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OK guys, I have a question regarding the theory of "its the mash and not the water." I understand that the grain lowers the pH of the mash, but what happens when you start to sparge? I batch sparge, so my concern is that I would be adding unadjusted water to the grain and risk tannin...

I second the fact that Koelsch yeasts are messy and stink like hell. To date the only time I've ever had a blowout was using Koelsch yeast. Granted that back then I was fermenting in my kitchen pantry...but still :cross: But they sho' do make some good beer. Cheers, Matt

So here's the story...I've been brewing for about 4 years now, and from the start I've been trying to get that grain/barley flavor in my beer. It's a subtle flavor that can be found in almost every commercial example form Sierra Nevada to Bud. Imagine my delight when I finally found that...

I decided to skip the 3 tier setup and start out with a single tier HERMS system. I can't say whether or not it improved my efficiency, but definitely slowed me down for the first two batches. Here are a few lessons from my experience: - Buy more hose and quick connect fittings than you think...

After brewing a 10 gallon batch this afternoon I realized that whole leaf hops absorb a lot of wort...3 quarts in my case. I used 6 oz of plugs to brew this beer, which is not my normal method, but my LHBS only had plugs of the variety I needed. I have 2 questions: 1. Do pellets absorb...

Thanks for the update. I will gladly wait for it since I loved the trial version. Now that I know what's happening I feel like an ass for expecting a quick turnaround. -Matt

I ordered the software on 3/8, and I have not been contacted or emailed. I tried calling them for the last 2 days and all I get is a message saying "please call back at a later time." Are they out of business? Thanks, Matt

I made my first all grain batch last weekend using a setup very similar to yours. I can confirm that you are unlikely to get get full pump flow through the grain bed, unless you are really moving the bottom of your grain bed constantly. I ended up choking back the discharge of the pump to...

Morebeer is in CA, and they offer free shipping on orders over $60. -Matt

I would recommend using a low flow through the pre-chiller and CFC. This gives the water more contact time with both the ice bath and the hot wort in your CFC. I don't have a CFC, but I do use a pre-chiller for my immersion system. I crudely balance the flow by feeling the tube temps on the...

OK, so as long as you keep the back pressure below the maximum for the pump, all is well. I used to work with dosing pump that used backpressure loops, but now I've got a sweet PD model that shuts itself down automatically. So what about the March pump, can it be controlled with a valve the...

What type of pumps don't have flow control. I though you could always adjust flow by restricting the outlet. Right or wrong? -Matt

One beer doesn't seem fitting enough. I have about 6 bottles of Belgian and north German beer from my last trip. Looks like tonight's the night. :mug: Here's to you:mug: -Matt

Thanks for the advice I agree with Damn Squirrels, this is a very unique screw-up. I had labels on every carboy except one, but I accidentally mislabeled the other carboy. This can all be traced back to having too much beer available at time of labeling:drunk: I will park the keg in the...

Here's the story: I went to transfer a amber ale into a keg the other day. I grabbed the only unlabeled carboy in my lagering chest and siphoned it into a keg (never mind why I had an ale in the lagering chest, it's a long story) I placed the keg on a 14 psi line for a few days and drew a...

Back when I did partial boils, I migrated from bottled water to 100% filtered tap water. Depending on the temperature I was trying to reach, I would either use water from the kitchen faucet or, if I was trying to get a cooler wort, I would add chilled water from my refrigerator dispenser. I...

That grill must weigh a ton! How would you move the thing? Still, it ranks up there as damn sweet:rockin: , on the same tier as a crankshaft mailbox post. Matt

I had this great idea to bottle my latest batch of wine in smaller bottles, so that I don't have to drink an entire 750ml bottle in one sitting. Little did I know that my floor corker only accepts the standard 750ml bottles. Solution, a Lord of the Rings trilogy in one binding. I...

Out of curiosity, why so much additional glassware? Are you just borrowing it for the semester, or are you up to something more sinister than brewing?:drunk: I get to take any excess glassware from my lab for brewing too, but usually it's not that handy. I've got enough distillation...

I'm taking my keg to a welder tomorrow, and I have a few questions about the connection to the ball valve. How far should the ball valve be from the side of the kettle? I'm worried that if it's too close to the side the flame will damage the ball valve. Does anyone use a nipple as a spacer...