Recent content by Jim R

I watched a YouTube video for one of those George's beer kits and it seemed to have turned out pretty well. There is nothing wrong with brewing kits like that although it probably ends up being pretty expensive beer. There is also a limit to how much someone is learning about home brewing when...

It would be interesting to know what percentage of the electronic tips from the iPads even go to the employees (vs to the owners). I have often asked the employees and they don't often know. I bet it is far less than 100%. I suspect most employees would prefer a $1 or $2 cash tip with each...

It is often $7-$10 pints and then the server flips the iPad around asking for a 18%, 20% or 22% tip for their 30 second pouring time. Most people can't afford to drink.

You are probably better off buying your own grain mill instead of spending money on a refractometer. Once I got my processes down including my milling, I don't even bother checking gravity anymore. I know it will be fine.

We have 3 kids and 6 grandkids. None of them drink alcohol. None of their friends seem to have any interest in even social drinking. Almost all of them went to college and never drank to any degree in college. None of them learned how to even pour a tap beer in college. Quite a few of them...

The word BOAT stands for "Bring Out Another Thousand"

I have a fairly expensive stainless fermenter that I don't even use much anymore because I have an inexpensive Fermzilla All Rounder. I can't think of a good reason to buy a stainless milk can to repurpose as a fermenter when I could buy a Fermzilla for the same price. The Fermzilla is also...

I can see where that would be a theoretical reason. I do a pressure transfer from my fermenter with a floating dip tube and then cold crash in the keg. When I eventually tap the beer, the first couple ounces may be minimally cloudier than the rest of the glass. It would be a non-issue for me...

Maybe I am missing something. Why do you need to cold crash in your fermenter? Why wouldn't you just transfer the beer to your keg after fermentation and the cold crash in the sealed keg? Why do you need to deal with an airlock after fermentation when you are lowering the temperature of the...

I think the Hellfire is awesome. I can't imagine that there could be a portable propane burner that could put out more heat than this burner. It is also very adjustable for fine tuning the heating level. Mine is now about 5 years old and works like new. It isn't cheap but it would have cost...

You can buy big plastic 32 gal garbage cans with snap on lids for cheap. The black ones will even absorb more heat from the sun during the day.

I pay $5 for 4 gal jugs of RO water at my local big box home improvement store and it always tests almost 0 on my TDS meter. I don't brew that often so it is cheaper to just buy water than buying a RO water system for me. On the other hand, just knowing your starting point from your water test...

Here is the exact mash process that I use with my 5 gal Igloo cooler and Titan stainless false bottom. I first put a couple gallons of 170 degree water in the cooler for 15 min or so to preheat it. Then I dump this water in a bucket to use for cleaning later. Then I put about 4 gal of 170...

I would take copious notes every step of the way. It took me several batches to fine tune my steps and avoid mistakes. With my cooler mashtun, I preheat the cooler for 15 min with 170 degree water. Then I use water at exactly 169-170 degrees to mix the mash. After I add the grains and mix...

I agree. The idea of putting a $150 gadget on a $75 fermenter doesn't seem quite right although the idea is good.