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The fan, not the controller, fried? Pretty neat trick... Sorry, I have no ideas to help you.

The concern with cooling the wort rapidly is to minimize the opportunity for infections to take hold before the yeast gets started. Unsanitized ice would defeat the purpose. If that doesn't deter you, 16.6 lbs of ice (2 gallons of water) will chill 3 gallons of wort about 130 degrees F, pretty...

The quick way to carbonate beer is to shake it, not over-pressurize it. The concept is similar to aerating wort to adsorb oxygen. Agitating the liquid exposes more liquid surface to the gas, and helps it propagate through the solution faster. Shaking the beer, short of excessive foaming, does...

Speaking of drinking games... A tavern I visited from time to time, long ago, had a steel hoop, donut size, hung from the ceiling on a string. The idea was to swing the hoop in such a way that it would snag and stay on a teacup hook screwed into the wainscoting. You've probably seen similar...

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php 8 psi will do it at 36^F. If it was at 30 psi, there's little doubt in my mind it was simply over carb'ed. The bubbles you saw was the excess gas coming out of solution at the 10 psi serving pressure. 30 psi at that temp is 4.40 volumes. 5 psi is...

Maybe this belongs in Drunken Ramblings... I watched a Penn & Teller episode where they talked of a fictitious dessert fluffed with helium. So... Any thoughts on the benefits or perils of forcing helium into solution under pressure in yer keg? High pitched belches are sure to please and excite.

Folks, I think chillwill is making the point that the flavor contribution of the roast malt isn't measured in the mash efficiency. It's a good time to discuss this. Is the flavor, body, mouth feel, etc. retained by keeping the same grain proportions when adjusting for efficiency?

In the fridge, 30 psi gives about 4 volumes of CO2, way over carbonated. 10 psi at 40^F, or 15 psi at 50^F is about right for 2.3 volumes. See this chart: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php Shake it or rock it if you're in a hurry. Over-pressurizing to rush it along is...

That's what I would do. The tacitly implicit fact of the matter is the tapped keg isn't quite mature yet as you drink it. The required patience becomes easier as you brew more, and the pipeline becomes filled beyond your ability to drain it. :D (I am currently out of kegs, bottles, and even 2L...

Cheap: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4KKF2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 For $8.50, it's worth checking to see if it can handle the inductive load.

304 SS and 18/8 are very closely related. They work fine with induction. Test your kettle with any old magnet. If it sticks at all, it should work. Almost ironically, the cheaper the kettle, the more likely it is to work with induction. You should also be concerned about burner size, energy...

Hydro date is 5 years from the date stamped on the tank. I was told that violations are fined at $10k per instance, when I tried to have my old 20 oz paintball tank filled. That's really almost too bad. The 20 oz tank is the perfect size for tailgating and picnics. I still might try filling it...

In Chicago west suburbs, out the door inclusive of hazmat and local taxes: AirGas, West Chicago: $24 5# exchange Terrace Supply, Schaumburg: $21 5# exchange. This place was recommended to me by a local homebrewer, but I have not tried them yet: Pain Co2 exchange, Addison: $17 fill your 20#...

A refractometer reading paired with a hydrometer reading can solve back to the OG, and can thus find ABV at any point in fermentation. I tested this almost carefully when I first got the refractometer, to see if I could safely retire the hydrometer and turkey baster. The presumed OG calculated...

How about a You Greedy Bastard? :D What I mean is, her recipe likely calls for a single 12 oz'er of some not so extraordinary brown. Don't you have a bottle or two you can spare her? At the very least, keep her damage to a single growler. Share a half glass with her to sample, while you point...

I made a few caps by simply drilling a 1/2" hole in the cap and cramming a plain ordinary tire valve through it. Tire valves are something like 2 for $5. My store-bought carbonator cost $16, but leaks a little with the gas QD attached. It takes a little jiggling to settle it and stop the...

Microfiber. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031B4YU2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I'm wondering now if an acid sanitizer is all that great an idea for brewing. Beer and wort are also acidic. Lifeforms that can thrive in beer stand a better chance of surviving StarSan's phosphoric acid than something slimy feeling like Carlson's Easy Clean. As an anecdotal data point, I...

Also, if you're carbonating at room temperature and then chilling the beer with the gas line pressurized, the gas volumes will increase. For example, the same 28 psi that makes for 2.3 volumes at 76^F, over-carbs to 4 volumes at 40^F. If that's what you're doing, chill the beer before...

Petro, carbonic acid has somewhat seltzer-ish flavor. If that's the case, the solution is simple: Reduce your carbonation pressure. Carbonic acid is chemically indistinguishable from aqueous carbon dioxide. It is always present with dissolved CO2, and always at a lower concentration than the...