Things I Learned From HBT

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Silviakitty

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First, a few things that I learned from HBT (either normal reading or through the lovely new google search function) that I'm incredibly grateful for learning after my bottling today. Then, something I didn't learn that I thought I'd share. ;)

A Few Things I Learned From HBT That Helped My Bottling:

I learned that StarSan is amazing, and Not To Fear The Foam.

I learned that Austin Homebrew Supply is amazing, and that they will send me the StarSan. Thank you AHS! :) I got all the ingredients I needed for a recipe and a nice container of StarSan delivered to me in a flash!

I learned about Party Pigs.

I learned that if I primed the whole batch the same way if I was doing half-pig and half-bottles, I'd end up with undercarbed bottles or a really foamy pig; I also learned how to correct the problem.

I learned about Better Bottles, and how much lighter and easier to manage they are.



Now...the things I didn't know.

So during cleanup I filled up the Better Bottle with five gallons of water so I could mark the five-gallon point (another thing I learned from HBT!). I cleaned out the bottle well with a brush, then poured the trub, diluted with the five gallons of water, into the side of the sink with the strainer instead of the side with the garbage disposal. Not sure why, I just did. So I ended up with a sink full of trubwater and a stopped up strainer. No big deal. Before I clean that up, I decide to put a gallon of water and cleanser in the better bottle to soak. I fill up the gallon jug with water and balance it on the sink ledge, then reach over to get the little tub of cleanser...and the gallon of water drops into the sink with the trubwater.

you guessed it...Trubshower. Neck to waist.

The moral of this story is: Use the garbage disposal, dangit. It's there for a reason.

On a side note, I think either hops or yeast or a combination of the two may be good for you externally as well as internally. ;) My skin feels like I've used a nice moisturizer. :)
 
When I stop to think about it, the amount of information that I've picked up around here in the last year is really amazing. This is truly one of the best places on the intergoogle.
 
Things I wouldn't have known without the experts here:

Aerating one's wort is good for one's yeasties.

Stirplates can be constructed for just a few bucks worth of junk.

Beer tastes better over time........patience is our friend.

All grain gives one more control over how the final product turns out.

Thanks, everybody!:fro:
 
the main thing i learned is how to mash with the correct amount of water, temp, sparging, etc...there's no way i'd be doing all-grain right now if i didn't learn the basics and advantages of even small mashes (why steep?)

I also learned that making a beer come out fantastic is mainly due to temperature control...throughout the entire process, but most importantly during fermentation.
 
The two best things to happen to my brewing in the last year - HBT and the Jamil Show podcasts.

In terms of the Trub Shower thing I think I'll stick to dumping it in the compost pile.

GT
 
In future I think I'm gonna stick to dumping it down the garbage disposal as I don't have a compost pile. ;)

but yeah...I wouldn't recommend the trub shower as a new spa experience. The smell is a bit off-putting. *grin*
 
Silviakitty said:
In future I think I'm gonna stick to dumping it down the garbage disposal as I don't have a compost pile. ;)

but yeah...I wouldn't recommend the trub shower as a new spa experience. The smell is a bit off-putting. *grin*

I dunno kitty, ti have a woman smell of beer and hops is pretty arousing to me, at least.

Heres a couple more Star San tips for ya'.

- You don't have to immerse everything in star san, a spritzer bottle will do the trick nicley. The key is to moisten the surface for the prequisite time.

- Star san can be made in a 5 gallon batch and stored. The pH of star san should read around 3. I have stired a solution in a wtare carboy for nearly a year with no change in pH and have yet to use 5 gallons a tyear so, 1 32 ounce bottle may last me a decade (joke).

-And if you didn't already know, bottling sucks. Keg as soon as you are financially able.

- Composting is easy. Do you have a yard? Then you have compostable material everytime it's cut. And hop plants love compost which helps ease the pain of buying hops. They really can be used for everything in brewing, even if grown at home. It'll just take a few, off the bittering mark batches ayear to know how bets to bitter with HG hops. Like you've never missed the bittering mark for a batch before.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I dunno kitty, ti have a woman smell of beer and hops is pretty arousing to me, at least.

Heck, forget composting. I'll save it and dab it behind my ears! ;)

-And if you didn't already know, bottling sucks. Keg as soon as you are financially able.
It's less about the financially able and more about the space-able; but if I like the pig enough I might get one or two more and it'll save me from bottling. Using the pig was super-easy.

- Composting is easy. Do you have a yard? Then you have compostable material everytime it's cut. And hop plants love compost which helps ease the pain of buying hops.
No yard; small apartment. How much room do hop plants require, anyway? Could they be grown in a small space (very large container or small ground area)? I wouldn't mind trying to grow my own eventually.
 
Trub Shower Sucks. After racking to secondary I turned my carboy on its side. stuck in the hose with the sprayer off my since..BLAST..trub and yeast cake right in the face. I swear I could smell yeast for the rest of the day.

What I have learned.....that this site is indispensible when I need information or input on ANYTHING beer
 
Silviakitty said:
Heck, forget composting. I'll save it and dab it behind my ears! ;)


It's less about the financially able and more about the space-able; but if I like the pig enough I might get one or two more and it'll save me from bottling. Using the pig was super-easy.


No yard; small apartment. How much room do hop plants require, anyway? Could they be grown in a small space (very large container or small ground area)? I wouldn't mind trying to grow my own eventually.

Hops are vines and love to grow upwards. They have a very extensive root system so if you grow in a container it would need to be big like one of those half wine barrel things. You can train them as well. So the answer to your question is yes if you have a sunny spot.

GT
 
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