Recent content by treesmcgee

I've also heard that, but worry about the boil rate that can sometimes be an unforeseen and hard to control variable. With upping the boil of say a beer that I normally boil for 60 minutes, I would change my hop schedule to reflect 60 minutes of hopping, but would probably have to sparge with...

I've boiled like that before. It will not change the hop flavor because if you don't hop before you started that long boil no alpha acids will be isomerized.

I crush pretty finely, a 1.5 on the Barley Crusher at my LHBS. I do all the crushing myself, so no LHBS issue there. My water chemistry has been the same, I started using my local tap water and had the first few awesome, and the next few not so much, so it can't be a change in water chemistry...

Best way to preheat a cooler? Throw in some hot water? Isn't a cooler mash not going to get full conversion out of the grain? Say for instance if I missed completely and had a mash at 148 the entire time? And if that isn't the case, and I have not varied from my recipe, what is the most common...

I've been noticing lately the efficiency of my saccharification rest has been going down, with noticeable drops in starting gravity, even after boil. I had been checking the temp of the mash, and checked it, for instance right at the end of my 60 minute mash, (11 lbs 2-row, and a couple lbs of...

Hey, there's nothing wrong with a better bottle.

Ya I've heard its hard to find silicone tubing locally, and its easier to just buy it online, but does anyone know a specialty store that might have it locally?

I've read that the regular vinyl tubing only has a temperature threshold of 150 degrees, and thus isn't the best for a mash tun or HLT? I'm not sure since I've been thinking this same thing and wondered about the temperature thresholds for certain types of tubing.

Ya I was working with beersmith and attempting to alter the mash structure to suit exactly how I mash, and I've had some luck, but of course I'll have to work a little while longer.

Actually, I'm brewing right now, this recipe. And instead of pulling our usual ~7.4 gal basically filling to the top of the boil kettle, we pulled probably ~6.5-6.75 gal. I assume this is due to a different grain absorbtion rate than we've been getting, because we used the same volume of strike...

Ya I hear ya there, but with the mash and sparge amounts thats what I end up getting, so should I reduce my mash and sparge amounts, or am I just pulling wort very efficiently?

Ahh yes, I see now, and actually the amounts arent that off from what I normally use. about 1.35 qt/lb, which I've been sparging with about 1.25 qt/lb, which is what I do my first infusion with, basically equal batch. I'm assuming with the gravity of the beer the sparging water would go up, and...

I am sure this is probably the 1000th post on this topic, but seriously I'm a little confused. I suppose I should start with a little about my system. I am an all grain brewer with a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer for boil kettle, and 10 gallon gott style cooler for my mash tun. I usually do single...

Went to the site to order hops, had some sort of error. Can I order via PM? Or whats better?

Awesome info guys, thanks for the help. I'll post some pictures when it's all said and done, probably later on this week I should be recieving the regulator, gas lines, and kegs, just about the time my ale is done fermenting!