Recent content by Justin Chomel

Great pics, looks like a wonderful setup!

I only strained a couple of times because it didn't work well. The strainer would get clogged and clog up my funnel. I use whole leaf hops with a false bottom on my kettle and the false bottom filters the hops out. You could go into a carboy, let it settle, syphon off the top into another...

My 2 and 1/2 year old son helped me in my brewing yesterday. His big job was to add the hops. I put them in a pewtwer mug so he could dump them in easily (click on thumbnails for larger version): It turned out to not be so easy. Half of the hops got stuck in the mug: He thought...

Sounds like it's fine. -JC

Don't sweat it. There will almost always be some contamination. The idea is to keep the wild yeast count down so low that the yeast you pitch has time to take off and ferment the sugar before any wild yeasts multiply and get a leg up.

I have never used ProMash, but it shouldn't matter. What you need is the gravity and the volume of wort. As the wort is boiled, it's volume reduces and the gravity increases. For the purposes of testing efficiency, 6 gallons of 1.045 wort (e.g. pre-boil) is the same as 5 gallons of 1.054 wort...

Here is the steam thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1283 I'm not sure beertools.com is the most accurate source for brew house efficiency calculations. A more accurate method would be to use the lab analysis from the grain lot. Beertools.com has extract potential...

A three tier is nice. I invested in one when I went all grain and skipped the cooler method. However, a brewing friend is looking to all grain, and I am wondering if a cooler setup with steam injection (mentioned in another thread) for temperature control would be a more cost effective. I...

What is optimal for one style might not be optimal for another style. It really depends on what you are shooting for. If you want a beer with lots of body and mouthfeel, a thicker mash at a higher temperature is suitable because there will be more non-fermentables. For a lighter bodied beer...

Well, adding cooler/hotter water will thin your mash out a little bit. Let's say Sam's target mash temp was 152 and he was at 160 after dough in. You might add some cool water to bring it down below 158 (the upper end for Alpha-amylase), but trying to get it down to 152 might thin out your...

Did you leave the gas on at 25 psi for two days? That seems a bit much. I force carbonate chilled beer using 20 psi and shake the keg here and there for about 10 to 15 minutes, disconnect the gas and let it sit overnight. Dispensing pressure is completely reliant on your equipment. I have...

DBA, Have you made any progress on this? I am interestedin hearing your thoughts. I have had some difficulty with mash temps, mainly because any heating from the bottom is trapped for a bit under the false bottom, and I end up overheating the main mash, as my temp guage is above the false...

Why not a simple pale ale? Say 10 pounds of 2-row and a pound of Crystal 40. Mash at 152 degrees. 1.5 ounces of Cascade at 60 minutes, .5 at 15, and another half ounce at 1 minute. 1056 yeast. Adjust to your liking, I'm just thinking on my feet here. Although it's a simple beer, it will...

Howdy folks. I am new to the board, but have been brewing for awhile. I recently got a conical, and desperately miss seeing the fermentation in action. Especially a lighter color beer, where you can really see it churning. I brewed a coffee porter Sunday evening, and after I pumped the...