Semi fresh meat

[Captain Dean]

Greetings everyone. At present I'm an arm chair brewer which means my brewery is built, and I host meetings, but I haven't brewed any beer in 4 or 5 years. The avid brewers look down their nose at me but I'm sticking in there. In the absence of brewing, I am at least a worthy BBQ'ist for the attendees.

I'm set up with a 15-gallon brewery but I want to downsize to 5 gallons since I'm getting so damned old. (69) Been thinking about cutting down one of my keg kettles but I'm starting to favor another approach. Instead, I plan to get a quarter barrel pony keg and cut the bottom out. Fit the (now upside-down) keg kettle with a clamp on the original flanged connection including a high temperature gasket. Also plan to insulate the drain against the high heat of the burner.

I would make provisions in the drain to allow pump circulation back to the top and have a false bottom to set the grain bed upon. Anyone have thoughts about this approach? Certainly I would have to modify the top of the keg to sit upside down over the burner, or make a carrier to hold the keg.

Dean.

 

[bracconiere]

back in 1981

I'm getting so damned old. (69)

i know people that age still shoveling gravel!

and @Kent88 (you sure?? )

The avid brewers look down their nose at me but I'm sticking in there

if you ever need ugly homebrewer to show up to a meeting, and we were local....i'd be willing to bring a 30-pack of miller high life, but you gotta be the designated driver!

Welcome!

 

[sibelman]

Damn glad not to be shoveling at 65.

 

[bracconiere]

Damn glad not to be shoveling at 65.

I'm glad i'm still 'only' 43, consider it a fun time at the gym doing weight training...AND cardio, i'm smart like that (and for some reason they pay ME!)

 

[sibelman]

They pay you to pump iron (or whatnot)?

 

[bracconiere]

They pay you to pump iron (or whatnot)?

i'd say i get about $2's for every set of 10-15 pound lifts....sometimes they just want me to do heavy sled pulls, which is easier....burn about 700 calories in 2 hours though....

 

[sibelman]

Cash and pumpitude. And with a miller lite camelbak no doubt! Living the, er, dream?

 

[bracconiere]

I am at least a worthy BBQ'ist for the attendees.

don't let me derailing YET another thread disscourage you...i got a lot of mesquite trees that always need trimming! you're welcome to my homebrew party! and i won't judge you, as long as you don't start wondering why you never see me with an empty glass...i'll just say it's a trick glass!

Living the, er, dream?

depends what you dream of...i like your avatar of micro greens! probably good vitamin A & K!

 

[Captain Dean]

Thanks for responding Bracconiere & Sibelman,

Shoveling: I was lucky enough to pull 400 ft of Ethernet wire at work Friday afternoon and then mix & pour 6 sacks of concrete today (Sat) afternoon. I expect to wake up stiff as a board tomorrow morning.

Bracconiere, you're local to Kona? (Your location is S.A.Z. which seems to be near Tasmania.) Always glad to meet another brewer, even if I am not yet brewing again. Although Miller High Life is not my target style beer; I'm more of a snooty craft beer drinker. However, MHL does have it's queue for "Miller Time".

YOS Water: The topic that got me interested in signing-on today was a post including YOS water. I'm assuming YOS means "Yeast Oxygen Scavenging"? That sounds like a method of killing the fermentation at the time you choose. Did I understand that Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) additive makes YOS?

Avatar: The green C avatar is what the system produced for me. I haven't posted one yet.

Dean.

 

[sibelman]

@bracconiere, the green in my avatar is homegrown hops drying on the guest bed. Vitamin L (for lupulin) !

Best of luck with your planned pony keg surgery, @Captain Dean. fwiw, I've found a 15 gallon kettle works fine for smaller batches.

Ain't had no Miller in many a year. Cheers!