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I'm getting ready to use my Blichmann Ferementator for the for the first time. I've cleaned the tank and lib with PBW and I'm soaking all the fittings. I understand I have to sanitize all of the fittings, tank and lid prior to use. I'm wonder if I need to remove the weldless bulkhead fitting...

I've got two March 815 SS pumps for sale. They've got about a year's worth of use on them. The original plugs have been replaced. I needed Nema locking plugs for my brew panel. I have since replaced those and switched them back to the standard 3 prong plugs. I'm asking $100 a piece

I had some flooding in my basement today, quite a bit actually. After the clean up I went to check the beer. Evidently my temperature controller shorted out in the water and my freezer chest was doing was freezer chests are supposed to do. The inside temp was about 1 degree Fahrenheit. The...

I tried the limited release Surly Whalezbrah handed out at Homebrewcon last night. Awesome beer!! I love it when you taste a beer and get something a lot different than most of anything you've had before. I spent a good time trying to place some of the flavors I was getting out of it and just...

I had a nice patersbier kegged. I had gone through a little more than half the keg, maybe a month in the keg. I moved the keggerator from one side of the basement to the other and subsequently pulled a beer, and my nice golden patersbier had turned a stinky pale brown. Initially I thought I...

Anyone have any suggestions on how get the dip tube and ball valve in a kettle aligned correctly? What I mean by this is that I have the threaded npt nipple in the hole of the kettle wall with nuts, washers and gaskets locking it in place. I attach my ball valve so that the handle is aligned...

I'm getting ready to brew a beer for an Iron Chef sort of contest in my brew club. This thing is going to be a real Frankenstein beer. The ingredients I have to accentuate/work with are smoked malt, honey malt, tomahawk hops, and Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen (3068). I've got a recipe put...

I did my first decoction mash yesterday. It never goes right the first time does it? First of all I got a little scorching. I stirred constantly but I got a little burning regardless. Maybe I applied a little too much heat. The biggest spot was about 2-3 inches in diameter. I had 2 or 3...

I kegged up a Saison a few weeks ago. I'm keeping my fridge on the warmer side around 54 degrees. I wanted the saison to be pretty highly carbonated so based on the warmer temp I calculated that I needed to be around 20 psi on the keg. Now when I draw a beer it is almost 100% foam. I have to...

I used to be a pretty hard core marathoner. I ran my last race in 2008 after I injured my achilles. It's a big tendon, takes a long time to heal and it seemed like every time I'd try and get going again it would flair back up. Now I'm just a big fat guy who brews beer. I still run a bit. In...

I took my first stab at adjusting my water this weekend. I'm on a well and my water goes through a softener. When I got my water report it was exactly what you'd expect, high sodium, no calcium, and high alkalinity. I used the Bru'n Water spreadsheet and came up with a profile for a pale...

So I just got a water report back from Wards. A little background information, I'm on well and I have a water softener. Palmer says that you should absolutely not use softened water in all grain brewing. It sounds like the one big factor there is that the salt and calcium get exchanged in the...

I've been brewing for about a year. I have probably have close to 10 batches under my belt at this point, the last few all grain. I think if I had my way I might brew every weekend. I just wouldn't know what to do with the beer. In reality I get maybe once a month, a little less than that...

I'm trying to put my first recipe together in BeerSmith and I wanted to get some input. I've done a couple of all grain brews with some success. I want to do something pretty straight forward and simple for a first crack at this. I've put together what I think should be a pretty standard...

I just got finished with my first all grain batch and it was a failure. I'm going to go ahead and ferment it to see what happens by my OG was 1.030 and it should have been 1.045. It's barely going to be beer. I mashed in at 148 for 75 minutes. It's a Hefe and I wanted a light body. I hit...

As a relatively new brewer I experienced an unmitigated catastrophe today. I emptied two kegs within just a few days of one another. I refilled one keg today with a Scottish Ale, but that's at least 3 weeks away before I want to crack it. I have a Saison conditioning. That one is 4-6 weeks...

So I've been doing this for about 8 months or so and I've have have some pretty good success. I want to have GREAT success. So I want to refine my technique a little more. I think my cleanliness is pretty good and I'm patient. However, other than the fact that I know the room where I keep my...

My kids got me kit from Northern Brewers for Fathers Day. They had both brewed a couple of batches and thought I might like to try it. Yup, I'm hooked. I've brewed probably have a dozen extract kits up to this point. I've got a Saison and a Scottish Ale conditioning right now. I built a...