Recent content by bolshoifish

Not to be pedantic, your process is what works for you and I'm not trying to change that, but the fact that we are way under the supersaturation point of sugar and water and diffusion ensure that you never have to worry about the sugar content being lower. Sugars simply don't "fall out" (as you...

If you pour a bunch of water in (or dump a bunch of sugar in) after the boil, then of course it will lead to unequal distribution. I don't think I'm alone in interpreting your above statements as applying to all cases. To be clear, there shouldn't be any significant difference in gravity...

Is this something you actually have observed, or just a precaution? I wouldn't think that the relatively small amount of time it takes to cool the wort after a boil (which mixes the solution quite well) would lead to any sort of significant difference in sugar concentration at the bottom of the...

Maybe I'm missing something, but he's increasing his grain bill in addition to the adding of water. Are you claiming that the proteins tend to stay in the grain much more than the sugars, thus resulting in a watery beer?

The best thing you can do to help keep your temps is to increase your batch size. The increase in surface area pales in comparison to increase in volume. Thus, you have a lot more heat with less surface area.. leading to much better heat retention. I mashed with 16 gallons in a shed with the...

Got all the parts, put it together on Friday and brewed 18 gallons of an IPA with it (44 lbs. of grain). Fits like a glove in the Winco 80-quart. With the bottom sitting flush against one "side", there is probably around 3/64-1/8 inch gap on the other side. The fittings are from...

I measured the internal diameter last night: its a bit over 19 5/8 inches. Assuming that they aren't off on the name of this product, this 19 5/8" false bottom from Midwest Supplies should work! Also, the weldless bulkhead (I have the silicone seal from Bargain fittings) can be configured to...

I also have a 80-qt winware pot that I want to get a false bottom for. Did the above midwest supplies false bottom work? Or did you go with something else? Also, do you have a weldless fitting for the spigot? Did the height of the weldless kit cause any problems?

I should probably just read a textbook, but in not so few words, your saying they alter the conditions to induce additional yeast growth? If not, I would think the reactions producing esters due to fermentation at higher temperatures varies considerably from those produced via anabolic...

You really shouldn't have that much of a problem. Wrapping it in something will help (I glued together an xps foam box that fits around my pot), but the larger the pot, the less of an influence the surrounding air will have. If you are worried, it is easier to to add slightly less water than...

So, if a commercial brewer wanted to scale a recipe that relied on a relatively moderate pitching rate for the taste, how would they do so? I would imagine that underpitching isn't really an option on a large scale since the possible lack of profitability is an issue in the highly competitive...

Many single cell organisms, especially ones that lack strong membranes (like yeast) have a defense mechanism where they build a layer of protein/lipid around themselves to help reduce the impact of cold/dryness (otherwise the internal water pressure would cause them to burst for instance). It...

Maybe I didn't word my statement well, but your reply is what I was going for: overpitching will reduce the number of compounds. Thus standard pitching rates in homebrewing would yield more yeast growth and more various flavor compounds. If this had any significant flavor change, then one...

Would the amount of yeast used in commercial operations be considered "overpitching" by most homebrew dogma? If so, why are the purported flavors produced by excessive yeast growth not considered 'off flavors", seeing as they don't show up in most commercial operations? Or am I missing...