Recent content by mendelec

I was thinking of perhaps grabbing more, but alas, the mega sale seems to have ended.

None of them truly excite me, as I don't usually brew lower abv beers, but I can definitely get behind the idea of cheap lazy beer. At those prices, it opens up some opportunities to fiddle with some of the odder ideas I've had percolating -or to accessorize and enhance them and still end up way...

I'd be happy to give it a test. I have the th1 and the th2, so it would be an interesting comparison.

I have a plastic one that's even simpler, from my wine making days. Similar concept, with a tapered cylinder that squeezed the cork. But, instead of levers, it has a piston of sorts with a handle on top for you to lean on. Worked fine and I made a lot of wine with it. You're welcome to it if...

Looks nice and it sure would be convenient to have all those features in one unit. Love you inkbird!

I'm going to respectfully disagree about a bunsen burner acting as an air cleaning device. No harm, but no help. Frankly, I'd be concerned that a larger burner like a camping stove would cause a draft, in addition to being a fire hazard indoors. But, you do you and if it works for you, great. I...

No worries. There is a bit of art to it and it's kind of hard to convey in text. Not difficult, once you get the hang of it, but maybe not easy to put into words or convey even in a video. I learned by watching and being critiqued in person. Yes, those bottles are pricey. I'll admit I'm still...

As far as streaking the plates, I'm not sure I can add a ton over what you can readily find on the internet. But again, hold your breath when you have the plate open. Start with the plate inverted. Just like you stored them. Wearing gloves, lift off the bottom, streak the plate, and return the...

Here are two homemade loops for streaking plates. I've chosen metal objects for the handle, as that handles heat and sanitizing/sterilizing better than plastic. And, I happen to like a bit of weight in the handle. Personal preference. Anything non-porous will do. One is a metal chopstick and the...

Think you-all are overcomplicating this. Very little specialized equipment is needed to make a decent agar plate. But, you do need to appreciate that there's a big difference between the sanitation we use in brewing and sterile technique. I'll try to walk you through what I do at home. It's...

Indeed. Although at the level of pasteurization, there is a time and temp aspect, which is to a certain extent, how one can have a no boil brew and not die. But, neither pasteurization temps nor boiling will touch bacterial spores like C. botulinum. And, it isn't the pressure either. It's that...

Now that's an interesting thought and I do have couple spare kegs about. Hmmm... At that volume, I'd just be inclined to mash a batch and boil it long enough to not worry, since I don't have anything that I can use to pressure sterilize a full volume pressure. Just boiled though, I'd still...

My small addition to the Mason jars in the pressure cooker/canner conversation is that I usually grow my starters out in 2 steps from the frozen stocks, so I also keep repurposed baby bottles that have about 250ml of starter in them for the first round out of the freezer. It's also handy to have...

I make my own from agar powder and DME. I keep a sterile bottle of agar in dme on hand (pressure cooker as an autoclave) to microvave to melt and pour on short notice. Much like my old lab days. If I'm unsure of the sterility of my petri dishes, I'll sanitize them before use. My workspace is...