Recent content by frankr

I've rebuilt the three kegs with new o-rings and keg lube and am kegging my first beer tomorrow. I figured that I would use last night and today to check for leaks without the kegs in the equation. I'll try the starsan after hooking the keg up to see if it leaks.

I finally had a chance to pick up a CO2 tank from Airgas. I bought a 20 pounder and ended up getting a nice shiney aluminum tank :ban:. Anyways, after reading through the numerous threads about leaky systems, I am a little paranoid of dumping 20 lbs of CO2 into my refrigerator. I am...

I was able to pound it back into shape with a hammer and punch. Should be GTG now.

Upon reassembling the kegs that came in my Keg Connection kit, I noticed that one of the gas posts has a dent on the top outer rim (sealing surface). Is this OK to use, or do I need to buy a replacement gas post?

The pressure washer worked great. Took about five minutes to clean three kegs :D. The stickers were blasted off, but one particularly stubborn sticker left a little residue. It isn't sticky anymore though. They are shiney and clean, but definitely not polished. I took them apart, and all...

I just received my 3 keg kit from Keg Connection. The plastic top on one of the kegs is cracked in many places. It looks like it was re-glued a long time ago. Should this cause any concern about leaking or is it purely cosmetic damage? Anybody ever try pressure washing the keg bodies to...

I use Nottingham almost exclusively also. The only time that I use "special" yeast is if I'm making a Belgian or something.

Don't bother with a kettle from a homebrew store. It will be overpriced and flimsy. Go to a TJ Maxx Homegoods, Marshalls, or someplace like this that has closeout cookware. You are looking for a pot that is about 20 liters (or quarts). This will allow you to boil 3.5 gallons with room to...

Use whichever is adventageous. Use hot water when adding during the boiling process and cold water (or even frozen water) to help cool faster before pitching yeast.

My equipment arrives on Friday and I had some of the same questions. If I use the set it and forget it method of carbing, do I need to up the pressure to 30 psi to seat the lid or can I just hook it up at serving pressure (about 10 psi) and leave it?

I researched this for about a month before purchasing from keg connection on Monday. I went with the premium kit to get the name brand (Taprite) regulator. I also upgraded to the Perlick faucets. The older that I get, the less patience that I have to deal with problems from cheaper (less...

In that case you are fine. The first couple of days after fermentation starts are usually very active, then everything seems to die down. The yeast will continue to do their thing even though it seems like nothing is going on compared to the "explosive" phase. I would just leave it until you...

Did the mercury from the broken thermometer get into your beer? If so, you might want to consider dumping the batch. I've dropped some strange things in wort and not worried about it, but mercury is poison. The good news is that surprisingly it isn't as bad to injest it and the amount of...

16,801 + 5 = 16,806 I made my first batch this weekend. Man was that easy! My house smells terrible now though. :cross:

I have a wine thief, but I don't use it. I just move the bubbles out of the way and drop the hydro right into the fermentation bucket. I figure that it is easier to sanitize the hydrometer than the wine thief. It is harder to read, but I don't worry too much about being off by a couple of...