Hey - pretty funny I came back to see if others had more recipes on SA IRA. and realized I was in on this thread. Been away from the brew game for a few years now (new kid)
How did your clone turn out?
I don't know... I have an old crusty carboy (glass) that still has gunk inside... and beer hoses that grew legs and walk around (from sitting in the hot garage after a party). I wouldn't trust it... but normally would agree with you that it can be cleaned!
:mug:
I'm working into this too... I hate the heavy glass carboys so use better bottles now. Besides, if I used the pails, I'd buy new ones each brew since I am so lazy about cleaning some times! :o
I've done a few all nighters too. My neighbors didn't appreciate all the water hose cleaning and pot scrubbing at 3AM! Plus it's a PITA when your brew day starts warm enough for shorts, but you end up wearing cold weather gear by the end.
I'd not use an airlock but release pressure now and then. Secondaries still ferment and produce CO2 - if you put a spunding valve on you won't have to worry about it and can start the carb process off - if not even fully carb it all like the Germans do, all without priming sugars or force...
I've seen a few posts about fermenting in heat resistant food grade buckets by pitching the day after, but I thought I'd take my poor planning and laziness to the next level in my last two brews. I'd love to hear of others doing the same...
I planned a Munich Helles and Oktoberfest lager for...
Yeah I missed the dilution tool - very simple in hindsight. I was trying to see the addition as a part of the recipe - i.e. add water. When I add the water there, no changes happen to the Gravity measures - or any measures - they all just twitch! I saw some unanswered posts on this on the BS...
Won't the water addition change the bitterness profile? According to BeerSmith it dilutes the recipe as a whole - or that's the result from how I'm trying to use it. The new version is very confusing on doing these top off's.
I brewed an Oktoberfest Lager yesterday that should have come in...
Wort chiller definitely. I just got a Therminator and a pump and am wondering why I waited so long to get this. Life is much easier with these toys... And I never will buy ice again (except maybe dead in the middle of summer).
Yeah they worked great for me. I had to really push down and grind it on one side since they plastic spacers are so tall, but the complete set gets you back into business quick without worrying about what's not going to work next. It's worth the cash and who knows how long they will be around...