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I've run into some financial and time constraints and need to offload my kegging equipment. So the following is available for pick up in northern virginia, 10 minutes off the 95/495/395 Springfield interchange. USED 4 Refurb Corny's w/ball valve - $30/per NEW 4 way CO2 distribution block...

A lot of history and craftsmanship goes into Belgian ales. There is a certain mystique to it, that probably creates more "hype" than appropriate. That said, everyone has different tastes. Don't fret, you probably like a lot of things others don't...

Some modern electrics will do it. I have a GE ceramic top infrared electric with a 12" diameter element. It will boil 8 gallons of wort without too much trouble. Never tried 10, but since I've got the dial on 8 to maintain a boil, I'm betting it would work. Gas is probably a "no way Jose"...

Simple answer: Yes. If you place something warm (the water) in a space that is supposed to stay cold (the freezer), the two bodies will seek equilibrium (the freezer warms up, the water cools down). This will cause the freezer to turn on in order to maintain it's set point temperature. In...

Good point. The principle you are referring to is called the latent heat of liquifaction. There is more energy required to create a phase change, which is true, but there is also significantly less heat capacity in ice on a mass basis than water. In other words, it takes less energy to warm...

I'm pretty sure there is no way that you are chilling 5 gallons of wort to 70F with just 3.5 gallons of water. Something doesn't add up. Do you have to dump and add ice? How long does this process take? Are you sure the rubbermaid container is only 7 gallons? FWIW, one cubic foot...

Assuming no external losses (fluid to air), you will need to remove roughly 5,925 Btu's from the wort (8.345 lbs/gallon * 5 gallons * 142F temperature drop) to get from boiling to 70F. This is conservative since the thermal capacity of wort is higher than water given the presence of dissolved...

The quick answer is: It's easier. To use a closed loop recirculating pump you need a) a pump, b) a bucket large enough to hold enough thermal mass to chill 5+ gallons of 212 degree water, and c) an electrical hook up close to your chilling station. Is it complicated... no. But it is...

Easier said than done... I am "winter" lager brewer for a reason... only temp space that can manage that is in my garage. No space, time, or money for a "lagering" fridge, so this is what it is. That said, with the heat light, and close monitoring, I've generally been able to keep the closet...

What I meant by no activity was no air lock, no krausen, no wort movement, no tiny bubbles moving in solution. I never sample this early, so I haven't taken a gravity measurement. This morning, two things happened. First, my closet heater (50w light bulb) got tripped last night and the closet...

So I brewed an Octoberfest on Sunday. I pitched a 2L starter at high krausen (48 hours after pitching Wyeast smack pack). Pitched at 55F, which is as cold as I could get my wort on tap water. The starter was at 68F. Immediately placed fermenter in cold closet at 50F. It's now been 48...

Ha, PM me with where in Burke you live. I'm in Burke off Lee Chapel Rd near the County Parkway...

I'm a native Northern Virginian, and yeah, you are in one of the "deader" locations of the suburbs. Keep in mind that Woodbridge is primarily a "bedroom" community...mostly just commuters who work closer in to DC. Best bars, by far, are all closer in to town. Several decent spots in Arlington...

I got that exact unit on sale before Christmas for $35. To me it was most definitely worth it for the pot alone. It is not super high quality, but it is light, workable, sturdy handles, and I was able to add a weldless valve without much trouble. The burner is not great, but works fine for...

$40 for ground shipping to Virginia! Yikes. Makes a good deal, well... not so good. Total price comes out about the same as all the other refurb corny resellers. YRMV

Ahhhhh.... good idea! I may convert one of my fermenters this way to see if I can peg the delta between the fermometer and the actual wort temp. How did you seal the hole for the thermometer? A bit of silicone?

Aussie BMC is pretty terrible too. Decent micro stuff available in the cities, but the typical tap swag is as bad or worse than U.S. domestic BMC. China is pretty terrible too. Japan, India, and of course Continental Europe all have their own BMC garbage, but it tends to sit with me better...

+1 for Ten. Top to bottom best hard rock album in the last 30 years.

Update: After two weeks primary at 50F and 4 days diacetyl rest at 65F, I transfered to a keg for lagering. FG was a perfect 1.010, and holy schnikies, I must have done something right because: 1) The beer was crystal freakin' clear. I mean I could see straight down into the bucket and...