Recent content by Shaggyt

Few things I would be concerned with this plan: 1. Clogging the plate chiller/heater - a grant with some type of filter in line before the drain (in the grant) could catch some of the early grain particles prior to grain bed setup. 2. Stuck Sparge/Recirculation - a grant should fix that...

Good suggestions so far, though for me, it's pre-measuring as much as you can the night before (water might be the exception). I have found that multitasking is the bane of brew days...lots of "OH SH*T" moments when trying to work super efficiently through multitasking...messy! Good luck BTW!!!

I tried the 550 in a triple as well as a belgian pale...either way works...more spice than fruit esters...good multipurpose belgian yeast...manipulation of fermentation temps can accentuate those esters as well:mug:

Ebay Controller, ceramic space heater w/fan (adjustable settings on it, $20), and minifridge, all mounted on the Fermenator (custom built wood/foam chamber)...picture fridge sized cabinet w/two levels...heat from below, cool from above. I have the heater set on top of a couple bricks and use...

Agreed w/Bobby M's instructions...really a breeze, just be mindful of which joints you sweat first so as not to have to re-sweat a fitting/joint due to flame overlap. Using the CFC vs the IC will present some challenges as far as dialing in the correct flow for both wort & h2o...i tried using...

A buddy and I made about 20 gallons (two 10 gal batches) of Stout mashed @148...VERY DRY!!! be prepared to let it age to drive down the bitterness from the roasted malts and hops...you can add lactose to backsweeten it at kegging or bottling to counter the dryness for a dry bitter stout can...

Low mash temp per recipe (Shakespeare stout clone) and no sugars...most of my beers finish low, just my system really...I almost mashed higher than recipe stated as a last minute change, but stuck with recipe suggestions in the end. Also, I pitched plenty of WLP001 which for me, usually...

Long story short, buddy and I brewed 20 gallons of American Stout that finished way low (low mash temp and high attenuation). What can I add to back sweeten this beer? Right now 3/4's of it is all carbed up...ready to go. My first thought was to add lactose, boiled and cooled, slightly...

I have not read that one though I'm sure the advice within holds more weight than mine, but that's essentially the same practice I employed with these yeasts. I used my ferm chamber (dual stage-heat & cool) to ramp up the temps upwards of 84F on the 570, just up to 80F on the 550/500 batches...

I've used both the 500 and 550 in split batches of belgian pale and tripel recipes. 500 was more fruity and complex, but difficult to flocculate. 550 was cleaner (better cold crash drop out) and spicier but sort of "simple" in flavor profile. I then tried the 570 for a Duvel clone...excellent...

Also, check the main tube/hole/inlet for the propane...I had wort go all the way to the this point once, which the heat of the burner evaporated most of the liquid, but the burned off residue clogged the inlet...used a screw driver to scrape the crap out in addition to Catt22's steps. Then...

Prior to repurposing my IC to a CFC, I used 2 - 20' 3/8" rolls from HD connected w/dual compression fitting...no leaks, though you really gotta crank that SOB on there...just didn't cool fast enough for me though, even with a 25' prechiller.

I just lost one of my 1gal glass jugs plus 1 gal of delicious irish stout to a failed natural carbonation attempt such as you propose...was wondering when I'd be posting about it, lol! Great for airlock-esque fermentations...closed, not so much:drunk:!

FWIW, my first low budget manifold and drain setup for my CE 52qt was normal 3/8" siphoning hose pushed through the Coleman drain port, jammed into a 1/2" CPVC two-row manifold. Flow control was a shutoff hose clamp. I've since upgraded to brass valve w/copper manifold, but this first setup...

So here's my Fermenator... Bottom two pipes coming from fridge have 12vdc pc fans pushing cool air down. I may end up adding another fan to the top pipe to aid in pushing warm air back into fridge. Still testing for lowest possible temps...