Recent content by wgeronimo

I was thinking about adding a thermometer to my MLT (10 gal igloo round) to better monitor mash temps. After doing a bit of reading people seem to recommend using a solid stopper (hole drilled through the middle). Two questions 1) Can I use a step drill bit to make the hole in the cooler...

Thanks, gotta give this a try. Absolutely no need to waste money buying new yeast every time.

Thanks for the tip tre9er. As a guy that has never reused yeast is it as simple as saving some trub? How do you reactivate?

I did my first AG yesterday (Red Ale) and had a slightly similar experience. Strike water was around 150 by the time it settled in the MLT. I tried to bring it up with hot water to no avail, but I think my conversion was fine to be honest. Stayed at temp for the entire hour though which was...

I was hoping somebody here could offer some advice. After fiddling with this design for a few hours I am pretty frustrated. The point of weakness for me in building this design appears to be between the locknut and the ball valve. Water travels down through the spigot, hits the closed ball...

Thanks....great suggestion. I think I can even handle that. Thanks!

I just built my first cooler mash tun.....very reasonable and easy project (I have almost no mechanical skills sadly). Total Cost was right around $75. 1) Igloo Cooler via Amazon - $40 2) Spigot install kit via Rite brew - $20 3) Bazooka Screen via Amazon - $15 shipped

Thanks for the info. I think I am just going to look for a pump with a garden hose attachment. One less Home Depot trip I gotta take. Thanks for the info.

Let me apologize in advance if this is a silly question or has been answered before but.... I am new to all grain brewing and am starting to move on to 10 gal batches. In an effort not to waste water I was hoping to recirculate using one of these cheap harbor freight pumps like this one...

Thanks Jprice. So theoretically if I drill a hole using a 1/4 bit and gradually make it bigger each time with my traditional bits I could be okay? I'm not the most handy guy but don't mind trying to learn. Just rather not mess up my $100 pot. I probably should just buy a step bit and...

Hi all I have a fairly nice 5G stainless steel pot that I want to put a ball valve on. I have watched a ton of videos online and it seems pretty simple. My one question would be around the drilling procedure. Most people recommend a step drill bit. I don't have one of these, just a...

Does anyone have any thoughts on this kit? LINK Also, I notice that the cheaper kits come with a primary fermeneter and a bottling bucket. This one has no bottling bucket but does have a "secondary" fermenter. Do you bottle right from here?

So I notice that this kit comes no bottling bucket. How important is it to have this versus a secondary fermenter?

So I finally decided to take the plunge into the world of home brewing after making a few 15 Gallon batches of delicious brew at a local place. I bought a few books and have done my research but still have a few rookie questions I was hoping people could help me out with. I would like to...