Recent content by jturn3

I'm in!

I'm in! Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I've gone ahead and upgraded to the Cool Zone setup, but I used the Cool Brewing bag for several brews with pretty good success. I don't think cooling the chamber before you put your bucket in there will help- Id just put the ice in when you put the fermenter in. As for how often you have to...

I'm in!

Thanks for the input, everyone! I went ahead and got the Cool Brewing chamber and will eventually upgrade with the Cool Zone jacket and pump with a reservoir in my keezer.

Thanks! I don't think a swamp cooler will work long-term because of storage issues in my apartment, but I think I can rig something up for my next brew. Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I'm looking into fermentation temperature control setups and have come across a couple of good options in the forums, but I haven't been able to find any comparisons of the two. I cannot build a whole fermentation chamber because I need to be able to pack the whole thing away between brews...

I'm in.

I'm in!

Right, that makes sense. I'll check it out with my hydrometer and go from there. Thanks everyone!

Ah, ok. So as I understand it I should use a hydrometer for more consistent and accurate FG readings, but the refractometer is fine for OG measurements and checking the mash/boil gravity? Is that correct? On a slightly related note, can I use a hydrometer to get a measurement of carbonated...

I'm measuring with a refractometer- is a hydrometer more accurate? The first two batches that I had issues with were brew-in-a-bag, and my temperatures with those were definitely not consistent. The last one, though, was on my new chest cooler all grain setup and I hit all of my temperatures...

I've had problems with my last 3 beers not finishing as low as I expect them to. They've all finish anywhere from .11-.22 higher than the final gravity listed in the recipes I'm using. It's been 3 separate all-grain recipes with two different types of yeast, and I've always bought new yeast and...

Hi all, I've been reading the forums for a while but this is my first post. I tried searching for an answer to my question but couldnt find a clear answer. I've got a batch of apfelwein that's been sitting in the carboy for just over 4 weeks so I'm starting to think about bottling it. I've...