Recent content by riromero

If you can get betadine or povidone-iodine from a drugstore or from a doctor, mix 1 Tbsp with 5 gallons of water for a bulk sanitizer solution.

Another issue besides being food safe is oxygen permeability. I think I remember this being a problem for all but a couple of plastic types. But the real problem for me is finding a container of any plastic material that is 6.5 gallons or larger. Impossible for me outside of the homebrew...

I never found a thermometer I liked for one reason or another. What I really wanted was an accurate remote temperature reading with a long probe. Like 3 feet long. So I got a LM34 sensor for $2.50, stuck it into the crimped and soldered end of 1/4" copper tubing (10 ft for $10). Adding a...

I usually taste my starter, especially the first smaller steps, just to make sure it fermented. Oftentimes if I let it go overnight, the whole thing will be done by morning. If I'm using harvested yeast and don't have enough for a gravity test, if I taste sweet wort in the morning, then I know...

Now you've got me thinking... The OG/FG is just a measurement of the minuscule weight of beer displaced by the hydrometer. So with your sightglass idea, if the top of the tube were closed, then when you open the stopcock the trapped air pressure would reflect the entire weight of beer above the...

I use Glacier. It's RO water with an extra UV sanitizer step. I've never used it in a mash straight, however. I always add trace minerals to match the composition of water from a particular locale. But it's as easy as adding a gram or two of chalk/gypsum/salt/baking soda/epsom salt to the...

I fermented outside for many years. Winter is best because it's way easier to warm liquid up slightly than to cool it down. I use the garbage can full of water method. Put the fermentation vessel in the water so that it just barely floats. To maintain constant temperature in Winter, I use an...

+1 on the grain conditioning using cyclonite's method. Not just for efficiency either since less flour also means way less trub after the boil in my experience. Less trub means more beer per batch.

And there's the modified pasta roller malt crusher for around $15. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/using-pasta-maker-mill-grain-75784/ I used mine for a couple of years before it fell apart and I sprung for a barley crusher.

I use gentle wound spray in a bottle that looks identical to the one Revvy posted. It's been several years since I looked, but at that time the MSDS for the wound spray product had ingredients identical to the brewery specific sanitizer I used previously. This isn't just iodine. It is 1% iodine...

+1 on the waiting. I had a batch go way, way down using WLP026. Going into the secondary it tasted nasty: bitter and harsh like rubbing alcohol. So I waited another 2 weeks, by which time the improvement was noticeable enough that I continued to wait. After about 5-6 weeks in the secondary it...

I'm going to be giving bottles as gifts to friends that aren't necessarily beer aficionados. I was thinking to add the spice as a tea at bottling time anyway. Taking your advice to split the batch, it might be cool to give out both spiced and unspiced versions to each person for comparison. Thanks.

I'm thinking to use this as a basis for a Christmas spiced porter. Maybe go a little crazy on the spice with ginger, allspice, vanilla and orange peel. I want people to know it's Christmas. Too much?

Where did you find the bottles in that third picture? Those are very nice.

+1 on conditioning. Personally, my grist has alot of flour even, but I sparge with a braid and haven't had any problems with a very, very fine crush.