Recent content by Somesaymybeerisdrinkable

If you rewire the coffee urn to bypass the thermostat I'm sure switching by your controller would be fine since all that would be left is a resistive heating element. I'm not sure if their thermostat is adjustable or preset like my cheap Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker.

If someone makes "crappy beer" but they and their friends enjoy it is it "crappy"?

Often homebrewers romanticize the notion of letting the beer take its time, but if you pitch a healthy amount of yeast it can be finished in a few days. Taking gravity readings is critical to ensure fermentation is finished before packaging especially if bottling. Another reason many...

During active fermentation the air lock is not really needed, but leaving the beer in the fermenter too long without an air lock will increase the risk of oxidation, or if sealed exploding fermenter. Some might argue oxidized beer is preferable to an exploding fermenter.

I am taking about using the stopper you use for the airlock just with tubing connecting the keg gas post. It doesn't need to hold much pressure, but with some of the CO2 coming out of solution as you transfer the pressure will rise slightly. If you can get another lid that doesn't have the hole...

I would do closed gravity transfers with my fermonster with tubing between the spigot and keg liquid out post, and tubing from the gas in to the bung at the top of the fermenter. As beer fills the purged keg CO2 is pushed out into the fermenter headspace.

Don't forget forging your own kettle.

If a system that stops heating at a preset temperature is cheating then isn't automatic fermentation temperature control also cheating?

I did the same thing, but for me it was more about leaning and having fun. I pay for Brewfather because I like it, but would be fine without it.

I'm curious how it turns out. Is one hop pellet enough? Since maximum dry hop utilization is between 4 and 8 g/l you could have used as much as 4 g in this bottle. I wonder if attaching the muslin bag to the tube would work so the hops can be free in the bottle.

Some people on here are experts most of us are just opinionated amateurs. Your beer is probably oxidized, although many used to transfer to a secondary and were happy with the results. Try a sample of the beer if it is good flat it might be worth bottling.

I have only bottled beer and cider from a keg. Some CO2 will come out of solution when you bottle using a counter pressure filler will minimize it. Fill the bottles to minimize headspace there will still be air in the remaining headspace, but you can minimize that by capping on foam. Agitate the...

I've never done this but if you use Voss you won't get the banana or clove flavor expected with a hef. The orange flavor might be good, but don't let any beer Judges near it. If you do it let us know how it turns out.

I was holding out hope for the brown ale kit. So far these kits have made beer that is inferior to all grain batches I've done using short & shoddy methods. I also had an all DME beer turn out better then these kits. I do believe if you are working with fresh HME you can get good results, but...

Oxidation is the biggest risk when bottling from a keg, but that is not normally associated with metallic. Next time bottle an extra bottle and try to store it the same as beers in the competition. When you get your score sheet try and see if you get the same flavor notes they do.