Recent content by nbolmer

Always have a bottle of star-san around. You don't really need to worry about pulling samples, but go ahead and give it a spritz for piece of mind.

I'm resurrecting this ancient thread because I (still) get a lot of private messages about it. Background: When I was homebrewing (I now own a production brewery in Sebastopol, CA), I wanted to bring flowmeters into my setup to simplify measuring volumes transferred from one vessel to another...

QUICK, turn it upright before it spills everywhere!!! ... it's fine.

Adding a bit of maltodextrin is fairly typical for this application. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/should-i-add-sugar-my-secondary-brett-fermentation-244892/ http://www.babblebelt.com/newboard/thread.html?tid=1108752780&th=1261419255

Yep, gelatin works well. So does polyclar, and whirlfloc, and... With the large variety of kettle finings available, there's really no reason to filter - unless you really need beer to be 1) polished; AND 2)in a hurry. This isn't a problem I've ever run into. Still if one must (or just...

You basically have a beer that fermented for 2 weeks, including primary. Depending on the filter, you essentially remove all yeast (to the point that filtration requires force carbonation). It's not "better" to filter last, it's the ONLY way to do it (unless you are going to re-pitch another...

I don't recommend using narrow tube blowoffs for the same reason I don't like airlocks for primary. They easily clog and cause beersplosions, which aren't dangerous, but are messy. Stick with the 1+ inch tube, which is virtually impossible to clog. Hotly debated in the past, the idea that the...

We've all been there... nothing harmful really lives in beer - the worst that will happen is that it will taste... less good :)

Absolutely! My buddy who brews at Lagunitas has major biceps from wrenching those connections. There is something particularly badass about wielding a 3 foot wrench though ;) Valves / Valve clusters are the way to go.

This. 24 hours is all you need, starter the night before. Also, I've brewed dozens of high gravity beers - making a standard culture, all at once. I go 3-4L per 10 gallons, O2 and stirplate (foil, no fermentation lock!), and use white labs yeast nutrient. In 15 years, I've had a stuck...

For those interested: the plumbing is about finished. Most breweries use diverter patch panels to send liquid from one place to another. I hate patch panels - connecting and disconnecting bits of pipe all the time is a hassle, and you can't CIP everything. This system uses only ball valves - you...

My Hanna 96107 agrees within ~.2 of paper. Good enough, considering the Hanna is rated to ~.1 The big advantage of the tester is range - I can test starsan with it. Paper is close enough for diagnostic purposes.

pH paper is cheap and accurate, as well. Meters require buffers, storage solution, probe replacement, etc...

True, but only if the 25 footer goes all the way to the top of your vessel. The 50 also helps future-proof, should you decide to go bigger. Nothing wrong with a 25 footer - I used one for years before plate chillers were commonly available.

Still haven't seen this mythical storm of ire directed toward small batch brewers. I've seen some rational conversation, discussion, and weighing of pros and cons. Questioning a practice isn't the same as being a "naysayer". Sure brewing is fun, and isn't "work" as such, but that doesn't mean...