Tankard

Recipes 

So I finally figured out the best place to put my brewpot after the hour long boil is over.... in my trash can full of ice+water. Like many, my sink was not built with the homebrewer in mind. The last time I brewed, I was able to get the ice level about 3/4 of the way up the side of my brewpot. The result was the wort was too hot when I pitched it. Luckily I didn't have any negative effects.

This time it was much, much better. I took my trash can, put in a new bag, added a bag of ice, set my brewpot on top of the ice, and then filled up the trash can with water (making sure I did not pour water on top of the brewpot). The ice and water level started to rise, and the brewpot actually floated. The whole brewpot was submerged in the ice water and it helped cool the wort down a lot faster.

Sorry if this is old news to many of you, but maybe it'll help someone out. Who knows.

BarleyWater

Recipes 

Might want to buy a new can for this, because I GUARANTEE that a trash can is going to be harboring a TON of bacteria. Don't think that the bag is going to keep away all of the microscopic bacteria that are living all over the can.

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Bernie Brewer

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Dude, just get a chiller. You're working too hard.

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jeeper

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I use a double sink and have cold water running into one side, keeping it full up the side of the pot and run a siphon into the drain in the other sink with vinyl tube. It works really well as long as you keep the siphon tube sucking off the water as close to the surface as you can to use convection to your advantage.

Next investment might be a chiller though.

enderwig

Recipes 

I use one of those rope handled plastic tubs they sell at wal-mart for about $10. I can get the ice bath right up to the top of my brewpot.

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Tankard

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The brewpot had the lid on and it was pretty much sealed shut. It never touched the sides of the can at all, so I think it'll be alright. I guess time will tell though.

zacster

Recipes 

I'm using doubled up garbage cans for lagering, but these are NEW cans, never had garbage in them. I also put a few drops of bleach in the water just to keep it from getting funky since it'll be in there for most of a month.

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• Bottled and waiting:Amber Lager, Long gone. That was the best I ever made.
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Just remember, it doesn't have to be perfect to be really good beer.

Geekboy

Recipes 

I 2nd that. For 50-60 bucks you can buy a immersion chiller. It makes cooling sooo easy. I just pop the sucker in with 15 minutes left to boil. When the boil is done, connect the garden hose. Turn it on, and that's it.

I'm a newbie brewer (6 batches under my belt) and I really need to keep it simple. This helped eliminate one headache.

Tankard

Recipes 

The cheapest I've seen is around $80....

Beertk

Recipes 

Make one. It shouldn't cost 40$

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"I don't drink to find happiness. Coincidentally. I do enjoy listening to you much more after a beer or three."