Recent content by Rocket

I have a MaltMill with the gear drive option. The gear drive option allows the crank to drive both rollers. I makes a really nice crush. Adjusting the rollers is easy. You loosen the set screw and then turn the thumbwheel to set the gap and then tighten the set screw. No tools required.

I like to brew with a 5,000,000 BTU propane burner in a small room. I sit on the propane tank right next to the burner, covered in gasoline while lighting a cigar with a butane torch. If I really get excited, I start bumping the propane tank against the burner. If it's taking to long, I just...

This isn't exactly related, but another way to combat boil-overs is to make an addition of 0.25 - 0.5 oz of hops right at the beginning of the boil. The hop oils help keep the boil from foaming up too much. So this way you might be able to get away with having a little more wort in a smaller pot.

I considered the Phil Mill II, but like you, I couldn't find much information about it. What I did find indicated that it was a good mill. I think my LHBS might use one. Anyway, I ended up buying a MaltMill Model A (adjustable roller with the gear drive option). I don't have anything to...

Nah, the difference between the coiled pipe in the CFC and a straight pipe is probably barely detectable with lab equipment, if there actually is any difference. Head loss in pipe flow comes from entrance effects (like when the wort flows from the kettle into the pipe), surface roughness, sharp...

From your description I assume you are using a gravity setup. That is, gravity and siphoning is the only thing moving your wort around. Anyway, once you get a good siphon going, as long as there is at least a small difference in height of the fluid levels, you should be okay. That is, make...

Hmmm..... I don't have experience with this, but I would think after 24hrs you would see some fermentation activity. I defer to those who know more than I. Is it possible that the yeast has propagated and fermented while you weren't looking? Is that sediment in the bottom of the bottle or is...

I'm not going to knock CAMRA for what they are trying to do. In fact, the only reason I was able to enjoy Caledonian Ale in Scotland a few years ago is probably because of CAMRA. Personally I like the real ale style. Of course, I like to brew a different beer every time. Variety is the spice...

I was really referring to the statement about tube wall thickness, which for realistic values does not have a measurable impact on heat exchanger (wort chiller) efficiency. Reading it in the afternoon, it isn't exactly a clear statement. I shouldn't post in the mornings.:) In the case of a...

I think what you mean here is that the thickness of the tubing has an impact on the efficiency of the heat exchanger right? This would be because the thicker tubing takes longer to change temperature. The thermal resistance of most common metals is practically zero. Tube wall thicknesses in...

Well no ****. Your from the dairy capitol of the US, and in a "reasturaunt" no less. What else would you expect? Wow I shouldn't read posts in the mornings. I do love Wisconsin cheddar though. Here is a place where you can buy multiples. It looks like less than $5 each for 6...

PID controllers just turn things off and on based on a set point. Well, not exactly anyway. PID stand for Proportional-Integral-Derivative. Basically a PID controller uses feedback from sensors that are connected to it to "learn" how the system as a whole responds. It then "understands"...

Sorry it took so long to get back. I looked at some fairly simple calculations and it does look like there would be a pretty good benefit in wrapping the sides of a keggle with 2 in. fiberglass batting. You would definitely have to be careful to keep it away from the burner. If I were to do...

I think that's pretty unlikely. I have never done it before, but I doubt the burner is more than 10,000 BTU (I could be wrong). However, if I were to try boiling with a low BTU burner, you might be able to do it if you wrapped the sides of the keggle in insulation and then put some kind of...

When you are setting up a corny keg, you should crank the output pressure to about 30 psi to properly seat the seals. Then you can turn it back down to your carbonating/serving pressure. You don't have to leave at 30 psi, just crank it up once to get the pressure in the head space and then...