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It looks like the "Beefy Bodine" motors that were highly recommended in the past are nowhere to be found anymore. Does anyone have an updated list of acceptable gearmotors for motorizing a mill? I'd really like to stick with the gearmotor instead of using a belt solution.

I've been using the spare bathroom in my apartment as my fermentation/everything brew related room for the last few years now, but the summer temps always put a damper on things. It's fairly small, 7.5'x5.5' with a full tub, but no windows. I'm thinking about a portable air conditioner, I...

So, a few weeks ago I managed to blow up a hose while flushing my pump. Thankfully it was only cold water, but it scared the crap out of me, and left me thinking about finding tougher hose. Anyone have any sources for 1/2", hi temp, braided or otherwise much tougher than the tan hi-temp stuff...

I've been pouring perfectly carbed, foam free beer (well not foam free, but a nice head at the top of the glass) out of my picnic taps at 10 psi for a while now, and finally got the bug to use my old faucets/tap handles. They were originally in a tower, which I ditched because of the major...

I've noticed a white film at the top of some of my beers lately. It's thin but contiguous, it sort of "breaks" if you touch it with a sanitized rod. I first noticed it caked along the insides of 2 fermentor kegs after transferring, and popped a few others open to check. Some had it, some...

So after a long week of waiting, I received my Blichmann burner on saturday. Got the leg extensions bolted on, carried it outside, went to screw in the gas jet fitting into the inlet, and there are no threads! It looks as if the hole was either cast too large for the tap during threading, or...

I'm finishing up my first batch of NB's hydromel and need to get another going. I want to keep it light and fast and a little carbonated, and thought that some Pom juice would be great. Anyone have any suggestions as to how much for a 5 gallon batch? Put in at primary when I stir in the...

I sent my first beer off to competition a few weeks ago, carefully following all instructions, or so I thought. I somehow missed the bit stating "Obliterate any lettering or graphics on the cap with a permanent black marker", and sure enough, my cap had a little small lettering. So, if my beer...

So how much does a stirplate really increase cell count? I've read some posts and literature that claim up to a 10 fold increase, but the Wyeast calculator seems to show only about a 30% increase. I've used a stirplate on all of my starters and have always had very vigorous fermentation, but...

I have seen small amounts of hydrogen peroxide mixed in with potato dextrose agar when working under less than ideal conditions for mycology use. The theory was that living organisms (the mycelium in this case) could process the peroxide in small concentrations, while spores would be destroyed...

I'm thinking about starting a frozen yeast bank directly from a smack pack. To those who have done this instead of building a starter or harvesting, do you smack the pack first, or just use as is and keep the yeast in relative dormancy?

So I attempted my first BIAB last weekend, and so far it appears to have been a success! I had done a few partial mashes with good results, and tried the Northern Brewer Chocolate Milk Stout kit. I was hesitant to brew a beer with so many additions for my first AG batch, but so far so good. I...

I recently restarted extract brewing after taking a good amount of time off, and the so-far, so-good results have me thinking about heading to all-grain. I don't mind having to buy new equipment, but I want to buy the right gear the first time around. I live in a large, but second floor...

So I know there are a few posts asking about these already, but it looks like it hasn't come up in a few months. Have any more people had experiences with these, good or bad? There were the usual posts about concerns over oxygen permeability, if you use one have you noticed any off flavors...