Recent content by FrizzleFry

I agree about temperature control, I just didn't want to wait till the lagering was done to make this ale, and figured a swamp cooler would be good enough. If the taste proves otherwise this will probably give me the kick in the a$$ I need to get a second freezer.

I made an Irish ale this weekend, a fairly simple recipe similar to Jamil's red, with Maris Otter base and a little crystal and chocolate malts. I chose Wyeast 1084 for the yeast. Unfortunately my chest freezer is currently set for 35 for lagering a couple of other things, so I rigged a ghetto...

Seems like there was another option, one that involved copper pipe...

I recently decided to ditch buckets and use only carboys. As to why, might have had something to do with having problems with bucket lids, having one that was hard to get off, then the raised plastic lip on the bucket that you pull down on to get the lid off snapping, cutting my hand, etc...

If you are brewing big batches you will want to maximize your flow rate. I've seen people talk of doing so by not using restrictive fittings (making sure their holes are at least as big as the ones in the ports on the pump), making their own or grinding threads off, putting components in the...

I had a Bayou Classic banjo cooker briefly, then switched to a Blichmann. In addition to being quieter I am pretty sure the Blichmann is more efficient. The burner on the banjo was too far away from the bottom of the pot. Fuel usage on the blichmann seems a lot less, and I don't have to turn it...

Little Giant pump on Ebay here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/290777788075?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I just bought a Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System with Pinlock kegs from Midwest Supplies. They came slightly pressurized, which I thought was a good sign. I put some water + oxyclean in one of them, closed the lid and started to shake it. Liquid came out of the lid with each shake despite...

I am hoping to get/build a kegging system (tired of bottling) with 2 taps that can hold a pair of corny's. I won one of these Budweiser mini beer fridges (Husky HM134-EL) on a local radio contest. Unfortunately it seems to be too small to be useful for anything other than keeping a few bottles...

Just won an ebay auction for a pump. My intention is to use it for cooling wort by pumping through a plate chiller. So the question is, which is better: Kettle->Chiller->Pump-> or Kettle->Pump->Chiller-> I would be recirculating it back into the kettle until the temp got down. My...

I decided to go with a KAB4. Near as I can tell Blichmann has just taken the same burner and built a stainless stand to put it in, which is nice but more than I need right now. The regulator even looks the same in the pictures I have seen. I will look around my house for a valve and talk to...

What I did on mine, since the computer magnet was curved and difficult to determine the center, was I put my stir bar on it while positioning. I think it is more important to have it centered magnetically than by mass, so the bar spins around a point rather than a circle. The two centers may be...

Ok I am down to the last component for my switch to all grain: a propane burner. I have a few questions.. - I will be using it on a 15 gallon aluminum pot. I think I have narrowed my choices down to either a Blichmann or a Bayou KAB-4. The Blichmann is about $50 more, but I am wondering if it...

I didn't pre-heat no, i just heated the water to 5 degrees above my target temp. I will preheat as you suggest next time. As for a bad reading, I did top up yes, i suppose it is possible.

That's a good idea. I had been putting my addition water in the freezer for a few hours (not quite frozen) but not adding it until the wort was in the fermenter, mostly to keep the water level of the wort in the pot down to the height of my sink. But now I won't need to wait, I can use your...