Recent content by BarnabyHooge

Who made the kettles & how are the elements attached? What is the average time for heating your strike water? Have you done a 15g boil on this?

I just don't like the idea of boiling the nylon or cleaning it afterward. I know there's extra cleaning involved with the filter and plate chiller, but adding a laundry component to my brewday makes me cringle.

I'd be reluctant to use something that size for my boil additions. When I dry hop with pellets in bags the expansion is always surprising. I feel like I've gotten a lot better hop charecter after ditching the nylon bags too, but that may all be in my head... In anycase, I appreciate the input.

I'm looking at ordering a plate chiller but I'm waffling on whether to use a Hop Rocket as an inline filter, or spend that same money on an inline strainer from Brewer's Hardware. I'd like to go the versitle route and get a Hop Rocket, but I have doubts about its effectiveness as an inline...

I'm looking to order the tri clover fittings for my recently ordered brehemoth and am wondering what the best valve/set up is for the side port were I assume the beer will be pulled from to go to the keg. I'm thinking butterfly valve to hose barb but I'm wondering if the sample valve would be...

I just wasn't sure if that was apppropriate in a Robust vs. Brown porter as I never see it in Robust recipes. I'll up the % and give it a go. On a side note, I was checking out your blog when I was considering doing a majority munich for the base. Good stuff. I think I'm gong to stick with...

Is brown malt appropriate in a robust porter? I'd like to add some depth to mine and I'm thinking of adding it at about 5%. Thoughts?

I just did a porter with the 1450 and it turned out excellent yeast wise. A little heavy on the bittering, though.... I think I'll try mashing at 149 and go with the 1450. I've already got it and we'll see what it can do. It might end up being my standard house ale yeast if it works out well...

Oops, yes, I meant S-05. I'm not so worried about the attenuation, more about the silky mouthfeel it seems to give the beer. I'm not sure if a dry tasting beer is possible with 1450.

I'm going to be brewing an APA this weekend that I'd like to be somewhat dry w/ a little malt flavor poking through the amarillo/cascade mix. It'll be about 1.050 & 34IBUs. I can reuse some of the Denny's 1450 Wyest I've got, or I can get a pack of S-04 when I head out to the brew store. I'll be...

I only use hot water and a soft rag or sponge whenever possible. Every 6-8 brews I'll scrub my kettles down with some bar keepers friend, and if need be I'll soak my carboy/bucket with oxycleen. I've never had a problem. I also keep a corny filled with star-san, but I use it to fill up a...

I haven't done a whole lot of reading on the style but it looks to me that your crystal to dark malts ratio is off a smidge. If I were you, I'd probably lose the 40 and go with a .5 lb of the 20 and 60, as well as drop the chocolate down to .25 lb and the Carafa III to .75. I know it's supposed...

These were planted from bucket growing the previous year. I only trained a few shoots to start, but the side sprouts went crazy and are a tangled mess. Do you train those to go up as well? I'll do some picking this weekend and see if the rest can't make it before the frost begins. Thanks...

What do you mean by "after the main vines are trained"? When the plant growth slows or stops? Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology, but I'm talking about the "buds" of the cones that come in all spikey. Weather around here must have fudged some things. One of my plants is still growing and...

I'm still getting a bunch of burrs coming in along with a bunch of mature cones. How long from Burr to mature typically? I'm hoping only a couple weeks so that I've still got a shot at harvesting them.