Recent content by jculler82

I have the SV controller 220, but paired it up with my own kettle, etc. so my comments relate to the controller only. I love it, no wasted energy like with propane, no noise of a burner, and I can brew inside when it's cold. Like zgja2 said calibrate it to really make the most of it.

5 gallons is not ideal for an all grain beer with a high starting gravity, but you could also make up some of your fermentables with extract to solve that issue if you want to keep the kettle size you have.

What is your goal? By my estimations you'll be in the 1.080 - 1.090 OG range with IBU's calculated well in excess of 100. So... If that's what you're going for, you nailed it. I'm not a fan of IPA's and I don't brew them, so take the following with a grain of salt: 1. If you're going for a...

I use a Megapot 1.2 from Northern Brewer (10 Gallon) and do both 3 and 6 gallon batches with it. It replaced a 36 Qt Bayou Classic. I also have a 20 Gallon Blichmann Boilermaker that I use for larger batches. Both are great quality kettles and I could recommend both brands. Blichmann...

Acid malt would be used specifically to adjust your mash pH. I've found that the mash pH requires more acid adjustment with BIAB brewing vs. the "standard" 1.2 qt/lb mashes, because of the thinner mash and resultant less buffering, etc. But, if you're not sure of your starting point, then...

Works fine. You'll definitely want to purge the head space, but I do that even when I'm filling the keg, so my process is the same. If you're thinking of bottling a portion of the same batch you're kegging, a beer gun is really the way to go. Keg the whole thing, then bottle off the keg once...

I don't have an insert, but could see the benefit of it if you're adding direct heat with a stove. Like Wilserbrewer said, you will have some dead space, but a couple good stirs should even things out. I have a significant amount of dead space in my system because I keep my bag suspended above...

I've done only BIAB for the past 30 batches or so. 1. The Brew Bag - www.brewinabag.com 2. I don't sparge, just squeeze the bag until I hit my target volume. 3. 70 - 75% (depending on OG)... same as when I used a mash tun. 4. I keg. Just decreased my batch size to 3 gallons, but I still use...

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout Founder's Porter Southern Tier's - Oat, Creme Brulee, or Choklat (all three are Imperial) Like mentioned before, Sierra Nevada Stout is a good one. My father-in-law who "hates dark beer" as he would say, once drank through about 6 of the SN Stout before I poured...

DMS shouldn't be a problem if you are getting below 140F (don't know the conversion) relatively quickly. After that I would make sure it is covered and you should be fine.

Assuming you mean "The Session". I generally like any of the homebrew related shows versus the probrewer shows, though they are good too. All the shows with Vinnie from Russian River were really good, lots of homebrew info. Also the show on recipe formulation with Mike McDole and Colin from...

Seeing where he is from, I am now assuming he meant 25C. Also whirlpooling by probrewers is generally done hot, it is a good technique to look into, but it wouldn't aid in cooling.

25F? Is that correct? You're better off working on using colder water in your CF than recircing. I've tried the method you describe with my Shirron and it doesn't seem to work any faster. I use an immersion chiller sitting in a bucket of ice inline before my plate chiller, which during the...

Dunkelweizen and American Brown are two of my fall favorites. Just made my first Roggenbier and depending on my thoughts on the style it could also become an addition to that list.

Whatever you're comfortable with. I think dcp's calculations were for DME and not LME. For what it's worth, I've always added the DME while bringing the water to a boil and haven't had any problems.