Recent content by PINbeer

Hey, sorry, missed this question. Yes, the tee stays with the basket. When you lift the basket, the hoses drain a bit anyway. I just drain them further using gravity (tipping them downwards) when I reconfigure the hoses for the boil. I just stick a small measuring cup underneath and sometimes...

Oxygen. I got tired of the little red bottles and but the bullet. I think it cost $100-120 bucks for a full small tank. Bought the regulator separately.

I bought a tank at Poist and just looked through the inventory to get the nicest tank in inventory. The employee originally grabbed the one closest to the front but I asked if I could look through and they were fine to let me do so . If I ever run out, I plan to swap out and do the same.

Thanks for the quick response and saving me a call. :-)

Anyone gotten one of the newer baskets with holes on the sides (original like mine only has on the bottom) and done a comparison? I'm wondering if it's worth purchasing one. I'm also wondering whether Spike would add the holes as a mod if you sent back your original. Will be asking them.

Bought a Tee and a Tri-Clamp G2 Linear Flow Valve (blichmannengineering.com) to try to reduce temperature differences in my Spike Solo based on the discussion here. Glad that I did. However, one thing that's a bit of a pain is being able to set and maintain a consistent stream to the top of...

Great to think about all the sources of water needed and having dedicated connections for each to avoid having to move connections in the middle of the brew day. Even with quick disconnects, it's just more things to move around, hoses to trip over, leak, etc. Assume your RO line goes to a...

Following in the US

Ball lock. Thanks.

Relevant to my post immediately above about "hear[ing] from Spike" and also raising your target temperature ... I just went back to Spike's FAQs and read through them even if not related to the temperature directly. Found this comment below under the topic of "How to Improve Efficiency" and the...

Thanks OP for raising this in a dedicated thread. In my Spike Solo, I've noticed a 2-3 degree difference between sticking a thermapen into the grains during the mash and the temp as measured by the controller underneath the basket. I stir periodically and also try to ramp up the amount of...

Don't know if this is best, but after rinsing out the most protein gunk and hops, I fill about 3 gallons of water and throw in PBW. Set on whirlpool settings and heat to 168. Let it hit that temp and then sit for another 10 mins. I then rinse with clean water and remove the element for a scrub...

If you don't know Mean Brews, check him out. Recently brewed his Fest Bier recipe. Delicious!

Dr Homebrew is great also. Wish I could taste along while they evaluate beers sent into them. Good to hear what they look for and suggestions for how to correct defects they find. Haven't sent one in yet, but hope to do so someday. Dr. Homebrew | The Brewing Network

+1. I had a lot of grain at first (and a stuck mash) until I read Spike's instructions where they say this: When mashing in, turn the pump off before pouring in your grain. After stirring in the grain, let the grain bed rest 5-10mins before turning on the pump. This allows the grain to fully...