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I have some of these QDs: But the O-rings on them are pretty shot at this point, even having been using keg lube. What size are the things, and would a place like Ace Hardware carry them?

My old thermometer (a cheapo analog cooking thermometer) is really in need of replacement as it reads off and can't be calibrated. I'd like to get a digital that can be calibrated and has a fast readout. Basically, I'm looking for recommendations for a good thermometer that isn't a cheap piece...

I was just wondering why exactly we use specific gravity as opposed to Plato like most (all?) commercial brewers do. I personally have no idea what a Plato measurement means when I see it and have to convert since I've always used SG, but why do we use different units than pro brewers?

Got a bunch of new stuff in recently and got to use it on its inaugural batch yesterday. My calcs were a little off, but I expected that since I had never done an actual batch with it yet and had only done runs with plain water. On to the pics! 10 gallon BoilerMaker Inside of the pot...

Never tried this yet, but I got a Surescreen for one of my kegs. Do you need to clamp it to the dip tube? It stays on without a clamp - the bottom of the keg keeps it from slipping off. Is it detrimental to the beer to have those hops stay in the keg until the keg is empty? The longest...

Is it necessary to weight a hop bag when boiling? I have never used a hop bag in the boil (only used one for dry hopping), but I'm getting a new pot with a screen and pellet hops can clog those. I still have some pellet hops in the freezer I need to get through. Do I need to add some marbles...

... for just plunking down the entirety of what I got for an Xmas bonus this year on completely overhauling my brewing system. I'm torn between "SUPER AWESOME" and "crushing guilt". The move to Better Bottles, replacing a plain old pot with a Boilermaker, getting a Therminator and a March...

For any of you out there with Better Bottles - can the neck of one with the blue snap-on handle support the weight when full? I know you should never do that with glass carboys, but I'm curious if you can tote around the BBs that way.

I'm looking at getting the 1/2" MPT CPC disconnect (see here) to be attached to the ball valve on a brew kettle as it looks like it'd make things easier come time to drain the kettle, but my question is whether or not it's safe to do so. I'm afraid that it might not be able to take the heat for...

Man, I had no luck today. I was attempting to make a roggenbier. First sign of trouble was a stuck mash. It's okay, I can deal with that - it's just a real pain in the ass. Next issue - the heatstick pops the GFCI outlet's breaker during the boil. I check it with a multimeter, but...

When I make a hefeweizen, I always do it as a decoction mash with a protein rest since wheat has a lot of protein in it (and it generally feels more "authentic" doing a decoction since it's German). I have never used rye before but want to make a roggenbier - I'm wondering if a protein rest is...

Bah. :mad: I ended up cutting my losses and dumping the mash instead of struggling through it since I was already greatly annoyed. My heatstick developed a short and I could not figure out where the leak was. I could have continued without it, but most of my reason for using it was to get...

I'll start this off by saying... yeah, I'm a D&D geek. (You know, if the thread title didn't tip you off.) I started with 3rd Edition right around when it came out, and have always stuck to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. When 3.5e came out, it was a minor upgrade that didn't...

It's been months since I've had a chance to make beer, which is one reason my presence around here has been thin recently. I've got recipes and ingredients on hand to make 5 or 6 batches without even needing a trip to the store... but I plan to make beer and the A/C goes and dies on me last...

It's been a long time coming (6 years) but it's finally happening. I haven't been on much recently due to last-minute planning BS. But screw that crap - let's discuss how I'm serving beer at the reception :D I didn't go all-out with a jockey box because this is more of a one-time thing...

These are based on the design elements from my regular logo, just dressed up a bit since it's kind of a fancy occasion. The original images are actually a little larger than this margin-wise, since they're designed to go in 4x6 frames, but the below just shows the part visible through the...

I'm planning on getting the grain tomorrow, with this recipe unless I get any good suggestions. I have a load of hops in the freezer so I thought I'd go a little nuts with my next batch. :D Supposedly you get the most out of hop flavor and aroma additions at 20 and 7 minutes left on the...

This makes for a good English brown porter with some chocolate notes. 6 lbs 12.0 oz Maris Otter (4.0 SRM) 1 lbs Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) 8.0 oz Special B (Dingemans) (147.5 SRM) 8.0 oz Special Roast (50.0...

I bottled up and packaged twelve beers (4 entries) for an out-of state beer comp Monday night and sent it out via UPS yesterday. I packed it in a divided box designed for beer bottles, with bubble wrap around each individual bottle. I check tracking today. The broke my package BEFORE it...

I have 5 tubes of yeast harvested from a previous batch, but the amount in each tube seems pretty small (about 1/4 to 1/3 of the amount in a new White Labs tube). If I make a starter with these tubes, should I use more than one, or is this amount enough to propagate in a 1 L starter? I've...