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I would guess that your beer was never that carbed to begin with, or you left too much headspace.

I have a HERMS with a 15 gal Blichmann, and used to just place the hose through the top of the kettle and holding it in place with the weight of the lid. It worked, but was inconvenient if I wanted to lift the lid for any reason. Also when moving hoses it gets to be a pain when you're worried...

I have tried using less pressure and have had mixed results. The best results I get is when the keg is at normal dispensing pressure. Make sure you chill the gun and hose down first though, to reduce foam. I leave mine in the kegerator for an hour or so before bottling. Then like ColoHox says...

Very interesting. Have you tried it, or know anyone who has? Looks like a potentially worthy competitor to other controllers.

Jon, I've been reviewing also using HSIs on the burners. If the burner goes out, does it automatically relight?

My understanding is that if your overall efficiency is too high (80% +) you suffer from a tannin taste in your beer. That being said, my mash efficiency is usually between 70-75%.

Measured Efficiency - Brewhouse efficiency based on volume, and gravity measured into the fermenter. My measured efficiency is running in the high 60s (percentage), and I'd like to increase it to the low/mid 70s (percentage) as I understand that's around the optimal efficiency desired. What...

How wide/far apart are the mounting arms at where they mount to your rig? I'm trying something similar, but mounting to 2'' square stock. What ga. metal did you use?

I bought myself a welder from Northern just to do a Brutus style build. With all the accessories and whatnot, probably set me back about $400. Another $175 for 50ft of plain 2x2 14ga. metal from a local shop. I enjoy these kinds of projects and am glad I bought everything to build it myself, and...

What are the implications of my ale fermentation temperatures varying up and down in a yo-yo pattern? My house is poorly insulated, and when the heat comes on the thermometers on my carboys varies between 64 and 72. Of course, this doesn't happen right away, but over a period of several...

The Kenmore looks nice. Is that a wood top? You'll need a drip tray, but those aren't too expensive. I usually cover mine with a rag anyways. Remeber though, that with both those options, the tower will most likely not stay cold. This means you'll pour a lot of foam. There are ways to fix this...

It's not as toxic as it sounds. I don't wear gloves or a mask. If anything I use it to rinse/wash my hands.

What's your mash temp?

Use this water calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php I use 1.5 qts per gallon, and stop the sparge when I get to the appropriate pre-boil volume. I batch sparge, and usually hit my numbers pretty close.

Just soak the sock/mesh bag in sanitizer and you will be fine.

Right now I use a 36 quart rectangular cooler. It works pretty well, but I'm always interested in improving my skills and knowledge.

And there lies the problem. I currently brew 5 gal batches, use a cooler, and use a pump to move things. I may move to 10 gal batches in the future. I'm contemplating how I want to build my brew sculpture.

Should I use a cooler or a kettle for a mash tun?

Exactly. I had the exact same reaction when I read that sentence. I don't mind a company making profit, but it has to stay true to itself. Clearly AB InBev isn't staying true to the brands it is acquiring. A company like AB InBev can't stay as profitable forever without acquiring more and more...

I also have a plate chiller from Duda Diesel and it works great. As long as I can keep trub out of it...I'm still working on that, but I'd like to not have to leave my plate chiller since it works so well, and so fast. I started with the IC from Brewers Best. $70. Then I talked to a buddy of...