Recent content by frailn

count me in!

BINGO - that's why when I finally decided to invest in a good pot, I went for 15 gallons. You will eventually want to do these things (long boils, higher grain bills). Plus you won't have to mess with top off water or worry about boil overs. That extra five gallons is so worth it. I'm...

I started out BIAB using a very cheap 7 gallon aluminum turkey fryer pot, then switched up to a a very nice 15 gallon stainless steel polarware pot, with much more thickness. Both required some sort of insulation for maintaining mash temps. Even if it is just a bunch of towels thrown over the...

+1 on the Weber Kettle. It's a great way to get started without breaking the bank. You can get used ones at garage sales or craigslist pretty cheap since they are a dime a dozen. I put an aluminum pan in the middle, fill it with water a beer or some apple cider vinegar. Or even beans! Then...

I have done 8% ABV beers with 3711 and never had a problem carbing up quickly when bottling. I don't think it will be an issue at 10%. But, if you want to be absolutely sure - try searching the forum on the use of champagne yeast at bottling for high ABV beers. There is a lot of info out...

When I got my stir plate earlier this year, I SWORE I wouldn't do this on my first pitch. Well, I did it, too. LOL. I just put a magnet on the end of my long stainless steel spoon, hit it with santizer, then stuck the spoon in the wort and moved it around until I heard a click - pulled that stir...

I think she meant that dry-hopping with ground coffee beans is like using a coffee "Toddy" - which is a name brand cold brewing device for coffee. http://www.toddycafe.com/ Basically, she's just saying that they are throwing the beans directly into the fermenting beer. Just like dry-hopping...

According to this article: http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/boulevard-roasterie-coffee-ale/Content?oid=3146005 Boulevard simply dry-hopped with freshly ground coffee beans. Belden is Elizabeth Belden who works for Boulevard. I read a comment on that same site by someone who tasted...

If I get slack on the pipeline, I get scolded by the wife. Go brew some damn beer! What's wrong with you! The only complaint she has is that I keep sticking fermenters around the dining room that aren't pretty. Now, only the glass carboy is allowed because it looks nice. Oh, and get the 5,345...

Thanks! That is confirmation of what I was thinking. I got the cherries-in-a-barrel concept into my head because that is what they do at Boulevard brewery. Or at least that is what the guide told us when I took the tour. Tertiary does seem to make more sense for homebrewing and fine tuning...

Ran out of bottle caps while bottling. So, two pints of uncarbed porter that's only 10 days old.

I agree with skipping the bittering hop on a Nelson Sauvin brew. I have made two different batches of american wheat using a half ounce of Williamette at 20 and half ounce at 5 minutes, then an ounce of Nelson at flame out and dry hop for two weeks with an ounce. I think the flavors and aroma...

I'm thinking about purchasing a five gallon, recently emptied whiskey barrel. Brew up a barleywine or quad (not sure yet) and secondary in the barrel. But, I want to add cherries as well. I understand that the barrel aging at this volume in this size barrel will probably be less than a month...

Just broke my first one. Had from the day I first started brewing in December, 2010 :(

I would take the wife out for a fancy dinner and a show. Then.... I would buy whatever the rest of the budget and my tiny apartment allows for fermentation control. Ice water baths just aren't cutting it. I can keep it low, but I get 5 - 10 degree swings when I can't be home to keep an eye on it.