gravity do the work at that point though. I have a Unibrau system so ask me anything you want to know about it. I'm doing the 2 120V element setup. They came with 1500W elements but I bumped one to 2000W. My last brew took probably 40 minutes or so running both open to get mash. Another 20 minutes to get to boil with both on.
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May 31, 2017 22:17
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rockcity posted:I think they upped the elements to 1600W now, not that that's all that much more power. That's still not that bad, it's probably 20-30 min to get my strike water to temp with my propane burner and that would be with less water. The difference in time would be more than made up for with runoff/sparge time savings. I'm guessing you also have the older controller then? I read a review on their site of someone who had the old controller die on them, but it sounds like Brau Supply sent them the newer one to replace it. Right now they are waiting on a new shipment on units and have a bunch of factory seconds they are clearing out that have some kettle marking and weld imperfections, but they're offering over $100 off of it which brings it down to $700 for the 12 gallon unit, which in my opinion is a pretty solid value for what you get. I have one of the brand new systems, new controller setup, etc, as I bought in early February. I've only brewed twice with it now. The highest brew was 1.06ish or so, so not very high. But I wasn't even close to half the basket. You could probably fill it to about 11.5 gallons before any issues. My most recent brew was about 3 points or so lower than the expected OG but I had just futzed with my mill. My first one I had milled much finer and hit my numbers right on. My wife loves it because it's much quieter and I love it because I can walk away without worrying too much.  Apparently I didn't get the controller in the shot but gives you an idea. I need to add a winch setup to get the basket out easier.
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Jun 1, 2017 21:05
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rockcity posted:Are you doing BIAB in the cooler instead of a false bottom? I use a false bottom and was curious if there were people using a bag instead. I'm still considering going to a Unibrau system to try to condense the amount of equipment I'm using, especially while they are running a special on factory seconds. I'm also weighing 240V vs. the dual 120V elements. Only reason I went with two 120V is finding a close 240V that wasn't my small laundry room. Overall I still swear by the two elements and the system was well worth it. I'm thinking of brewing a Saison next, what do people use for a water profile? I was thinking yellow balanced from Bru'n water but wasn't sure.
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Jun 16, 2017 20:44
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Der Penguingott posted:Saisons and pale sour beers are most of what I brew and I've settled on this as a typical water profile for them. Thanks for the info. My water is pretty hard so we have a water softener so I've been using a mixture distilled and tap water. Looks like I'll be trying to out lactic acid for the first time. What is the cut off point for lactic acid so I don't get any of the tartness from it? I'm looking at about 4 ml in 7 gallons of water.
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Jun 17, 2017 11:04
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Jo3sh posted:Back to keg repair chat for a moment: I might have to try some of these out. I bought two torpedo kegs from More Beer and the lids have be put on a certain way or they leak.
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Jun 22, 2017 20:49
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Yeah the one that is giving me the biggest trouble is the slimline. You can see where the opening is cut slightly off.
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Jun 22, 2017 23:41
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Speaking of buying large sacks of malt, is there a difference in flavor when it comes to say Rahr vs Briess or even Great Western? I know there will be slight differences when it comes to the color but not sure about flavors.
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Jul 20, 2017 01:46
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Thanks for the information. I know one of my issues with not brewing more often is just  of going to my local store. I might try some Northwestern 2 row with my next beer. Now to convince the wife to let me grow hops in the backyard.
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Jul 20, 2017 16:28
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I like the torpedo kegs from morebeer, specially the slim but drat if it's not a pain to get a non-leaking seal sometimes. The opening is rough which causes a lot of problems. I need to get different ones. I'm thinking of brewing a Kolsch for the start of hockey season. I want something light and drinkable for after we get off the ice. I shouldn't run into any problems with using something like US05 should I?
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Aug 5, 2017 15:43
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Jo3sh posted:That will work, but a Kolsch strain would be closer.
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Aug 6, 2017 01:12
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I normally would have ordered from MoreBeer or something similar but I decided at the last minute to brew this weekend. But didn't get around to it because I'll probably order tomorrow for this weekend.
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Aug 6, 2017 23:41
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I'm the same, too much effort to make a starter. Apparently my basement is the perfect fermentation area. Everything I put down there just churns through it in a few days. I had my first blowout using a Kolsch strain. Luckily it wasn't too bad just a bit on the top of my fermentor.
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Aug 16, 2017 22:23
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I would say it's a pissing contest, like hot sauces where they try to make as hot as possible.
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Sep 1, 2017 11:33
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Jo3sh posted:Had the first actual use of the completed mill cart with the new hopper today. That's 29 pounds of grain in there. Brewdog Inky gave her final signoff, and I fired it up - it all went through without issues. What kind of motor do you have? I'd like to upgrade to something other than my drill mainly because it's a pain.
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Sep 5, 2017 02:16
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Rozzbot posted:Anyone have a recipe for a Christmas beer they recommend? I was just thinking about the same thing. I'm thinking of doing an Old Fezziwig clone in the next week or so.
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Sep 6, 2017 17:54
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Biomute posted:Not brewed it yet, but doing a high gravity rye biere de garde spiced with bitter orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. How much are you using for the cinnamon, ginger and orange? I was looking at about an oz of sweet orange, an oz of ginger and a few sticks of cinnamon in 5.5 gallons.
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Sep 7, 2017 00:31
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 03:53 |
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I'm going for something similar to Old Fezziwig from Samuel Adams. Should be just above a slight hint of spice on a brown ale. If I remember correctly, it has been over a year since I had some.
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Sep 7, 2017 10:23
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