Recent content by JZinNM

My brewing buddies and I had a similar setup. Two of us had made the investments and built the brewing rig. We had also set up an old chest freezer for the fermenter. The third guy didn't have any money invested in the setup. So, he would pay for all of the ingredients and we would split the...

Cold crashing is a way to clarify your beer before kegging/bottling. A day or so before kegging set the temp to about 35 degrees and the chill haze and other particulates in your beer will settle out on the bottom.

I don't have firsthand experience, but I'm pretty sure you can age beer at just about any temperature you would target for fermentation. I would focus on setting the freezer temperature for the fermenting batch and just let the aging beer go along for the ride. The one limitation you will have...

Another potential source is your local bottled water company (Sparkletts, Culligan, etc). They sell used bottles for $10 - $15.

You might consider talking to some of the brewers at your local microbreweries. They may be willing to sell you ingredients. At the same prices as the LHBS, they would be making a decent profit and their ingredients are likely much fresher.

Are you sure it wasn't the CO2 in the bucket that burned your eyes and gave you a sensation of high alcohol? Did you taste the hydrometer sample before kegging? I'm guessing your beer is fine and you're just picking up the odors from the fermentation process.

Jason, Can you give me a quote for 2 to 87122? Thanks, Jeff

We use a Ranco temp controller on our fermenter. We just set it to the heating mode in the winter. You can use just about any heat source. We thought about a light bulb but decided against it because we ferment in carboys. So we've been using an old hot plate with a tight temperature range.

You can also use distilled water (RO water will work too) to calibrate for the "zero" reading.

Try to figure out where the air is entering the hose. You should be able to see the whole length. There are only three places it can enter. The first is the seal at the bottom of the smaller diameter tube or cane. The second is the hose connection on the outlet of the cane. The third is a...

When I have a friend over for a beer I like to make the first pours myself. I just pour a taster and let them try each of the beers on tap. Then they can fill up with whichever they prefer. This also helps to avoid that rare embarrassing moment when a guy doesn't know how to operate a tap...

My personal favorite in Munchen is Augustiner Brau - great brew, but they all taste pretty fantastic in a huge beer tent with a big plate of bratwurst and oompah music in the background....good times.

Here's a recipe with coriander. Haven't brewed it myself but it looks pretty tasty. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/cascades-orange-pale-ale-84558/

Ed has done the same for me on an order. I forgot a couple of items and he just opened up the box and put them in before it was picked up. He has provided me with great service and really quick delivery times. I can order on Monday and get my goods on Friday. That's pretty good from GA to NM.

I don't have a direct answer to your question, but we use the el-cheapo aquarium pumps from Walmart and they've worked great. I would bet they were for 20 gallon tanks since they're pretty small (about the size of a beer can). Keep in mind that the limiting factor on your flow rate will likely...