Recent content by jmalex

Yeah, I've seen this before. Just last weekend on a German Pils actually. Don't worry about it.

I'm a big fan of the cooler HLT (rather than any sort of bucket methods). You can drain the mash straight into the kettle and start it boiling right away.

One 60' 1/2" ID left in Mt. Laurel, NJ for $35. The guy who helped me did a quadruple take (I counted) when he saw the price.

What about using a cooler as a HLT, mounting the MLT above the kettle (so you can lauter directly into the kettle), and pump (or pour) sparge water up into the MLT? I'm about to go this route myself. Either way, you're going to need a temporary holding vessel. It just seems easier for it to hold...

Put one of these together with this method the other night. Once I got some teflon tape on there, it worked great.

I wait until fermentation is winding down to add the simple sugars. The yeast will be able to do their job better if you have them work on the more complex malt sugars first, then let them cruise through the simple stuff afterward.

I've done the mini-fridge thing except with a small upright freezer, and it's been a success. The compressor has to work more than normal, but it holds it's own. Just be sure to insulate well (I have 3 inches of foam for about an R15) and keep air circulating with a few fans. I actually...

Just an FYI to anyone wanting to build this part-for-part like the OP - the Gilmour water shutoff has been discontinued. A slightly different part has to be used.

Interesting. Where at? Is this for a fill (not an exchange)?

This has happened with my big beers as well. For my RIS, I thought ahead and added in additional yeast at bottling. But for my quad, I brainfarted and just bottled. So after waiting it out for a few months, I just cracked each one open, sprinkled a little dry champagne yeast in each bottle...

Yeah I should have put a warning with that. There's a lot of garbage you need to sift through to get to the actual information.

People who choose copper have also read this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/important-information-about-cpvc-251208/

Thanks for the reply. Your build was definitely one I had looked at. The fridge option is a little scary, and you saying that a 4.4 cu ft is pushing the limits has me really favoring going with a temp controlled freezer, as that size is about the max I could fit. I found this guy which I'd...

After religiously studying the DIY forum for the past month or so, I'm ready to get started with my first big DIY. Having just moved from a small condo to a new house with a finished basement, I'm ready to start kegging and pimping out my man cave at the same time. After waffling back and...

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread. Be sure to keep us up to date on how well it's doing. Nice work!