Recent content by TBar

ibid!

I have run star san through the keg for every batch I've done for over a year w no issues. I can't think of any reason not to.

I've seen large scale water jackets like the one you are describing in power plants. Maximize surface area contact and insulate the outside and it can work, especially if you are using it just to offset ambient losses.

You will get a slightly higher hop utilization and slightly less caramelization of your lme w a full 5 gallon boil. For most 5 gallon beers the bitterness change will be negligible. If you are concerned you can use beersmith or a similar program to predict and adjust. I started full...

It depends on the gravity you want. Use this: (original gravity desired - measured original gravity) x 5 -------------------------------------------------------------- .044 This will tell you lbs of dme you need.

You won't kill yeast w low temp it will slow toward dormancy. You could build a foam insulation box for about $6 from HD and put a light bulb inside to provide heat. Once you get temps back up your yeast will liven up. Get it done soon though because competing bacteria will keep multiplying...

That heat exchanger would work in reverse but personally I'd be careful. There is a lot of bacteria friendly non-food grade surface area on the outside of that thing.

I go low tech. I throw a clean stainless colander in the last 10 mins of the boil then zip tie the handles of the colander to the primary bucket handle to secure it for 2 handed pouring. I have done this since batch one so I can't personally attest to trub effect on fermentation....but...

I'm my admittedly limited experience if you ferment lager yeast hot you end up with fusel alcohol flavors in the normal fermentation window. When I did this I put the hoppy paint thinner in my keezer and forgot it for a couple months. It turned out fine after giving the yeast time to sort their...

Caldur's is the more accurate method. My post is a thumbrule as I don't typically measure my DME in smaller than .5 lb increments :mug:

jonuggs, DME is more sugar and less moisture per lb, so you get more fermentables by weight for DME. Since LME is 15-20% water you need 15-20% more LME in a given recipe. It varies slightly by brand, efficiency, etc but a good thumbrule with a normal brewhouse is: 1 lb. Base malt = .75 lb...

Don't worry. The galvanic potential between most common grades of ss and Al is low to begin with (less than .5V usually). On top of that your Al is probably anodized, which gives it a thicker protective oxide layer. This oxide layer is stable in a neutral or acidic ph down to about 4.0. The...

CO2 is heavier than air. I crash in a carboy, using vodka in the seal. Then when I keg I purge the empty keg with a little CO2 with the top off. The keg becomes a bucket of CO2 and will stay that way for a decent amount of time in a room w low air flow (verified w sniffer). This minimizes the...

Brew it as is and take notes. It will be slightly different than what you planned but it will be beer...you may find you prefer the extra crystal malt sweetness. In the end you'll have an oatmeal stout freshly brewed by you. Relax and enjoy it!

Greetings, If you need help w anything mechanical or electrical just let me know. I'm in Perry and am designing my system now. :mug: