Recent content by madkingchris

What? You can homebrew in Wisconsin? I thought you were all bound by law to drink Miller products ;-) You must be like the black sheep to some, and a trailblazer to others. (Skoll Vikings!)

Regarding the play in the valve, I torqued the crap out of the valve and inner nipple to get it to fit, and there was still a little play in it. Fortunately it doesn't leak though. When I examined the inside, I think I found why we're having that problem. The inner stainless steel (SS) washer...

Two things that are most commented on regarding efficiency are how fine your grains are crushed (maybe set it a hair finer next time) and how slowly you collect your first runnings after the vorlauf (don't open your valve all the way). Might be a couple of things worth trying.

Two things that are most commented on regarding efficiency are how fine your grains are crushed (maybe set it a hair finer next time) and how slowly you collect your first runnings after the vorlauf (don't open your valve all the way). Might be a couple of things worth trying.

Oh, and maybe you're wondering how everything turned out?.?.? I did my first all grain batch (Irish Red) the weekend after Thanksgiving. There were no leaks, and the tun held the temperature just fine (only lost 5/10ths of a degree over 1 hour). I was surprised to find my SG was slightly higher...

When I got mine, there were only 2 left. And I received an email shortly after I posted this that another reader grabbed the 2nd one. I searched Amazon for it, and I can't find it. Honestly, I think the standard price is a complete rip off. If you don't have the patience to search the web for a...

Considering the short amount of time the mash is in contact with the brass, it isn't really a problem. If you're worried about lead, and you keg, chances are there is a brass component there as well. My kegerator actually came with a warning that it contains lead, which has been known to cause...

I just built a 7 gallon version of this. I found a 7 gallon Gatorade cooler from Universal Industrial Supply via Amazon.com for $33 with shipping (what a steal). I found the other parts at Home Depot, the SS 5/8" washer and Fastenal, and the other 5/8" washers at Ace Hardware. Altogether, it...