Stepping up my game a bit

I've recently cleaned a deep freezer up and am now using it as both a fermentation chamber and will use it to cold crash my beer. Two things that I've never done before.

I recently started making starters for my beer - had never done that before.

I've purchased a mini-fridge dual tap kegerator.

Phew.... This hobby is getting complicated. You folks on HBT are a bad influence.

My next projects are going to be to clear a closet for storage, get rid of a futon from my office to reclaim some space. I'll be putting cabinets in the office for additional storage.

I plan to build a small room in the garage. I'm not exactly sure what I'll use it for. I'm thinking I may insulate it well enough to use it for cold storage. I haven't completely made up my mind. I may use it strictly as a clean room for stroage, but cold storage would be awesome. I'm thinking about either a window unit or portable air conditioner to cool the space. Probably no more than 50 square feet or so.

All sounds good!

I recieved 3 kegs and co2 tank today...doubling my beer capacity and tripling my co2 capacity. My deep freezer is ready to recieve the newcomers and fermenters are ready to fill them.




Glad you like the hobby. I am going 100% homebrew for the next few months to defray costs.

I know what you mean man! I moved up to a Partial Boil BIAB from Extract two weeks back and it just stoked my fire to move to full boil all grain brewing even more. I am pretty luck to have a birthday not to far after christmas but far enough to cash in both and I am pretty much just asking for equipment to move to all grain; 8/10 gallon brew kettle w/spigot, cooler mash tun, out door burner, wort chiller! Very excited about what the future holds for me and home brewing!

I'm at a similar stage. I bought an oxygenation kit two weeks ago, a dual stage temperature controller last week , a chest freezer that is getting delivered this friday, and I'm waiting on an email from Ward labs in the next day or two with an analysis of my water. With so many improvements at once, I'm hoping my next brew this weekend will turn out noticeably better than anything else I've brewed.

It's crazy thinking about how little I knew 10 months ago during my first brew. My wife had absolutely NO idea what she was getting into when she picked out my Christmas gift last year.

danielofthedale said:

I know what you mean man! I moved up to a Partial Boil BIAB from Extract two weeks back and it just stoked my fire to move to full boil all grain brewing even more. I am pretty luck to have a birthday not to far after christmas but far enough to cash in both and I am pretty much just asking for equipment to move to all grain; 8/10 gallon brew kettle w/spigot, cooler mash tun, out door burner, wort chiller! Very excited about what the future holds for me and home brewing!

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Why wait for all that stuff. If you have a 5 gallon boil pot (normal for extract brewers, not necessary but nice) you can do a 2 1/2 gallon batch BIAB all grain full volume boil. I do lots of them so I can sample lots of recipes without having a huge stock of bottles. Don't wait, get started now!

RM-MN said:

Why wait for all that stuff. If you have a 5 gallon boil pot (normal for extract brewers, not necessary but nice) you can do a 2 1/2 gallon batch BIAB all grain full volume boil. I do lots of them so I can sample lots of recipes without having a huge stock of bottles. Don't wait, get started now!

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This is exactly what I do - 2.5 gallon all grain BIAB. Except I tend to top off with another 1 - 1.5 quarts when I'm done. I figure it's a small enough percentage of the total that it's close enough to full volume, and worth it for the extra couple of bottles I get out of it!

This is the kegerator I bought...

I've got the fridge, just waiting or the tower and accessories to come in.

I fermented at 58 degrees for a week. Pitched last Sunday. Fermentation stopped yesterday - noticable/active fermentation that is. I've pulled the carboy back into the house. I'll probably rack to secondary tomorrow where it will stay for about a month I suppose. It's a 7% ABV beer.

I moved two beers that have been in secondary for about 3 weeks into the freezer and moved the temperature control down to about 34 degrees. I don't have any geletin yet.. but I'll add it once it gets here. Should be Monday or Tuesday. I'll cold crash for several days though then move to the kegs.

I have cleaned 2 of 8 kegs so far... replaced all of the o-rings. I cleaned with dish soap... I've got pbw coming and will "re" clean them once it gets here.

I'm actually looking forward to these particular changes. I'm hoping for a much smoother tasting and clearer beer.

I'm wondering though.... where cold crashing is concerned. I've seen several different techniques used. Some leave the beer in the fermenter and others rack to keg before cold crashing. I'm thinking that leaving the beer in the carboy to cold crash, and adding geletine to the carboy once it gets to temperature... letting the sediment fall out of the beer before racking to the keg will make a much clearer beer - without sediment in the keg.

smccarter said:

I've got the fridge, just waiting or the tower and accessories to come in.

I fermented at 58 degrees for a week. Pitched last Sunday. Fermentation stopped yesterday - noticable/active fermentation that is. I've pulled the carboy back into the house. I'll probably rack to secondary tomorrow where it will stay for about a month I suppose. It's a 7% ABV beer.

I moved two beers that have been in secondary for about 3 weeks into the freezer and moved the temperature control down to about 34 degrees. I don't have any geletin yet.. but I'll add it once it gets here. Should be Monday or Tuesday. I'll cold crash for several days though then move to the kegs.

I have cleaned 2 of 8 kegs so far... replaced all of the o-rings. I cleaned with dish soap... I've got pbw coming and will "re" clean them once it gets here.

I'm actually looking forward to these particular changes. I'm hoping for a much smoother tasting and clearer beer.

I'm wondering though.... where cold crashing is concerned. I've seen several different techniques used. Some leave the beer in the fermenter and others rack to keg before cold crashing. I'm thinking that leaving the beer in the carboy to cold crash, and adding geletine to the carboy once it gets to temperature... letting the sediment fall out of the beer before racking to the keg will make a much clearer beer - without sediment in the keg.

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Your fermentation has only gone into the 3rd phase, not stopped. It's quite a ways from done yet and it shouldn't be moved off the yeast cake until it is. When you ferment cool, you slow the yeast and they will go dormant when the easy sugars are gone. You want them to complete breaking down the intermediate products before you move the beer to secondary, if you even do that. Let the beer warm up and the yeast will go back to work. You haven't said anything that I have noticed that shows that your beer needs to go to secondary. You can easily go straight from primary to keg if you leave the beer long enough in primary to complete the ferment and for the yeast to settle out.

What are the intermediate products that yeast has to break down?

Acetaldehyde, diacetyl

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate your input. I guess that acetaldehyde can be considered an intermediate product that needs to be broken down before racking to secondary. After all, it's what makes one of the two basic things in beer, alcohol. It's part of the glucose fermentation phase that naturally takes place during primary fermentation. Diacetyl can be avoided and is dealt with in the secondary if it is evident. Usually it's caused from poor brewing procedures. Diacetyl is tested for after the beer is in the secondary. If it isn't evident there is no reason for a diacetyl rest. A few months ago I put in a post on how to test for diacetyl and how to get rid of it in Lager. Ale it's less likely to occur. Diacetyl has been beaten to death on this website. I should have worded the question. What, if any, are the intermediate products that need to be broken down before racking into a secondary, other than the natural things that occur during the ferment or those created due to poor brewing procedures?

OP. In my opinion, you'd do better racking into a keg. Even if you get some sediment, It will go out with the first few glasses of beer. When you use a carboy and go from 58F to 34F, becareful that you don't suck back from the blow off or water lock. I use conicals from Blichmann. Primary and secondary. I brew mainly lager and pils. To determine when to rack to secondary or when to keg I use a sugar reduction kit. It is far more accurate than any hydrometer. My secondary is equipped with a spunding valve. After I krausen I add a few pounds of CO2 into the dome. The valve is set to relieve at 5 lbs. The added pressure allows the krausen to reduce the pyruvic acid to CO2 and acetaldehyde to a small percentage of alcohol. When the beer is at 2-3% glucose I keg and lager it. If using 802 Budvar I let the beer fall bright, krausen and keg immediately. Priming with speise or carbonation with a CO2 tank is needed. Are you making ale or lager?

I can see that we, as home brewers, can make this "hobby" as difficult and complex as a professional brewer might make it.

I'm really just looking to enjoy the hobby and pick up some techniques along the way that might... and I say MIGHT... improve my beer.

The feedback from everyone is very much appreciated. I need to make sure that is understood... but I am a guy who is brewing beer in my kitchen with the imperfect equipment that I can afford. I'm fortunate to have been brewing for quite some time, so I have accumulated a good bit of equipment.... like a freezer and temperature controler, 2 8 gallon brew kettles, 9 glass carboys... hoses, airlocks out the wazoo, etc... etc... But what I don't have is professional equipment or a laboratory to figure out exactly how many yeast cells I'm pitching... and similar...

This thread was really meant as a celebration of my attempt to improve my technique. And to announce that I'm doing just that... and that I'm hoping to make better beer as a result of reading tons of threads on this board.

I do aspire to make better beer, and HBT is giving me so much information toward that end. I do appreciate this board. I'm just not going to become a brewmaster any time soon. That's just not my intention. I just want to enjoy this hobby.

Again... thanks everyone for your information. I believe it's helping, but I won't know for a couple of months.

BTW... I have moved the carboy into the house. once it came up to room temperature, the airlock started bubbling again. I plan to leave it in primary for at least another week or so.

When I began brewing, I read what was available... everything at that time suggested moving to secondary for a couple of weeks to clear the beer. I've always done that, but I'm interested in trying a different technique. I'd like this beer to turn out well... I've brewed several 7+ ABV beers recently, and they're all a bit harsh. I'm anxious to see if fermenting at a lower temp will have the affect of making a more drinkable beer. And since I now have a functioning fermentation chamber, I'll most likely continue using it.

smccarter said:

BTW... I have moved the carboy into the house. once it came up to room temperature, the airlock started bubbling again. I plan to leave it in primary for at least another week or so.

When I began brewing, I read what was available... everything at that time suggested moving to secondary for a couple of weeks to clear the beer. I've always done that, but I'm interested in trying a different technique. I'd like this beer to turn out well... I've brewed several 7+ ABV beers recently, and they're all a bit harsh. I'm anxious to see if fermenting at a lower temp will have the affect of making a more drinkable beer. And since I now have a functioning fermentation chamber, I'll most likely continue using it.

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The bubbling might be caused by the change in temperature or from the disturbance of being moved causing CO2 to come out of suspension in the wort, but it also could be renewed fermentation. Only hydrometer readings can make sure but there isn't any real reason to test now. Let it have at least another week before you do anything.:rockin:

Still waiting on the rest of the equipment for my kegerator, but I got started on re-claiming room in my office. Took a futon and a bunch of clothing to the Waterfront Mission. I've begun the process of clearing out a closet in that room. It's a much bigger project than I thought it was going to be.

I've found books on Windows 95 administration. I found my Windows 98 installation media - still in the box where I left it so many years ago. I have networking and programming books out the wahzoo...

I took the load to the mission and have managed to fill my pickup truck with a load for the dump. I still have a pile of "I'm just not sure I can let this thing go" items. I'm like a hoarder I suppose....

One of the items going to the dump is a 17" CRT monitor. I paid 1900 bucks for it 20+ years ago. I was the talk of the building when I unboxed it and plugged it in. That computer was a smoking 100MB 486 with 32 - yes, count'em... 32 MB of ram. I had 2 hard drives totalling 1.2Gb of hard drive space. People came from all over the building to see that beast. I think I finally took that to the dump 2 years ago. I still have the HP4P laser jet printer I purchased back then. It's almost an antique. I suppose I'll replace it when they stop making toner cartridges for it. It's getting very difficult to get them now, but one cartridge lasts me and my wife about a year and a half. It's been a great printer.

I did find a couple of really nice microphones that I'd been missing. Way down at the bottom of one of the boxes in the closet. That'll come in handy.... Someday, when I decide to play music again.

It's been a trip down memory lane I suppose. Not all bad.

The day started with a run to the dump, then to the waterfront mission - again... then to Lowe's where I bought 2 24" cabinets. Built the cabinets and the drawer inserts. Cut a hole in the back for power chords, and a 1 1/2" gromet on either side for power chords and gas line.

It's been a busy day. I'll get some pictures together. Nothing fancy, but everyone else posts pictures, so I thought I'd add some.

I did get the 2 way manifold today. Went ahead and hooked the lines up. Still waiting for the conversion kit for the gas lines in. Going to add quick connects to the gas in lines along with screw type gas connectors.

Still need to empty the room completely and put lanolium down. I'll paint when I do that as well. Still much to do though. I've got so many technical books and I saved all of my text books for some stupid reason. I need to pitch quite a few books. I'm also a musician and I've collected cords and miscellaneous crap through the years. I threw away a midi device yesterday that I've had for 20+ years. The input is a high density 3.5" floppy drive. The things we hang on to....

Here are the pictures. I realize it's not a walk-in cooler, or anything close to being as impressive, but I do consider all of this an upgrade. I've got a freezer with a temp controller, a kegerator, 8 kegs, a beer fridge, 2 storage cabinets, and a closet for additional storage and aging. Someday I'll have a bonified brewery... but that will be the next house.

More pics...

And the final two