Recent content by scruff311

I was going to buy a couple of kegs from someone who was using them for kombucha. I'd be using them for beer, but I was hesitant because I wasn't sure if the regular process of PBW + Star San would be enough to make sure there would be no lingering cultures that would re-ferment my beer. Is...

Hello, I built a glycol chiller from an old 5000 BTU window A/C unit a few months ago. It works great, except that every 2 or 3 chilling cycles (on average) it trips the GFCI outlet I have it plugged into. I've tried different circuits and removed every other load from the circuit and it still...

What do you use to keep your HLT at a steady temperature? I first tried a thermostat controlled 1000W submersible heater in a 5 gallon cooler but this struggled to keep the temperature above 176F when the pump was on which was giving me a mash temp of 146F (inefficiency due to 25' 3/8" coil I...

After much tinkering with my setup, I've decided I'd like to heat my HLT via an induction heater. I need the ability to keep the water at a specific temperature, either with some built in mechanism, or using an external thermostat in which case something that could simply be turned on/off as...

Hmm, okay I guess I had it a little backwards then. So do you guys keep recirculating during the entire mash? Also, I've noticed pretty big temp gradients across the grain bed. I'll usually get say 152 at the top and something like 147 at the bottom. Have you experienced something similar and...

I am using a 15 gallon stainless kettle as a MLT with a stainless thermowell at about the 4.5 gallon mark that extends to pretty much the center of the MLT. The probe for the Inkbird goes in this thermowell. For most batches, this will be sitting in the top 25% or so of the mash. The MLT outlet...

I put together a HERMS setup for mashing and have been using the Inkbird Itc-308 for temp control of the mash. My biggest problem with it is that the thermometer is very slow to reach the correct reading, especially when compared to my Thermopen. This results in a 3-6 degree increase in a couple...

Yea I agree, I don't know why I stated 18%. I've had 1.66 gal/hr plugged into Beersmith for a while and it was reliable for 60 minute boils. Seems the 90 minute boils were more like 1.37 gal/hr. Yes I do, and I hear your point about consistency with the burner. What's weird though is my...

Hi, I've been frustrated by my two most recent brews where i ended up with > 1/2 gallon more wort than expected, but obviously short of my intended O.G. Both of these brews were 90 minute boils (mostly Pilsner malt grists), where I usually boil for 60 minutes and my volumes are more on target...

Hi, I converted my old 15 gallon kettle to a mash tun and put in a thermowell to house the probe for my thermostat in my new HERMS system. The thermowell sits about 5" from the base of the mash tun which puts it at about the 4.5 gallon mark. On a typical batch, this is maybe 1" below the top...

I am new to reusing and storing yeast. I am not 'washing' the yeast, but I am creating a double starter, pitching half in my wort and storing the other half in a sterilized mason jar. I have one such strain with which I have done this twice so I am considering this strain 2nd generation (it has...

Fantastic calculator! Thanks! That empirical simplified equation I referenced earlier should be shot.

*Sorry for the typo in the thread title. Can't change it after posting apparently* So when looking to balance your draft system, there is this simple equation that can be used to calculate how long your liquid lines should be for a given serving pressure...

Thank you for that fantastic explanation! So I'm assuming that the Firestone posts won't work with this tapered APC keg :(. I guess I just have to live with it as a pin lock keg.

Old thread, but I also have an Alloy Products Corp pin lock keg and I want to buy a ball lock conversion kit. I don't know what is meant by 'tapered' so has anyone tested whether the Firestone threads work on the APC kegs?