Hello From Austin,Texas!

[wheelsonfire]

I discovered Austin Homebrew on my way home from work and stopped in. I bought a beginner kit and oatmeal stout ingredients and I was off. The stout is in bottles and I've got a honey wheat in the primary. I'm a female so I told them I was buying the stuff for my boyfriend. It's partially true, he helps me drink it.

I plan to purchase another setup but just a primary because I've learned on here that folks rarely use a secondary. I hope to get another brew going this weekend.

Any suggestions?
A better bottle?

Oh, and don't divulge the meaning of SWMBO. It's a good way to get off to a bad start on these boards.

 

[EdWort]

Welcome! Congrats on your newfound hobby. Do you have a way control fermentation temps here in Austin. It gets pretty hot!

I'm a big fan of their 7.9 gallon bucket fermenters. I put a spigot on them so I don't have to siphon.

 

[wheelsonfire]

Well, I'm not that sophisticated yet. It's been cool here lately and I've kept the A/C low in my apartment. What do you suggest?
So do those fermenters come with the spigot or what do I need to do to attach it somehow? I really do hate the siphon. Lets just say I had a bit of an oatmeal stout shower during bottling. Sticky mess.
I'm probably embarrassing myself with these questions, but I really want to know how to improve.

 

[EdWort]

When I started brewing again in Austin, I used a rubbermaid bus pan and put about 1 inch of water in it and put my fermenter in there with a t-shirt over the fermenter hanging in the water. Evaporative cooling worked pretty well. I would put an ice pack in the water in the morning and swapping it out in the evening each day during fermenting.

As far as bottling goes, you can have Austin Homebrew install a spigot in a bucket and then ask them to fasten a bottling wand to the end of the spigot with a small pice of hose and two plastic clamps. It will look like this pick below.

Put your bottling bucket on the counter over your dishwasher and open the door. The door will catch any drips as you fill bottles. Just bring the bottle up over the wand and push it up to fill the bottle. Works like a champ!

 

[JVD_X]

welcome! I love Austin - think it's one of the best towns in the US.

 

[BigKahuna]

Welcome.

I cant' hardly believe that there are any NON brewers in Austin. I'm thinking of moving.

 

[wheelsonfire]

When I started brewing again in Austin, I used a rubbermaid bus pan and put about 1 inch of water in it and put my fermenter in there with a t-shirt over the fermenter hanging in the water. Evaporative cooling worked pretty well. I would put an ice pack in the water in the morning and swapping it out in the evening each day during fermenting.

As far as bottling goes, you can have Austin Homebrew install a spigot in a bucket and then ask them to fasten a bottling wand to the end of the spigot with a small pice of hose and two plastic clamps. It will look like this pick below.

Put your bottling bucket on the counter over your dishwasher and open the door. The door will catch any drips as you fill bottles. Just bring the bottle up over the wand and push it up to fill the bottle. Works like a champ!

Thanks so much! I emailed them and the bucket as described will be around $20. I think I'll pick up another primary, too. I currently use a ~6.5 gallon plastic bucket with a tight lid and airlock hole. Do you recommend something else? A glass carboy or better bottle?
Thanks!

 

[KopyKat]

I currently use a ~6.5 gallon plastic bucket with a tight lid and airlock hole. Do you recommend something else? A glass carboy or better bottle?

I began with a bucket and graduated to a glass carboy before I discovered a 6 gallon Better Bottle with Racking Adaptor. It is by far the most convenient primary fermenters I have used. Yeah, they are pricey with the racking adaptor but I love mine.

BTW, I rarely secondary any of my beers and none of my pales. For most beers, a secondary is a waste of time and energy.

Oh, and welcome to the world of homebrew. Check out the Zealot's web site.

 

[MrManTX]

Welcome!!
San Antonio, here.

 

[BootLeghillbilly32]

Hello all! I'm a fellow Home Brewer here in Austin. I started my second batch of AG this past weekend. My OG was on target (Promo Pale Ale from AHB) , and I derived the Captain Hook Red American Ale.. My house temp is running between 74 - 77 degrees Fahrenheit. I have no way of cold crashing. Will this temp range be ok? During our cooler months I haven't been worried about going above 77 degrees.

 

[ncbrewer]

Hello all! I'm a fellow Home Brewer here in Austin. I started my second batch of AG this past weekend. My OG was on target (Promo Pale Ale from AHB) , and I derived the Captain Hook Red American Ale.. My house temp is running between 74 - 77 degrees Fahrenheit. I have no way of cold crashing. Will this temp range be ok? During our cooler months I haven't been worried about going above 77 degrees.

Welcome to brewing and HBT.
Your temperatures look too warm for most beer/yeast strains. Don't forget that during active fermentation the beer temperature will be several degrees warmer than room temperature. Lots of folks use a swamp cooler - you can keep it cooler that way. After the active fermentation the temperature isn't as critical, but I don't know how warm is OK.