Recent content by Cogswell

I recently started building up from zero equipment to a full brewing setup plus keezer. The only advice I have is to be prepared to spend a lot of money, even going the budget route on most things. Budget is probably the wrong word. Best bang for the buck is more accurate. Holy cow, things...

I bought one of these cheap Dernord branded CIP balls. I want to use it in a corny keg cleaner. The keg will be upside down over the ball. Where should I position the ball vertically? Near the bottom (mouth of the keg), in the middle, or up high near the bottom of the keg? I'll post the...

It's a happy accident. I thought it was gone about 16 years ago but recently stumbled across one last bottle. I thought it might be nice to drink it over the holidays. It's the best alcoholic beverage I've ever tasted without a doubt. No exaggeration. The honey nose is incredible. Pop the...

The last glasses of my very first batch of mead. Approximately 27-28 years old.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced source for 1" ID Natural Santoprene 73A FDA Tubing in rolls of 50 feet or less? USPlastic.com is the only source I have so far. They sell the 1/8" wall version for $4 a foot including shipping. That's nearing silicone prices. Isn't thermoplastic...

You could add one of these for fine psi control. I think I picked up a few of them under $15 not long ago. Price is higher now...like everything. Duotight In-Line Regulator with Gauge

How long would you guys wait before doing an initial taste test? I get impatient every time I walk past the fermenters.

Never say never...but I don't plan to do it even though it would be appropriate for WLP775 and possibly other yeasts.

I meant to talk about my fermentation vessels earlier in the thread. I use undyed HDPE buckets with soft HDPE lids. The lids aren't gasketed but they seal very well. I can put a half gallon of water in a bucket, attach lid, and invert the bucket without water leaking out. I use three piece...

Cool. I didn't know that.

Yes. I'm treating every yeast the same, other than batch size. I stirred all of the cider vigorously before pitching to aerate and outgas SO2. I didn't stir in the yeast after pitching. I dumped it in and let it do what it wanted to do. The dry yeasts floated on top. The liquid yeasts sunk...

I'm aware. When I decided to make cider this season I hoped to find a thread like this one already waiting for me to read. It wasn't here so I decided to make one. Winners and Losers were chosen by me based on the poll in this thread and my own opinions. Since this is my first time using...

I was looking at all kinds of industrial pumps but not brewery pumps. I use PBW and StarSan. PBW is alkaline and StarSan is acidic. Both are unfriendly to plain iron and steel.

The sump pumps and sprinkler booster pumps people use for keg cleaners don't seem to last very long. Neither type of pump is designed for high temperatures or caustic checmicals so it's no surprise. I was looking at other kinds of pumps that are designed for temperature and chemical resistance...

Update! I decided to do 5 gallon and 2.5 gallon batches instead of 5 & 3 so I could squeeze out an additional 5 gallon batch. 5 Gallon Winners Safcider TF-6, Safcider AC-4, Cider House Select, White Labs WLP775, Mangrove Jack M02, Wyeast 4766 2.5 Gallon Losers Safcider AS-2, Safcider...