What I did for beer today

Bottled American Sour Ale, cleaned equipment in preparation for brew day tomorrow. Volvo won't start and it's my daily driver, so I hope I can get it fixed tomorrow and that that won't cut into my brew day.

Last PM I finally kegged my cider and graff, and this AM I'm brewing a Heady Topper clone...

Filed down the spigot holes in my brew pots ready to fit the spigots, just soaked all parts of the spigots in VWP (a chlorine based steriliser and cleaner) to remove any nasties before it is all assembled. Now drying before assembling both taps for final time, note to self need to buy 90 degree elbows to go inside both pots. Ordered 3" nipple to hopefully allow me to finish the mash tun.


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Made some... Drank some... Measured some (hydrometer)...

A good beer day.


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48 gallons.

16 gallons of an Oude Tart clone and the remainder my "House Lager" recipe. Good stuff! 50 more on deck for 2 weeks from now!

Wired up 1st STC 1000 for fermentation fridge. Better brewing here we go...


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Just started my 4 day dry hop on and ESB, 2oz of EKGs. Figured may as well go all out on this one.

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X 2, both briefly boil tested and water tight.


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Wrote some more of book two of my Time Lords 2034 series, about a home brewer who finds himself running a brewery for the ruling class in book one. Now finding himself faced by a new menace in- Time Lords 2034:The New Camelot. Still brewing beer & thinking up new ways to deal with the greed, avarice & evil trying to once again take the world for themselves.

Brewing a Flanders red to pitch onto my de bom cake.

Big weekend of beer-endeavors:
*Brewed 3 batches - Plain American Ale, Black Butte Clone and Session IPA
*Kegged and dry hopped 2 batches - American Amber and Citra IPA
*Bottled American Brown Ale I helped a friend brew
*Final step up of harvested Heady Topper yeast to 2.5L starter
*Various cleaning of kegs, etc
*Picked up some Bourbon County Stout
*Sampling and Quality Control throughout the weekend

Finally got the stockpile back to a reasonable level after a slow October of brewing.

Kegged up my all virginia ingredient stout. Well it turned out more like a robust porter. The roasted malts weren't as dark as the maltster specified. Racked my blackberry wit to secondary. Also local ingredients. Cleaned up the kegerator and some brewing equipment.

Watched 20 gallons gurgle.. Such a soothing sound.


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Picked up the final piece to a perfect brew day. Can't wait for Saturday. Bottling an arrogant bastard clone, being an RIS then i get to enjoy this

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I really need to get off my butt & scrub a ton of bottles. But I did find a site last night to help with writing & self-publishing. Need my sci-fi & home brewing books to do well.

kadozen said:

Picked up the final piece to a perfect brew day. Can't wait for Saturday. Bottling an arrogant bastard clone, being an RIS then i get to enjoy this

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Haven't seen that one yet. Is that a Flemish sour red?

drainbamage said:

Haven't seen that one yet. Is that a Flemish sour red?

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Not 100% on the style, but that dies sound about right. Everywhere I look lists it as a fruit beer, but i wouldn't simplify it like that. Definitely sour, definitely fruity. Regardless is one of my favorites.

Bottled 105 bottles of our Liquid Christmas Card beer. 4 cases of 12 oz for our Christmas list and a bunch of bombers for in-house holiday joy.

I got a new bucket and lid. Just need to drill a hole for airlock/ blow off. Got a Sour Saison that's going to sit in the back of my beer cabinet for at least a year. Now I'm trying to figure out what to brew next, planning on a New Years Day brewday to start the year right.

My buddy and I bottled up a English IPA. It was tasting very nice at bottling.


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Where do you place your probe?

Finally got my new FastFerment fermenters set up in my refrigerator. Well, that was Sunday but I'm still excited.

Nothing yet...too darn early. Gotta clean turkey day bottles...ugh...

More by luck then judgement installed elbows in my BK and HLT.

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The one for the BK has a 1" nipple screwed in to get it to the required depth. Both drain to the bottom now, leaving no more than a cup or two of water.


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Cussed at my new pot as I tried and failed with four different bits to get a hole in it.

Installed a tap in my basement kitchen fridge. Drilled a hole in the side for the co2 hose. The tank will be in the cupboard next to the fridge.

watermelon83 said:

Cussed at my new pot as I tried and failed with four different bits to get a hole in it.

Installed a tap in my basement kitchen fridge. Drilled a hole in the side for the co2 hose. The tank will be in the cupboard next to the fridge.

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Carbide tipped bit..low rpm..on that..may need something to lube bit or cool it..just like drilling titanium

Moved my Bell's yeast harvest to a flank and stir plate in preparation for Sunday brew day of a hoppy brown ale (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/brown-ale-bells-yeast-506435/). Also, hitting the LHBS at lunchtime for the grain and hops. Probably going to make a bulk purchase for the first time.

rowan57 said:

Drilled spigot holes in my 2 brew pots. They are decently thick aluminium pots but were real easy to drill with a titanium step bit. Out tomorrow then Monday's plan is to fit the spigots.


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Are the pots all aluminum? As a beginner, it's my understanding that aluminum pots don't do well for brewing. Am I misinformed?

BuddhaK said:

Are the pots all aluminum? As a beginner, it's my understanding that aluminum pots don't do well for brewing. Am I misinformed?

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I've had the same aluminum brew kettle for 8 years...

With a new cobalt bit finally drilled a God d*** hole in this m***erf***ing pot!!!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1417829730.785287.jpg

refurbished a kegerator I found for CHEAP,whole new bottom pan,new lines and fresh coat of paint looks like new!!! put my first all grain IPA in keg for conditioning and brewed a brown ale yesterday..I have been really busy

Ordered this:
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No more shaking 5.5 gallons any more!!

Also spoke to a colleague at work for quite a while about her wanting to purchase her husband good starter equipment and ingredient kits for Xmas. Hopefully another addicted home-brewer in the near future. She actually wants to brew with him...lucky guy!


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BuddhaK said:

Are the pots all aluminum? As a beginner, it's my understanding that aluminum pots don't do well for brewing. Am I misinformed?

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Yes mine are both aluminium. Aluminium is fine for brewing, there is a whole thread about the discussion at the top of the equipment/sanitation board.


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Will rack vanilla porter. Yesterday I bottled chocolate stout and made a starter for tomorrow's honey nut brown ale. Gotta' keep the pipeline rolling...

Racked my two carboys of my Columbus Whole Hop IPA to secondary for dry hopping & washed the WY1217 yeast for another brew.
Cleaned up the carboys, etcetera.

Wired up my stc 1000 for my fermentaion/lager chamber.
Am quite excited about controlled fermentation

Brewed my first all grain! I used BIAB and my efficiency was right around 75% with 13 lbs of grain and a half-assed sparge, so I'm pretty excited for my first try. Missed my OG by only a few points. It's an IIPA with a ton of hops at flameout, and I got a bunch of trub in the fermenter, but should settle out in secondary hopefully.

I used Vermont Ale yeast for it, and as a side note, that is the best smelling yeast I've used yet (for whatever that's worth)

Added cocoa nibs to my milk stout in secondary today.


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Put a gallon of apfelwein into a couple of growlers, cleaned that keg, and filled a keg with mixed fruit blonde.

I ordered a plinian legacy kit from northern brewer.

Cleaned 40 swing top 0.5L bottles. Put punkin clone into 30 of them.