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I think you might run the risk of bottle bombs if you terminate fermentation at an arbitrary range rather than when all activity ceases.

I use a conventional immersion chiller and run the output into a 15 gallon plastic tub. When that tub's filled I stop the flow. (Water in the tub gets used for garden as needed.) Generally that takes the temp to around 100º, a lot lower in the winter. I transfer the wort to a muslin wrapped...

I run the cooled wort from the brewpot through a cheap plastic colander lined with a clean grain bag. The wort gets a nice foamy head from the filtering of the bag and colander, plus the bag catches a lot of hop debris and some trub.

That's hilarious! LOL

+! on that thought although I think I might consider giving it at least a quick rinse and dry before milling. When short of wheat malt I've supplemented with plain old wheat flour from the supermarket at about 50¢/lb. Brew got a bit more cloudy than optimal, but tasted super-good.

I think you'd need a mini-mash with the Vienna if you expect it to add any fermentable content. It has diastatic enzymes, don't won't release sugars without mashing. It might just be easier to add an extra 3/4 lb. of extract.

+! on the bleach plus vinegar. The vinegar lowers the ph of the water and makes the bleach work much better. 15 minute soak is probably overkill, but better to be safe, I skip the rinse — just drain dry.

That looks close to my crush. Maybe 10-15% flour. I mash/sparge in a bag-lined bucket. I'm not a real wizard at calculating efficiency, but my recipes turn out decently, and the OG is usually close to the pre-calculated number.

Just a guess. Maybe you overheated the gelatin solution prior to mixing with the wort. If you get the gelatin/water mixture too near boiling, it will solidify when cooled and stay dispersed in the wort and bind with the clouding proteins and such. Your clear beer was probably more the result of...

I use a large piece of muslin (non-terrorist) that wraps the fermenting bucket and drapes down into 6-7 inches of water in a plastic container. I have a small fan aimed at the front of the Rube Goldberg setup, the fan increase evaporationa and cooling, but not so muc that it gets ahead of the...

I've not used Irish Moss, but have used Whirlfloc a few times and was unimpressed. Maybe it just doesn't fit my work flow. A little time and gelatin's been my goto method. My beer's never exactly Coors clear, but some of the recipes come very close if you disregard the sediment that's always...

I transfer the extra draining into a 1.5 gallon electric kettle, that I co-opted/stole from the kitchen, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer while the main boil is in progress. If I need extra wort after the main boil is transferred to the fermentor I use the boiled runnings from the electric...

Consider buying 5 or more - 10# bags from MoreBeer. Works out to about $1.125 per pound to 2-row. They still qualify for the free shipping. Not the very cheapest price, but if you don't have an inexpensive local store, it's decent way to get your supplies. And, its handy to have the 50 lbs...

Adding them to my composting seems to have given the compost a big boost in its worm population. More worms mean quicker and richer compost. I have no scientific proof that the worm increase is from the spent grains, and the worms, they ain't talkin'.

With a little thought you could probably cut that down to a penny. ;):)

+1, Amen. Nice post. I see no conflict between brewing great beer and doing it in a manner that's easy on the wallet, too — if that pleases you. I came from a thrifty family, and inherited the trait. I find pleasure in finding ways and means of making tasty brews that balance the budget, too...

Aren't those 2 really just different names for Tomahawk?

That's exactly what I was thinking, but being a newbie I assumed it couldn't be that simple.:D

I get some lower than expected OGs at times, too. I agree with IndyK the sparge temp could be a factor. I've been experimenting with doing a mashout with boiling water using about half the volume of the mash liquid. This brings the temp up pretty close to 170 in most cases. Then I drain the mash...

Sounds good and simple. Is the extract DME or LME. I'm thinking about trying an AG version. Thanks :)