Recent content by Rickdude

Hey guys, Just a couple of things to mention-- First the carbonate scale is not exactly harmless. The scale structure provides a hiding place for microorganisms during the sanitizing step. If there's a film or haze, definitely clean it off. I prefer citric acid because it has a great balance...

Semi-on topic is this question-- does anyone know how Dan (Listermann) is doing? Although I haven't talked to him in years, we go way back to when the place to talk about homebrew was on CompuServe! I have to admit that I haven't been to Cinci other than fast in/out since he opened the...

I suspect the shops are just as frustrated with shipping costs as you are; I sure am! Since March of last year, the cost of shipping has just been going up and up, and now they're talking about even more dramatic increases thanks to the momentary gas situation. In my day job, I work with...

Yep, and covering the flavor is going to be pretty tough. Maybe some fruit extracts or something like that. Yarrow root has a funky flavor that might cover it. Another idea would be to find a buddy who owns a Grainfather with a distillation adapter. I don't suppose you live in eastern...

I might have a unique point to speak from-- I make cleaning and sanitizing compounds, design surfactant systems, and collaborate regularly with people who make pesticides and toxicologists. A problem we recently worked on was cleaning trace herbicide from tanks so that the same tank could be...

I like that idea for microwaving the hop bags! I prefer re-usable bags on principle, but that also means I have to be very careful with them on the cold side (e.g. only dry hop in in a refrigerated keg). I don't know why it never occurred to me to boil them in that manner. Thanks for the tip!

Right! The polymers are pretty resilient to chemical attack (part of the problem with environmental degradation/microplastics). If you go to extremes (like washing with caustic, which is why commercial breweries don't use much in the way of plastic), then there can certainly be an issue, but...

Hey guys, just jumping in because someone asked me to. (and thanks!) TL;DR: Star San (and San Step, so we're guilty too) will indeed damage plastic materials. Just wanted to explain what's up with the damage to plastics from Star San (and I'll spread the blame-- our own non-foaming acid...

Yeah, you really have to mix it in. I also add ash from my grill and fireplace to the compost and I think that makes a positive impact with the grain. In fact, there was one time after adding the spent grain, mixing it in, and also cleaning out the fireplace for the spring, I went back to the...

Definitely go with the iodine based product. Bleach presents issues with rinsing and can significantly impact your beer if not rinsed thoroughly. It also can degrade your equipment depending on what the pieces are made of. Certain food contact surfaces can become porous and present sanitation...

Replying to this thread. :-)

Hey group, I want to see if anyone has done something similar to this and, if so, if they have some helpful hints. I use a Grainfather for brewing now and I also have a spare boiler I picked up at a discount at my LHBS (it was damaged, but still works great). I use the boiler for heating my...

Not necessarily... since you haven't tried it since '98 it might work pretty well with the new formula. I'd be happy to send a trial sample out if you PM me, especially if you don't mind sharing info from the field test! :-)

Oh, yeah-- never use expensive water for process; I absolutely agree!

Yep, that was part of why we reformulated. When I was asked to formulate the product I was living in Memphis, TN-- incredible water! Later, in the mid-2000's, I moved to Madison, WI and discovered that One Step does not like lots of dissolved minerals in the water. I'd been getting...