Search results

thanks for the comparison. that's very useful. how about another test using no insulation on the lid- to get a better comparison of neoprene vs reflectix.

Great writeup! Does anyone know if the 5500W ULDs can directly touch a fully loaded voile bag without burning through?

Folks are heralding Fermcap-S (dimethylpolysiloxane) for reducing the foam on starters and primary fermentation for reducing boilovers in the BK. Does anyone have experience with reducing boilover in the autoclave by using Fermcap? Also, does it "denature" during autoclave? Would it...

I decided against a cooler in favor of a Brew in a bag system.

Thanks for the interest. The process is this. Stir. Wait until temp drops below rest temp. Apply heat for a certain time based on estimation from heating test. Then mix (see below) and observe if the target temp was hit. I will wait 5-10 minutes before heating again even if it initially...

Not recirculating. It is the 3rd batch on this system. About batch 48 or so for me. Before my first brew, I did perform a heat-time test and graphed it etc for this very purpose. The prior (2) maintenance burns were only 60 seconds and raised just a hair shy of 2 degrees.

Hey all- BIAB. ~16 gal liquor, 22lbs grain. sacc rest 151F. Blichmann 30gal boilermaker with Brewmometer. direct fired KAB4 banjo burner 30PSI. ambient 70F. I made up a 12 gallon batch last night. My 3rd propane burn went awry. About 40 minutes in, I needed another (3rd) maintenance...

I have my sensor dangling about half height. I also have a small fan inside to circulate the air, which I think is key. The Ranco is set for a 2F dead band. I've sat there swilling beers watching the controller cycle and It's pretty regular.

Thanks for the reviews. I was considering getting one of these as well.

This is my 47th brew. My 2nd BIAB experience. Just thought I'd chime in here since I took pretty good notes. My grain bill was 493.3 pp. Preboil gravity was 1.053 (@60F). Lauter volume was 7.25g @ 212F = 6.92G @ 60F Pre boil potential points: 368.88 Lauter Efficiency: 368.88 / 493.3 = 74.78%...

ajf- thanks. my OG was indeed 9 points overshot. First time with BIAB so I factored in only 70% efficiency. I'll run numbers on actual efficiency later. goybar- a ride out to the brew shop wasn't an option

Hey- I have a similar question. This is my first BIAB after a lot of automated eRims brews. My rest was supposed to be 155F. It held 155 for about 20 minutes. Then, I applied heat. Due to not stirring vigorously enough, I heated my mash for way too long and ultimately hit about 168F...

I've been using the 10 gallon victory cooler for 20 or so batches. I use the Phil's Phalse bottom and a janitor pad over that. The combo works spectacular for eRims. Now. I'm moving up to a 100qt Igloo MaxCold cooler. I'd like to use a perforated stainless steel false bottom along with a...

Along with the success stories, here is a FAIL- I've baked bottles at about 200F for maybe 30 minutes for use in yeast harvesting. And no aluminum. [After reading Palmer's book, I see that my time and temp were waaaay too low] I do, however, steam my bottle caps. I use a small saucepan and...

Oh, and 12AWG wire will be fine, if not better than 14AWG.

--- that should read "14AWG stranded"... where did the edit feature go??

@kcinpdx I built a 1500W eRims system. Im very pleased with it. A 1500W element at 120V draws 12.5 Amps. It's close, but most residential 120V lines are installed with 14 AWG on a 15A breaker. I used a section of bulk cord 14A stranded rated for 15A and insulated for 120V. It does not get...

I'd like to do the same. My idea is to drill and tap for 1" NPT in the side of the pressure cooker and thread in the water heater element. Any thoughts on this before I potentially destroy a 80$ vessel or inadvertently create a steam rocket? Great thread. I've read the entire thing =D

I always steep first, then add the extract. Reasoning- I don't want extract loss in the grains. Palmer suggests this in his book as well. I also "sparge" heavily then let the grains sit in a colander while the kettle is on its way to boil.

I've heard Michigan has some good brewing water.