Recent content by jvanraay

One good place to start is Craigslist. It took me awhile, but eventually found 3 10 gallon igloo coolers and a five gallon cooler (she sold all together) for $40. Then bought false bottom for it the 10 gal. cooler. I eventually bought a direct fire mash tun, HLT from Morebeer deal of the day...

Ha. I live in Arizona. My last brew I had to start at 3 am due to the fact that I have to brew outside. Looking at the weather report, it was only 93 degrees, the low for the day. I'm calling it Hotter Than Hell IPA. Just added the dry hops today. Good luck with yours.

I usually use my hose to get my temps to 100ish (I live in AZ). After that I use an immersion pump in a cooler filled with ice. I get down to 60 degrees in 20 minutes. You might try the same thing and have to change out the returning hot water a few times by skipping the hose part. I bought...

I use a wort chiller here in Az. Made a batch in 109 degrees temp, cooled to 105 with hose, then I use an immersion pump in a bucket full of ice. Gets to 60-62 in about 20 minutes easily. Best thing I ever bought

I've had the same issue many times. The "clay" looking stuff is yeast. I typically leave my beers 2-3 weeks in primary, no secondary, and don't have an issue. You may want to make sure that your fermentation temps aren't too high though. It does suck cleaning my fermenter afterwards. I'd...

First, make sure your thermometers are calibrated. I usually heat the water, then add all my grains at once. Stir well, then check your temp. One thing that does matter is the temp of your grain at dough in. I have an app called sparge pal (believe I got it for free). On there you put your...