Recent content by rallenhall

My probe is strapped to a pint can (of unliked, gifted brew) within a coozie, and that sitsthe bottom of the freezer. Trick is to mimic the temperature of the liquid and not the air.

I have, and still use, a supply of mixed-sized glass carboys. Heavy and dangerous .... yes, they have to be handled with caution. I remember the first 5 gal. carboys (still in use) that I purchased new from a water supply company @ $5 each. The cost of new ones at the LHBS today gives me shivers.

Thanks Deadalus. In fact, I am probably going to downsize to four taps. I started with four faucets, but added two for wines/ciders for the non-beer crowd. Those get used mostly on the holidays and there's really not much reason to maintain them year round. Picnic taps will do.

Great information and thanks for the photos. I usually have couple of 3-gal. kegs on the hump of my keezer, so those might be an upper rack option.

This topic is timely, as my 15 yr. old, six-tap freezer/kegerator is showing signs of giving up the ghost. I figured that when this one died I'd move to a front loading commercial kegerator, as I'm now in my mid-70's and the days of schlepping kegs over the top are probably numbered. Had not...

Welcome. Just curious ... are brewing supplies readily available in China?

I remember back at the 2007 NHC in Denver where one of the keynotes stated that the death of craft brew would come from the inside ... from bad brewers destroying the reputation of craft. That might be a bit overstated, though I've noticed that some breweries offering questionable beer at their...

I've been fermenting with 1/4 and 1/2 bbl. sankes and a NorCal Cross-T for a few years now. Have been happy with the results and especially like the ability to pressure transfer. Have never had head space issues with 5.5 gal ferments in the 1/4 or 10.5 gal in the 1/2. The Cross-T Out tube is...

Before transferring from the fermenter to the purged serving keg, I add a bit of CO2 to each to ensure equilibrium. I don't want sudden bursts of decompression stirring things up in the fermenter, so control the transfer with a coupler/picnic tap on the serving keg gas post ... easier and more...

Favorite cheap bar beer: PBR ... cut my teeth on those 3.2% redcaps over half a century ago. Favorite cheap beer to bring home: Narragansett

I'm from the dark side of the Michigan-Ohio border, but occasionally stop at Home Wine Supply in Dundee, which also carries brew supplies. My main LHBS is Titgemeiers in Toledo. Online, my Michigan orders go to Hop Craft and Michigan Hop Alliance. Guys at Hop Craft are super to work with and...

I worked with a small brewery that used 34/70 for all of the lagers. It would throw tremendous sulfur at our standard fermentation temp of 55F. Front of house staff would complain about the "sewer" smell when entering the brewery. Explained to them that the aroma was the "smell of money," as the...

Welcome. My wife and I traveled in Tuscany a number of years ago and stumbled upon Barrificio San Quirico. It offered a nice change of pace from the Tuscan wine and grappa (which was fantastic).

Be careful with water from machines in places such as Walmart. They often are not well maintained and can carry a very high TDS load. Have not had problems with water from specialists such as Culligan, but will never buy Walmart "RO" again.

Brew more small batches, especially those styles that I want to bottle and lay away for the future.