Recent content by JMSetzler

I haven't tried mashing that way yet myself. I have had really good luck with single infusion and batch sparging. I'm considering trying a two stage mash with a protein rest just to try the technique.

That should work fine. You shouldn't have any issues with the stir plate unless the bottom of the flask is too concave.

I agree with sticking with the recipe. Once you have a couple brews under your belt then its time to start experimenting.

+1 to the comment on waiting 3 weeks. I also find that higher gravity beers benefit from letting them sit even longer. If it were my brew, I'd wait 4 to 5 weeks before popping the first bottle open.

I should have clarified my statement there... That's not for BIAB (I have never actually tried BIAB but I plan to soon). It's for a regular mash using a 10-gallon water cooler and batch sparging.

Absolutely. The profiles are important and the supplied numbers are just rough estimates that can be tweaked to get really close to your actual brew day numbers if you take the time to do it. My brewsmith numbers are always within .1 to .15 gallons on my volumes and my gravities are always...

I guess if tannin extraction is not a concern then it's OK to squeeze the bag. The original poster was commenting on using BeerSmith and BeerSmith does not accommodate for that. It is programmed to assume .1 gallons of water per pound of grain will be lost to grain absorption. Letting the...

That extra .3 gallons you came up with was probably from squeezing water out of the grain bag. I don't recommend doing that if at all possible. Just let it drip for 20 or 30 minutes. I use beersmith also and tweaking it to match your brewing equipment makes a big difference. It sounds to...

Well, after spending another $29 on another 20' coil of tubing, it turns out that i'm not good enough with soldering to make this assembly work. I'm writing this one off to biting off more than I could chew and ordering a pre-assembled chiller for $78.

Lesson learned... I kinked and split the copper tubing trying to get it in the hose! Back to the hardware store... :(

No... I'm down to the last 6 feet and can't get any more through it... I'm going to have to think about this for a bit... lol

Right now I'm trying to fish 20' of copper tubing with the copper wire wrapped/soldered around the outside through a 5/8" braided hose... It's kicking my butt! I'm adding hot water and dish washing liquid to the tubing trying to get the copper through it...

Greetings to the forum! I have been struggling with most of my DIY projects because I really stink at building things. If I put my mind to it, I can usually get it done but the workmanship is usually poor. I'm re-living this idea this afternoon as I'm trying to build a counterflow chiller...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeXG4squGqg As I continue to upgrade some of my homebrewing equipment, I decided to pick up this stainless steel "Brew Bucket" conical fermenter from Ss Brewing Technologies. I have fermented beers in plastic buckets as well as plastic and glass carboys...

Do you try to strain out any of your solids from the brew kettle before you rack it to the fermenter? Doing this can help with that if it's a concern. I have been using a hop strainer in my kettle for quite a while now. Keeping the hop debris out of the fermenter is a big help. As mentioned...