Recent content by Redneck82

Also found out they use an air pump to push the hot liquid out of the tank. This should make a great wort aeration pump. If you get creative, parts from used appliances can really save you money when you are trying to upgrade your rig. Will post later on how well heating element works to...

Red Seal ale. Out of homebrew. Boo!

Being a brewer, you are part mad scientist, engineer, and plumber. So when our coffee maker fried it's circuit board, I decided to do exploratory surgery to see what I could use. I quickly realized that it already contains (relatively) easily cleaned liquid pumps that can handle near boiling...

Ok, time to admit defeat and ask for help... I've been trying to identify the technique, hop, and malt that gives New Belgium Fat Tire its distinctive taste, but i've been having trouble putting my finger on it. Recently, NB Shift pale lager came out, and it shares the mysterious flavor i'm...

Haven't had a tasting yet. I plan on transferring from carboy to corny keg tomorrow, and won't have a chance to taste until then. I just suspect there will be a detectable amount due to early fermentation temps. I'm just worried all this work might yield a butter-bomb. Tried pitching cold with...

Doing an over-hopped Helles/German Pils cross (miscalculated IBUs...wups). OG was 1.050. Plan was to pitch @68F and hold until fermentation started. Unfortunately, I was not able to cool down to 55F until full high krausen (ferm going for a full day and a half @68). Slowly lowered the temp...

Yes. The first version was a little heavy on the Munich, and too light on bittering hop addition. I would even suggest German Perle for bittering and using Tett/Hall for aroma/flavor. This is one of my favorite beers, and will be tweaking this recipe until it's good. Going to be moving cross...

Still haven't seen a good clone recipe yet. Anyway, came off close. These are the the latest: Grain: 8 lb German Pils Malt 1.5 lb Munich 0.5 lb CaraPils 1 lb acid malt (separate) 1oz Tettnanger 60 min 1oz Tett/1oz Hallertau 30 min 1 oz Hall. 15 min 1 oz Hall flame out. Mash- Tripple...

Depends on what you're making... If you're doing a stout at room temp (75ish) and age it at 85, you probably won't notice much difference. Now, say youre doing a pilsner. You ferment at 48, then try and lager in the attic(85). Because there is much less to hide behind (light malts, etc) once...

Haven't used either, however I have a couple of (hopefully) simple suggestions that may help. 1) get your water report. See what is actually in the water. A lot of beer styles (particularly one from England) require very hard water. Once you know what you have, you can use your tap water...

Yesterday, had a homebrew buddy over, and we did similar batches with two different techniques simultaneously. I did an enhanced double decoction, while my friend did an infusion/temp step mash. Both batches used identical brewing water, adjusted for PH, and used a conversion rest at 152F. I...

Just a side note, salt isn't always a bad thing...I've added sea salt to several brews (albeit in small quantities). Works great if you're doing a a corona clone (it's pretty good not skunked...) Went to hardware store today to get some fittings to re-engineer my IC. Should be doing a batch in...

The purpose of the salt is to allow you to add more ice without freezing your bath. Also, the addition of salt WILL lower the temp of the water, albeit a couple tenths of a degree. Lost- nice idea on the pump...think I'll borrow it! There has to be a more efficient way of cooling wort while...

Thanks for clarifying MikeYoung! One of the reasons I joined...practical application of chemistry to brewing. Odd note, but has anyone tried soldering their IC to the outside of the brewpot? Obvious disadvantages, but it wouldn't need to be as clean(never direct contact with wort, with a...